Trst has had the love of music in his life for as long as he can remember, he began learning Jazz bass at the age of 10 and never stopped.
Influenced by the likes of Tony Romera, Noizu and Rex The Dog, Trst explores a variety of genres in his production but his heart belongs to Fidget House. Trst has had some incredible releases including two Spinnin’ releases titled ‘Bitch Boyz’ and ‘Throw Yo Body’. Check out Trst’s top tips for production beginners.
T.H.E – Do you think that it is essential to be able to play an instrument or to be able to know music theory first before learning how to produce?
Trst – Definitely not! With the number of resources, there are online all you need to have is a huge passion for music in general. It definitely helps and, in my opinion, cuts the learning curve by a ton, but I know PLENTY of amazing producers who have never picked up an instrument.
T.H.E – What equipment would you suggest is best for a beginner to buy?
Trst – I started with only a DAW and flat production headphones for my first couple of months. It’s important you do your research on all of these DAWs as it’s going to be a giant commitment. My first purchases as a producer after were mainly software instruments, but in terms of physical equipment, I think headphones and a DAW are the only TRULY necessary things to start off. Next steps would be some monitors, but I actually mainly produce with headphones due to many many noise complaints over the years!
T.H.E – Can you suggest any good YouTube channels or blogs for people to learn from?
Trst – The YouTube channel ‘You Suck At Producing’ taught me so much about basically everything from gain staging to making your sounds more expressive. Underbelly, the instructor, is hilarious and the content is given very directly so it’s not like you’re combing through a 30-minute video to learn one trick. If you want good sound design videos, virtual riot is hands down the best instructor.
T.H.E – What are some bad habits new producers should try to avoid?
Trst – Comparing your music to other music that is currently popular. It’s something I even struggle with, but even from experience, the tracks that get the most attention are the tracks that are the most original and new feeling. If you are trying to make your track sound like the next Chris Lake track, chances are you’re just going to make a worse sounding version of Chris Lake. Stay original!
T.H.E – How do you spark your creativity?
Trst – New sounds or old music. I purchased my MS-20 synth a couple of months ago and just learning the ins and outs has really aided my creative process. Additionally, I’ll listen to some classics for a while just to get the gears turning.
T.H.E – How do you normally approach writing a new song?
Trst – Depending on my mood, I usually start with sound design and build around there. Sometimes I’ll lay down a progression and browse through patches, but most of the time I’ll have a sample or sound that I’m in love with and pretty much try and make it work. I’ll decide once I have 16 bars down if I’ll keep working or if I start a new project, just to not waste too much time.
T.H.E – What piece of advice do you wish was given to you when you first started producing music?
Trst – Don’t try to make a specific genre of music. Make what sounds good to you. When I first got into producing I was set on making dubstep. Then I NEEDED to make future bass. It just changed so often that I would learn a tiny bit about making music for that one genre, and It wouldn’t translate at all, when in the end I should’ve just focused on learning the basics and essentials to producing music as a whole while finding my own unique sound.
T.H.E – Which plug-ins are best to use?
Trst – There are too many great ones! Some of the most used plugins on my chains are actually Ableton stock plugins such as Operator, EQ8, etc. Corpus is the most underrated stock in my opinion. Try it for yourself to add some nice textures to your sound! Besides those, a couple I recommend are the fabfilter suite, serum, VPS Avenger, and Invisible Limiter
Do you think it is essential to learn how to mix and master?
Trst – I think mixing is pretty essential to know because that is a large part of the creative process. It gives you part of your overall sound, and it’s something you should definitely be striving for, but it shouldn’t hold you back on making or releasing music.
T.H.E – What is your advice on sampling?
Trst – I use samples all the time! Sampling is great and don’t let any smug producer tell you otherwise. When you use a sample as your melody it will probably get lost in all the other tracks that use that exact sample in that exact way, so make sure to use small portions or even better, start resampling. No one has to go their whole life making custom kicks. C’mon.
