Chris Lake shares crucial production trick to avoid ‘same mistakes I did’
2 min read
When it comes to production tips, you tend to focus on getting the song produced. Producer Chris Lake has shared a trick for the long term, however, that is definitely a must-know for all producers.
Posting on Twitter, the hit producer explained why he can no longer revisit old tracks and how he wished he’s thought ahead.
He said: “Once you finish a track, make sure you back up that project, but take into consideration how hard it may be to open this up in 10-15 years when you could get the rights back to your single (if you released it on another label).
“Often, third party plugins won’t work the same years down the road. It’s best to bounce out stems to audio. You can always open those up in another DAW down the line. I can’t revisit so many of my old tracks because I can’t find the right files / plug-ins etc to open them.“
Other major names in the industry were quick to support his point, including Laidback Luke and Bassjackers.
Lake also said he is planning on producing some video tutorials “soon” on how he approaches his project organisation – this tip will no doubt be mentioned in it!
The reason I’m highlighting this essential grain of knowledge is because it is so easy to lose old work, and it’s something I have had the misfortune of experiencing recently.
Whether you are changing computers or switching DAWs, there are plenty of reasons why files could be corrupted or simply not compatible anymore.
The way DAWs work is they remember all your VST settings and re-load them each time you open the project. If, for example, you no longer have access to a plugin, or have somehow lost a preset, you have no copy of the original audio and have to start from scratch.
The best way to resolve this is, as Lake said, to bounce your tracks and render them to audio. That way, you also have a copy of the audio, which does not depend on software working years down the line.
