How to Become a Music Producer Step By Step

Before you are determined to be a music producer, you must have fully acquaintance of the career. If you don't have interests in music, then you can't be a good music producer. Grasping a few instruments is must. Besides, you must have music knowledge to be able to be a successful producer. Music producers have multiple tasks and they are multi-functional.

You can learn lots of information from this article and work hard towards your dream career. Below are some important steps for you to follow.

Step 1: Understand Music Producer descriptions and responsibilities.

Usually, music producers write, arrange, produce, and record songs. They oversee, manage, and guide the process of producing and recording a song. These days, with the growth of home recording technology and boutique recording studios, many producers find themselves pulling double or triple duty as Studio Owners and Sound Engineers.

More music producers are becoming bedroom producers. They are responsible for creating or recording music ideas (melodies, harmonies, and vocals), arranging ideas, mixing and mastering, sound design.

Step 2: Think before you do: whether is it worth to be a music producer

The most dominated advantage about being a music producer is that you can receive income from various sources, such as collecting music royalties, starting a YouTube channel about music production, writing a book about music production and so on. What's more, music producers enjoy highly creative work. It is generally acknowledged that artists are creative entities; this is especially true for music producers. In addition, you can collaborate with many notch artists which is a valuable chance for many ordinary people.

However, there are also many cons that you may ignore. You'd better deliberate on them and take account of many aspects.

Remember to work harder than others. As music producers, if you want to be the best and stay on top of the game, you must develop a high work ethic. Stop saying the excuses as "I forgot" or "I couldn't". Besides, the music producers' work can become repetitive and somewhat boring, such as vocal tuning and mixing. It needs much patience and precision. Though you may earn much salary as you accumulate experience, but the fact is that the starting salary is low.

When choosing a career, you must consider pros and cons. If you think pros outweigh cons, it is sensible to take it.

Step 3: Research Best colleges and universities for music producer

1. Berklee College of Music: With state of the art facilities and a faculty of extraordinary record, the Berklee College of Music is, along with NYU, possibly the most prestigious and advanced college for music production in the entire world.

2. New York University: NYU actually has two departments for music production, one in the "Tisch" School known as the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, and one in the "Steinhardt" School that is focused on music technology.

3. University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance: The University of Michigan features state of the art sound technology equipment located in their state of the art building known as the Duderstadt Center.

4. Drexel University

5. ndiana University Jacobs School of Music

6. Georgia State University

7. Academy of Art University

8. California Institute of the Arts

9. Full Sail University

10. Peabody Institute

11. Belmont University

12. Middle Tennessee State University

13. University of Miami

14. University of Southern California

15. Carnegie Mellon University

16. Los Angeles Film School

17. American University

18. University of Denver

19. Drexel University

20. Full Sail University

Step 4: Go through College

Formal music education is a must for people aspiring to be a music producer. You must learn the basics from trade schools, or music schools with recording arts/music engineering and production programs. The four-year program covers a broad range of courses to expose students to recording arts technology and the music business as a whole.

The core courses include recording industry law and ethics, sound editing techniques, digital audio software, electronic music and so on. And students will also learn about music hardware and software technology, music theory and history, and composition. Typically, the university requirements for the four year degree are 120 total credit hours.

Step 5: Internship Opportunity

Internship is a good opportunity to enable you to apply knowledge you have learnt and improve your practical skills. Internships may feature lower pay and fewer hours, but they are a great way to earn applicable related experience. During your internship, you will be surprised to see that you are not only more mature to being human. Stepping out of the college's ivory tower, you can learn many professional skills and get access to new horizons. Your world can be broadened.

You have multiple accesses to internship exercises. You can get it from your school's online job board or a career advisory center. Besides, while you are looking for internships, don't be afraid to ask your teachers, professors, and guidance counselors if they know of any other opportunities for shadowing in production work.

Step 6: Prepare relevant skills for music producer

1. Be adventurous

   While you are turning your music ideas into actual songs, you'd better try new instruments. Getting rid of old instruments can clear your mind. Allowing yourself the opportunity to explore new sounds and new possibilities with different instruments and plugins will help you think about music in a new way.

2. Organization skills

   As a music producer, organizing samples and your plugins is very essential. Though very tedious and time-consuming but it is one of the most beneficial organizational tips. Being organized will allow you to transfer your ideas into your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) as quickly as possible and give you the freedom to focus on the creation process.

3. Self-awareness abilities

   Music producers must know what areas in your music need improvement and think over if the music that you are sending to labels of high enough quality to be considered for release. Being self-awareness is crucial.

Step 7: Find relevant music producer jobs, and apply it.

Try to promote yourself as a producer as often as you can. You can post your music on your personal social media sites to let people hear your music. If you want to become a good music producer, you must network with other musicians and producers as often as you can. At concerts, parties, recording sessions, or even on social media, try to meet as many people in the industry as you can.

These suggestions can help you get easier access to music production. What's more, a high score on your examination is also important to ensure your basic skills .You must fully prepare for a job. Firstly, a fully detailed and great resume to prove yourself is of great importance. It should cover your grades, related experiences and notable achievements. In addition, preparing for the interview is also very crucial. Review any potential interview questions you may receive and practice your responses.

Important Tools for music producer

Here is some equipment that every music producer needs: An Easy to use DAW, A MIDI Controller, A Pair of Studio Headphones, An Audio Interface, A Studio Recording Microphone, A Subscription to a Sample Service, Bonus: Serum, Bonus: SPAN Signal Analyzer. Besides, Daw, MIDI Controller, A Pair of Studio Headphones, An Audio Interface, A Studio Recording Mic, Subscription to a Sample Service are also essential for music producers.

Develop your career path

The overall trend is that employment of music directors and composers, a group that includes music producers, was expected to grow. Anyway, a music producer's career path depends on his ability to build referrals through his artistic and technical abilities. Music producers can choose to work as a recording studio engineer or executive later.