How to Make EDM: 7 Tips for Producing an EDM Track

EDM stands for electronic dance music, a popular style of music produced using synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines. The term EDM can refer to many genres of electronic music, including techno, trance, drum and bass, dubstep, trap, dance-pop, and house music. Most EDM is created in a studio. Unlike other genres of music based around traditional instruments—classical, jazz, rock, R&B, country, and more—EDM primarily uses sounds created by computers, although those computers may end up sampling musical performances from live musicians.

Specific software and hardware are essential for producing EDM.

• A DAW: A digital audio workstation is the core piece of software for all music production. Popular DAWs include Pro Tools, Logic Pro X, Ableton Live, Fruity Loops (FL Studio), Reason, Steinberg Cubase, Cakewalk, and Reaper. Other software you can use to make EDM tracks—such as synth libraries and effects plugins—layer on top of your DAW. If you aim to produce music, you must invest in a good DAW.
• A MIDI controller: Electronic music software works via musical instrument digital interface (MIDI). You need an external MIDI controller to play individual notes or drum beats for your electronic music productions. The most commonly used MIDI controller is a MIDI keyboard, but some electronic music producers also use a pad-based system like the Ableton Push 2 or the Novation Launchpad Pro Mk3.
• Sound libraries: Many DAWs come with a library of audio samples and synthesizers. However nearly all professional EDM producers have additional sample libraries that run on a platform known as virtual studio technology (VST). Companies like Fruity Loops, EastWest, and Native Instruments sell sample packs and synth libraries you can use to create sounds on your music production sessions—from kick drums to ambient pads to synth leads to the sounds of acoustic instruments.
• Plugins: A plugin is a piece of software that runs on top of a DAW program to produce a specific effect. In the world of EDM, hip hop, and other dance music, producers often use plugins for analog compression, sidechain compression, EQ, and reverb.
• An audio interface: You will also need an audio interface to convert analog audio to digital files, and digital files back to analog audio. EDM music does not use many analog instruments, but it does often feature vocals. Either way, you'll want to have a good audio interface to connect microphones to your computer. It will also let you play back sound via headphones or studio monitors.

Once you’ve assembled the proper array of gear for EDM production, you're ready to start making music.

1. 1. Base your sound around a classic EDM beat. EDM beats are relatively simple: 126–130 bpm (beats per minute), with kicks on the quarter notes, snares on every other quarter note, and some hi-hat and percussion to add character. Simple beats are good because they let a broad audience of listeners lock-in and groove to your music. Getting too complicated means you’re probably going to lose some of your listeners. And if you’re a melodically driven producer, flashy drum tracks usually end up taking up too much sonic space.
2. 2. Use your DAW's music notation function. Even if you’re a proficient keyboard player or a formally trained musician familiar with musical notation, drawing notes into a gridded timeline and moving them around by hand can give you a whole new perspective on composing. When you start drawing notes, don’t worry about what synth sound you’re using or what groove your track might end up having; just start putting down notes and adjusting them into interesting combinations that sound good to your ears.
3. 3. Instead of using presets, create your own sounds. Great producers don’t just settle for using plug-in presets or out-of-the-box sounds in their tracks. Learning the basic principles of how synthesizers produce sounds will help you build and tweak patches to generate sounds no one can replicate. The best way to learn synths is by experimenting with them. Get yourself a cheap, simple synth and start twisting knobs and making noise until you get a feel for what each of the parameters does. It takes a lot of time to build up a sonic library that sounds unique to you, but it's worth it.
4. 4. Use envelope filters. Making EDM requires special techniques like the use of envelope filters. Envelopes shape sounds over time. They usually control either the volume of a sound or the amount it is affected by the filter, from the time a note starts to the time it stops. The basic parameters of an envelope are attack, decay, and release. If the envelope is affecting volume, attack determines how long it takes for the sound to reach full volume; decay determines how long it takes for the volume to start fading down; and release determines how long it takes for the sound to go silent once the note is no longer being played. Those parameters together are often referred to as ADR.
5. 5. Embrace the full-frequency spectrum. Figure out what part of the harmonic spectrum you want from a given instrument—top-end shimmer, or bass resonance for instance—and duck the rest of the frequencies to make sonic room for other sounds. And don't forget the extremes: A high pass filter can clean up low-end mud, while a sub-bass boost can create a powerful sounding mix with a bassline that rattles even the largest of sound systems.
6. 6. Make music theory work for you. You don’t need to be a formally trained musician to make EDM, but you do need to develop a process. Music-making is all about experimentation, so get creative with melodies, sounds, and structures until you hear something you like. Try to keep yourself from being too critical of new ideas as they’re taking shape and start saving clips of ideas you like, even if you’re not sure yet how to make them work in a song.
7. 7. Learn from the artists you love. You can scour the internet for mixing tips and for secrets of stereo imaging or the mastering process, but sometimes you just have to trust your own ears. Seek out your favorite artists and use them as reference tracks for your own work.

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