Music production is the process of creating a track and it covers all stages from the initial idea to the finished track. It’s simple to get started making music nowadays, thanks to the technology and information available online. However, the abundance of resources available can be confusing at times. In this article, written by mixing and mastering studio EKmixmaster, we will tell you about the basics you need to be aware of before starting your journey to becoming a music producer.
Music production is the process that includes all stages of creating a track (songwriting, arrangement, recording vocals, mixing, mastering). Today all the steps of the process require digital tools, that makes music production way more accessible than it was back in the day. Today you can set up a music studio in your home without going bankrupt. You might be wondering what a music producer does. It’s difficult to name one thing. He is the one who has the creative vision of the final song, who gives instructions to the singer and recording engineer, who negotiates with the clients, creates beats e.t.c. To make our lives easier let’s put it that way if you use a DAW to create music – you can be considered a music producer.
What you need to get started.
If you look at any studio you may be overwhelmed by all the equipment music producers use. But as a newcomer, you don’t need all this fancy gear. You can buy a few essentials and grow from there. To start you will need a laptop or a desktop, a DAW and headphones, that’s it. As you learn and get more experience you will figure out what else you need but don’t bother with getting it all at once.
Let’s talk about DAW or a digital audio workstation. With the help of the DAW, you can record, arrange, mix and master your tracks, add effects, automation, manipulate the sound with the help of EQ and compression. It is essential for music production. It is the place where your ideas come to life. Now when you have your DAW ready to go, it’s time to make some music. Even if writing songs is not your main interest you should know the basics of arrangement and the song structure so if you run into problems and you find that something just doesn’t sound right you will be able to determine if the problem is in the arrangement of the song or lies elsewhere.
Another thing you should be aware of is sound design. Sound design is the process of creating your unique sound. Sound design implies everything from selecting samples to creating wavetables to get the desired sound. You may also want to purchase a MIDI controller. With a MIDI controller, you can have control over samples as well as digital instruments. Samples are small parts of audio, vocal chops, or individual instruments such as snares, kicks, claps, snaps e.t.c.
Another big part of music production is recording. Recording is not always about vocals, you can record, well, anything. It might be guitars, drums, or even random objects such as zippers or lighters. You can get very creative with it, manipulate the sound to create the something that will fit well into your song.
When the arrangement is finished your song has to be mixed. Mixing is the process of blending raw tracks using different tools such as EQ, compression, and reverb to make them sound as a whole. It sounds straightforward but it takes a lot of time to master this skill.
Mastering is the final stage of the production process. The main objective of mastering is to make the track sound good on any device and balance it out. It’s also used to make all the songs sound consistent throughout the album. With all the available technologies and resources learning music production has never been easier. So now is the time to start learning!
