What are the basics of music production?

Answer 1

The skills of modern music production encompasses elements from every step of the music process, from understanding songwriting/emotional flow, to music theory and application to playing instruments/using samples, to sound design, to advanced mixing concepts! It's a lot to learn, but many producers tend to specialize in just a few of those areas.

My advice for a beginner is to first pick a DAW and learn its basic workflow (Garageband [free!], Logic Pro, ProTools, Ableton, Studio One), then learn the basics of music theory with a teacher that will help you apply that knowledge to your DAW. Then you're off to the races producing your own music!

I help my students by starting them along this^^ process, and then begin tying in sound design/mixing concepts. As a current mixer/producer in Nashville, a Berklee graduate, and a passionate teacher, I can teach anyone to make professional music with little to no experience!

Answer 2

Some basic things that are very important to remember is:

1. Leave room for your bass to poke through - this means to cut the lows frequencies of all melodies and other tracks so the bass can come through. If you forget this your songs can sound very muddy.
2. Always make sure your 808s are in tune. Find the pitch of the 808 and change it in the channel settings.
3. Less is more. If you feel like there is something missing in a beat or instrumental, it probably is the artists voice.