Music Production 101

New to music production? Don’t worry, I was too. Let’s go over the basics together!

Step 1. Find a platform to use

Some really good platforms I like are Logic, Pro Tools, Ableton, and Garageband. Try a free trial, get familiar with how each platform works, and choose whichever one you like best! In this walk-through, I will be using Garageband for my examples. 

Step 2. Loops 

On Garageband, you should be able to find something called loops. This is a pre-made track that goes on for a few bars that you can use as a baseline for your piece. Press on a loop to listen to it, and when you choose one you like, drag and drop it onto your new track.

Step 3. Sounds and MIDI

When you create a new track, you should be given the 4 options shown below. MIDI, or Music Instrument Digital Interface, is a kind of software where you can connect a keyboard to your track. 

You can choose different sounds for your keyboard to make, as shown below. If you want to create a new track, select your current track and then select “new track”.

Step 4. Live recording

To record a sound live, you’ll need an interface. An interface acts as a channel to connect your recorded element/instrument to your computer. If you want to record an electric guitar or bass, you’ll need an interface, a quarter inch cable, and a cable to plug the interface into your computer (this can vary based on what kind of computer and/or interface you have). I use the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface, but any interface of your choice will work. You’ll also need plug-in headphones! I’m not as familiar with how it works with electronic drums, but I know that you can record similarly with an interface and headphones. 

Press on one of these icons above for your recorded track if you are intending to record electric guitar/bass or electronic drums. You can also change the sound of your recorded instrument in the sound library, as shown previously in the MIDI segment. 

To record vocals or another type of live audio, you’ll also need a microphone. The type of mic you need varies based on whether the audio is spoken word, singing, or some type of live instrument. My mic experience is only in singing, and I like to use the SM7B for this. The setup will be different depending on the type of mic you use and any add-ons it might include. You will need an interface and headphones no matter what. 

Click on the icon above to create your mic track, and record away! 

Lastly, when recording any of these, make sure to turn on the phantom power on your interface! Recording will not work if you don’t press it. This is what it looks like on the Focusrite:

Step 5. Mixing

Mixing is the final step to music production, and arguably the most essential to making your piece sound the best that it can. First, let me introduce you to EQ, or equalization. This balances and adjusts the frequency of the sounds in each track. I don’t have a specific method to go about EQing my own work, but I play around with it until my sound is clearest and flows well with the rest of the tracks. I recommend watching a YouTube video on EQ to get a better feel of how you can make your tracks sound more balanced. 

This is what your EQ should look like on a blank track:

This is an example of what EQ might look like on a vocal track:

Also, use a compressor on recorded audio to polish the sound even more.

Another part of mixing is called panning, which regulates where the sound will be most concentrated on your headphones or speakers. 

Say you are listening to this song on your headphones. If the green line is more to the left, that means that you’ll hear the track more in your left headphone. If the green line is more to the right, you’ll hear it in your right headphone. Panning is essential to balancing the sound distribution of your tracks and makes your piece sound more professional!

There are many other elements of mixing, of course, but I’d say these are the most important for beginners to learn. 

Pro tips:

1. Make sure your computer volume is all the way up before you adjust the volume anywhere else.

2. Use high-quality headphones instead of AirPods; the sound payoff is so much better, especially in the production process.

3. Record all parts of your piece first, then mix last. 

4. If you want to sample an already existing song/sound, use a website to buy it. If you end up publishing your piece without getting the proper rights to a sound that isn’t yours, you can get in big trouble! Try splice.com or tracklib.com to find sounds that are available to sample.

5. Turn off the AC or heating while recording live. As quiet as it might seem, your mic will pick up the sound and it’ll interfere with your recording.

I hope this helped, and have fun creating music!