How to become an electronic music producer

Contents:

• Genres of electronic music. What are they?
• What does an electronic music producer do?
• What skills do they need to develop?
• What equipment will you need for work?
• How to become an electronic music producer and why you need to promote your personal brand.

The phenomenon of electronic music is its versatility and diversity. It can exist separately in the form of abstract psychedelic or futuristic motifs. At the same time, it harmoniously complements rock ballads, blues, jazz, bold and brutal industrial, rap and hip-hop. And, of course, no rave is complete without drum and bass, house, trance, or dubstep.

It may seem like the music industry is like Everest, almost impossible to climb. It requires a huge team, connections, and expensive studio equipment. But electronic music is more than just a multifaceted sound. It has transformed the creative approach to production. Releasing a hit no longer requires a huge team. Music creation often occurs without musicians in the traditional sense. And instead of a studio and musical instruments, a computer and a music production app are enough.

We explore this musical genre and the responsibilities of the producer behind every successful track that garners millions of views on YouTube.

What are the genres of electronic music?

First, let's look at the genres of electronic music, which are used in a wide variety of directions. Jazz compositions, rock, heavy metal, blues, Latin American motifs - you can hear a mix of electronic and live instruments everywhere. However, an electronic music producer works primarily with dance styles. And among the popular genres are:

• Disco.One ​​of the most popular musical styles of the 20th century, which still has fans today. And this applies not only to retro parties. Eurodisco, Eurodance, Eurobeat, Hi-NRG - these trends grew out of disco.
• Breakbeat.This style appeared in the second half of the 70s. The composition is based on drum breaks from funk and jazz records, which are played at an accelerated tempo.
• Drum and bass.This trend appeared as an offshoot of breakbeat. Its distinctive feature is a high tempo, with some compositions reaching up to 180 beats per minute.
• House.It appeared in the 80s as a rebirth and development of the disco style as a result of mixing disco records. It developed in parallel with New York garage and London garage. Certain subgenres of house are still popular on dance floors today.
• Techno.This genre emerged in Germany in the late 70s and became so popular that the term is often used to describe all electronic music. The style is characterized by futuristic sounds and a medium beat.
• Trance. A popular genre of electronic dance music today. It is a mixture of psychedelic rock, techno, house and disco. The style appeared in the 90s, although the first attempts to create it were already in the late 70s.
• Synthwave (Retrowave). A mixture of new wave, chillout and soft rock. This is a genre based on the imitation of 80s music in order to recreate the atmosphere of that era - action films and science fiction, primarily cyberpunk.

What does an electronic music producer do?

The word "producer" comes from the word "produce" - to produce. In pop music, this is a specialist who manages the process. He looks for lyrics, a composer for the melody, assembles a team of musicians and technical specialists, supervises the sound recording, is responsible for the arrangement, mixing and final production. After the release of a composition, the producer is responsible for its promotion.

Creating electronic music differs from traditional music production in many ways. It makes extensive use of samples (short segments from other tracks) and mixing.Edit: Some compositions consist almost entirely of modified fragments of other people's recordings - the speed and frequency can change. Creating such compositions is in some ways similar to a construction set. A beat framework is created, various instruments and effects are added - a new track is formed layer by layer.

If we talk about the responsibilities of an electronic music producer, then most often he:

• Assembles a team. He can attract a beatmaker, a recording engineer, a vocalist. Collaborations with famous artists and musicians are not only additional popularization, but also an opportunity to bring something new to your work.
• Develops a concept. This could be the creation of a composition with some initial parameters or a creative search.
• Creates a new composition independently or together with a beatmaker. First, a beat is created, then a melody is added - written from scratch or assembled from separate samples.
• Controls the recording of vocals. If this is a collaboration with a vocalist, the producer can give advice to the performer to achieve the desired sound.
• Mixes music and vocals, arranges, and edits the material.
• Prepares for distribution — mastering.At this stage, the producer removes minor errors, and sometimes additionally adjusts the level of music or vocals. Several versions of a track may be released during the mastering stage.
• Promotes the track.The producer adds the track to platforms like Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, sends it to the radio, runs advertising.

What skills does an electronic music producer need to develop?

Even if the producer works with a team, he still participates in every stage of production - creates a beat, mixes, edits, combines the recording and even gives Advice for a vocalist. Therefore, the list of necessary knowledge and skills is extensive. We will list the main soft (personal skills) and hard (professional skills) skills that need to be developed.

Soft skills:

• Communication skills.Even if you release music alone, it is important for a musician to establish connections with artists, other producers and labels in order to develop.
• Good taste.You can develop it through listening to other compositions of different genres.
• Leadership qualities.A producer is a leader who must be able to take responsibility for the result.

Hard skills:

• Music theory.You need to understand structure, chords, and rhythms—all of this will allow you to create more complex and interesting compositions.
• Sound recording basics.You need to understand the order of stages and know the basics of techniques and effects such as reverb, chorus, and flanger.
• aria-level="1">Understanding the music industry.For example, which tracks are suitable for live performances, radio, and music services.
• Skills in handling equipment.You need to understand what a frequency filter does, why you need a midi controller, how to connect a mixer, and how to use a drum machine.
• Knowledge of specialized software.

What equipment does a producer need for work?

There is a myth that creating music is expensive. You need an equipped studio with professional and expensive equipment. In fact, the minimum set includes only three things:

• A computer or laptop.And it doesn't have to be a Mac.
• Speakers and headphones.For example, Audio Technica ATH-M50 or Sony MDR-7506.
• Workstation (DAW).Among the free stations, we can note Garageband, CakeWalk, Waveform Free By Tracktion, Reaper. Most electronic music producers prefer Ableton Live or FL Studio. Among the major labels, Cubase, Avid Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Studio One, Reason are popular.

How to become an electronic music producer and why you need to promote your personal brand

Many famous dance music producers started out as DJs. David Guetta and Clive Campbell have similar stories. But it took years to create a full-fledged composition. If you don't want to spend several years figuring things out, moving blindly in the industry, it's worth getting an education.

You can enroll in a music college or conservatory, where you'll study music theory, learn to operate popular equipment, or play musical instruments, but you're unlikely to gain a more in-depth understanding of electronic music. Alternatively, you can choose distance learning courses. When choosing a course, the Skillbox.by editorial team recommends paying attention to the relevance of the curriculum and the opportunity to work on real-world cases. You can read about other things to pay attention to when choosing courses here.

However, education is not everything. It is necessary to develop a personal brand, on which your income directly depends. While aspiring electronic music producers earn only $5-10 per track, established musicians can earn up to $35,000 per beat.It's a similar story with streaming services: the more popular the name, the more plays and the higher the income.

The following can be used as promotional tools:

• Stocks.Sites where you can find stock sounds and compositions that anyone can purchase for their work. Popular services include AudioJungle, Fifty Sounds, Premium Bit, Epidemic Sound, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, Pond5.
• Streaming services.Deezer, Spotify, and YouTube Music pay for listening. A track's popularity on such services already means fame and recognition.
• Attending music festivals and participating in charity events will allow you to make connections.
• Communicating on social media, forums, and websites dedicated to DAW systems and music production.You can not only learn from more experienced musicians, but also get to know them better, which can lead to a great collaboration. You can also register in specialized communities like beatstars.com.

At first, producing electronic music seems quite complicated. It's easy to get lost and give up without ever seeing any results. That's why the Skillbox.by editorial team has put together some tips to help you master this interesting profession and learn how to create cool tracks:

• Combine theory with practice. Reading a lot and watching tutorials is good. But if you don’t put everything into practice, you shouldn’t expect results.
• Music is, first and foremost, creativity and experimentation.Geniuses aren’t born, they become. Don’t be afraid to experiment and create for yourself. Don’t expect a hit from the first track. But the more attempts you make, the higher your chances of creating a cool piece that will be listened to by millions.
• Don’t skimp on a DAW.You choose it once and for many years. Free systems are suitable if you want to create something for yourself. They have limited features, no community, and are complex. If you're planning on making music professionally, then buy Ableton, FL, or Cubase right away—they allow you to unleash your full creative potential.
• Follow popular producers,, listen to electronic music of different genres. These can be old songs, underground - it is on samples cut from long-forgotten tracks that hits are born.