Task-Based Process for Creating Music

Organize by what tasks you think need attention and action, not by what step in a production process you think is required or logical. This approach facilitates relating to the creative work in more skillful ways and lessens forcing the work or being on autopilot. The folders are named after tasks, and whatever is in that folder needs specific attention. Organize by what work needs to happen in your next work session (a few minutes or weeks from “now). It’s a non-linear approach. Song folders can move between any tasks based on what calls for attention. Your song folders are free to move iteratively (repeatedly) between task folders. Songs may cycle through task folders multiple times. It’s a technology/software-agnostic approach. It works with any DAW, productivity software, or file format.

Prime

Envisioning and constraining

Setting intention, tuning into creative state
Research, listening, preparing your mindset
Choosing sounds, instruments, or creative direction

Jam

Playing and discovering

Suspend judgement, let go of expectations
Follow the path of least resistance
Take what’s there
Be bad; don’t pan for gold
Record it all
Remember all sounds are interesting and beautiful
Generate too much
When the flow stops, you stop

Develop

Exploring and building

Extract interesting ideas; finding compelling characters
Build on ideas that get an emotional response
Experiment with elements like harmonies, orchestration, variations, supporting characters
Expand on and deepen musical concepts

Arrange

Structuring and storytelling

Plot a sonic story with identified characters
Map an emotional listening journey
Create contrasts: tension-release, anticipation-satisfaction, familiar-dissonant, etc
Organize verse/chorus/bridge/drop/break sequencing
Decide what goes where and when
Perhaps bring on a producer

Refine

Tightening and editing

Help the characters of the story shine
Edit details, perfect performance
Improve patch sounds and sample choices
Quality control timing, tuning, intonation, other precision details
Get to a point of not hearing problems
Maybe find collaborators or hire musicians
Perhaps book studio time and recording engineer

Mix

Balancing and shaping

Make the story and journey clear
Ensure sonic characters don’t step over each other
Technical balancing, sonic shaping
EQ, compression, saturation, spatial placement
Ensure everything sits well together
Consider hiring a mix engineer

Master

Polish and optimize

Get it to an appropriate loudness
Consider how it will sound to listeners’ devices
Make exports/mixdowns consistent
Compare frequency balance to reference tracks
Approximate how it will sound when released
Add sparkle and sculpting
Consider hiring a mastering engineer

Distributing and releasing

Releasing as in letting go of
Who do you want to hear it now, why, and how?
Connect with peers, friends/family, or fans, etc
Ask for feedback; request money; fulfill subscriptions; pitch placement/plays

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