"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
— Leonardo da Vinci
Here's an idea that I come back to often:
Simple and easy are not the same thing.
They're typically mistaken for each other.
They shouldn't be.
Because the simplest solution is sometimes the hardest one to uncover.
The Starting Point
Think about your favourite song.
It might only have four chords.
A simple melody.
A rhythm you could tap with one finger.
It sounds effortless.
But it probably wasn't.
Someone spent hours...
Maybe days...
Maybe years...
Removing everything that didn't need to be there.
The Invitation
I've learned to value simplicity more than almost anything.
Because it's more effective.
Anyone can make something more complicated.
Add another drum layer.
Another synth.
Another harmony.
Another menu.
Another feature.
It takes real discipline to stop.
The Test
Music production rewards complexity.
Thousands of plugins.
Hundreds of tracks.
Infinite possibilities.
It's drowning in them.
The best songs don't impress me because they're complex.
They impress me because they leave stuff out.
The Guidepost
All mixes ask the same question:
"What can I remove?"
Every classic arrangement asks:
"What doesn't belong here?"
The music producer learns subtraction as a creative tool.
Not compromise.
Superpower.
The Change
Reveal.
The melody.
The beat.
The emotion.
The message.
Everything else is just getting out of the way.
Simple isn't the starting point.
It's the destination.
The Return
When we hear a great song, we think,
"That sounds so simple."
But we infer that it sounds inevitable.
As if it couldn't have been made any other way.
Before your next session, don't ask:
"What can I add?"
Ask:
"What can I remove?"
Discover the shortest path to something beautiful...
...make some room for one of the other elements to breathe.
Free Ableton Live Course & Music Production Guides
Song of the Week 🎧
New Radicals - "You Get What You Give"
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If you miss the 90s or missed the 90's, simply watch this video as a refresher course. This is a masterclass in Mall Shenanigans 101. "Gen Z will bring malls back." - Nostradamus, 1723. The New Radicals came out of nowhere in 1998, dropped one atomic bomb and peaced out.
Ok, the lyrics tell a great story, the music is the perfect backing track, but this has got to be my favourite build-up to the best falsetto-heaven bridge section and outro of all time.
Everything that is holy happens from the 2nd chorus, after the perfect mini guitar solo, at around 2:56 to 3:44, and then everything pops off after that: the vocals, the bass line, the song structure, the lyrics, the spoken "fly", the rap...all becomes one of my favourite moments in music.
YouTube Wisdom of the Weekđź“š
Extreme Ownership | Jocko Willink | TEDxUniversityofNevada
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Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win
Plugin of the Week 🔌
dbx 160 Compressor / Limiter
This is a fast VCA-style compressor that's great for controlling transients. Try it on your kicks. Set the release time so the red light is on when the kick hits and then quickly goes back to green:
Free Plugin of the Week 🆓
Techivation T-De-Esser
A free De-Esser. Great if you use Ableton Live, as it doesn't have an amazing de-esser.
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