How to make a song

New to the world of music production? This article will explain the various steps involved when making music and help you organize the process in your head.

 

Every music producer will have their own particular music production process. You’ll develop your own music production process as you practice your craft. However, you’ll find similar processes or stages music producers go through to finish tracks. Making music involves creative and technical approaches. This guide looks at the fundamental stages of the music production process. It gives you an overview of the tasks involved in making music. Learning how to manage them will help you navigate the production stages and increase workflow.

 

Let’s start by defining the process of music production by separating it into 5 basic stages:

 

Composing

Arranging

Sound design and production

Mixing

Mastering

 

1. COMPOSING

 

Composition is the process of generating musical ideas and involves creating melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic ideas. The choices made in this stage define a songs genre, vibe, and style.

 

Creating your main melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic ideas at the beginning is very important. Once you set the main musical idea, the song will take shape around it. It also becomes almost impossible to change the core ideas of a song without affecting other elements later on. The composition stage is about experimenting with ideas to develop the core elements of your song.

 

MAIN FOCUS DURING THE COMPOSITION STAGE:

 

Decide on the songs key, tempo, and time-signature.

Select basic instruments and sound presets to use as placeholders before the sound design stage.

Create the main chord progression, melody, counter-melody, bassline, and motifs.

Build a basic beat that supports your melodic and harmonic ideas.

Select or create harmonic layers that complement and support one another.

Create different variations of your chord progression, bassline, melody, and motifs just in case for later usage.

Develop ideas for the intro, verse, bridge, chorus, breakdown, and outro.

Record or find a vocal recording that works with your core musical ideas if you plan on using vocals.

2. ARRANGEMENT

 

The arrangement stage is where you assemble the song structure. You’ll develop the intro, verses, bridge, choruses, breakdowns, and outro. It also involves adding and subtracting different instruments throughout the song to build or reduce tension.

 

Moreover, a well-arranged song should catch and keep the listeners attention and evoke emotion. It should also create a sense of momentum and flow. Last, the arrangement must appeal to both the listeners and DJs. Generally speaking, a song that’s hard to mix can reduce its appeal and impact.

 

Remember to keep things simple. Too much going on at the same time can sound very confusing. Achieving a defined arrangement will make the mixing stage easier.

 

CHECK YOUR ARRANGEMENT FOR:

 

Song structure: Have clearly defined sections such as an intro, verses, choruses, bridges, breaks, and outro.

Busy sections: Are there sections that sound too busy? Check areas where the sounds are clashing or overshadow each other.

Empty space: Are there areas in the mix with silence or empty space? Unused space can sound less interesting and dull.

Transitions and fills: Are the transitions from one section to another smooth and effective? Ensure the transitions don’t sound awkward when bringing in or dropping elements. Also, check if there’s too much or little energy and tension during buildups.

Variation: Does the song sound static or boring? Make sure that changes occur every 8 or 16 bars.

Harmonic structure: Do all the elements sound good together or are any elements clashing? Make sure that the combination of parts sound pleasing, have their own space, and make sense when played together.

Dynamics: Does the mix have loud and soft parts? Does the mix vary in energy and intensity? Is there tension and release? These areas play a crucial role in evoking emotion and keep the attention of the listener.

Duration: Is the mix too long or short? Check for sections that can be cut or shortened. Long, repetitive sections will lose the listeners attention.

3. SOUND DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

 

The sound design stage involves synthesis, sampling, and sound manipulation using effects and production techniques.

 

THE SOUND DESIGN PROCESS

 

During the sound design process, you’ll create sounds with various instruments, choose and edit synth presets, make sample choices, manipulate samples, layer sounds, use a combination of effects and editing techniques, and more.

 

It’s easier to work on sound design after arranging all the parts, since it helps you hear everything in context. It’s also easier to make sound choices when all the parts play together and reduce the chance of replacing sounds that no longer work in the mix.

 

The sound design process can also take hours, days, and even weeks. For this reason, many music producers work on sound design in separate sessions.

 

THE PRODUCTION PROCESS

 

The production process is the final stage before focusing on mixing. It may consist of various techniques, such as:

Filling in the arrangement with sound effects, transition effects, fills, etc.

Editing samples in creative ways. (Reversing audio, stretching audio, chopping up samples, pitching sounds, applying creative effects, etc.)

Using audio effects like filtering, delay, reverb, chorus, saturation, etc.

Applying automation and modulation to control instruments and sound effects.

Fixing issues that will cause problems in the mixing stage. (Adding fades to audio clips to remove clicks or pops, adjusting the timing or quantization of tracks and more)

Making final creative decisions and preparing for the mixing stage. (Deleting unnecessary tracks, making final arrangement tweaks, bouncing MIDI tracks to audio, creating stems for mixing, etc.)

4. MIXING

 

Audio mixing is the process of combining multiple layers of audio to make one final track. The mixdown process makes sure all the parts in a song sound good together.

 

Mixing involves balancing levels, panning sounds, equalizing, compressing, fixing problems, harmonics enhancing, and adding various effects.

 

Mixing also involves automation, editing sounds in creative ways, and giving instruments their own space in the mix. The goal is to sculpt a balanced and unified arrangement ready for mastering.

 

Moreover, the mixing stage is technical than creative. Knowing how to mix requires lots of practice and knowledge since there are numerous mixing techniques and tools.

 

Mixing throughout the previous stages is ok. However, your final mixdown should come before mastering. This is your last chance to address any issues and get everything sounding great.

 

CREATING A THREE DIMENSIONAL MIX

 

Professional mixes also create the illusion of three dimensions: width, depth, and height. Placing sounds in their own space also gives your mix greater perceptual volume, clarity, and fullness.

 

Width refers to the stereo field and the panning placement of sounds in the mix. Panning elements left and right in the mix creates stereo width.

 

Depth refers to the front and back placement of sounds in the mix. For example, elements that are louder, brighter, or dry sound upfront in the mix and sounds that are quieter, duller, or processed with time-based effects like reverb sound further back in the mix.

 

Height refers to the high and low frequencies in the mix. Our ears perceive higher tones as coming from above, and lower tones coming from below.

 

5. MASTERING

 

Audio mastering is the final step in the music production process. It’s the post-production process of taking an audio mix or album and preparing it for distribution.

 

The mastering stage involves a series of subtle audio processes including equalization, compression, saturation, stereo enhancement, and limiting.

 

The purpose of mastering is to balance the stereo mix, make all the elements sound cohesive, and to reach commercial loudness. It also ensures playback optimization across all speaker systems and media formats.

 

Now that all your confusion has vanished you’re all set to start your music production journey! We, K-Tune, would be more than happy to assist and guide you along the way. With the help of our masters, connection to other artists and software there will be no way to stop you from pursuing your dreams!