Music Production - Information and Tips

Are you looking for information on music production? Here you’ll find everything you need to know, from definitions and history to training and suitable equipment.

Definition

Music production includes all activities related to the creation of musical compositions. Professional music production is often based on the release of songs or albums, often in pursuit of commercial goals. In technical terms, also speaks of the “production” of a song or track.

Process/Steps

Like other fields, the production of music is divided into different work steps. Here you will find a rough breakdown of the stages:

Ideas: composing and composing
Pre-production: creation of suite or first arrangement
Recording: vocals (with microphone) and instruments
Mixing and mastering: Cutting, mixing and mastering of soundtracks
Publishing: Music distribution via CD or Internet

Tips of Music Production

Story

Music is a universal form of communication. She manages to evoke emotions and bring people together. Music effects can be used for a variety of purposes, whether in commercials, video games, or film music.

origin

Even Neanderthals made music 50,000 years ago. They play primitive drums or flutes. Later in the Middle Ages, stringed instruments such as the violin were added, with which troubadours traveled across the country and told stories. During the 16th-17th century, during the Renaissance, musical instrument manufacturing was given a huge boost, leading to the Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori building the first piano around 1700.

Music is a language that everyone understands.

The self-playing piano was invented in the middle of the 19th century. It makes its sound with the help of a piano roll in which notes are punched. As such, it was the forerunner of the first “MIDI” playback devices:

Phonograph

The first machine that could process and reproduce sound was the phonograph. Also known as the “talking machine,” it was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1877. The drums here represent the vehicle for the sound, but the hype only lasted a short time due to the poor sound quality and the short playback time.

Sound Recording

What is the most important record in music history? Four sound carriers revolutionized music production in the 20th century:

Vinyl Records
CD
tape
MP3

Synthesizer

By the 1960s, electronics technology had come a long way. Developed the analog synthesizer, which can artificially generate tones and sounds. Due to their size, they are only used in professional studios. The first digital synthesizer was introduced in 1976, paving the way for digital music production. Pioneers of this period included Raymond Scott, Donald Buchla, and Hugh Le Caine.

MIDI

MIDI made it possible to integrate computers into the musical process.

Ikutaro Kakehashi developed a common language in 1981 to make different devices (synthesizers) compatible with each other. MIDI, which stands for “Musical Instrument Digital Interface,” made it possible to integrate computers into music production. The foundation of every music studio we know today.

DAW

DAW stands for “Digital Audio Workstation” and is a piece of software that allows you to record and edit music. It wasn’t until the late 1980s that the first high-performance DAWs arrived and are now a fundamental part of music production.

Study Education

Next, I would like to introduce to you three courses in music production. If you want more tips on how to start a music business, I can recommend my article “Becoming a Film Composer”.

Music production: SRH

Music production can be studied full-time at the private “SRH University of Popular Arts” in Berlin. The program normally consists of 7 semesters and leads to a “Bachelor of Arts”.

Music Production Darmstadt

The course “Sound and Music Production” can be completed full-time at the Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences in 7 semesters at the standard of the “Bachelor of Arts”, covering the content of sound design and production. Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences link: https://h-da.de/studium/

Sound: FH Dortmund

The full-time program “Film and Sound” leads to the completion of the standard 3 semesters at the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and leads to a “Bachelor’s Degree”. Admission requires prerequisites, so let yourself know in advance.

Equipment

Especially when starting music production, the question is which equipment is the best fit and won’t break your own budget. First, it’s not always necessary to set up a full-fledged home studio to produce professionally. Many work steps can also be implemented in high quality using free software. Here you will find a list of useful points:

A computer: PC, or MacBook, music notebook
audio port
Music software: notation software, music program, DAW
musical instrument
A microphone (plus a microphone stand)
studio monitor

FAQ

How much money do music producers make?

As a music producer, you pay per order or per fee. Salaries range from small to millions.

How much does music production cost?

The price of a musical composition depends on a variety of factors. Scope, type of production, studio rent and salaries of guest musicians all play a role.

Which PC is Best for Music Production

A PC for music production should have a powerful processor (i5, i7 or better) and enough RAM and storage (SSD hard drive). An audio interface is also recommended.

How did you start making music?

Ideally, you already know an instrument. To do this, look at existing songs and their structure, and try to reproduce them to understand their structure. Most of the time, this results in very unique compositions.