Are you a music producer who’s been away from the studio for far too long? Has your creative spark gone out, or your production skills become rusty? How to get back into Music Production. You’re not alone. But don’t worry – with this step-by-step guide, you’ll be back in the game and producing fresh beats in no time! Read on to find out how to revitalize your music production and get back into it.
Table of Contents
Establish a Routine and Set Goals
To get back into music production, it’s important to establish a routine and set goals. Start by creating a schedule for yourself, and make sure to include time for creative reflection. Once you have a schedule in place, make sure to stick to it!
Get to know the latest technology and software. By using the latest tools and software, you’ll be able to produce high-quality music more easily.
Inspire yourself with other people’s work. By studying other musicians’ tracks and techniques, you’ll be able to improve your own production skills.
Polish your technique using online tutorials. By taking advantage of online tutorials, you’ll be able to learn about music production in a more efficient way.
Participate in collaborations and challenges. By collaborating with other musicians, you’ll be able to improve your skills even further.
Analyze tracks to learn production techniques. By analyzing other musicians’ tracks, you’ll be able to learn about the best ways to produce music.
Take frequent breaks for creative reflection. It’s important to take breaks from music production every once in a while so that you can come back with fresh ideas.
Evaluate what works and move forward. After producing some tracks, it’s important to evaluate what works and what doesn’t. From here, you can begin to fine-tune your production skills accordingly.
Get to Know the Latest Technology & Software
There are a number of different music production software and technology options available today, so it can be hard to decide which one is best for you. If you’re just starting out, we recommend downloading free or trial versions of programs like GarageBand, Beatmaker 3, Audio Production Toolkit 2, Reason 8+, and Logic Pro X. Once you’ve tried out these tools, it’s time to get some deeper knowledge about the inner workings of audio production software. Here are four tips to help:
Understand How Tracks Work in Music Production Software
When working with tracks in music production software like GarageBand or Beatmaker 3, understanding how they work is essential to getting the most from them. Each track contains information about where sound files are placed on disk (called “spaces”), when they start playing (called “time points”), and how loud each sound should be at each time point (volume levels). A lot of music production software allows you to stretch sounds across multiple tracks so that they’ll play together as a single melody or song. And finally, many music production tools include powerful effects that can be applied to individual sounds or groups of sounds within a track.
Know Your EQ Settings
Settings like equalization (EQ), compression, and distortion can make or break your recordings. Before adjusting any EQ settings on your computer, first make sure that all audio inputs are correctly plugged into your audio interface and speakers/headphones. Next figure out what type of EQ curve best suits the type of sound you’re trying to produce – most music production software includes built-in filters for this purpose. Finally hit record and listen carefully while tweaking the knobs! After you’ve got the perfect EQ setting for your track(s), take note of its dB level so that you can retain it during mixing – keeping dB levels consistent throughout an entire mix will give your project a cohesive look and feel.
Learn How To Use Effects In Your Tracks
Effects plugins provide musicians with an incredibly versatile way to add sonic enhancement to their tracks. The most popular effects plugins include reverb plug-ins for simulating acoustic spaces such as rooms and halls; delay/echo pedals for creating lush chorus effects; flanger pedals for generating souring warbles; tremolo/vibrato pedals for adding subtle movement dynamics; filters such as high-pass filters (“hiss reduction”) and low-pass filters (“punchiness”); pitch shifters for adding unexpected sonic elements; and distortion/overdrive processors for boosting specific frequencies. Experimenting with different effects can give your tracks a unique sound that you may not be able to achieve using standard audio editing tools.
Master Your Mixing & Mastering Techniques
Mixing is the process of combining multiple tracks together into a final mixdown file. In order to get great results, it’s important to understand how music production software works and how to use various mixing and mastering techniques. For example, if you want to add some extra punchiness (or “punch”) to your bass guitar during mixing, you can try using a compression plug-in or setting the compressor threshold high (near 0dB). You can also apply loudness maximization (LMS) or peak limiter plugins during mixing in order to keep volume levels consistent across all tracks and genres of music. And finally, make sure to export your mix file as an uncompressed WAV file so that you can work with it in any music production software without risking quality loss.
Inspire Yourself with Other People’s Work
Building Creative Inspiration:
When it comes to music production, inspiration can come from a variety of places. For example, you might be inspired by your favorite songs or by the sounds of nature. Of course, you can also find inspiration in other people’s work. If you’re feeling creatively stagnant, taking a look at other producers’ tracks may be just the impetus you need to get back into producing your own music. Additionally, spending time listening to new music can inspire you to produce your own sounds in a different way. In short, as long as you have some creative juices flowing, inspiration is always accessible.
Strengthening Technique with Online Tutorials:
If you’re looking for ways to strengthen your technique and improve your overall production skills, online tutorials are an excellent resource. Many of these tutorials are designed specifically for beginners so that you will learn all the basics without feeling overwhelmed. Moreover, many tutorials offer tips and tricks that will helpyou produce better-sounding tracks overall. Of course, ifyou’re not sure where to start Searching for online tutorial resources on youtube (or soundcloud) would be a good place to start!
Polish Your Technique Using Online Tutorials
When it comes to music production, there are a few things that you can do to help inspire yourself. One way is to look at other people’s work and see how they’ve approached the same topic. Another way is to listen to music that you enjoy and try to emulate the production techniques used in that music. Finally, you can take breaks from production to reflect on what you’ve done and what you could do better.
Participate in Collaborations and Challenges
One of the most important steps in revitalizing your music production is to get back into a routine. When you have a set schedule and goals, it becomes easier to stay focused and motivated.
One way to establish a routine is to create a daily or weekly music production plan. This will help you track your progress and stay on track.
Another important step is to get to know the latest technology and software. By learning about new tools and software, you can improve your workflow and creativity.
Inspiration can come from many places, including other people’s work. When you study other producers’ tracks, you can learn how they created their sounds and techniques.
You can also use online tutorials to improve your technique. There are many quality resources available, so be sure to explore them all!
Finally, it’s important to take frequent breaks for creative reflection. By stepping back and evaluating your work, you can find areas that need improvement.
Once you’ve established a routine, refined your technique, and taken frequent breaks, it’s time to evaluate what works and move forward.
Analyze Tracks to Learn Production Techniques
Identify What You Like About Other Tracks
When analyzing tracks, it is important to be objective and not let personal preferences cloud your judgement. You should be looking for things like:
- Production techniques that were used to create a particular sound or atmosphere
- The use of specific instruments or sounds
- How the track was mixed and mastered
Once you have identified the techniques used in a track, you can begin to experiment with them on your own tracks. This will help you develop your own sound as a music producer, and learn how to use different production tools to create the sounds you want.
Break Down the Structure of Your Favorite Songs
One of the best ways to get back into music production is by analyzing tracks and understanding how they were produced. Take a look at your favorite songs and try to break down the structure of their compositions. Look for specific sounds, instruments, or mixing techniques that you can use in your own work.
Once you have a basic understanding of how popular tracks are structured, it’s time to learn some production basics. Start with simple tasks, like adding reverb or compression to vocals or instruments. As you become more comfortable with audio engineering, you’ll be able to tackle more complex projects.
Learn from Other Producers’ Mixing Techniques
Analyzing tracks can help you learn how a certain producer mixes music, as well as how they created specific sounds. By looking at the structure and style of the song, you can begin to understand how different elements work together.
Production techniques vary greatly from producer to producer, so it’s important to analyze at least a few tracks before trying something new on your own. Once you have an understanding of general mixing principles, you can start applying them to your own songs.
Below are five tips for analyzing music:
- Look at the beattorhythm progression.When listening to a track, focus on what kind of beats are driving the rhythm and where they’re placed in relation to each other. This information can be used to mix the track more successfully.
- Look at the melodic structure.Observe how certain chords are played and how they’re related to each other. This information can help you create melodies that sound more cohesive and memorable.
- Pay attention to vocal patterns.Watch for phrases or sections of vocals that repeat throughout the song, and try to mimic them in your mixdowns. This will give your songs a more professional sound.
- Consider arrangement and moods.Analyze how different sectional sections are arranged, and think about what kind of mood the song is trying to evoke. This can help you choose appropriate sounds for your track overall.
- Use context clues when analyzing music.”Context clues” are auditory or visual elements that can help you understand the mood and meaning of a song. For example, if you hear a drum beat near the end of the song, you might assume that it’s going to lead into an exciting climax.
Take Inspiration from Different Genres and Styles
There are tons of music production techniques out there, and by analysing a few tracks you can start to learn which ones work better for you.
For example, if you’re mainly interested in creating EDM tracks, learning about beatmatching and drop-ins may be helpful. Additionally, taking inspiration from different genres will also help mould your own style especially if you want to create something that is unique.
Below are a few examples of tracks that feature popular production techniques:
“Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves uses a lot of classic pop production technique such as vocal editing, drum sequencing, and synth use.
Meanwhile “In the Morning” by Katy Perry features an R&B sound with a heavy bassline and percussion.
Mixing techniques can also be found in “Havana” by Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug and Pharrell, which features an dancehall vibe with a Caribbean beat.
Ultimately, analysing tracks to learn production techniques is a great way to get started in music production. By looking at how various producers have put together their tracks, you can start to develop your own style and technique.
Evaluate What Works and Move Forward
After completing section 7, it’s time to evaluate what worked and what didn’t. This will help you determine where to focus your efforts in section 8.
Some things you may want to consider are:
- What tracks sounded the best to you?
- What techniques sounded the most professional?
- What sounds inspired you the most?
- Did you find any tracks that you could use as a starting point for your own work?
Re-engaging with music production can be an incredibly rewarding experience. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can get back into production and start creating music that you love. Don’t forget to take breaks and evaluate your progress as you go. With a little dedication and creativity, you can reach new heights in your music production journey. For more helpful tips and tricks, be sure to check out our other content!
