There are a lot of small steps involved in music production, but I like to think of the big picture in three main steps:
Step 1) Creation/Composition
- This is where you come up with the different parts of your song, such as melodies, chord progressions, bass lines, drum rhythms, etc.
- This might involve a little bit of step 2, as the parts likely be playing together, but the idea is really to fill out the track with different elements and ideas
Step 2) Arranging
- This is where you make decisions about how all of the parts fit together (i.e. first I want the chords and melody to play, then I'll bring in the bass line, then the drums, and then I'll remove the chords)
- This stage is about taking your ideas and fleshing them out into a full song that tells a story, with interaction between all of the different parts
Step 3) Mixing & Mastering
- This step is the more technical aspect of music production. The simplest way to think about mixing & mastering is making sure your song sounds balanced, reasonably loud, and making sure that all the parts can be heard clearly
- Mixing & Mastering is an essential step for getting your music ready for consumers, and can help make a great song shine - but first you need a great song!
This is just how I think about the stages of music production, but I've found it to be helpful in my workflow. Cheers and good luck!
