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Become A Self-Taught Music Producer With These 9 Tips

There’s no better feeling that figuring out something on your own.

Most music producers that I work with are people that relied on themselves to learn the art of music production.

Music production can easily be self taught if you have the right drive and motive to actually want to learn it.

Most forums on the Internet make out music production to be very complex. and it is but that doesn’t make it something you can learn.

So, if you’ve ever wondered how you can become a self taught music producer. This is exactly the article you need to read because I’m going to explain the various steps you need to take so you can learn how to produce music.

With that said let’s get into it!

1. Get a Computer

We live in the digital era. 90% of music production is done on a computer so it’s in your best interest to get one.

Computers differ and you’ll need to get the appropriate one that is a music production computer.

It should have the right specifications because music production relies heavily on the utility of your processor or CPU.

I know you must be thinking, how will I know the right computer for music production?

Well not to worry… check out these music production computers on Amazon.

2. Audio interface, microphone, speakers, headphones

Now that you’ve bought or have a music production computer.

You also need a few more devices to help you carry out your work.

First up is an audio interface, an audio interface is simply a device that allows you to get audio data into and out of your computer and allows you to plug in your microphones and other equipment like instruments etc.

Check out these cheap audio interfaces!

Secondly, you need a good microphone that can help you carry out your recordings properly.

For music production you essentially need a Condenser microphone.

I have good recommendations for condenser microphones in this post.  

Thirdly, you need good quality monitor speakers. For somebody looking to learn from the ground up. You need high quality studio monitors that can give you an accurate representation of audio.

Check out some studio monitors on Amazon!

Lastly, you need a good pair of quality headphones that can get the job done. For music production you need closed back headphones.

Check out some closed back headphones that you can purchase on amazon.

3. Get a DAW

To produce music you need a Digital Audio Workstation which is simply software you’re going to use to make music.

There are a variety of DAWs out there, so you need to choose one that you can work it.

I have a full list of Digital Audio Workstations here, you can go through the list and figure out which one can work best for you.

4. Learn the basics

Now that you have the appropriate software and equipment it’s time to learn the basics.

Depending on the DAW you’ve chose, you can simply go to YouTube and learn the basics of that particular DAW.

For example; if you’ve gone with FL Studio as your preferred DAW… go to YouTube and search for “FL Studio Beginner Tutorials”…

This should set you up to get started and have a basic understanding of how to use the software.

5. Learn Music Production

After you have some basic knowledge of how to use your preferred software. You now need to get into learning the fundamentals of music production.

Music production can be summed up into 4 core parts:

Beat Making, Recording, mixing and mastering.

So now that you have the core facets of music production, put your best foot forward and learn these things.

6. Make Music

Learning the basics of music production can only get you so far but my advice is to start making music no matter how horrible it may sound.

The whole point is to get yourself acquainted to processes involved in music production and you can only learn by doing.

So practice every new thing you learn. If you don’t have vocals to practice on, find somebody you can record and grow with.

I assure you this will set you apart from people that do very little in terms of practice.

You can also invest in music production courses like Mix With the Masters to get an inside look into how the professionals do it.

YouTube is another resource that can be really helpful I’m your journey. But the key thing is to put any knowledge into practice

7. Read Books

Books are a great way to have access to the knowledge and experience of skilled person.

You need to read good music production books that can help you in your career and provide you with the fundamental knowledge you need to produce music effectively.

Some of the books I advise are mixing and mastering books.

I have an article that has the best books for those that want to learn Music Production and you can access that article here.

8. Collaborate

To take your career to new heights you to collaborate with skilled people. Collaboration doesn’t always have to be about about creating something with somebody. 

At times collaborate to gain knowledge from the other individual.

For somebody that wants to become a music producer, collaboration is not just a necessity, its a prescription.

So collaborate as much as you can with different producers.

9. Practice, Practice, Practice

This cannot be emphasised enough.

Practice is how you get better at producing music. Which is why we all continue to do it.

The fact is, your knowledge is no good when you don’t act upon it.

So, as a final remark I emphasize the importance of practice because it can help you discover your strong and weak points.

Practice and collaboration are among the fundamentals of learning how to produce music.

Because with them, you can learn new things and get the necessary feedback you need to move forward.

So don’t over look practice.

Experimentation is just as important and should be part of your practice routine.

Become A Self-Taught Music Producer With These 9 Tips
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