Music Production

(Production is a big topic, and this page is set up a little bit differently than the others. Enjoy!)

Producing is my latest and greatest musical passion! It encompasses every aspect of the music-making process and is a fascinating creative outlet. It’s also an endlessly stimulating intellectual challenge. I’ve been honing my producer chops since 2013, writing and recording my own music and teaching young people the many skills they need to do the same. But what is producing, exactly? How in the world do you learn to do it, and how can a teacher help you to do so? Read on to find out!

The mythos of the music producer is deeply embedded in our culture. Depending on when you grew up and what you listened to, it can conjure up images of anyone from Jerry Wexler to George Clinton to Kanye West. Even if you’ve never heard of any of these people, you can likely probably imagine a producer pretty easily: a bright lights/big city musical mastermind hunched over a recording console in a famous studio somewhere, banging out beats and mixing up masterpieces.

While most people can picture a producer, though, very few folks (including many musicians!) know what one does. Do they write lyrics? Compose and arrange? Sing? Play instruments? Design sounds and samples? Record and mix them? The answer to all of these questions is sometimes yes, and sometimes no.

Producers may do any or all of these things. It can vary greatly depending on what kind of music you’re producing, who you’re working with, and how. Some producers record and release their own music and are responsible for every part of the process; others work exclusively with other artists. Still others do both. Some play a number of different instruments, and write and record a lot of the instrumentals themselves; others don’t play any, and hire other musicians to do that for them. Some are skilled in recording and mixing; others focus on other aspects of the music and rely on dedicated engineers to do these jobs for them.

So what makes you a music producer? Well, there are many different kinds, but in essence a producer is a person who makes music and takes an active role in its big-picture creative direction by incorporating disparate musical elements and ideas into a unified whole. Good producers learn a number of the aforementioned skills. Great producers learn them all, and can rise to any technical or creative challenge.

Why learn production? Is it right for you?

Music production is my favorite thing to do. I love to learn, and production is an endless horizon of knowledge, skill, and technique. Learning an instrument is fascinating in its own right, but it’s limited in scope. Production, on the other hand, is a multifaceted job, and that really helps me stay motivated. When tritone substitutions and ostinato bass lines start to get stale, I can take a break and immerse myself in in the intricacies of compression and EQ.

Moreover, I love to be creative, and I get a big rush from making something new and bringing it into the world. The more I learn about production, the more readily I can make my musical vision manifest, and the better it sounds. It’s hard, but it gives me a huge feeling of pride and accomplishment.

It’s also just fun. Songwriting, sampling, sequencing, remixing and rocking out in studio; all of these things are a BLAST. I know this because I’ve incorporated some basic music production into a lot of my lessons with kids (you know, those little people who just live for fun), and they are go BONKERS for it.

Production isn’t for everybody. Maybe you’re overwhelmed by the amount of information you need to absorb. Maybe you get really stressed out at the thought of writing original stuff, and would rather just focus on singing or playing your instrument instead. If so, then go you! The right musical pursuit is the one that makes you the happiest.

If, however, you want to make your own music, and do it well, production is for you. If you’re a casual musician who enjoys math and science, or you’re just plain fascinated by music and want to know more about how it works, you’ll find your happy place here. And if you’re up for the challenge, I promise you a journey of intellectual and emotional discovery unlike any other.

What will You learn, and how?

Production students can learn a variety of different things about the music-making process, including:

• DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) fundamentals - navigation and control of music production software like GarageBand, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, and more (as well as which to buy, and how much to spend!)

• Sound design - the creation and shaping of sounds using synthesizers and drum machines, and sampled instruments

• Sampling - using pre-recorded sounds, or one you record yourself, and joyfully mangling them into new ones

• Beatmaking - building drum grooves using MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and step sequencers

• Composition - the process of generating new melodies and musical ideas

• Harmonic and melodic arranging - how to select instruments and sounds and write parts that work well together

• Recording fundamentals

• Mixing - the process of adjusting levels, compression, EQ, reverb, and more to make your music sound its best

• Effects - using reverb, delays, tremolos, phasers, flangers, filters, pitch shifters, and more to send your songs into outer space!

Production lessons are a kind of choose-your-own-adventure, and can be as simple or in-depth as you want them to be! You can be up and running in a few days and make cut-and-paste dance tracks with a few well-placed drum and vocal loops, or you can spend years diving deep into the intricacies of sound synthesis. I give my students an overview of what a producer does, and then encourage them to start with the parts of the job they find most exciting.

What do I need? is it expensive?

Production can be an enormously expensive pursuit, but it doesn’t have to be. Some of the best producers ever got their start on the worst equipment imaginable, and there’s an awful lot you can accomplish with even the most basic setup! Here’s what you need:

• A computer - a refurbished one will do fine as long as it’s relatively current (made in the last 5-8 years) and in good working order.

• The aforementioned Digital Audio Workstation, or DAW - special software designed for production. There are a huge number of different DAWs to choose from, and many companies make several versions of the same software with different features for different budgets. For example, I primarily use Ableton Live (and can’t recommend it enough, by the way), which comes in Lite, Intro, Standard, and Suite versions. Lite is free and very stripped down; suite is $700 and is a ridiculously comprehensive and sophisticated music-making environment.

You may also want to consider the following:

• A microphone for recording real-world instruments and sounds

• An audio interface - a special piece of hardware designed to convert analog signals from your microphone and instruments into a digital format that can be recorded and replayed by your computer. Basic models cost about $100.

• A MIDI keyboard or pad-based controller - a piano keyboard or drum machine that you can play like any other instrument and communicates with your computer in MIDI, allowing it to understand what notes you’re playing. Basic models cost as little as $50.

The array of items and equipment available for music production these days is mind-bogglingly huge and probably pretty overwhelming at first glance. But I’m here to help! Contact Mic Drop for a free gear chat and consultation and we’ll get you on your way.