Hi everyone. Sometimes it can be difficult to finish a song, so I wanted to ask how you usually start recording one. 1. Do you begin with a simple piano arrangement, record the best vocal takes you can, and then build the instrumental arrangement around them? 2. Do you write and arrange the entire song first, and only then record the vocals? 3. Do you start by recording the elements that matter most and define the vibe of the song, and then add other elements that give it color? What is your personal workflow?

Hi everyone — I’m teaching beginner production students about the vocal chain, and I’ve been using parts of your EQ and compression videos as teaching material. They’ve been incredibly effective — my students really started to hear what those tools are doing, so thank you for that. Now I’m moving on to saturation, and I’d love some advice from the community on how best to teach this concept at a beginner level. Here’s my challenge: Many of my students are working in GarageBand or BandLab (free version), where there isn’t a plug-in explicitly labeled “Saturation.” Instead, we’re relying on Overdrive or Distortion plug-ins and using them very subtly to achieve a saturation-type effect. I'm going to emphasizing that: - Saturation is about harmonic richness and warmth, not audible distortion - Less is more, especially for vocals - If you can clearly hear distortion, it’s probably too much That said, saturation feels more abstract to students than EQ or compression, and I want to make sure I’m explaining it in a way that clicks — especially when the tools don’t look like what they see in professional DAWs. Could you give me some advice on - How do you explain saturation in simple, musical terms? - Do you recommend introducing it early in the vocal chain, or waiting until students have stronger ears? - Any tips for demonstrating saturation effectively when using overdrive/distortion instead of dedicated saturation plug-ins? Appreciate any insight — I want to make sure I’m setting my students up with solid fundamentals without overwhelming them. Thanks again for all the great educational content.

I’m babysitting and getting too attached to this . New novation keyboard. Wish it were mine. 😊