Is diversity vital?

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Should I focus on just one genre and get really good at it, or keep doing what I feel like doing?

[Tarekith]

Depends.

[Patch]

You should do whatever you want. If you're doing it for any other reason, you shouldn't be doing it at all.

[Nick V]

It depends on what you want to do with your productions. My last project was heavily focused on creating tracks that I could play DJing (techno/techhouse) so I only made tracks that fit in that somewhat narrow sound. After a while I had a basic template for that style of music and my tracks sounded very consistent and similar but I could fit them into the music I played. The thing was I started feeling like I was just making the same track over and over again. Long story short I started getting really bored and have mostly stepped away from DJing.

My current project is very much anything goes, BPMs all over the place, different styles but there is a common thread that comes with my sound pallet. I'm having way more fun making tracks and I really feel like what I'm doing is more "me" instead of micro-analyzing my favorite techno producers and trying to cop their sounds and techniques. That said it would be really difficult for me to play all of my work in one DJ set without it sounding too all over the place.

[ImNotDedYet]

Why not do whatever you want, and do what all the big producers do - have a different name for each "different" genre. That way you still build up a following for the stuff in one genre without alienating them by making a disco tune when most of the stuff they like of yours is techno. (as an example)

[daviedavedave]

Produce any genre you enjoy producing!

[sammatla]

Vital? No.

Beneficial? Definitely.

It's hard to ignore the benefits that diversity offers. If you primarily make techno and then decide to make a melodically complex trance track, you're going to pick up some new skills.

Most people are afraid of diversity because they're not sure how receptive their audience will be. They think they have to produce one style or one genre because that's what people know them for OR because it's what they want to be known for.

This is somewhat of a false dichotomy, because simply making tracks in other genres does not mean you have to release them to the public. If you typically make dubstep and you want to make a techno track, do it. If you're not comfortable with releasing it, then don't. You've most likely learned something so it's not futile.