Production
Stop overproducing: less is almost always more
August 5, 2025 · 6 min read
Producers add. Great producers subtract. The difference between a demo that's exciting and a final that's exhausting is usually 30 muted tracks the producer was too attached to delete.
The mute test
Mute any track. If the song is worse, keep it. If you can't tell, delete it. Most arrangements lose nothing from a 30% cut.
Pick one hero per section
Verse: maybe the vocal is the hero. Chorus: maybe the synth lead. Bridge: maybe the drums. One hero at a time means everything else exists to serve it.
The best producers in the world all have one habit in common: ruthless deletion. Practice it.
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