Three minute reads for artists and producers
who want to make better records

By Thomas Dulin

Hey Reader, happy Wednesday.

I wanted to start with a few responses to last week's email "work always comes in cycles."

As always, my inbox is open and I love reading your replies.

TAKE ONE: QUICK LINKS

• Universal Audio release LUNA v1.9 with some really cool AI features
• Sonnox is running a 90% off summer sale. Oxford Inflator is under $20 which is insane to me.
• Spotify Publishes AI-Generated Songs From Dead Artists Without Permission, new report from 404media.co​
• I use Kit to send this newsletter, and it's kind of perfect for artists + producers, creatives in general. It's free for small lists. Sign up with my code to help support this newsletter.

TAKE TWO: RECOMMENDED LISTENING

"FATHER FIGURE" is the new album from Jon Bellion. After a six year hiatus, he bought out his record deal and released this. I can't get enough of it.

It's about choosing family over wealth, getting older, and what really matters.

The sounds, the mixes, all the production and the lyrics have been super inspiring to me lately.

"My home's not a foreign place
Boys need me, need to see my face
You got the watch with the foreign face
But all of your boys see a foreign face"

FATHER FIGURE • Jon Bellion HOROSCOPE (feat. Pharrell Wi... PREVIEW   ​

TAKE THREE: 5 MYTHS ABOUT POSTING AS A MUSIC CREATOR

I used to absolutely hate social media and newsletters.

My philosophy was something like: "people who are posting on social media about their work or process are only doing so because they don't have any actual music to work on."

That was narrow-minded of me.

I realized a lot of my beliefs were just untrue, so I wanted to share some of them in case you are open to changing your mind too.

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MYTH #1: Posting is lame / desperate / self-promo-y.

Reality: It’s only cringey when it’s performative.

If your goal is to be helpful, it's not self-promotion, it's generosity.

People are smart and they can tell the difference.

MYTH #2: Social media is just for your friends.

Reality: Sure, if you're a doctor or a bank teller, social media is for your friends. But if any part of your income relies on people looking you up online, I hate to be the one to tell you: social media is part of your job.

Once you realize it's part of your job, it frees you up from worrying about what your friends and family think about it.

It's not for them.

MYTH #3: I don’t have anything worth sharing.

Reality: You have a unique perspective, and you know things you didn't used to know.

I regularly get emails and DMs thanking me for simple advice I've shared about Pro Tools shortcuts.

You don’t need to be the smartest or best. Just share what you’re learning or what you’re working on. Again, generosity goes a long way.

MYTH #4: If it doesn’t get likes or engagement, it's a waste of time.

Reality: Making social media posts is a form of creating, and worth doing for its own sake.

I'll add that I'm currently working with an artist who only reached out because of a specific thing I posted on Instagram. That post got almost no "engagement."

Making stuff is fun if you let it be.

MYTH #5: Sharing your process means giving away your “secrets”

Reality: There are no secrets.

This might sound harsh but if you really believe that your success hinges on no one finding out all your little tricks, you need to work on your craft more.

Be generous with your "secrets."

A bit of this is self-preaching. I'm committing to getting on here and sending these weekly emails, and posting on Instagram more.

If you're a silent social media user like I was, I challenge you -- contribute something this week. And send it to me, I'd love to hear from you!

Until next week, happy music making, Reader.

Thomas Dulin Producer / Engineer / Mixer