"5 Essential Tips for Music Production"

If you aspire to be a music producer, dive into the world of beat-making, or simply want to express yourself creatively through sound, it’s crucial to prepare yourself with the right knowledge and tools. Producing music is not just about having the latest gear or software; it’s about understanding the art and science behind sound. In this guide, we’ll explore five essential tips that every aspiring music producer should keep in mind.

Make Sure To Have A Good Sound Library

Having good plugins like compressors and EQs won’t do everything for you. To have a greater impact on the quality of your sound, start with good sounds. Music Professional Nathan James Larson stated, “If you want professional-sounding music, then get access to professional-sounding libraries.” According to Harry Diner, you can find professional sounding libraries on cymatics.fm, which are sometimes even free. Having a good sound library will create a basis for all of your music and increase the quality of it.

Don’t Overload Your Low-End

To ensure your bass doesn’t sound muddy, don’t put too many elements in your low end. Nathan Larson states “the only things you should really have in your low end are your kick and your bass”. Sometimes having a kick drum with bass will cause it to sound muddy. To fix this, you can use a sidechain. A sidechain is a form of compression where one track alters another track’s input level. In simple terms, using a sidechain on a kick and bass will lower the bass’ volume when the kick plays. For other instruments that sometimes spill into the low end, you can use high pass filters to cut off the sub-frequencies that your bass is using.

Change Your Levels First

Before adding EQs to carve out a spot in the mix for other instruments, adjust the levels of them first. Adjusting your levels before adding other effects will help your mix vastly. Producer Harry “Din” Diner says, “Make sure your levels aren't clipping when you record them. You can always add gain later.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Boost Frequencies

Nathan states, “so many youtube videos talk about subtractive eq, which is cutting frequencies, but so many of them make it out like boosting them is a bad them.” Cutting frequencies can be good for making space in a mix after changing your levels, but sometimes boosting frequencies can make a sound more impactful. For example, if you are EQing vocals, you can boost the 6kHz to make them sound a little more crispy. 

Switch up Your Tracks

When new producers start out making beats, they often make an 8-bar loop and have it play for the duration of the track. This causes the track to sound boring. According to Larson, a trick he uses to determine if his track is boring is skipping ahead 15-20 seconds and seeing if it sounds the same. If it does, try to introduce new instruments and sounds to your beat to create a unique arrangement. This will ensure that your listener won’t get bored and you will have their attention the whole time. 

As you continue to learn and produce music, remember that these technical skills are used to channel your creativity. Learning these techniques will improve your track quality and allow you to make something closer to your artistic vision in your head. 

Give yourself a good sound library to work with, manage your low end, adjust your levels, and don't forget that you can boost frequencies. With all of these in mind, you can adjust them in different parts of the track to make sure your arrangement is dynamic. These approaches will improve your music and your overall abilities as a producer.