Here’s how to get better at (computer/electronic) music production. Setting up a home studio is easy, but you will need to hone your skills to create good music. Tips and strategies to get your home studio off the ground, with minimal cost, and how to get better at Music Production.
Introduction
Do you own a computer and want to learn more about setting up your own music studio? Have you already produced a few pieces and further your music technology education?
The best way to learn is to setup a basic studio at home and get practical experience using software (such as Propellerhead Reason, FL Studio), that have powerful features to help you create your own music from scratch. The more you practice, the more you’ll gain the skills necessary to replicate the electronic sounds used in modern music.
Later, you can compose music using Computers and Electronic equipment like Synthesizers, Samplers, Drum machines, music sequencers (hardware or software).
You obviously start with the basics, and then move on to advanced stuff. Read about the various steps in music creation.
Exciting time for Musicians
In recent years, technology has become much more advanced, powerful and at the same time more accessible and affordable. Music software, in particular, has become far more advanced much to the liking of most Music Producers.
- A Computer is much more powerful and affordable today
- The tools required for making music on computer (and even the stand-alone ones) have become affordable so that even amateurs can achieve professional results (with the correct know-how, which requires lots of practice).
- Technology is making it possible to incorporate newer production techniques, as well as making it easier to promote & distribute your music (there’s a flip side as well to it) as well.
In the last few years most electronic musicians composed and developed their music on digital software rather than electronic equipment/hardware. Now, most Electronic Music Producer generally work with software like Sequencer, VSTs, Samples, and Loops, which imitates most hardware equipment.
There are professional electronic music composers who use different audio samples, usually taken from external sources, and digitize them using software so that they can make use of different kinds of sounds in their recordings.
Aside from software based synthesis, many electronic musicians also use modular synthesis, where sounds are produced and modified by a number of signal processing modules with the use of patch cables and control knobs to create a desired sound. The music synthesized using circuit board is called Chip Music or ChipTune.
Overall, its exciting times for those involved in creating music.
Don’t Worry About the Gear
Experienced music producers use lots of gear, and of different kinds. But that shouldn’t intimidate you. A better approach is to start with a few basic things, learn to use it well, and get better at producing music.
Having the right gear is important, but knowing how to use them correctly is more important, which comes from years of experience and practice. A good music producer can always create great sounding music even from average gear. So its important to spend your time learning to improve your music production skills.
Don’t get bogged by the technicalities
All those equipment may look daunting initially, but believe me, you’ll get more confident over time. Its important to learn step by step. Read the manuals, put it into practice, and create more and more stuff.
Experiment
You get better by doing more, and you can become unique by experimenting. You may start by following other music producers work for structure, sound design. and more ideas. But over time, try to come up with something that is unique. While you may like one particular genre of music, it’s also important to experiment with different music styles.
Read Online Tutorials / Surf the Internet / Check Forums
There’s so much useful information already out there. Read reviews, watch YouTube videos, and you can learn a lot on the internet.
Attend a Course: Electronic Music Production School, College
You can even attend a course on music production to further improve your skills.
Though most musicians pick up these skills on their own, there are many schools and colleges which provide formal education on Electronic Music production.
Learning in a school/college has its own advantages – Learning is much faster, it is structured, you have experienced teachers who share their experiences, and the best part being the opportunity to network.
So check out some good schools, colleges who offer course, programs to help you become an electronic musician/music producer.
To Conclude
Most wannabe producers start learning the basics with the intention of setting up their own home studio. Here, you’ll find information on how to plan your studio setup, how to configure it, what tools and equipment to begin with, so that you can have a complete electronic music production setup to produce your own music.
But you should also learn the skills necessary to create top-notch mixes. You need to acquire a good understanding of the various elements of electronic music production so that you can create music in various styles of electronic music.
If you are a complete newbie to producing music, you will find all the necessary information to get started here. If you have some experience, you will find vital information to fill in any gaps that might be there in your understanding.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
Leave a Reply