How To Produce Music: 9 Easy Steps For Beginners
Jul 3, 2023
-
Tero Potila
There has never been a better time in history to turn the musical ideas in your head into finished, release-ready tracks. Producing music means exactly that - taking those concepts and bringing them to life using a computer, a digital audio workstation (DAW), and a few core tools to record, arrange, mix, and master your sounds.
With modern software, a simple laptop can carry you all the way from a spark of inspiration to a polished release.
But what does a successful music producer actually do? The role isn’t as clear-cut as you might think.
Some producers are highly strategic visionaries, like DJ Khaled or Rick Rubin, for example, who focus on concepts, curation, and connecting artists.
Others, like Max Martin or WondaGurl, are deeply technical, spending hours programming beats, writing lyrics, and tweaking synthesizers.
I’ve spent years perfecting my music production process, and I can tell you the first step is simpler than you might think: Open a DAW and start experimenting.
How To Produce Music
Step 1: Train Your Ears and Learn an Instrument
One of the most important abilities a producer must have is the capacity to recognize and distinguish different sounds.
I always recommend actively listening to your favorite tracks, rather than just playing them in the background.
Pay attention to the mix:
- How are the vocals EQ’d?
- Is the bassline upfront or subtle?
- Are they using a lot of reverb?
- How are depth and spatial placement used between verses and choruses?
- How is the energy of the track built with the arrangement, mix and performance?
This gives you incredible insight into how hit songs are constructed, and it’s a great way to learn what works best.
I also highly recommend that you take the time to learn a basic instrument.
Most digital producers today use a MIDI keyboard hooked up to their laptop, so investing some time in learning basic piano skills and music theory is a great option.
Learning an instrument will help you discover new melodies and chords far faster than blindly trying to find something that sounds good.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to become a virtuoso performer on the instrument; learning the basics will already get you far.
Step 2: Decide on Equipment and Set Up Your Studio
You don’t need an expensive commercial recording studio to make a pro-level track. A home studio with a few essential tools will get you further than you’d expect.
Here’s a basic starter list you’ll need:
- Computer: A laptop or desktop capable of running your chosen music production software.
- Audio Interface: Used to connect microphones and analog instruments to your computer.
- Microphones: A condenser mic works beautifully for capturing the detail in vocals, while a dynamic mic is better for loud amps or drums.
- Studio Monitors or Headphones: Essential for accurate listening and mixing.
- MIDI Keyboard: Your main MIDI controller for playing virtual instruments.
Set this up in a quiet room, ideally one without too many hard, flat surfaces that cause unwanted echo. Adding some basic acoustic treatment and furniture to help tame down the echoes is also a good idea.
These things are enough to start producing your own music.
Step 3: Choose a DAW That Fits Your Goals
Your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is your canvas. It’s where every part of your track comes together, so picking the right one matters.
While traditional desktop DAWs like Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, and Pro Tools are common in the industry, they can require a higher upfront investment and local installation compared to browser-based tools.
What Is Soundtrap Studio?
Using an online DAW like Soundtrap Studio lets you produce your chord progressions, invite a collaborator via a link to lay down a guitar track, and have a vocalist record from their own home.
It’s almost like a Google Doc but for music production.
Soundtrap also comes with over 25,000 pre-made loops and royalty-free sounds, so you’ll have unlimited sources of inspiration and never have to stare at a blank screen.
In the end, the best DAW is the one that matches your workflow closest and feels like it’s helping you get your creative ideas down rather than hindering the process.
Step 4: Practice Writing Music and Lyrics
To be a great music producer, you need to understand songwriting.
Having a grasp of basic music theory helps you build melodies, chord progressions, and basslines that sound intentional.
Try starting with common chord progressions like I-V-vi-IV, which show up constantly in pop music.
Once you know a few of these, you can experiment with more unusual chord sequences without guessing at what fits.
Don’t ignore the lyrics, either. Even if you primarily make beats, having a grasp on how to write relatable, catchy lyrics gives you a massive competitive advantage.
My Pro Tip: Study your favorite artists and try rewriting their lyrics from your own perspective.
Step 5: Turn a Basic Idea Into a Complete Arrangement
Every track starts with a basic idea.
There are no rules on this. Start with whatever instrument that gets your ideas flowing and inspiration going.
Try starting with a drum machine or pre-made loop to establish a rhythm. Add a bass line underneath it that follows the same groove, then layer a melody on top.
No matter what element you start with, your focus should be on getting these three core building blocks working together first.
Once you have a loop you like, the next step is stretching it out into a full song structure.
What Is the Standard Song Structure?
This is a rough outline of what a typical song structure looks like:
| Song Section | Typical Length | Purpose |
| Intro | 2 to 4 bars | Sets the mood and introduces the core sound of the track. |
| Verse | 8 bars | Builds the story; the instrumental is usually stripped back here. |
| Hook or Chorus | 8 bars | The climax of the song where you want listeners to sing along. |
| Verse 2 | 8 bars | Brings the energy down from the chorus, while keeping it elevated compared to the first verse. |
| Chorus 2 | 8 bars | Time for all your instruments again, with even higher energy that makes this chorus even bigger. |
| Bridge | 8 bars | Adds contrast and often, a new chord progression before the final chorus. This is where a breakdown (stripped-down instrumentation, like no drums, for example) can also work well to help create that contrast. |
| Chorus 3 | 8 to 16 bars | The highest energy point of the song. |
Duplicate your core loop across these sections, then vary the arrangement so it doesn’t feel repetitive.
Mute certain tracks during the verse, and add extra layers in the chorus to make it feel massive.
Keep in mind that the bridge, often referred to as the middle 8, is nowadays optional, as is adding a stripped-back breakdown section.
Some current chart-topping hits don’t have a bridge at all.
By all means write an amazing bridge if you have the ideas and the song needs it, but don’t get stuck on it if it’s not flowing naturally.
The structure suggestions here are not by any means set in stone; if the song feels like it should just immediately kick in and an intro is just slowing it down, then by all means drop the intro.
If the 2nd verse naturally feels better at just half length, that’s fine too.
Follow your gut feeling on what makes the song flow well and just feels right.
Step 6: Find Artists to Work With
In my personal experience, collaboration is the lifeblood of the modern music industry.
Your role as a producer is often to act as the glue that holds a project together, bringing in the right artists and players to elevate your beat.
Finding the right artist is key; the song and production need to match the artist’s personality and unique sound.
Of course, a big part of your job as a producer is helping artists grow and evolve, so keep that in mind when scouting talent for your productions.
Start networking from day one. Reach out to singers on Instagram or TikTok, connect with artists on online communities, attend local open mic nights, and engage in online producer forums.
Because modern DAWs like Soundtrap allow for real-time remote collaboration, your next musical partner could be living on the other side of the world.
A huge part of being a successful producer is getting your name out there with successful releases and collaborations, and continuing to build your clientele through word of mouth and social media.
Once you become well known in the industry and online, labels will also start taking notice.
Step 7: Capture Clear Vocals and Instruments
My biggest pro tip here: Sound quality starts at the source. No amount of mixing later can fully fix a bad recording.
When recording vocals, keep the singer a comfortable distance from the mic and use a pop filter to avoid low-end popping caused by vocal plosives (like ‘P’ and ‘B’ sounds).
That said, in my experience, it’s more important to focus on the emotion and energy of the vocal performance, rather than getting a technically perfect take down. You can’t add those ingredients with editing or tuning!
Once your recording sessions wrap up, it’s time to edit and tune.
This is where you “comp” together the best performances from multiple takes, tighten up timing issues, and trim out background noise.
One note about vocal tuning: Don’t overdo it! Leaving in some imperfections is very important. Trust your ears and musical taste here.
Layering is a big part of this stage. Doubling vocals or stacking harmonies can thicken your arrangement beautifully without cluttering the track.
Step 8: Mix and Master for a Professional Sound
Mixing is where your song starts to feel like a real, commercial production.
Here, you’re balancing volume levels, panning instruments left and right across the stereo field to help avoid a crowded sound, applying EQ to carve out space, and using compression to glue things together.
The goal of your final mix is translation: it should sound just as good on a pair of cheap car speakers or your phone as it does in your studio headphones.
Mastering is the finishing polish. It’s a subtle process that focuses on overall loudness and tonal balance.
If you’re mastering it yourself, use gentle EQ, multiband compression, and a limiter to bring the final track up to competitive commercial loudness without distorting it.
Step 9: Distribute Your Music and Network With Labels
The final step. After all that work, you’re ready to share your music with the world.
Export your finished song as a high-resolution WAV file and sign up with a digital distributor to set a future release date on Spotify, Apple Music, and other platforms.
Before the song goes live, log into Spotify for Artists to pitch your upcoming unreleased track to playlist editors, then track your listener analytics once the song drops.
Don’t forget to market yourself. Regular behind-the-scenes clips and short performance videos on social media help people connect with your brand.
If you want to take it a step further, research record labels that fit your specific genre and send polite, professional emails to their A&R reps with links to your best work.
The music industry rewards consistency. Keep releasing, keep learning, and keep sharing your progress!
Conclusion
Learning how to produce music is all about continuous growth rather than a destination. I’ve been working in music production for many years, and I’m still learning and evolving in every session.
It’s easy to get stuck in endless loops of overthinking. Focus instead on showing up, finishing tracks, and genuinely enjoying the creative process.
Put these nine steps into practice, trust your ears, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes along the way.
Every track you finish brings you one step closer to defining your own signature sound.
About the author
Tero Potila is a professional music composer and producer. His career combining knowledge and experience from music, TV, film, ad, and game industries gives him a unique perspective that he shares through posts on teropotila.com.
