How to Become a Music Producer in 2024

We’ve covered all you need to know about taking your first steps into music production - from the tools you should be investing in to the digital skills you should be mastering.

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What does a music producer do?

Music producers are artists who create and modify tracks, either fully or partially. This is usually done electronically through a Digital Audio Workstation like Ableton or Logic. 

Naturally, each project will be different and require different skill sets, but the main role of a producer is to oversee a music project from start to finish.

Producer tasks often include:

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- Coming up with new musical ideas

- Recruiting session musicians or band members

- Suggesting alterations to current recordings

- Managing mixing and mastering of audio

- Overseeing the whole recording process

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To earn extra cash on the side, many modern producers also moonlight as DJs. If you’re interested in getting behind the decks, check out our top tips on how to become a DJ.

Producing a track from start to finish allows you to paint a true reflection of your musical creativity and passion. But the journey to success is a long one and there are lots of skills you need to develop and equipment you need to acquire.

The different stages of music production

1. Songwriting and composition

Whether you’re getting help from an AI songwriting tool, writing alone, or as part of a group, you’ll need to set aside ample time to build out your song’s story and compose the lyrics, melody and harmony of your tracks.

To help you get started, we've compiled some top tips on how to write a song and improve your lyrics. 

2. Song arrangement

Song arrangement is the process of fitting all of your instruments and vocals into a song. Sometimes you’ll build with instruments first and other times you’ll work them around your lyrics. That’s just the way it goes. It’s up to you as the producer to make the pieces fit, whichever way they come into you. 

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3. Tracking music 

Next up, we have tracking. This involves recording all the different parts of your song. 

Songs are usually recorded one track at a time - with each instrument and vocal section given its own track. You might want to keep your vocals separate and isolate them from your drums or bass, but you can also choose to track multiple instruments at once depending on what sort of sound you want your record to have.

4. Editing music

When editing, producers can move volumes and bass levels around, add in synths and play about with exciting audio effects. Editing is where you can really make your recording shine and add in any personal preferences.

Some of the key audio editing techniques producers apply to tracks include compression, filtering, and EQ. 

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5. Mixing and mastering music

Once you’ve edited your tracks, you’ll need to mix them all together. A mixing engineer will blend everything and match volume levels using techniques like equalization and compression. 

With all of the intricacies and edits required on certain tracks, mixing can take a lot of time to complete but is a very necessary and rewarding stage of production.

Mixing and mastering go hand in hand. Where mixing involves the blending of tracks, mastering focuses on balancing things. Mastering makes sure your transitions are smooth and fixes any minor issues throughout the whole recording - making sure your tunes sound just right wherever they’re played. If you'd like to speed the process of mastering up, you could even try an AI audio mastering tool.

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How to start producing music

Now you’ve got a strong grasp of all the different stages of production, you can begin looking at the different equipment you’ll need to start your journey as a music producer. 

What do you need to produce music?

Your own computer 

Kickstart things by investing in a decent personal computer that can house all of your music projects and bring your songs to life. A brand-new MacBook Pro is going to set you back some serious pennies, but there are plenty of producers who have started with run-of-the-mill or even hand-me-down pieces of kit.

Take Australian producer and DJ, Haai for example. She began producing with an old laptop given to her by her neighbour which was pre-loaded with a few different plugins.

It’s up to you if you want to fork out on the latest computer, but as long as you can download and run a decent DAW from it, you should be good to go with something second-hand.

Choose a DAW

This brings us on to choosing your Digital Audio Workstation. Your DAW will help you edit, record, and tweak all of your audio files - essentially acting as your own personal music assistant throughout every stage of production.

Take a peek at some of the best free DAW options currently available to budding producers:

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Do I need a MIDI controller?

A MIDI controller or keyboard bridges the gap between your hardware and your computer. This piece of kit will make your life a lot easier and allow you to add a more ‘real’ feel to your production - allowing you to get away from your computer for a short while. 

Have a browse through the best MIDI controllers we’d recommend investing in below.

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Buy a studio-grade microphone

A good studio microphone will act as the workhorse of your production setup and capture all of your sounds like a pro. 

There are lots of different types of microphones that should look to add to your music toolkit, such as microphones for recording tracks or mics for live performances. Your studio microphone should be at ease capturing whatever sounds you’re producing.

Learn more about how things work and the different microphone polar patterns to better understand what your studio requires.

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Buy some studio headphones

Every producer worth their salt will tell you how important a good and trusty pair of studio headphones is to your overall production quality. 

You need headphones you can rely on to pick up any quirks in your mixes and adjust them before sharing your music with the world.

If you’re putting out music for DJs to play, you need to ensure that the tracks you’re making in the studio sound the same in the car as they do in the club.

Building a home studio

All the production equipment you’ve gathered is going to need a home. Building your own home studio may sound expensive and time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. 

If you’ve already got your DAW and laptop sorted, you’re halfway there. You just need somewhere out of the way to record and play around with your beats. 

Think about soundproofing your chosen space to make sure you’re recording the crispest of sounds - not to mention, keeping your neighbours happy.

Follow our tips on how to build out a budget studio in the comfort of your home here.

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Becoming a music producer is all about being open to learning and finding what works for you. There's no fixed roadmap for success, so follow your instincts and keep experimenting. 

Whether you're producing solo or teaming up with pals, remember to enjoy the journey and let your creativity run wild!

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