/blog

Musically, 2025 has been surprisingly productive so far. I've got two tracks almost completely done bar a couple of small tweaks.

I keep going back to the first one and trying to 'fix' it. I don't know why but, for music that is focused so heavily on the kick drum, I really struggle to make the kick, any kick, sit well in the mix unless it's intentionally distorted and dissonant.

It doesn't matter if I pitch the kick drum properly — even when using a chromatic tuner to check — it never really seems quite right.

As my word for the year is 'patience' I'm not rushing things and taking more time to learn and get things right. I'm even asking for feedback from people who will play the tracks in different environments so as to get a more balanced result.

I know that there are as many opinions on mixing kick drums as music producers, and that some of those opinions will contradict others — that's always the way. So, I need to do some proper research from trusted sources and pick (at most) a couple of techniques to "master" ¹ rather than trying to do too much in one go.

I want to make this year a turning point for my music.

I like to think I've made some good tracks in the past, I know I have, but they've often been let down by production skills or impatience to share them. The quality has been inconsistent so I'm looking to improve that whilst keeping things fun and not torturing myself over it.

I hope the extra care and attention are audible.