Have you ever wondered how music is made nowadays? Or what does the music have to go through to sound so clean and crisp? Or why you should care?
Music production has always been a close hobby of mine. In fact, it’s actually what I’m focusing my career on. But most people in the hobby do it just for fun.
Let’s go over equipment. In order to make the basics of basic music, all a person needs is a computer (or oftentimes a laptop) and a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software. Examples of a DAW include: garage band, audacity, pro-tools, reaper, ableton live, and much, much more. I currently use ableton, but have previously used a DAW called FL studio.
However, though those are the basics, adding equipment will aid the process. a simple midi keyboard, nice headphones AND/OR a set of speakers, and maybe a microphone might help, but the equipment depends on what you want your style to be.
Now to make a track, there are 3 main steps:
- recording
- mixing
- mastering
Recording requires a mic, so this part is optional. However, I can’t always find the sample that I wanted, so I need to make my own vocals or particular sounds that I envisioned in the piece.
Mixing involves using the recording that was previously attained, or samples to blend or synthesize sounds together. The most time is spent here because this stage encompasses composition and song writing.
Mastering is a craft all on its own. This stage is only necessary for musicians who would like to put their music out on the market. Mastering is to adjust volumes with tools like compression or EQ. This part is crucial to match the competition that is put out already and to fix any discrepancies between frequencies.
Now, after you finish your track, you need to know how to put it out there. Many producers like to use promoters to get their name out there, some upload on the internet, while others pass their mixtape around. So yeah I lied. People don’t really do this for fun only. They want to get known for their music. This is a highly competitive field, with little chance of being recognized. Anyone who is popular now either burned the candle at both ends for YEARS, or they just happen to know the right people. Even then, there is a level of luck and social skill that is needed to be able to make it.
Even still aside from the business aspect, I still love this craft for what it is. Though it is very technologically extensive, it’s still making music. Once someone surpasses the high learning curve, it becomes an addiction.
Hobbies 