Making remixes of popular tracks gives you a chance to show off your talent and gain greater publicity. It is a great start to your career as a music producer. But many people wrongly assume that it is easy or at least easier than writing an original track. If you want to try it because it is easy, we have bad news for you. Making a decent remix requires strong skills and sometimes can be even harder than writing something from scratch because you are already limited in your actions by the quality of the original. And it needs to be mixed and mastered just like any musical piece. So if you are making a remix, you need to find affordable mixing and mastering services. In this article, we’ve gathered some tips, that may help you become better at it. 

First of all, let’s figure out what is a remix. It is a version of a track recorded later than the initial version. It implies changing the pitch, the bpm, or even the style of the initial song and adding new elements, such as harmonies, instruments, effects e.t.c.

Now when we’ve got it out of the way, let’s talk about how to make it. You should always start with choosing the right material to work with. To avoid violating copyright laws, we recommend that you search for the source material on websites that host contests. But the sure way to success is to find a track that is gaining popularity. If you are the first one to make the remix, you are guaranteed to have thousands of streams. But if it is not official and you want to post it on YouTube, don’t forget to mention copyright owners. And don’t choose the ones that already have many remixes because it will be harder to stand out.

Before you start working on it, listen to it, and make notes about the elements that stand out the most and you would like to keep for the remix. It is important to keep the recognizability of a song because we are not trying to write an original from scratch. Keeping the inherent traits of the initial song is part of the future success of the result. You should find the balance between giving yourself enough room for creativity and keeping the song recognizable. The best way to do it is to use the initial stems of the song. It is great if the label you are working for provides you with these stems. If not, you can still work with what you have, but removing vocals yourself can be tricky and will require some more time.

Once you’ve determined what you want to keep, you can start adding the elements of your signature sound. But always check yourself and ask whether you’ve gone too far. We know it’s tempting to go crazy with effects, pitch changes, harmonies, chords, but try to dial it back a bit. Each element should add to the original and emphasize its beauty. If you have too much going on it can get messy very quickly. So go easy at first.

After you finish the job, don’t forget about mixing and mastering. This is what makes your remixes and songs sound professional. It is especially important if you want to send your work to a label. So if you don’t want to come across as an amateur, always mix and master your tracks.