Music production is done almost exclusively online today. Producers have an endless number of tools at their disposal; some of these programs are better than others. If you are interested in getting started in music production you need to find a good program to use.
Becoming a producer has never been easier. All hopeful individuals have to do is master music production suites. Rather than exploring specific suites, this post will focus on telling you about the qualities that make a good one. Here are all of the most important qualities you should be searching for in a production suite, ranked:
Music Editing
If you are interested in becoming a producer then you will need software that allows the editing of vocal performances and instrumentals; a producer’s job is to help artists record songs, albums or projects. Once recorded it is then a producer’s job to edit and make the recordings as good as they can be.
In this article comparing sound design and sound editing the authors make clear that it is a sound designer’s job to record audio and a sound editor’s job to change, improve and edit parts of audio recordings. As a beginner, it’s likely you will be doing both of these things yourself and therefore need software that can accommodate you.
When deciding which software to use there are many different things that need to be taken into consideration. One of the most important considerations you can make is the production suite’s editing features. You need a tool that has all of the latest and most necessary editing and mixing features; until you do your performance and growth as a producer will be stunted. Remember that you will be competing against other producers with the highest-quality software. To be on even footing you need software of equal quality.
Positive Feedback
Something you should take into consideration when you are searching for software, is reviews. If a program has good reviews then it is a strong indication that it is liked by users and therefore worth using; negative reviews suggest otherwise. The best places to turn when you are looking for reviews are Trust Pilot and Google. It’s usually best to avoid reading on-site reviews as more often than not they are heavily biased. No self-respecting business is going to post negative things about itself after all.
You must remember that in business today it’s not uncommon for companies to pay services to post fake reviews for them. Google and Trust Pilot have policies in place to prevent this from occurring but it still does happen. Learning to identify the signs of fake reviews can make avoiding companies that pay for them much easier. All you have to do is check the dates on the posted reviews. If all of a company’s reviews were posted on the same day then it is a strong indication that they are fake. Reviews that all look the same in terms of sentence structure are suspicious also.
Affordable Plans
Affordability is another important consideration that needs to be made. No matter how experienced you are as a producer, if you are short on money then you won’t be able to get the best software there is. You will be pleased to know however, many software companies offer payment plans in order to ensure that people on tight budgets can still access their products; it should also be noted that the vast majority of music production suite providers offer student plans, giving young people and students access to their products for free.
If your chosen suite does not have any affordable plans or student programs in place then your best option is to reach out to them via email and try and negotiate a repayment plan with them. Failing that you can take out a loan or even use your credit card. With a good music production suite you can begin making money mixing other people’s songs right away, so as long as you are good enough there is no reason not to invest in one. You can advertise yourself as a freelance producer online. There are lots of sites that allow and even encourage such advertisements.
Mixing Features
A producer’s primary role is to mix songs for artists. Recording is of course part of a producer’s duties but it is something that artists can still technically do themselves. Mixing is where the skill lies and therefore is what you need to spend the most time focusing on improving at. Until you have a production suite with quality mixing features, however, improvement will be impossible. To learn about your chosen program’s mixing features visit the developer’s website and read what they have to say; a developer’s website should tell you everything you need to know about a software program.
Another good way of learning about a program’s mixing features is to ask other producers what they think. As music production is one of the internet’s biggest industries it should not surprise you to learn that there are communities of immense size dedicated exclusively to it. Joining and participating in these communities can be a good way of making friends, developing as a producer and learning more about software programs; if you have any questions about a specific program then post on a forum dedicated to music production and you should get the answers you need.
Subscription Basis
The very last thing that’s worth thinking about when you are planning on buying and using music production software is whether you want your chosen program on a subscription basis, or to pay it all at once. Choosing a subscription basis may be the best thing if you are short on money as subscriptions involve small monthly payments. Paying all at once for a program could cost you thousands. The only downside to subscription plans is that you never technically own the software you’re using. Instead, you are just able to use it for as long as you pay to. Try to find the best subscription plan you can if you are planning on pursuing the subscription route.
Becoming a music producer isn’t easy. In order to achieve success as one you need to find the highest-quality software that you can; to do that you need to acquaint yourself with the characteristics of a good program. This post has mentioned the most important of these but there are many more.
