How To Produce As a Producer

Do you like making music as a producer? Working with a variety of artists and creating incredible songs piques your interest?

Becoming a music producer (particularly a well-known music producer) does not happen quickly, but if it is your passion and you master it, it may be a lucrative profession.

The Fundamentals of Becoming a Music Producer

Pick up a Musical Instrument
Become familiar with the technology.
Develop Your Hearing Skills
Create Without Fear

1. Pick up a Musical Instrument

Artists aren’t the only ones who should be allowed to play an instrument in the studio. A producer can do it too!

Learning an instrument, on the other hand, does not imply that you must be an expert or know how to play every chord. If that were the case, you’d be spending all of your time learning to play instruments instead of making music.

Learning an instrument, on the other hand, will help your profession since you’ll be able to strike inspiration when it’s hot, be able to connect to your artists on an instrumental level, and have a greater understanding of what’s going on musically as a whole.

So, how do you get started? Should you just go into a music shop and begin ticking off each instrument one at a time?

Let’s begin with the fundamentals. The following are some instruments that we recommend:

Piano
Guitar
Bass

Many people believe that if you can play and comprehend the piano, you can play and understand almost any instrument after that. The piano will provide you with a wonderful visual representation of chords as well as the ability to hear each note clearly.

That isn’t to say we’re attempting to diminish the importance of other instruments. They may all contribute to the creation of music.

Being able to play an instrument comfortably can also aid you in recording an idea when inspiration strikes. There are few things more frustrating than having a brilliant idea but being unable to capture it due to a lack of expertise in a specific field.

When dealing with musicians, this may also be beneficial. An artist may request your creative input on a recording in certain situations depending on trust and reputation.

2. Become familiar with the technology

When you’re recording or creating music, you’ll be using a Digital Audio Workstation, or DAW. Pro Tools, Ableton Live, and Logic Pro X are some of the most popular DAWs.

Learning the ins and outs of your favorite DAW, as well as what each button does, can only benefit you in the long run when it comes to creating.

You’ll almost certainly find yourself working with someone who will want you to create a new MIDI track for them, but if you don’t know how to accomplish so, your workflow will be halted.

Instead of attempting to learn your DAW, you’ll be able to concentrate 100% of your time and effort on creating, recording, or mixing once you have a firm grip on it.

Knowing how to use a DAW is one thing, but as you advance in your career, you’ll find yourself learning more about plugins and third-party VSTs that you’ve grown to like.

3. Develop Your Hearing Skills

It’s possible to “work on” training your hearing for years. We placed the word “work on” in quotes since it is something you learn over time by listening to and completely immersing yourself in music.

Become a music student and listen to various kinds of music on a daily basis.

Examine what distinguishes various genres and what characteristics they share. Pay attention to little nuances in songs that a casual listener may overlook.

Consider how a film critic or a food critic must behave oneself in a professional setting. There’s a lot more gray space than just “good” vs. “evil.”

Even if you just like something, you should go above and beyond to understand what music production decisions are being made, why they are being made, and whether or not those aesthetic choices work.

Low-level background sounds or tiny percussion fills are examples of these elements. Because most people are drawn to the vocals and melody, understanding what lies underneath the main voice and what drives the song will be crucial.

Even understanding how various keys sound when compared to pitch may be useful. If you’re simply jamming for fun or in a recording session, this will be a fantastic method to improve your workflow and know what key someone is playing in.

Don’t be disheartened if you’re not picking up on details that other producers do.

Training your ears may take some time, but it will pay off in the end when you start hearing sections that might perfectly fit into a song before they ever exist.

4. Create Without Fear

The next most important stage in the production process is to practice creating. Remember how we said you should experiment with your DAW?

If you haven’t tried your hand at making music yet, now is the moment. Now that you’ve mastered your technology and learned to play an instrument, it’s time to put your creativity to work.

Discover what you like and dislike about creating, as well as your skills and limitations. Make the most of the parts you love while focusing on the areas where you are presently struggling.

Creating is the most enjoyable aspect of music production, and if you do it effectively, you’ll never have to “work” another day in your life since you’ll be able to earn a career doing what you love!