What do you do if you want to master audio production skills? (2024)

If you're really starting from scratch, learn the basics (there's plenty of free information out there) and start playing with free software like Audacity. LEARN TO LISTEN critically. It's probably worth investing in good headphones and speakers. I have Beyerdynamic DT-150 headphones and a pair of Yamaha HS7 speakers which are amazing to get started. Start cheap(er) for the rest and upgrade when you need to

While I believe that learning the basics of audio production is essential, I think that the most important thing when starting to produce is to let motivation lead you to what you need to learn along the way. Many times, there is no single way to do a thing and the path of learning is eternal. From my perspective, motivation leads to curiosity and exploration which leads to knowledge and experience.

I concur with just using what you have. I have used an unlikely concurrence of Noteworthy Composer, ancient GarageBand and Audacity, with far better results than I would have expected

Starting from scratch can seem daunting, but first things first, get a decent interface (focusrite solo first comes to mind), some decent headphones (audio technica first come to mind) and a DAW (Reaper has a never ending free full functioning evaluation) Then find a few trusted sources (MixBus TV, Produce Like a Pro etc) and start learning how EQ works and how sounds balance with each other. Be willing to develop your ear and critically listen to a source and use EQ and Compression to help bring out the best of that source.

Ensure you use gear that gives a 'true' sound rather than a good sound. For example, I use Direct Sound headphones because they don't overdo the base frequencies but rather share the audio 'warts and all'. That means that if something sounds good through them, it will only sound better on the client's side.

It's important to budget out your audio purchases because things can get expensive quick based on what you need. If you're thinking about buying software, then there are a lot of top-notch audio plugins that cost a pretty penny but there are equally good free alternatives.

Practice is important and I found that giving my self faux assignments helped me level up. An example would be, I would make up a client such as a indie rock band that wants me to produce a single for them and they need it in 1 week. After making the track i would send out to a peer for crituqee.If I completed the deadline and had good feedback I would treat my self to somwthing like a ice cream sundae.

Practice makes perfect. Ideally practice daily, attend classes if you have the means , and when all else fails get onto YouTube and learn, take notes and try to put what you've just learned into practice

I started recording on a Polaris 4 track cassette deck in the mid 80's. I still own it. This was a good place to start. I was convinced that I could create recordings of my original music that would help me move forward.Trial & error was a lot of my experience. Hundreds of thousands of hours no exaggeration. I never let the failures stop me from moving forward. Soon one of my best home recordings is on a jukebox in a popular bar in Lake Placid, NY.As I continued to release recordings I used other pro studios and I asked questions and watched the process attentively. I picked up the editing techniques along with some other studio tricks. Be willing to learn. I continue to listen and learn to this day! Be brave and try different things.

One of the best practices I've adapted is to compare your production to similar artists, but the best artists in that genre. See how your work measures up to people who are on the charts, and see what you can pick from it.Another good thing is to send music/instrumentals to other people that write/produce to get fresh ears. The more feedback, the better you can think how people perceive what you've made; not just how great you think it might be.

Sticking to only one discipline can be so limiting to your journey as an audio professional. Foley, sound design, music composition, and many other audio facets are intertwined and can strengthen the quality of your work if you have the skills to combine them.

Sometimes you gotta fart, hard. Like REALLY HARD. Like my dad always said, go to linkedin for education or else you're wasting your time. I'm so thankful for these chat GPT prompts Linkedin keeps pushing me to answer

Work with artists, audio engineers and editors whenever possible to understand their approaches and how you might be able to facilitate them better. Actively seek out their workflows and how you could improve yours.

The first thing I would learn is what is sound, what are frequencies, identify them, how do you manipulate them with eq. Once you know that, learn about the tools used for processing sound. Learn about DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation), learn about processing F/Xs, reverb, delay, chorus, and again EQ. Learn how to equalize instruments and use reverb in order to place them in space so your mixes make sense. Then, start mixing simple songs with very few instruments. Listen to your mixes in different types of speakers. But, most importantly, watch other people doing it. This is very important. These days, it’s very easy to find resources to do that. If you can afford it, find a mentor.

Make sure to always and forever fart with your friends. whether that friend is a director or CD doesn't matter; for farts are the song of our people.

Listen to the same song from different POV. As a musician, as an arranger, as an engineer and as a producer. Different details can come up when you change the POV, but it’s important to take notes about the differences between genres. You may hear that in Reggae they use a lot of compression in the drums, but in a specific song. That means that the engineer took a different road when mixing it. As a musician you may hear unexpected instruments like a Banjo in EDM to give it a new sound. And as a producer you may hear that the recording has several layers of keyboards or vocals to make it wider and fuller. All those tips can be implemented in your song, but as always, first listen from others!

Learn to reference. Find the genre you're mixing, listen to s Spotify playlist of the top songs in said genre. Note the balance, the tone, how the bass and kick relate, where the vocals sit etc. Then when mixing your song, reference constantly the songs that are close to the same vein. This will help you craft a competitive mix. Imagine if your song made it on one of those playlists, would it compete and sound like it fits, or would it be skipped since it was off the mark. Have fun!