STERIOUS MUSIC
Free guide for indie artists
Make your song sound finished, not like a demo
7 production and songwriting fixes I'd try before you release, from finding the hook to adding the ear candy. Free, straight to your inbox.
What's inside
Most songs don't sound like demos because of one big problem. It's a handful of small things stacked up. This guide covers the 7 I'd look at first, mostly about the song and the production, not the mix.
- How to find the hook (a melody could literally be 2 notes)
- Keeping your arrangement moving so verse 2 doesn't feel like verse 1
- Making the chorus actually lift
- Ear candy: the little moments that make people run it back
- Swapping out placeholder sounds for textures nobody else has
- Controlled chaos: keeping it simple without making it boring
- Getting to the good part faster
- Plus: quick mix notes, what I do when I'm stuck, and a pre-release checklist
Bonus: send me your demo
Once the guide lands in your inbox, reply with a link to your demo. I'll listen myself and send you a personal voice note on what I'd do with it.
Hey, I'm Nate
I make indie pop, dream pop, alternative and R&B, and I produce songs for other artists through my remote studio, Sterious Music. I love complicated, psychedelic, dreamy sounds, but I still love pop structure. So I work in controlled chaos: get weird with the sounds, keep the song simple.
