The Sound Roadmap 1. Function Comes First Ask yourself one thing before touching gear: what do you want sound to do for you? Composer / Creator: you’re shaping ideas and telling stories. Performer / Musician: you’re playing and bringing skill to life. Engineer / Technician: you’re catching sound and making it clean. Producer / Director: you’re pulling the pieces together into a finished thing. You don’t have to lock into one path forever. But knowing where you lean helps you avoid chasing every option at once. 2. Three Pillars of Sound Every path leans on these, just in different amounts: Musicality: rhythm, notes, harmony, taste. Technology: DAWs, mics, plugins, boards. Judgment: knowing when something works and when to stop. Beginners usually get stuck in technology. Pros spend more time on judgment. 3. The Timeline of Mastery Think of growth like layers, not steps to check off. Year 0–1: Curiosity Mess around. See what lights you up. No pressure. Year 2–5: Craft Pick one DAW, one main instrument, maybe a mic. Learn them inside out. Year 6–10: Style You stop copying. You bend the rules. Your way of writing and mixing shows up. Year 10+: Legacy Decisions come quicker. You move across roles. You leave behind a body of work. 4. North Stars Keep these in mind, no matter the stage: Finish more, polish less. Trust your ears before your gear. Build taste, not just follow trends. Make music with people. It’s never only solo. 5. False Summits Watch out for these traps: Collecting gear: doesn’t mean making music. Watching tutorials: doesn’t mean finishing songs. Picking one genre too early: can box you in. Awards: don’t always equal impact. 6. The Horizon Zoom out as far as you can. Music production isn’t about tools. It’s about turning ideas into something people can hear and feel. A feeling: into structure. Silence: into experience. Talent: into voice. The tools are just bridges. The work is the translation. Always remember, when you feel lost, this too shall pass. If you hit a high peak, this too shall pass…Music is a village, and it’s an isolated journey… it’s a choice… ok to explore both.

I've seen the question "Which DAW should I use?" asked here several times. Hopefully the video below will help to make people's decisions a little easier.

Hello! I am Sean and am currently working through the Video Game Music Course. First, thank you to Alex for creating this amazing content and community, you are an awesome teacher and have been a huge inspiration! I used Alex’s RPG theme as a model for form and orchestration in an attempt to get my mixing and mastering efforts to a professional sounding “radio ready” level. I had no idea it would be so difficult, and am seeking any advice you might have. This is my first post and my first finished mix, so thanks for giving it a listen.

👀 Hi there! I'm excited to share that I have composed the soundtrack for "Rise Of The Demon Lord", a dark fantasy card game created for the Inbound Shovel Jam 2025. The process was fascinating, and I would love to hear your thoughts on the songs. I aimed to reflect the style of the game’s artwork in the music. 💪 You can play Rise of the Demon lord now on itchio! https://ishinada.itch.io/rise-of-the-demon-lord

Okay, let's talk some gear. I am dying to know what is your favorite compressor plugin and why. No matter if it's single or multiband, per instrument, groups or busses, channel or mastering. Let's go and talk some gear!