Collab Bro? 9 Essential Ideas For Collaborating With Different Artists

“Collab Bro“? Grasp round music producers lengthy sufficient, and also you’ll get a number of of these in your DMs.

Nonetheless, “Collab bro?” is rather more than only a meme.

Collaborations might help you be taught sooner, develop your viewers and end extra tunes. But it surely needs to be executed proper.

On this article, we’ll discover:

• the advantages of collabs
• how and who to succeed in out to for collaborations
• how one can collab with those who use a unique DAW
• and rather more!

Let’s get began! ?

Why Ought to You Collab With Individuals?

Collabs will be tough to drag off. Not everybody will benefit from the collaborative course of, however the advantages are positively value making an attempt. Let’s have a look at a (non-exhaustive) checklist of a few of these advantages:

• End tracks sooner: This can be a no-brainer actually. Collaborating means sharing the workload 50-50 (hopefully). This implies you need to be capable of end twice as many tracks in the identical period of time.
• Get unstuck: Everyone knows that terrible feeling of not understanding the place to convey a monitor. You may have a 32-bar loop, perhaps your first drop, however don’t know what to do subsequent. As an alternative of turning to one more YouTube tutorial, a recent pair of ears via a collab can unlock that.
• Networking: “It’s not what , it’s who ”. This couldn’t be more true than within the music business. As a newcomer, increasing your community is essential. On prime of assembly individuals and making new buddies, alternatives would possibly come up sooner or later via connections you made.

• Complement your expertise: It’s arduous being an professional at every thing. Nailing your preparations however fighting mixdowns? Collaborating will be an effective way to mix your experience with another person’s.
• Be taught new methods: Linked to the earlier level, collabs are an effective way to find one other particular person’s workflow. As you go over the venture collectively, you might be certain to be taught new methods and tips that the opposite particular person makes use of.
• Develop your viewers: Collaborations are an effective way to cross-pollinate your respective audiences. Don’t take it from me, simply take a look at some of these collabs in pop music. What number of Gen Z’ers bought launched to the Beatles via the Kanye West x Paul McCartney collab?

Selecting Who To Collab With

Let’s now dive into some sensible suggestions for a productive collaboration. Beginning off with selecting who to collab with.

Tip #1: Collab with Individuals You Get Together with

In all probability one of the crucial missed elements of collaborations. Put the percentages in your aspect by collaborating with individuals you get pleasure from spending time with. Even when that is on-line, you need to get a reasonably fast really feel if the vibe is true or not.

If this shall be your first collab collectively, ask your self: “Would I’m going out for a drink with this particular person”?

If this reply is “positively not”, that ought to be a pink flag. Collaborating with individuals will enhance the possibilities of an pleasant course of.

Tip #2: Collab with Individuals Above You

I do know the phrase “above” shouldn’t be the most effective one. However hopefully, you’ll get what I imply.

The thought right here is to collaborate with individuals who have a barely bigger viewers than you. This may be measured via Spotify month-to-month listeners or Instagram / Fb followers.

Clearly, this isn’t a should, and it’s additionally good to “give again” by collaborating with “smaller” artists. However don’t be scared to succeed in out to individuals who is perhaps “out of your league” – you may be shocked by the solutions you get!

Moreover, you too can have a look at the particular person’s social accounts. Is their fan base very engaged with their content material? This will even enhance the chance individuals try your venture when it comes out.

Reaching Out To Individuals

So that you’ve selected who to collab with. What now?

Tip #3: Direct Message Individuals

Don’t be that man who drops a touch upon their newest profile image. Make it private and present that you just actually wish to create a venture collectively.

Ideally, you’ll have already got constructed rapport collectively over time. This may make it much more pure once you finally ask to collaborate.

If it’s your first time reaching out, be certain that to introduce your self in an expert method. This implies no “ezz broo fancy a collab??!”

Lay out why you suppose that particular person ought to collab with you, and observe up with some preliminary concepts (see subsequent level).

Or higher, but, simply introduce your self first, and chat about collaborating later.

Tip #4: Provide an Concept / Sketch to Begin With

There may be an implicit rule in collab-world that the one that reaches out additionally sends a sketch. That is simply frequent etiquette actually. You’re the one looking for to collab, so it’s solely proper to offer a place to begin for the venture.

Plus, it additionally makes it simpler for them to say sure if you happen to’ve already bought one thing!

Have a number of sketches able to ship in case the particular person agrees to collab. These ought to be fleshed out sufficient to offer a common path to the monitor – not just some bars of atmospheres and foley!

Usually, a correct intro and a strong drop is an efficient place to start out.

Collabs Utilizing the Identical DAW?

Hurrah! You’ve reached out to some individuals, and certainly one of them has agreed! Time to really get to work and ship them your sketches.

Within the following sections, we’ll have a look at other ways to share tasks. Let’s first have a look at the case when you find yourself each working in the identical DAW.

Tip #5: Exporting a Undertaking File in FL Studio

In case you are each utilizing FL Studio, you may share the .flp venture file. Go to File > Export > Zipped Loop Package deal:

This may create a zipped folder containing the .flp venture file. Any audio clips that you just used shall be rendered to audio. All patterns with their respective MIDI sequences shall be preserved.

A number of (main) caveats to this method:

• you each have to run the identical model of FL Studio
• you each have to have the identical plugins (each devices and results), up to date to the identical model

These are fairly important limitations. Because of this working with stems (see tip #7) is usually most popular.

Tip #6: Exporting a Undertaking File in Ableton Reside

In case you are each utilizing Ableton Reside, choose File > Gather All And Save:

This may create a Samples folder in your venture folder, the place all of the media information out of your venture are copied. This mainly ensures that your collaborator has entry to the media information you used.

Nonetheless, the identical caveats as for FL Studio exist. Each of you could be operating the identical variations of all plugins that had been used within the venture.

One strategy to get round this limitation is by Freezing tracks with devices:

This may create a further path in your venture folder referred to as Processed > Freeze:

This manner, your collaborator has entry to a rendered model of what your instrument was enjoying.

One advantage of this method is that if he additionally has the instrument plugin, he can merely Unfreeze the monitor:

This may permit him to regain entry to the MIDI and make any changes to the plugin itself.

Collabs Utilizing Completely different DAWs?

Working with stems might be the commonest strategy to collaborate. I even know some duos that work with stems, though they use the identical DAW!

(By the way in which, “stem” is only a fancy phrase for an audio file.)

The foremost advantage of working this fashion is that it doesn’t matter what plugins you every use. Each sound, monitor, or instrument is rendered to audio. You may then simply share these information with Dropbox, WeTransfer, or Google Drive.

Let’s have a look at the optimum strategy to export stems in FL Studio and Ableton Reside.

Tip #7: Exporting Stems in Fl Studio

Earlier than something, be certain that every monitor is correctly named:

These would be the title of your stems, so make it simple to your collaborator to type every thing out!

As soon as every thing is called, be certain that all of your impact slots are enabled within the mixer. Double-check additionally that each mixer monitor is unmuted! Then, navigate to File > Export > All Playlist Tracks:

Below the rendering choices, choose WAV format:

Be certain Depart the rest and Stereo are chosen. When it comes to high quality, something above 64-point sinc will do the job. Be certain to additionally allow “HQ for all plugins” and “Save tempo info”.

Click on Begin, and voila! You need to have a folder stuffed with stems:

Word: you too can export mixer tracks as a substitute of playlist tracks. Nonetheless, I choose working with playlist tracks as I typically route a number of sounds/devices to the identical mixer monitor.

Tip #8: Exporting Stems in Ableton Reside

In Ableton Reside, choose your entire association, and choose File > Export Audio. Below Rendered Monitor, choose All Particular person Tracks:

Make it possible for Render as Loop, Convert to Mono, and Normalize are turned off.

In case you have any return results or results on the Grasp bus, be certain that “Embrace Return and Grasp Results” is turned on.

Click on Export, choose your folder, and it’s executed!

To truly share stems, I like to make use of Google Drive. It offers you with 15Gb of free storage and makes it simple to share hyperlinks to particular folders with individuals.

Tip #9: Collab By Third-Occasion Apps

Lastly, let’s rapidly have a look at a number of methods to collaborate with third-party plugins.

Splice Studio

Most individuals know Splice as a pattern platform. However it will possibly additionally permit you to collaborate with others!

Within the Splice Desktop app, go underneath Tasks within the Library menu:

Right here you may add your DAW venture straight. To collaborate with somebody on a venture, merely click on the +Invite icon, and enter their username:

Word nonetheless that you just want the identical DAW for this to work. Splice on this case acts as a cloud server, and you might be sharing the identical DAW session.

When saving a venture, you’ll nonetheless have to render every thing to audio. That manner all of the samples are made obtainable via the Splice app.

Satellite tv for pc Plugins 2.0

Launched in 2021, Satellite Plugins is a extremely cool strategy to collaborate with somebody in real-time. And it’s free!

Basically, it lets you document, pay attention and share stems seamlessly. Satellite tv for pc works as an impact plugin inside your DAW. It data no matter you feed it, and shares it on a standard interface along with your collaborator:

As soon as the sound is recorded, it would seem on the particular person’s interface. He can then drag it straight into his personal DAW.

Though I haven’t personally used it but, it’s positively one thing I’m going to look into. In my view, this can be a nice different to the normal export-and-share-stems technique.

Last Ideas

Hopefully, you’ll now have a greater concept of how one can collaborate with others!

As you do extra collabs, there are a ton of different finest practices and stuff you choose up on the way in which. The easiest way to be taught is to get began!

Did I miss out on something? Some other collab tricks to embody? Be at liberty to get in contact with me at [email protected].