If you’re a beginner in the music industry, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. So whether you’re a singer-songwriter or an aspiring producer—keep reading for the best music production tips for a hit song. This post will reveal music production tips to help you produce professional and polished sounds.
What is music production?
Music production is an artform that allows artists to create and produce music. It can involve a wide range of creative tasks, from recording and mixing audio to writing and arranging music. Music producers often work with other musicians, engineers, and record producers to create a finished product.
Anyone who has ever picked up a guitar or started banging on a drum can produce music. But understanding how to create music and get your sounds to come out the way you want them to takes some knowledge and practice- something that is not only possible, but also attainable for almost anyone with some dedication. Below are some tips on how to get started in music production, starting from the basics all the way up to more experienced methods.
How To Start Producing Music
There’s nothing like making your music—the satisfaction of hearing your ideas come to life and knowing that you created them. And who knows? Maybe one day, you’ll be the next award-winning star. Here are some tips for getting started:
Learn how to EQ
Equalization (EQ) is a very important part of music production. It allows you to shape the sound of your track and make it sound how you want. However, it can be difficult for beginners who don’t understand how they work or what they do.
EQ allows you to alter the frequencies of different sounds in your mix, and it’s also one of the most powerful tools at your disposal when it comes to sound design.
The best way to learn how to use it is by listening closely and experimenting with different settings on different tracks. It’s not always easy, but if you keep at it, eventually, it’ll click.
Learn how to compress
Compression is essential when learning how to produce music. It involves compressing or reducing the dynamics of a track by turning down quieter parts, thereby raising the volume of louder parts.
Compression helps make your music sound more polished and professional. It gives it more depth and impact than if you were to play with no compression.
The most important thing when learning how to compress is that there are no rules for this process. You have to experiment until you find what sounds best for your song.
Learn how to use delay and reverb
When learning to be a producer, a critical area to master is delay and reverb. They are two of the most important effects in music production— the purpose of the delay is to create space, while reverb helps to add depth and space.
You can use both together to create a wide soundscape. You can also use the delay to create rhythm or use reverb alone for rich depth in your mixes.
Make sure your tracks are in tune
Tuning can be tricky if you don’t have a reference track to compare sounds. Here are some top producer tips and tricks to check whether your track is in tune.
Use a tuner: Most DAWs come with some built-in tuner, which will help ensure that everything is tuned up properly before adding other instruments into the mix. But if this isn’t available to you (or you want something more powerful), there are plenty of free options on the internet that work just as well.
Use reference tracks: If possible, try searching for songs with similar keys or styles and listen to them while recording your music. Then play both tracks together later to identify what’s off-key within your compositions.
Know what a limiter is and know how to use it
A limiter is a compression unit that reduces the dynamic range of an audio signal. The point is to keep loud things from getting too loud so that you won’t blow out your speakers (or earbuds).
If you’re recording an instrument or voice and want it to be louder in the mix, a good rule is to set the level at about -3dBFS (decibels relative to full scale). That means there’s only about 3dB of headroom for each part before it distorts.
Remember that songs with more soft parts than loud parts will sound better with less limiting applied overall. But if you don’t have much experience using limiters yet, try setting them up as I did here!
Sidechain compression is a must-know
Sidechain compression is a must-know for any producer and is part of many great music production tutorials. Sidechain compression sends one track’s dry signal to another track’s compressor. For example, say you want to create a pumping effect in your song by making a bass drum sound louder when your kick drum hits.
To do so, you would set up a sidechain compressor on your kick drum and let it trigger the compressor on your bass drum (hence the name). When the kick plays back through its return channel, it will be compressed automatically and released back into its original state.
Sidechained filters can make sweeping synth melodies sound more dynamic. It also gives vocals extra push by reducing their volume when certain frequencies hit hard during recording sessions.
Practice your music production skills daily
There are many ways to practice music production. You can make a track in 2 hours or spend an entire day on it. The choice is yours!
When producing music for beginners, the most important thing is to keep practicing your music production skills daily. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have time to finish a track.
If you want to become better at music production, practice will help you improve your skills and make it easier for you to become the best producer.
Protect your ears
Taking care of your hearing is important. There are many different ways this can be done—but some methods are better than others. In loud environments, earplugs are always a good idea and come in all shapes and sizes.
Noise-canceling headphones can also help block out sounds that might otherwise reach damaging decibel levels for sensitive ears. When it comes down to it, the best way to avoid hearing damage is simply by not listening at high volumes for long periods.
Be patient and have fun
Learning to produce music is long and sometimes frustrating, but that’s okay. Don’t expect yourself to be a master producer overnight—and don’t give up if you don’t get it right the first time.
You may spend weeks learning how to use your digital audio workstation DAW or years perfecting your workflow. But as long as you stay dedicated and keep practicing regularly, you will become an expert.
How To Be A Producer
You can become a producer by starting at the bottom and working your way up. It might be best to start as a PA (Production Assistant) or intern. You’ll learn about how productions work from the ground up and get experience working with various aspects of music production before taking on more responsibility as a producer yourself.
Keep A Positive Mindset
Music production can be a daunting task for beginners. However, with the right skills and mindset, anyone can make music that sounds professional. Follow these tips to get started on your journey!
