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Trevor Horn: no sir, we salute you... (© Jay Blakesberg/Retna Ltd./Corbis)

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Head out into the wild world of the internet and it seems that everyone has a music production tip to offer you, but what you really want are words of wisdom from the people who've been there and done it.

Lucky for you, then, that we've collated 37 tips from experienced professionals. If you can't learn something from these guys, we can only assume that you know it all already.

1. Liam Howlett, Prodigy

"Buy Superman albums. Y'know, big theme tunes from films. You get a horn section playing a chord and just sample a short section of that. If I hear a chord I like I sample it."

2. Jamie Lidell

"Putting rhythm parts down simultaneously is the essence of capturing a human feel. And sonically, the spillover between the mics in the room is often your best buddy."

3. Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran

"Having a studio at home is like having a gym at home - sometimes you're just better off going out."

4. The Stafford Brothers

"Use high-quality sounds. If you are over-EQing a sound to try and make it fit it's the wrong sound. Move on and find a new one. Plus, always try and read reviews about gear and then download demo versions of plug-ins to get an idea of what they are like."

5. Paul Hartnoll, Orbital

"Vaughn Williams: why does he always write in E minor? Blannng! E minor always sounds so full of mystery and mood. You can almost smell it. Move your chord up a bit and suddenly it's gone."

Dave Spoon: likes Reason, but digs his 808, too.

6. Dave Spoon

"At Night [2006 single] was completely Reason. I wrote it in about two hours. Reason synths, mixed in Reason, the works - it was a defining moment for me."

7. Steve Angello

"I use Logic's own plug-ins. I want to make it as simple as possible. I want a basic sound that I can create myself. If you know your tools then you're king of the studio."

8. Lifelike

"I always take care to make my mixes sound quite old. If you try to do a record that's 'of the moment' you can't be sure that a DJ will play it in ten years time."

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