The Stranger Switch
Want the secret to being an amazing producer? Here it is:
Learn to listen like a stranger.
You want the music you produce to appeal to folks who have never heard it before. If you could listen with their ears and feel their gut responses on their first listen, you would have incredible discernment. It would make creative decisions simple that can otherwise feel daunting. Setting out in the right sonic direction is key, but the next steps are crucial as well. From the moment you choose the first grooves and sounds, flipping the Stranger Switch is helpful. The thought process is as follows: “Yes, I like this because I’m making it. But it is actually likable music? How would I feel about it if I didn’t have any history with it? If I wasn’t the one making it?”
It’s like viewing a city from 10,000 feet in the air. Looking down on the song from way up above, you can see it in its entirety and not just the view from one street. As a consumer of music, this is how you hear music that others make. Why not listen to your own music in the same way?
Here are 7 tips to flip the Stranger Switch:
Listen on different speakers (in the car, on different monitors, on headphones, etc)
Bounce the file out of your DAW and play the file within your computer’s media player (I select the file in the finder and press space bar on my Mac). This simple step often wipes the history I have with the music I’m making so I can hear it with fresh ears.
Listen with someone else who is, in fact, a stranger to the music. Their mere presence in the room can pull you out of the weeds of production to hear the bigger picture.
Press the dim button. Listening at a different volume is sometimes all it takes to gain a fresh perspective.
Do something active while listening. Bouncing a ball or walking around can change your perspective just enough to hear things afresh.
Listen to snippets of many references in rapid fire. It’s like drinking from a fire hose. This can reset your auditory palette.
Lastly, take a break and come back to it. If the schedule allows for it, even sleep on it and see how it sounds tomorrow.
Give these a try and see what works best for you. As you practice flipping the Stranger Switch and are cognizant of the psychology happening behind it, you may find you don’t need the above methods to access your inner stranger. Like all things, with practice it becomes second nature. However you do it, to ensure the final result has broad appeal, there’s nothing as helpful as putting yourself in the shoes of a listener who is hearing the song for the first time.