So I started production in May, and I'm spending on average a month per each track I make (I would say averaging 40-60 hrs but i havent been counting so not sure). I always hear that finishing tracks is a good habbit rather than working on a million things. So far I have finished 3 full tracks and am almost done with track 4. However, Im questioning if im spending way too much time producing a single track and tweaking everything rather than just pushing things faster.

Any feedback is welcome I know everyone has a different take

I feel like a good mixdown and master can make any good idea sound good. Sometimes I question my vocals at first and after I do the mix and master I love my vocals. . lol

I hope I can inspire someone to sing your own lyrics because it is rewarding when I get all the levels right. And it gels.

Like, you don't suck at singing. You just have to mix it. I treat the vocals as another instrument and I make sure to record before the mixing process begins. I never make a full finished track and just slap vocals on it. That doesn't work for me at least.

Also I think it's important to record the singing over a rough idea of what synths will be playing in the final project. Like if you sing to a piano chord progression then the final project should have a piano chord progression going during that part.

Anyway yeah I find myself exporting like 20 times and going back to fix one small change here and there.

In my opinion a good mixdown is mostly about getting the volumes correct for each instrument. And then when it's all perfectly balanced - turn up the drums. .lol

On my master the first effect in the chain is a compressor, and when I begin the master process (which involves going back to fix the mix a lot) I start with the threshold at like -10 DB, and by the end for my finished project, well right now this track the compressor at the start of the chain, is clipping and the threshold is only -0.25 DB lol with 7.42 for the ratio. The idea is just bring it down a little bit.

Then after that, and Ableton "float" helps, I turn down the gain with a utility and go into a heavy bass boosting EQ and after that is a limiter that is reducing by about 3db. To be clear this me as I'm pushing the limiter 3db over 0. Then a saturator with hard clip. Plus one or two extra "bells and whistles".

Anyway. The point is this was supposed to be an easy to make track and now I'm still up tweaking faders at 3 AM. .lol

Have you seen those videos for quadrature sub bass trick where they set the phase 90 degrees apart on two sub oscillators and hard pan them? I’ve given it a try and it does work, but personally I don’t think it sounds musical.

Does anyone know of a commercial release that uses this technique? I’d love to hear it in the wild.

Every time I try to play or export a track from FL studio using these VST's, it plays the audio from the VST itself in addition to the stuff i have sequenced in the pattern/playlist view. I have tried pretty much everything i can think of and don't know where else to ask/look. anyone familiar with this issue?