Focus on arrangement

Tape Notes Podcast

Focus on arrangement before plugins and gear

Four Tet emphasizes the importance of focusing on arrangement and song structure to become a better producer. He suggests prioritizing the overall narrative and emotional moments of a piece before getting caught up in technical details like plugin chains and gear choices. He advises that producers should aim to do as little processing as possible, choosing sounds that work well from the start. He suggest to rather use plugins and compression to address specific problems that could not be fixed otherwise, not as a default approach. This mindset encourages a more organic and intentional production process, where the music's core elements take precedence over technical tweaks.