Music Production: How to Become a Music Producer

Music production involves creating, refining, and recording music for a track, single, or record for distribution to the public. This process includes songwriting, composition, recording, sound design, mixing, and mastering. A music producer with musical knowledge, project management skills, and an understanding of the technology required to mix and record often oversees these steps. Most professionally recorded pieces of music go through the creative music production process.

A music producer, also called a record producer, is responsible for leading the creative and technological aspects of making a musical recording, whether a single song or an entire album, to ensure the end product is as good as possible. This role requires a knowledge of studio production and an overall understanding of musical arrangement.

A music producer’s responsibilities might include hiring musicians, finding a studio and audio engineer, managing the schedule and workflow, listening to and providing feedback on performance in the recording studio, and handling all other production aspects to achieve the highest quality song or album. Some music producers even help with songwriting and composition. In film, the music producer is usually responsible for choosing the songs for the movie, while the film composer writes the score.

In the recording studio, music producers often coordinate with recording engineers. While the recording engineer runs the highly technical soundboard, the music producer is the creative visionary whose role is more artistic. (The terms “sound engineer” and “recording engineer” can both refer to someone with expertise in audio engineering, but sound engineers often work with live performances, while recording engineers work in the studio.)

The process of music production varies, depending on the musician or band. It could occur in a professional recording studio, in your home with your own equipment, or somewhere in between. No matter the size and scope of your music production, the process almost universally shares six stages:

1. 1. Songwriting: A songwriter is a musician who composes music and writes lyrics for a song. Songwriting is the creation of a song structure that has a beginning, middle, and end, comprising melody, harmony, and rhythm, with or without lyrics. A lyricist is a songwriter who solely focuses on lyrics. Learn more about how to compose a song with musician Tom Morello.
2. 2. Arranging: Musical arrangement refers to how the instruments and vocals get arranged within a song. In many songs, there’s a buildup of energy created by adding instruments, sounds, and vocal harmonies over the length of the tune. It’s a time to add variety and create a pleasing beginning, middle, and end. In classical music, this responsibility may fall to a dedicated music arranger.
3. 3. Tracking: Tracking simply means making an audio recording of the song with the help of a recording engineer in a recording session. The name “tracking” refers to how each instrument and vocal element gets recorded on a separate track, giving you the ability to manipulate and adjust the levels of the different pieces later on.
4. 4. Editing: During the editing stage, you begin to hone the song to its best possible form. You may move elements of the song around, adjust the pitch, and add crossfades, so the entire song runs smoothly. It’s also a time to add effects such as bass boosts, synth, or reverb. When editing a song, your goal is to get the best possible performance out of the recording.
5. 5. Mixing: Audio mixing involves combining all the tracks from the tracking phase into a final mono, stereo, or surround sound product. After combining the separate tracks into one, a mixing engineer will balance their levels through equalization and compression. The music producer or recording artist may or may not have input during this phase. Learn more about how to mix tracks.
6. 6. Mastering: Mastering is the final process of taking the best possible recording of your song and preparing it for distribution on CD, vinyl, or the internet. A mastering engineer usually handles this phase. If you master multiple songs, this step will include making all songs sound coherent and tonally part of the same album. Mastering is the final polish of the mixing process. The mastering engineer will work to resolve minor issues, such as checking for smooth transitioning and sequencing, adjusting all songs to the same level, and ensuring the songs sound the same on different playback devices.

One of the advantages of modern music production is the incredible equipment and technology available to create a stellar song recording on your own at a relatively low cost in a home studio. Here is the basic recording equipment you’ll need to get started:

• Personal computer: You’ll need a computer to run the audio software required to capture, edit, and create a final product of a song recording.
• Digital Audio Workstation (DAW): A Digital Audio Workstation is music production software specifically designed for editing, recording, and creating audio files. There are many DAWs available, each with unique features, but all will include multitrack recording, the ability to adjust pitch and tempo, and filtering options. GarageBand, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, and Logic Pro are just a few of the many available DAW options.
• MIDI controller: MIDI, or Musical Instrument Digital Interface, is a technology standard that allows for communication between a piece of hardware and your computer. A keyboard synthesizer is a popular option for a central MIDI controller.
  
• Audio interface: An audio interface allows non-MIDI instruments like guitars or vocals to communicate with your Digital Audio Workstation. It converts all the intricacies of acoustics into a digital audio file.
• Studio recording microphone: A studio microphone is a wired microphone that captures sound and converts it into a digital signal, which you can then save as an audio file. A good studio microphone should stay in one place and can capture audio in an enclosed, sound-protected space such as a recording booth.
• Studio headphones: You will need a decent pair of studio headphones to listen to songs in progress and make the proper adjustments required. Unlike gaming headphones, manufacturers explicitly design studio headphones for neutral sonic balancing, meaning you can easily hear tonal imperfections and fix them.

There are many roads to becoming a professional music producer. You could start by becoming an engineer and learning the technical side, or learn an instrument and start writing songs of your own, focusing on the creative side. (Or, do a combination of both.) Here is one step-by-step path you can take to becoming a music producer:

1. 1. Listen to music. The first step in landing a music producer job is to become an expert in music. Listen to all types of music, not just your favorites. Follow music news and trends, and study what makes a song or vocalist a success. Listen for different musical ideas, instrumentation, vocals, and arrangements, and notice how songs make you feel. Listen until you’re able to hear and distinguish different styles of music, harmony, tempo, and pitch. Discover and hone in on the best music you’d most like to produce, whether hip-hop, electronic music, indie music, or another genre.
2. 2. Learn an instrument. Though it’s not a requirement for becoming a full-time music producer, creating your own music by learning to play an instrument will help you understand musical concepts, such as chord progressions, so you can speak from a personal understanding when you step into a music producer role.
3. 3. Take classes or get a degree. Music production programs can teach you the fundamentals of what you need to know on your producing journey. Whether it’s tutorials, classes available to the public, music school, or a bachelor’s degree, many programs teach aspiring music producers about the technical aspects of music production, composition, and music theory. Classes can also be a great place to meet other people in your field and network.
   
4. 4. Find an internship. An internship at a record company is a fantastic entry-level way to learn about the music industry, recording, and production processes. Find a record label that best matches the musical genres and artists you’re interested in producing.
5. 5. Network in the field. Getting to know people already in the field you want to enter is helpful for learning, collaboration, and gaining access to music business opportunities. Going to concerts, visiting recording studios, and joining groups on social media will introduce you to industry professionals and other people starting their music careers. Discovering up-and-coming musical groups at music gigs can be a great source of experience on your career path, as new artists may be more likely to work with you in exchange for production services. Use these networking tips to boost your confidence.

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