Behind the music we listen to is a music producer. They’re responsible for a lot of things that you can hear in a typical song such as sound design, arrangement, and even mixing. If you have a passion for music then being a music producer is a fantastic way to express your creative side.

With so many kinds of music equipment widely available to the audience, producing music has become more accessible to the public. You don’t need to have a fancy, spacious studio just to be able to produce a song anymore–it can easily be done right in the comfort of your own home!

Despite its accessibility, there are still a lot of factors to consider before you start producing music. Do you have what it takes? What skills do you need to be able to produce music properly? What do you need to do to be able to produce music?

In this article, we’re going to discuss how to become a music producer in 9 steps without having to step outside your doorstep–because nowadays, you don’t need much to get started on your journey. 

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How to Become a Music Producer

To be a music producer, one must dedicate a lot of time to studying and learning how music production really works. This can be in the form of taking classes or courses, watching videos on YouTube, or even getting a music-related degree–this will all have to depend on your situation and preference.

Here are nine steps we firmly believe are crucial and beneficial in how to become a music producer in your own home:

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Study an Instrument

You don’t need to be a professional when it comes to playing instruments but it’s still an advantage if you know how to play them. Being able to play instruments such as the piano, guitar, or drums allow you to be aware of the different concepts and techniques that are helpful with creating music, like chord progression or timing. At the same time, the ability to play instruments comes with the skill of reading sheet music or determining the different musical notes. You can tell which key you want your music to be in or you can figure out odd time signatures that most progressive metal artists use today. It’s still very common for people to use 4/4 on all occasions but even then, studying an instrument can help with the timing of your tracks. 

Practice Your Ears

We consume music through our ears, so this is the most essential step to becoming a music producer. There’s no doubt you listen to a lot of music which is why you want to learn how to produce music. Consider this as an assignment and listen to different kinds of music. Study and analyze the song you’re playing and recognize how they play instruments, as well as the tempo, harmony, and key of the song. Getting your ears in tune will help you identify if a chord doesn’t work or identify what may be missing. Does it need more high-end sounds or low-end? Maybe it sounds too empty and it needs something to feel in the space. Being able to identify this will help the process to be much smoother. 

Build Your Own Studio

As mentioned earlier, you can produce beautiful music right inside your room. Creating your own home studio means acquiring the necessary equipment for music production. You don’t need to get professional-grade equipment immediately because there are a lot of more affordable options that are optimal for producing high-quality music. People now make music on laptops and a pair of good speakers with the factory-installed plugins from their DAW. 

Learn How to Use a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

A digital audio workstation is a program for recording and producing audio files. There are many kinds of software available out there for you to try and test out. Pick one that you feel most comfortable in and don’t follow the crowd, especially if it doesn’t work for you. Learning about your preferred digital audio workstation and spending more time experimenting with its features can give you more knowledge on how to produce music the way you want it. There are plenty of tutorials on youtube you can find that can help get you started. If you are a beginner, you may try Garageband as your first DAW. These programs are used by even the best producers that don’t want to invest in Pro Tools, Ableton or Logic. 

Experiment With An Audio Mixer

An audio mixer or a mixing console is also an essential piece of technology for producing music. If you’re adding voice to the music you’re producing, learning how an audio mixer will be necessary. The mixing console allows you to adjust the volume, EQ, compression, or add effects that’ll fit the vibe of your song. It’s great to play around with it so that you can get the hang of it, there are many resources and tutorials online that you can follow. Having a mixer will allow you to also play an instrument or use multiple mics, depending on which audio mixer you decide to go with. There are a lot of digital mixers now that can help with mixing your tracks, included directly in DAWs. On top of the mixers that DAWs come with, you can download plug-ins that unlock a whole world of effects processing and further mixing. Some examples of popular plug-ins areSlate Digital for compression, mixing and a plethora of effects, Omnisphere for adding effects for beats, and Melodyne for autotune, and more! 

Connect With Artists

Creating a network with musicians is essential as these are opportunities for collaborations. Not only do you gain connections and even exposure, but you can also learn helpful tips and tricks along the way.

Apply For An Internship

Music professionals often recommend aspiring individuals to apply for internships at either record or music production companies. To become a music producer, one must surround themselves with other music producers. Companies prioritize different genres, focus on different artists, and have different cultures. Before applying for an internship for a specific company, do your research and ensure you align with their stances or have no problem with it. 

Enroll in Music-Related Courses

This is similar to pursuing a music degree, but it’s much more cost-effective, and you can do it at home. Taking online courses is an effective way to be able to learn more about music production. These online programs have adequate resources to teach you more specific content and techniques that are not readily available through a quick online search. This can also make the writing processes a lot easier if you understand a little bit of music theory. 

Make Music

How else would one learn music production without actually creating music? Utilize the time to experiment and create your own music. It may not be the best on your first try, but you’ll definitely learn a lot from it.

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Conclusion

Here’s the truth, there is no specific formula one follows in order to learn how to become a music producer. Everyone has their own pace and you should never compare yourself to others. Utilizing the nine steps aforementioned will definitely give you some hindsight on what it’s actually like to be a music producer, or how exactly to get there. Remember that it’s not about the brand of music production equipment but rather the passion, determination, and desire to learn are what make a music producer great.

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Showcase Your Produced Music at Playlister.Club

Playlister.Club is a music discovery platform that allows you to get in front of tastemakers and curators with huge playlists. It was built on the fundamental principle of curation, so if they like your music, it could be shared on playlists with thousands of followers who have the potential to become your fans!

‍Playlister.Club allows you to get more than just exposure. Your music is displayed on a dynamic dashboard and matched to playlisters specific curation and listening tastes. They can even listen, review and place your songs directly from our platform. You can get discovered on Playlister.club because playlisters can carefully manually select songs that genuinely match their playlists and music tastes. Never have your music lost in an inbox again! You’ll also know when you’ve been added or removed from different playlists, daily with our Song Tracking tool.

You can also get discovered from our feature Playlist Pulse™! It’s the only chart directly driven by your voice and distributed to thousands of music industry professionals, playlisters, influencers, and media outlets worldwide!

Through Playlist Pulse™, your music selections will be heard loudly worldwide. The songs that are getting the most love on our platform will be featured in our weekly chart and even in our magazine, gaining them a more significant reach and higher exposure