There has never been a better time to start making music. With the accessibility of digital music making tools, in addition to the vast library of free, in-depth tutorials available online, the boundaries to get started making music have never been lower. No matter what device you have to make music on, there are useful tools that will help you make great-sounding tracks.
This Buyer’s Guide to Getting Started in Music Production is geared towards beginners who would like to make music using software. If you are interested in getting started making music using hardware equipment, or, if you have a piece of music hardware and want to learn how to integrate it into a larger setup, please check out my Buyer’s Guide to Getting Started in Music Production – Hardware.
Before making any purchases or downloads, it is important to have a goal in mind. Think about what sort of music you like, look through some of your favorite songs, and see what genres of music draws your creativity and attention. Knowing what sort of music you want to make will help you narrow down what sort of tutorials to watch. When it comes to music-making, there is a near endless amount of knowledge that one can study; however, barely any knowledge about music theory is required to get started making your first songs. Selecting a few songs you want to work towards creating will help you in making creative decisions.
Buyer’s Guide – Software
The primary software tool that you need to make music is a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). A DAW is an all-in-one tool for creating music. These applications commonly have multiple panels the user navigates between to change settings on their software instruments, lay out notes in time on the piano roll, and oftentimes have a composing/mixing view as well. These programs allow one to generate sounds, sequence them over a period of time, and alter key settings, in effect: producing music.
All DAW applications will share this functionality in various aspects. Each application has their own specific strengths and features; however, the vast majority of the features across these applications are very similar. Let us now take a closer look at some of the most popular Digital Audio Workstations:
- Ableton Live (link): Ableton is one of the most popular DAW softwares. Ableton is known for its strength in both sending and receiving signals from music equipment, useful for many musicians performing in live settings. As someone getting started in music production, Ableton is excellent as it likely has the most free tutorials available showing you specifically how to use and create with its tools. Ableton has an excellent feature set and has been used to create many excellent, popular songs. If interested, I would recommend checking out a beginner tutorial and trying the free version for a month. They offer multiple levels of the product, from a more affordable $99/month subscription service to the full $430 Ableton suite.
- Fruity Loop Studio (Link). Fruity Loops or FL Studio is a DAW that rose to prominence because a number of notable hip-hop and other “bedroom” music producers have used it to create songs that have become extremely popular. FL Studio also has a free trial and is known for having a strong, supportive online community for new music producers.
- Logic Pro (Link): While the previous two DAWs are the most widely used music production programs, Logic Pro is another very well-known DAW available exclusively for Mac Operating systems. Currently Logic Pro is available for $199, which is about half the price of other fully featured DAW products. Considering it matches both Ableton and FL, this price is extremely competitive if you have a mac computer.
- Reason (link): Reason by Propellerhead studios is a lesser-used DAW tool that even fans will say has fallen behind the times with some of its feature set. Reason’s strength is how modular its software instruments and effects are, allowing for advanced signal routing techniques; however, against the previous three DAWs it falls flat in its basic audio editing feature set. I have used Reason to produce music on-and-off for ten years and I have mixed feelings about the program. It is uniquely able to be deployed as a software instrument within all three of these other DAW programs; which is a unique feature more advanced users may become interested in.
- Audacity (link): Audacity is a free software program that allows one to record and perform edits to audio. As Audacity does not contain software instruments on its own making it difficult to produce music only with Audacity. However, if you are an individual who plays an instrument and only wants a free way to record that audio with your computer, then learning how to use audacity is an excellent tool for you. There are some advanced features a user could get creative with; however, the main upside is the software can record audio and is free.
There are other Digital Audio Workstation software; however, these five (and really the first three) are the software programs that you as a newcomer to music production should be considering the most. They all contain extremely complete feature sets and come stocked with many useful tools. Leave ProTools to the professionals. There are also interesting, experimental programs that will give you a unique music production experience; however as someone getting started making music you likely do not need a unique experience, but rather to become acquainted with standard tools and production methods that you will be able to apply for many years to come.
A Note on the “Best”: You can find many discussions online about which Digital Audio Workstation is the “best.” As mentioned above, the features of these programs are very similar. The best tool is going to be the one that you are most excited about using and get the most comfortable with over time. For these reasons I would recommend giving Ableton Live or Fruity Loops Studio a try first, as they have robust tutorials freely available and excellent free trials.
Recommended Free Stuff
Vital (link): your DAW of choice is going to contain a number of software instruments, and all are going to be useful in their own way. As you watch music production tutorials there are a few software instruments you are going to see again and again. One of the most popular software instruments is called Serum. Serum is an excellent, powerful synthesizer that one can use to create any noise. Serum is also expensive. There is a robust tool that matches a large majority of Serum’s features called Vital. Vital does have a paid version; however, I have used the free version for more than two years now and have had excellent results. Many of the techniques you see people use in Serum can be 1-1 recreated in Vital. You could create Synth-only tracks for free using Vital and Audacity.
YouLean Volume Meter (Link): YouLean is a creator of many music production tools. The most useful software tool I have found from them is their volume meter. Something that can be surprisingly difficult in completing a song is making the song loud enough. Each DAW has their own way that they measure and handle volume. I find that this YouLean Volume Meter is exceptionally useful as it is free, and put on to the end of a signal chain has the ability to measure LUFS in a song. Scientists are yet unable to determine what LUFS are; however, If your song reaches approximately -16 to -12 LUFS during its loudest segment without peaking then your song will be hitting a fairly standard loudness.
As I will explain further below, I do not recommend that beginners download any additional tools whether they are paid or free. It is definitely the best strategy to get started with getting comfortable with the tools contained within your DAW of choice.
Getting Started:
With the free trial of your DAW of choice downloaded and ready to launch, the next step for a beginner is to find a tutorial series explaining the basic functions of your program. You can go ahead and launch the program, starting to take a look at the different features; however, in my experience I find that the interfaces do not lend themselves to easy understanding. I recommend searching “[DAW] Beginner Tutorial” on Youtube and checking out a few videos. While watching these tutorials take some notes, follow along in your own program, or download their project file (if available) to internalize the information.
This stage, starting to experiment with the DAW and different instruments, can be difficult. Each DAW has a different workflow that one must become familiar with in order to create and sequence the sounds one desires.
One of the most discussed subjects within music production is how necessary it is to understand Music Theory. As a beginner in music production, you do not need to understand anything about music theory. If you took piano or guitar lessons as a child and have a basic understanding of a chord or scales, then that will be useful for you; however, there are many explainers available online that will give you just the cliff notes.
Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS):
While studying different tutorials online, you will notice quickly that many feature advertisements for a software plugin prominently in their runtime. The way that these tools are demonstrated make them appear extremely useful and timesaving, often creating complex effects or sound with little effort. You may begin thinking “This is exactly the texture/sound I want in my songs.” It is critical not to start buying software plugins.
“Gear Acquisition Syndrome” (GAS) is what the music production community has begun to call their “fear of missing out” on new, cool products. As a beginner, you simply do not require any additional paid tools beyond what is contained in the DAW. Anyone who tells you that you require a particular plugin to reach a particular result is straightforwardly wrong.
There are two key ways that GAS can negatively impact your music-making journey. Firstly, it gets expensive fast. Many software plugins are hyper-specialized towards a particular purpose, and without much domain knowledge it will be extremely difficult for a beginner to determine what tools they actually need. I myself have fallen for this, buying multiple plugins at once that I thought would help me create the energy and vibe I was seeking in my music. I was wrong. Secondly, it will disincentivize you from fully exploring the features that come stock in your DAW. In 99% of cases, the effect or sound that you are seeking to create is possible with the tools available to you, though it will likely require advancing your understanding of how to use the tools. This will ultimately be more rewarding and instructive to you as a beginner.
In closing, focus on mastering the tools that come with your DAW of choice first, and if you want a new tool or effect, try finding a free version of what you are looking for first.
Conclusion:
Due to free trials of DAW software and thousands of hours of free tutorials available online, we are currently in a golden age of music production. It has never been easier to express yourself through music composition and production. Though buying a full version of a DAW software can be pricey, the tools they come out-of-the-box with are deeply complete and waiting for you to master. Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Reason additionally offer both free trials and monthly subscription options if you would prefer to test out a DAW environment before fully committing to it.
Depending on your software and genre, there is a huge online community of people who will be happy to interact with you and potentially listen to your early tracks, giving you pointers about how to improve.
In my ten years producing music on-and-off, I have found it to be personally satisfying. Gradually improving my understanding of the tools, music theory, and song structure is an area where one can only gain. Nearly every time I work on a track, I feel like I am doing something better than I have before. The sensation of growth and mastery is palpable.
If you are interested in getting started, do not let time or cost hold you back. Download a free trial, pull up an interestingly-named instrument, and begin experimenting with writing a melody! I am certain you will have an excellent time.