Many people love music and would do anything to have a hobby in music production. But, even if they don’t want to produce professionally, many enjoy the feeling of being creative and making something that someone else will enjoy.
We will teach you how you can make your home studio for a fraction of the cost of what it takes to set up an actual pro-level studio.
How To Get Started With Your Home Music Production?
Getting started with something you want, especially with music production, is a big step. Here are some tips to get you started:
Find out what your goal is for producing music.
Do you want to produce professionally or as an amateur? This will help you decide which tools and equipment you need to achieve those goals. Producers who make it their profession usually have much more expensive gear than someone just wanting the hobby of production.
For instance, if they’re planning on recording live instruments, they need microphones with multiple patterns. This includes condenser mics that can be used both inside and outside since they require special care when not being used and typically cost around $100-$1000 each, depending on quality.
Alternatively, if looking only to do electronic music, you might not even need anything extravagant.
Get the right equipment.
You’ll need a computer for your recording software, monitoring headphones or speakers to hear what you’re doing, and instruments if you want to record live sounds such as electric guitar, drums, etc.
You can start with something like this affordable home studio bundle. This includes everything for beginners needed to make professional-quality productions: monitors, microphone, cable kit with XLR cables, and instrument mic stands, so they don’t have any lag time when creating.
Find a space for your studio.
You will need to have enough room and control the sound as much as possible, so find an area that is acoustically isolated or has its walls like a basement or garage. You don’t want any outside noise coming through, such as car alarms, airplanes overhead, loud neighbors, etc.
A good rule of thumb is if you can hear inside noises when standing outside the door, then it will not work out well for you.
Tips For A Successful Mixdown
One of the most critical and challenging stages in music production is mixing. Of course, there are many different ways to get a good mix, but we’ll share some techniques that have worked for me.
Make sure all tracks are post-fader.
This means they should be routed, so their output level doesn’t affect how loud it comes out through the speakers or headphones. If any track is pre-fader (meaning its volume influences levels before hitting the fader), split them off into another bus using an auxiliary send/return loopback plugin and then use this new channel strip’s faders instead of those on the original channel.
Mute any unused tracks that are not a part of the final mix, so you don’t accidentally include them in your final master output.
This will also help get a clear and clean sounding mixdown because it’ll reduce noise from other tracks coming into your main signal path, leading to unwanted frequencies competing for sonic space on playback.
Don’t be afraid to experiment.
There’s no such thing as a “bad” sound – even if something sounds ugly or weird, there might be a fascinating musical technique hiding behind what may appear at first glance to be an error in mixing.
Sometimes using EQ filters creatively (such as boosting low mid-range frequencies) can bring out new tones or textures in a sound that you may not have heard before.
Volume automation
After thoroughly testing the mix, your final step will be to automate any volume levels or other settings to create an even more dynamic and exciting listening experience for your listeners.
Automation can help by smoothing transitions between different song sections and bringing back dynamics after louder parts, so they don’t seem jarring.
Equipment You’ll Need For Recording, Mixing, And Mastering.
Recording: You’ll need a microphone and some recording interface. A USB mic is good for starters. You can also use audio input on your computer or laptop — make sure it has enough “I/O” and that you have the proper drivers installed.
Mixing: You’ll need to get software – either free or paid, depending on what works best for you. Some examples include Audacity, ProTools First One Month Free Trial, And Apple iMovie Producer On Macs, to name a few.
Mastering: You’ll need to get some mastering software – either free or paid, depending on what works best for you.
The essential piece of equipment is your ears! Don’t forget about them when shopping around for new gear, and be sure to take care of them, so they keep working great.
Producing music at home has several benefits, including;
Ideal for newbies who don’t have space or money to create a studio and want to start saving some dough.
You’ll save time by not having to commute into the city, plus it’s more convenient than driving around looking for parking at different studios.
Final Words
Music production is an art and a science. There are many different music genres, each with its distinctive sounds that appeal to sure listeners. If you want to learn how to produce your music at home or have some fun making beats, it’s easy with the right software and guidance.
