Tim Randolph is a musician, songwriter, and producer who is currently working with some of the biggest artists in the world. He is also part of a new revolution that his happening in the music industry.
Without the massive budgets and the days of selling 10 million records, the new music industry is taking shape right before our eyes. Guys like Tim are creating something special and fresh; something less formulaic and increasingly creative.
Recently, Tim has been working with Imagine Dragons (You know, the “radio-active, radio-active” guys!). He ended up co-writing 2 of the 11 songs on their new record. If you think that’s impressive, the band demoed 150 songs for that record… yeah, think about that for a minute.
There’s a lot that we can learn from Tim’s experience. In our recent interview, Tim gives us insight into his world and leaves us with some tips that you will immediately help with songwriting and production!
Tim’s 4 tips:
1. Mix it up: Tim talks about how he doesn’t use just one DAW. His main tool is Logic Pro, but he also programs instruments in Ableton. He tracks live instruments in Pro Tools as well. It’s a great way to keep it fresh and stay creative.
2. Commit early: This point piggy backs on top of point 1. Because Tim is working in multiple DAW’s his aim is to get the sound he is looking for and bounce it down to 2 tracks and bring it back into Logic. Whether its live drums, or a 47 piece programmed orchestra, bring it down to a stereo mix and commit early.
3. It’s not about the gear: We’ve all been there. You feel like there is some deficiency in your music creation and so you start to blame it on your gear and look for something new. The truth is, there is nothing creative about this process. New gear will never replace poor songwriting or lackluster production.
4. Write often: Tim is an avid songwriter and talks about how his routine is to get up early, pour his coffee and write songs every morning. There are no shortcuts, if you want to write hit songs, you have to put in the effort to hone you skills. Putting in work like this every single morning will only improve your songwriting.
The lovely studio that Tim and I are sitting in, is owned Gus Seyffert, the touring bassist for Roger Waters.
Leave a comment below and let me know what you’re doing that’s helped you improve recently.
