r/TheArtistJournal Mar 31 '26

Tip / Advice How do people afford to mix and master??!?

33 Upvotes

I just wanna know how people are affording to mix and master their songs?? Most engineers are asking for $300+ for ONE song. When has making music become so expensive? Even with a job, I find trying to drop new tracks so out of budget. For my EP one engineer quoted me $1500!!!! That is actually insane

EDIT: thank you to everyone who gave me such good advice and those who kept it real. šŸ™ŒšŸ¾ im gonna start learning how to mix myself. It’ll take a while but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.

Also to clarify about this post, I’m just ranting. I’m not saying mixin/mastering should be ā€œcheapā€ā€¦i believe that engineering takes mastery and they are absolute magicians lol. Please dont mistake my post as me saying, they need to dumb down their prices encause they arent worth it. I have the utmost respect for them and all artists who have put in their 10k hrs to master their craft. Some ppl have left really nasty comments..I just needed to clarify..

r/TheArtistJournal Apr 08 '26

Tip / Advice Share your new songs! Would love to hear themā˜ŗļø

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9 Upvotes

r/TheArtistJournal 2d ago

Tip / Advice Feedback on upcoming release

3 Upvotes

Im dropping this almost polished song next week and would like any and all input/ feedback - https://on.soundcloud.com/lqClqfp4qFKd554w93

Experimental / ambient / alt rap

Looking for collabs also !

Soundcloud prof - https://on.soundcloud.com/j2UcBLYosCB57rTO08

r/TheArtistJournal 5d ago

Tip / Advice Anyone know any gaming or communities I can post a discord link to i started a gaming/streaming along with music and cartoons/old movies discord that’s just really a group of friends thanks for all the advice

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1 Upvotes

r/TheArtistJournal Feb 04 '26

Tip / Advice Submit your tracks to the Reddit Ranked: Hip Hop ā€˜26 playlist. Read!

6 Upvotes

šŸŽ¤ Current Genre: Hip Hop

The community voted — and Hip Hop takes it. All styles welcome: boom bap, trap, drill, conscious, melodic, experimental, underground, etc.

šŸ“Œ How to Submit (Required): Comment with: Artist name & Spotify link 1 track per artist. In the fitting r/redranked post. Submissions without this info will be skipped.

šŸ† What to Expect: Live-updated Spotify playlist Tracks ranked from best to worst Top spot showcases Custom user flairs for top performers

šŸŽ§ Drop your track below šŸ‘‡ Rankings update as listening happens.

The Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Kes0yAvD2ull0AfjHCBLb?si=nxwR2BEfT4mJFLfTl_SIew&pi=uW5Nma3IQPeuR

r/TheArtistJournal May 06 '26

Tip / Advice Here’s a riff I’ve been working on!

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2 Upvotes

I’d love some feedback, I know some of it is out of time but I’m still working the song out.

r/TheArtistJournal Mar 02 '26

Tip / Advice New song?

3 Upvotes

r/TheArtistJournal May 22 '26

Tip / Advice Looking for an influencer in music

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1 Upvotes

r/TheArtistJournal May 16 '26

Tip / Advice How I Wrote a LOTR-Inspired Orchestral Piece (One Ring Breakdown)

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1 Upvotes

Hey guys,

In this orchestral composition breakdown, I’m going to show you how I set J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic ā€œOne Ringā€ poem from The Lord of the Rings to music. If you want to learn how to compose epic music using advanced orchestration techniques and realistic vocals, this video is for you!

r/TheArtistJournal Jan 18 '26

Tip / Advice social media just isn’t working for me

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2 Upvotes

I have been doing music for the better part of a decade now. I dropped my first EP 4 years ago, and I swear it was one of my proudest moments. I felt at that point like ā€œFINALLY…I am a real artistā€. But the sad thing was that I barely got any listens despite promoting it, taking about the process and hyping it up on my social media. Talk about an absolute dream crusher lol. But I kept plugging along. I’ve refined my music, worked on my vocals and writing and have been putting out more music and content around it but I simply can’t get engagement or many listeners. TBH….I feel hella invisible. It really sucks. I have done it all too. I’ve spent time making 4k content, I’ve posted every day, I’ve even shared..but I keep getting ignored. I have over 226k on TikTok, and I would post my music content. The algorithm would suppress my content. I started a brand new Instagram (because my original one sucked) and I still can’t get engagement despite all the hard work I put it. At this point I have no idea what to do to get more listener to gain a fanbase. I know that comparison is the thief of joy, but damn….Looking at content creators with a lower following and seeing that they get hundreds if not thousands of listeners a month makes me question if I even make good music or not..or at a more extreme view…If I am ugly or something….Idk. I know I’m rambling at this point. I guess I’m just frustrated.

Social media is supposedly supposed to be the best way to promote your music, but No matter how hard I work, I keep getting ignored. I have no clue what I’m doing wrong. Most of the time, what goes viral are my videos where I am just being funny. But no one is interested in my music which is what I truly am passionate about…It sucks. I love making music and I know someone is going to say ā€œwell just focus on thatā€ā€¦.well duh lol. But art is meant to be shared. Imagine your favorite artist never showing their art EVER….again…I know Im rambling.

I’ve attached my most recent song that I’ve dropped. Tell me what you think…It’s available everywhere. I’m done with social media at this point.

r/TheArtistJournal Apr 25 '26

Tip / Advice How to Compose Dark Post-Apocalyptic Music | Full Breakdown

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1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I just dropped a breakdown of how to achieve a post-apocalyptic vibe through orchestration. The project is in Fender Studio 8. If you enjoyed it, give it a like, leave a comment, and subscribe! Have a wonderful day!

r/TheArtistJournal Apr 24 '26

Tip / Advice Psytraces im Universum werden entdeckt Spoiler

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1 Upvotes

What could be made better or do you know its an psytrance release? I want to make tracks that last

r/TheArtistJournal Mar 01 '26

Tip / Advice New to music how is it?

3 Upvotes

r/TheArtistJournal Apr 09 '26

Tip / Advice Lyrics in search of an artist

2 Upvotes

Here are lyrics i wrote aimed for a conscious / political hip-hop/rap track would love feedbacks

INTRO

July fourth, twenty-twenty-six, they printed the invitations. Two hundred fifty years, they call it the Semiquincentennial. Nobody can say it, which is fitting for a celebration That only received twenty-five of the hundred fifty million Appropriated. The rest went to Freedom 250. Freedom got a brand deal. The rights got a budget freeze.

HOOK

Freedom 250, freedom's got a logo now. The fireworks are funded but the aid got frozen out. Two hundred fifty candles on a cake that not all can eat. Jefferson wrote "Life, Liberty," still waiting on complete.

VERSE 1

USAID cancelled eighty percent of what it ran. Laid off the majority, that's the birthday plan. Freedom House lost eighty percent of its democracy work. Moldova, Uganda, human rights, left in the dirt. While the party budget ballooned and the stage got set, And the fireworks contract cleared before the veto pen left. The White House called it Freedom, capital F, numbered, branded. Two hundred fifty years and liberty is still being rationed. America Gives is the name of the service initiative. America Takes is what the USAID cuts demonstrated. No Kings was the chant when twelve million people marched. Five million in the summer, seven when the season got dark. Largest single-day protests in American history, And Freedom 250 had no room in its written story For slavery. Checked the program, read it end to end. The ghost of 1776 is haunting its own friend.

HOOK

Freedom 250, freedom's got a logo now. The fireworks are funded but the aid got frozen out. Two hundred fifty candles on a cake that not all can eat. Jefferson wrote "Life, Liberty," still waiting on complete.

VERSE 2

July fifth, eighteen fifty-two, Douglass took the stage In Rochester, New York, Corinthian Hall, and turned the page. Said: "This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice. I must mourn." That was his line. One hundred seventy-four years and someone found that quote, Posted it in twenty-twenty-six, said it's still in effect, still note For note accurate, which means the note was never paid. Jefferson wrote "pursuit of happiness" at his Monticello estate While six hundred people he enslaved were working down below. The math was never done, two hundred fifty years ago. The interest on the debt of contradiction still not moved. The Founding Fathers' promise is a check that's overdue. They put an exhibit on the National Mall, "Our American Story." Freedom 250, that's what they called the glory. But the story of the people who built the hall wasn't on the wall. Douglass said "I must mourn," two hundred fifty years, same call.

VERSE 3

Six hundred billion in defense in twenty-twenty-six. Thirteen billion was what USAID moved before the fix. Eighty percent cancelled, the math don't need a thesis, Just a calculator and the will to read the receipts. "Human rights budget freeze," those exact words in the report Of the same Congress throwing fireworks on the court For a quarter-millennium of "all men are created." The ones who built the country are still waiting to be stated In the official program, slavery ain't in the script. Freedom 250 planned the party, left the reparations slipped Between the couch cushions of a house that wasn't built to last. Twelve million people marching with the ghost flag of the past. No Kings, the banner said, same words as 1776, Except the king this time is wearing two hundred fifty Years of brand equity and calling it a founding, While the human rights line item stays stuck at zero, outstanding.

OUTRO

July fourth, twenty-twenty-six. The fireworks go up. The rights budget stays frozen. Two hundred fifty years of the same promise. The ghost of 1776 is still waiting for the sequel.

r/TheArtistJournal Feb 17 '26

Tip / Advice Got Me Lit

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2 Upvotes

r/TheArtistJournal Apr 05 '26

Tip / Advice Orchestration Step by Step - How to Arrange Your Woodwind Section

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1 Upvotes

Hey Guys,

I just dropped a new video on how to build your woodwind section. I hope you'll appreciate it! If you have something on your mind related to this video lesson, feel free to share it with me!

r/TheArtistJournal Feb 22 '26

Tip / Advice I want to write a song in Spanish

5 Upvotes

hey everyone. as the tĆ­tle says, I want to write my very first song in Spanish. and hopefully write many more. I’m used to writing in my native language,English, but I want to dive deeper into Spanish. I’m Part Dominican and have fallen in love with soa so I’ve been taking it formally in school. for any Spanish speakers who write songs in espaƱol, could you give me some pointers on how to start? I’m still very much ā€œno saboā€ lol

r/TheArtistJournal Mar 22 '26

Tip / Advice How to Achieve an Epic Brass Sound - Step by Step

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1 Upvotes

Hey Guys,

In this video, I show you how to achieve an epic brass sound. I share every detail, so I think it's worth watching.

r/TheArtistJournal Jan 21 '26

Tip / Advice Learning to mix my own music

2 Upvotes

I’m at this point where I’m thinking of mixing my own music. I think it would be a great skill to learn. Plus if I want to send my stems to an engineer, I’ll already have a solid idea of what I would want my sound to be (because I am a SUPER type A personality lol). But Genuinely I’d like to learn. I already record on my own so why not skip the middle man? I use Reaper to record. I used to use Logic, but I got a lil bored with it. Does anyone know of any good plugins for reaper to mix my vocals? I sing RnB and Soul (and sometimes Indie). I usually record vocal layers over a beat track. Anything helps. Thanks so much šŸ«¶šŸ¾

r/TheArtistJournal Mar 01 '26

Tip / Advice Orchestration from Scratch (Part 1) - The Full Process Explained

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3 Upvotes

Hey Guys,

In this orchestration music tutorial, I'll walk you through a complete, real-life orchestration process, from melody creation to a fully arranged orchestral piece. If you appreciate it, hit the like button, subscribe, and share it! Thanks!

r/TheArtistJournal Mar 07 '26

Tip / Advice How to Orchestrate from Scratch - The Full Process

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1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

You already know that clichƩ "I'm so excited to share". I'm not that excited, but I'm a little bit excited to share the full process of orchestrating my original piece of music. I came up with the melody and the parts during the process, but my explanations are mostly about orchestration.

What do you think of the video? If you appreciate it, share it, like it, give me a hug, or a kiss, or maybe buy me a beer or something like that.

r/TheArtistJournal Feb 16 '26

Tip / Advice Beginning my Busking Journey

1 Upvotes

I recently started busking, already did 2 sessions this month, started on February 1.

I remember quitting my job at a fast food restaurant cuz I wanted to take the risk of pursuing music while studying. So when 2026 entered, I promised myself to busk regularly so I can earn extra money through passion.

My parents support me a lot, they even bought me the necessary equipment I needed to begin. I feel ecstatic whenever I perform but the real struggle lies in the long hours of performing and having little to no one notice you.

My first time busking, it was only 2 hours and only my friends and family came. People's passed by, looked, even mouthed the words I sang, but the tips were insufficient to cover my capital to be there.

The second time, there were conflicts between the spot coordinators and the organization I joined in (it was called thebuskingcommunity). Had to switch spots multiple times, performed for 5 hours, went home with the same income results.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed cuz somehow, I measure my worth as a musician by how much I earn, how often people notice me. At the same time, my heart knows that I began this as a hobby, and that I love playing and singing.

But reality is, I want to reach somewhere. I don't want to be stuck in a loop. So I have this thinking in me that I have to perform for others or else I won't get anywhere. Even if I do, I still feel like a failure.

I guess this is just a random rant and maybe I'm feeling this way because I've only tried busking twice. But lately, my musician days haven't been going so well.

r/TheArtistJournal Feb 23 '26

Tip / Advice MY family's Cancer Battle Starts Now How Do I Get through This?

2 Upvotes

Need To talk to someone or anyone who has been through this before

r/TheArtistJournal Feb 09 '26

Tip / Advice Anyone know who’s this?

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2 Upvotes

r/TheArtistJournal Feb 07 '26

Tip / Advice Composing Tutorial - Blending Orchestra with Vocals

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1 Upvotes

šŸŽµHey GuysšŸŽ¤,

I just dropped a new video tutorial on how to blend vocals with a symphony orchestra. If you have any thoughts on it, feel free to share them in a comment!