Table Of ContentT he Music Producer’s Survival Guide
A music-career book like no other, The Music Producer’s Survival Guide of ers a wide-ranging, exploratory,
yet refreshing down-to-earth take on living the life of the independent electronic music producer. If you are
an intellectually curious musician/producer eager to make your mark in today’s technologically advanced
music business, you’re in for a treat. This new edition includes industry and technological updates, additional
interviews, and tips about personal f nances, income, and budgets.
I n this friendly, philosophical take on the art and science of music production, veteran producer, engineer,
and teacher Brian Jackson shares clear, practical advice about shaping your own career in today’s computer-
centric “home-studio” music world. You’ll cover music technology, philosophy of music production, career
planning, networking, craft and creativity, the DIY ethos, lifestyle considerations, and much more. Brian’s
thoughtful approach will teach you to integrate your creative passion, your lifestyle, and your technical
know-how.
T he Music Producer’s Survival Guide is the f rst music production book to consider the inf uence of
complexity studies and chaos theory on music-making and career development. It focuses on practicality
while traversing a wide spectrum of topics, including essential creative process techniques, the TR-808,
the proliferation of presets, the butterf y ef ect, granular synthesis, harmonic ratios, altered states, fractal
patterns, the dynamics of genre evolution, and much more. Carving out your niche in music today is an
invigorating challenge that will test all your skills and capacities. Learn to survive—and thrive—as a creative-
technical professional in today’s music business, with the help of Brian Jackson and The Music Producer’s
Survival Guide!
B rian M. Jackson is a music producer, electronic musician, audio engineer, educator, consultant, and
philosopher. Brian's involvement in DIY, independent, and underground music culture started in Detroit
more than two decades ago. He has produced various styles of electronic music, played bass in bands,
promoted club events, attempted a record label, and DJ’ed after-hours parties. From award-winning
experimental video art to TV shows such as 24, his sounds have been heard worldwide. He has more than
20 years of teaching experience, from beginners to Grammy winners, from classrooms at leading institutions
to one-on-one tutoring. He’s one of the f rst ever Ableton Certif ed trainers and has authored extensive
training materials. He is the owner of Form Labs NYC located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Sound on Sound Presents series…
Series Editorial Advisor: Dave Lockwood
Other title in the series:
The Studio SOS Book: Solutions and Techniques for the Project Recording Studio
Paul White, Hugh Robjohns, and Dave Lockwood
The SOS Guide to Live Sound: Optimising Your Band’s Live-Performance Audio
Paul White
Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio
Mike Senior
Recording Secrets for the Small Studio
Mike Senior
The Music Producer’s Survival Guide: Chaos, Creativity, and Career in Independent and
Electronic Music, Second Edition
Brian M. Jackson
T he Music Producer’s
Survival Guide
C haos, Creativity, and Career in
Independent and Electronic Music
S econd Edition
B rian M. Jackson
S econd edition published 2018
b y Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
R outledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2018 Taylor & Francis
T he right of Brian M. Jackson to be identif ed as author of this work has been asserted by him in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
A ll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form
or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publishers.
T rademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identif cation and explanation without intent to infringe.
F irst edition published by Delmar Cengage Learning 2013
S econd edition published by Routledge 2018
L ibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
N ames: Jackson, Brian M., author.
Title: The music producer’s survival guide : chaos, creativity,
and career in independent and electronic music / Brian M. Jackson.
Description: Second edition. | New York, NY : Routledge, 2018. | Series: Sound on sound
presents
Identif ers: LCCN 2017045933 | ISBN 9780415790956 (hardback : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781138697850 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315519777 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Sound recordings—Production and direction. | Sound recordings—Production
and direction—Vocational guidance. | Sound recording executives and producers.
Classif cation: LCC ML3790 .J25 2018 | DDC 781.49023—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017045933
I SBN: 978-0-415-79095-6 (hbk)
I SBN: 978-1-138-69785-0 (pbk)
I SBN: 978-1-315-51977-7 (ebk)
T ypeset in Myriad Pro
b y Apex CoVantage, LLC
D edicated to:
2
8, ∞, 0, 1, 1.6180339, 01123581321345589, r > 3.57, and z = z + c
C ontents
A cknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi
P reface to the Second Edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
P reface to the First Edition (Revised) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xviii
I ntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
D IY.Independent.Electronic.Music.Producer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
W hat Is the Goal of This Book? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
H ow Is This Book Structured? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
W hat This Book Is Not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
W hom Is This Book For? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
C an I Get a Venn Diagram? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
D IY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
I ndependent (Indie) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
E lectronic Music (EM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
A Few Words on Major Labels and the Corporate Media Business . . . . . . . . . . 9
Magic Might Make Machine Mechanism, Moegen Macht . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Welcome to the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
T he Accidental Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
F aster, Smaller, Cheaper . . . Easier? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
F rom Musician to Producer: An Author’s Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
O ne Thing Leads to Another: Positive Chaos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
C hapter 1: Musica Universalis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Music Is Universal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
M usic Is Diverse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
M usic Is Technological . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
M usic Is Personal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
M usic Is Vital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
M usic Is Fundamental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
N ature Is Musical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
M usic Is Mathematical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
M usic Is Evolving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
M usic’s Evolution Is Chaotic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
B asic Dynamics of Genre Evolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
B aker’s Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
T he Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
“ Nothing Sounds Quite Like an 808” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
A rthur Baker’s Baker’s Transformation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
vii
Contents
A Very Brief Intro to the History of Electronic Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
E M’s Two Timbral Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
S ource 1: Sound Reproduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
S ource 2: Sound Synthesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
I ndependent Label Pioneers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
J amaica, U.K., and New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
A merican Punk, Metal, and Aggressive or Alternative Rock Styles . . . . . . . . . . . 54
V arious Styles of Adventurous Rock, Underground Metal,
and Industrial-Related Genres From Germany, U.K., U.S.,
and Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
E lectronic Music Labels From US, Canada, Germany, and U.K. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
M usic Is Cybernetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
C adence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
C hapter 2: Plot Point on the Space-Time Continuum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Putting Things in Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
M usic Is More Than the Recording Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Y o Ho Ho, and a Bottle of Rum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
C ontext Is Everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
History . . . zzZzz . . . What’s in It for Me? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
A (Very Incomplete) Brief History of Everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
E poch 1: Back in the Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
E poch 2: Recent History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
E poch 3: The 20th Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
E poch 4: The New Millennium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
W here Are We Now? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
E ra 1: Local and Exclusive (? to 1877 ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
E ra 2: Transmission and Storage (1888 to 2000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
E ra 3: Global Information Networks (2001 to 2029[?]) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
E ra 4: Biotechnology Network Integration? (2029[?] to ?) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
W hat Goes Around Comes Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
I ndustry Expansion and Limited Access to Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
I ndustry Contraction and Expanded Access to Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
A Parallel Teachable Moment From Recent History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
W here Is the RIAA’s Equivalent of Deep Blue? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
G ains From Complexif cation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
L osses From Complexif cation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
T he Argument for the Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Economics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
T he Industry’s Weak Argument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
P 2P and CD Sales (Correlation Does Not Imply Causation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
O ther Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
T he Argument for Self-Destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
viii
Contents
R IAA Failures + Apple Computer = Apple, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
E mergence of the “Celestial Jukebox” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
W hat Is a “Producer”? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
T he “Classic” Record Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
D IY/Independent Music/Producers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
E lectronic Music Producer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
W hat Does “Professional” Mean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102
A spiring Pro, Semi-Pro, or Serious Hobbyist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
L ast Refrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
C hapter 3: What Is Your Plan? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Did You Choose This, or Did It Choose You? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
S ense of Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
T he Butterf y Ef ect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110
P atience and Persistence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
L uck, Talent, Preparation, Opportunity, and Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
D ef ning Your Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
B rainstorming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
D eveloping a Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
P ossible Pieces of the Planning Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
A re You Already a Pro or Skilled in Something?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
A re You Just Getting Started (or Starting Over)? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
S chool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124
P ersonalized Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
L earning on the Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
M oving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
B ackup Plans Versus Alternate Paths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
B e Flexible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
S ome Considerations, Strategies, and Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
T echnology and the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
B efore Skills Pay the Bills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
P aying the Bills With Your Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
G etting Paid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Y ou Are Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
A dvances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
R esidual Income Is Awesome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140
P ersonal Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
B e Involved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
T houghts on Partnerships and Collaborations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
P lanning Your Artistic Musical Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
O utro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144
C hapter 4: Master Your Craft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Multiple Intelligences and So-Called “Styles” of Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148
ix
