Music production is an exciting profession with a wide variety of applications. Producers help create music for artists, movies, television, commercials, companies, and much, more. Today, let’s talk about how to get started in music production.
What Does a Music Producer Do?
The role of a music producer is often compared to that of a movie director. In the simplest definition, a music producer ensures that the final musical product achieves the desired goal.
A music producer is the overseer of everything involving the musical production. The producer must understand what’s needed to achieve the musical goal. They will have a vision for the final product or will work with the artist to develop that vision.
The producer will ensure the musical arrangement is effective and will help decide on the final instrumentation. They facilitate bringing all the elements together such as the recording studio, the recording engineers, and additional musicians if needed.
The producer will also oversee the financial aspects to ensure the musical production can be achieved within the allotted budget. In some cases, the producer may finance or help finance the production.
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Fully Involved Producers
However, in addition to those duties listed above, a music producer can play many more roles in accomplishing the final piece of music. This can include recording engineering, mixing, playing a musical instrument, and songwriting. It’s important to note that these additional skills are not necessary to becoming a music producer. Some of the most successful music producers ever do nothing more than direct the project. However, every added skill a producer brings to the project can be a bonus.
Some producers are recording engineers, others are not. Some producers have technical skills and are directly involved in every aspect of achieving a specific sound and recording. They may also mix the final recording.
Likewise, some music producers are highly skilled musicians and others are not. Some will also play musical instruments on the tracks that they produce.
Many music producers are also skilled songwriters. They may help an artist improve their arrangement or in writing songs. Some are songwriters and composers who produce themselves.
Opportunities in Music Production
When people think of music production their first thought is the music created by solo artists and groups. While that represents a large aspect of music production, there is an equally large area of music production that pays equally well, if not more.
Producing music for film and television, in many aspects, is a more profitable area of music production than producing music for artists. Producers can earn royalties off these productions for the rest of their lifetime and into the lives of their relatives.
Another area of music production is for use in commercials, whether on television, radio, or online advertisements. This may also include composing or producing jingles.
Music is also produced for video games. This might be music performed by artists or music for backgrounds.
Yet another segment of music production involves recording music for companies. This can include so-called “stock music” tracks that people pay to include in videos or corporate presentations. Music is created for companies for a variety of uses, including phone answering systems, use in reception areas and offices, elevators, kiosks, and more.
Before You Enroll: What a Music Producer Needs to Know
The last thing you want to do is invest a lot of money in schooling only to discover later you don’t possess the aptitude to be a music producer. So before jumping in with both feet first, here are a few things you should know to ensure you are ready.
1. Know Songs and Composition
If you are going to produce artists, you need to know what makes songs and arrangements work. What makes one song a hit over another? Listen to the top songs in your favorite genre and note what they have in common. Study the songs in the Top 40 and try to determine what they have that the sixty other songs in the Hot 100 lack. It could be something lyrical or musical or both. A producer must understand song structures and forms and what makes an effective composition. Take songwriting classes and get involved in organizations like the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) where you can learn songwriting for free (it’s not country music only).
2. Know Your Genre
While many producers work in multiple genres of music, when you’re first getting started, it’s best to focus on one genre of music and master it. Whether hip-hop, pop, or something else, you need to know everything about your chosen genre. What are the elements that define that genre of music? It also helps to know what’s been done to understand how to add something fresh while adhering to genre expectations.
3. Know Sounds
For the given genre that you will be working in, you’ll also need to understand the sounds of the different instruments. A terrible sound on one instrument, that either doesn’t fit the song or the genre, can ruin the track. What should the bass sound like? What about the drums? How should the kick drum sound? How should the snare drum sound? What about the vocal sound? Is it dry or does it use effects? Does the song use harmonies? Would the song have benefited from using harmonies? When you learn about songs and sound, you will be able to envision what a song may be lacking or have too much of, which is a key skill of a producer.
Read More: The Unstoppable Women of Pop: 10 Legends Who Redefined the Genre
How to Become a Music Producer
There are many ways to become a music producer. There are several routes one can take. At the end of the day, knowledge and skill is what matters. However, different routes can help you obtain that knowledge and skill faster.
1. Attend a Music Production Program
Music production programs are offered at private schools, some community colleges, and through degree programs. The advantage of such programs is that you can learn the skills of music production in an organized way that will give you a handle on all of the basics. Such courses can be one of the fastest ways to obtain the basic skills. As a bonus, you will have a certificate or a degree that can open the door to employment or internships in situations that will advance your skills even further.
2. Private Workshops
Some individuals or schools offer short workshops, whether lasting a weekend, a few days, or a few weeks.
For example, some GRAMMY-winning producers offer private workshops, offering the rare opportunity to learn from producers who have worked on gold and platinum albums.
3. Books and Video Courses
There is a wide variety of books and video courses available on every aspect of music production. Many of these are taught by well-known, experienced professionals. These can be a good method for those who are good self-learners and have the equipment to practice and apply what they have learned.
4. Internships
This is the time-tested method of learning music production and the way many of the legendary producers learned. There are countless tales of guys who got by doing whatever job they could at a studio, including sweeping floors, and learning little by little. If you know someone who is already a recording engineer or has a studio, working for free or by doing odd jobs at a studio is a way to learn the craft by observing others at work. Even if you’ve completed an audio production course, an internship working under experienced producers and engineers can be invaluable.
5. Get Your Own Equipment
Like anything, to become a good music producer you need to practice. Having your own equipment allows you to practice music production. While there are producers who aren’t “hands-on” and are purely overseers – most today are not.
With the affordability of digital audio workstations (DAW), many producers are learning the skills of music production at home by practicing. Free software like GarageBand on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac is one of the easiest DAW programs to learn and get started with. There is also a free version for Windows. Producers can work with loops to begin understanding how to arrange sections of music, as well as to modify or alter the sound of instruments.
6. Set Up Your Own Studio
An important part of practicing music production is setting up your own studio. This can be a room in your home, your garage, or renting a space. If affordability is a factor, check out producer forums online and see if other producers or musicians in your area are looking to share a studio. You could also run your own ad.
7. Find Artists and Bands to Work With
Just as producers need to practice producing, artists and bands often struggle to be able to record their music. Many aspiring producers have achieved success by working with artists and bands in the early stages. Producers find artists and bands who are trying to make a recording to land a contract with a record label. This is called a “demo recording” (demonstration). Sometimes the demo, especially if well produced and recorded, becomes the album. Producers may work for free, a low fee, or a future percentage. By collaborating, these producers and artists can rise together.
8. Produce and Distribute Your Own Music
Many producers, who are also composers, distribute their music through a variety of sources, depending on their goal. There are placement services for getting music into film, television, commercials, sold as stock music, pitched to artists, and more. Even if you don’t sing, there are extremely talented professional vocalists you can hire for either a flat fee or a profit split. Some producers become artists in their own right and distribute their music on sites like Spotify, YouTube, and others.
