288: Composition Tips For Producers

·55 min·5 clips

Blueprint and Illogic admit they've lost their push-up routines but reveal their musical output is 'cracking'.

["The episode begins with Blueprint and Illogic discussing personal challenges, particularly their struggles with maintaining fitness routines while other aspects of their lives are progressing well.", "They transition to announcing the episode's topic: composition tips for producers, noting they haven't covered this specific angle before.", "Blueprint explains this topic was inspired by his return to music creation after a 6-8 month break and his recent study of composers he admires.", "He describes how driving a truck 11-14 hours daily provided uninterrupted listening time, allowing him to deeply study music through Spotify rabbit holes.", "Tip 1 is 'start with inspiration' - Blueprint advises producers to create playlists of music that excites them and listen before creating.", "Tip 2 is 'garbage in, garbage out' - emphasizing that quality inputs (records, VSTs) lead to quality outputs, and being cheap can be expensive.", "Tip 3 is 'melody first, production second' - Blueprint argues melody is the most important element and should be perfected before sound selection.", "After a break promoting their books 'The 10 Traits of Successful Hip Hop Artists' and 'The Social Media Cheat Code', they continue with tip 4.", "Tip 4 is 'layering is your friend' - using examples of how layered vocals and instruments add texture and depth to compositions.", "Tip 5 is 'switch it up, but not too much' - recommending producers include variation in arrangements to maintain listener interest.", "Tip 6 is 'base hits, not home runs' - encouraging producers to focus on consistent output rather than expecting every creation to be perfect.", "Another break includes an announcement about opening the podcast to advertising opportunities for businesses and artists.", "Tip 7 is 'compose first, produce second' - comparing music creation to filmmaking where shooting and post-production should be separate phases.", "Tip 8 is 'voicing matters' - explaining how the volume and timing of individual notes within chords dramatically affect their emotional impact.", "Tip 9 is 'less quantization' - advocating for sliding elements around the grid to create more human, funky feels beyond just drums.", "Tip 10 is 'it's not a race' - warning against comparing your pace to others, especially YouTube producers who claim unrealistic speeds.", "Blueprint recaps all 10 tips at the end, emphasizing trusting your own creative process.", "They close by thanking listeners who have purchased their books and announcing a book sale for the anniversary of 'The Social Media Cheat Code'.", "The episode maintains a conversational tone throughout with both hosts sharing personal experiences and practical advice.", "Throughout, Blueprint references specific influences like David Axelrod, Italian library records, and producers like Dr. Dre, Premier, and Dilla."]

As heard by us

A blunt, practical reminder to prove the melody before spending hours polishing sounds around it.

The episode is strongest when it frames production as a melody-first discipline. Its practical thread moves from the wasted cost of shortcutting sounds and VST choices to a workable checkpoint: sit at the piano, capture a riff in the sequencer, build out chords, bass, and…

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Why you'd press play

You want a melody-first checkpoint before your piano riff turns into a two-hour production detour.

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