Have you ever spent time listening to your favorite tracks and wondered how the studio made it sound so balanced and perfect? Or do you play an instrument and want to record your music, but the concept of self-production is intimidating? Our Music Instructor, Randy led a virtual workshop in the beginning of June about the basics of Music Production. We learned what is music production, about different at home set ups you could utilize, different software that exist, and ultimately how music production can be accessible to anyone.
The big question: “What is Music Production?”. At its essence, music production is the process of developing recorded music so that it is refined and ready for the public’s ears. Randy briefly went through the history of music production, explaining that for as long as people have been able to record music there has been music production. Music recording has taken so many forms over the years, from tinfoil and wax cylinders, to vinyls and LPs, to magnetic tape, to multitrack, and now to digital recording. Digital music recording has also evolved so much that people are able to move away from big studios and often create their own set up at home.
Our Music Production Workshop taught about digital recording. There was a lot of engagement from participants as Randy went through a discussion of different possible at-home recording set ups. The group discussed how different needs may necessitate different gear. A singer many need different equipment to a guitarist, and someone who strictly wants to produce and not create the music may want a different arrangement as well. The emphasis was on adaptability to your needs.
They went through different types of gear: microphones, USB audio interfaces, midi keyboards and pads, headphones, guitar jacks… Ultimately the one necessary piece of equipment to start with is a computer. That’s it. It’s you get a computer first and recording software, Randy taught everyone that you can learn what your style is and build what you need. It can be more cost efficient than guessing and buying a bunch of equipment all at once that you may never use.
Speaking of Software, Randy went into music production software. He introduced everyone to a wide range that worked with PC and/or Mac. Some were free, others were low cost or subscription. The one that Randy focused on this time was Ableton. He worked with the participants to create a basic loop using different presets, the midi keyboard, and vocals.
At the end of the Music Production Workshop, no one wanted it to end, there were so many more questions, and everyone learned something new (myself included).
If you also want to learn more about Music Production, Randy is offering this workshop again July 22nd via Zoom. You can click here for more details. He also creates pre-recorded lessons about music production that are included in our membership channel.
Stay tuned, and we hope you will join us in one of our classes soon!
Sydney Davis-Campos is the Virtual Learning Coordinator at Able ARTS Work, Learn for Life. She has a B.A. in Studio Art and Art History. Sydney has worked at Able ARTS Work for almost 5 years where she has also held the positions of Art Instructor and an Assistant Program Manager.
Comments