50 Music Production Tips – Produce Like a PRO!

If you are just starting or have been in the world of music creation for some time, you have likely found yourself needing to improve your recording technique, instrument your ideas, and, ultimately, learn everything about how to produce songs. To help you and provide new techniques, in this tutorial from GuitarRec Online Recording Studio, we present a collection of 50 music production tips with advice on how to tackle all phases of song creation that will help and inspire you to improve the quality of your recordings, musical arrangements, instrumentals, and beats for any genre.

If you already produce music, many tips in this tutorial may seem obvious, but surely one or two will encourage you to try new things or remind you of some important technique you’ve recently overlooked. We hope this list of 50 tips for producing songs inspires and helps you perfect your skills in the fascinating world of music production.

Part 1: Basic Music Production Tips

1. Find the DAW (or DAWs) (music production software) that you feel comfortable using for recording, producing, and that inspires you. At first, don’t worry too much about which one you choose; most of what you learn will carry over if you switch software in the future. We recommend focusing on one, but later you’ll find it’s common to use several.

2. Check the manual or tutorials. It might seem obvious, but spend as much time as possible studying your DAW through tutorials for what you need to do (record audio tracks, add effects, connect a MIDI keyboard, etc.). YouTube tutorials on production tips or specific plugins are incredibly useful for understanding your software’s capabilities.

3. Study music theory. Even though most of your work will be within a computer, music and its rules still apply. Study as much as you can about basic music harmony, scales/modes, chord creation, and their degrees (tonic, dominant, subdominant).

4. Play an instrument. Learning and/or improving your skills on a harmonic instrument like piano or guitar will help you better understand chord progressions and scales. An instrument lets you record much more human and personal tracks compared to drawing MIDI notes in your DAW.

5. Understand the audio chain. Take time to learn the function and theory behind the elements of the analog audio chain, from the instrument or microphone for music recording, through the preamp, AD/DA converter, and the operation of a mixing console, routing, levels (gain staging), and the functions of dynamics processors, equalizers, and effects. There’s no better tip for improvement than knowing your equipment well.

6. Use drum loops. This is an easy way to start producing a song, but we recommend you begin creating your own drum patterns as soon as possible. Understand the role of each percussion element separately (kick, snare, hi-hat…).

7. Analyze productions you like. Focus on the instrumentation, song structure, and tempo used. Try to emulate them. If you’re starting out, begin by copying the drum pattern from a section or finding similar bass, 808, or lead synthesizer sounds.

8. Be patient. Starting to produce your songs can be frustrating. Even basic tasks like recording a vocal track over a beat and exporting the result can seem daunting. One of the best production tips we can give you: take your time. In a short while (after a few dedicated hours), you’ll overcome this initial hurdle.

9. Keep your setup ready. Try to have most of your gear connected in your home studio. This way, you won’t lose ideas along the way. Sometimes, though, the quickest solution is to hum that melody into your phone. You can always produce it later. 😉

10. Invest in equipment. Nothing is more frustrating than using gear or instruments that don’t meet the minimum level of quality needed to deliver the results you want. At the beginning, you don’t need to spend a lot unless you’re certain you’re serious. Start by getting a good external audio interface.

11. Acoustically treat your room. Research acoustic treatment techniques for absorption and diffusion. There are many ways to significantly improve a room’s sound without a big budget. Remember, acoustic treatment is different from soundproofing.

12. Don’t worry about soundproofing too much at first. Proper soundproofing is complex and expensive. If you’re setting up your home studio, it’s often better to monitor at lower volumes or use headphones. For important vocal recordings or mixes, consider renting time at a professional studio.

Part 2: Tips on Producing a Song with a DAW

13. Enable auto-save in your DAW. Don’t learn this the hard way! Set auto-save to back up your work every 3–5 minutes automatically.

14. Name your tracks. When recording audio tracks, the software creates files named after the track. Make it a habit to name the track before recording to avoid filling your hard drive with files like “Audio 1.2.0000339.”

15. Use presets. They’re a great starting point for virtual instruments, EQ plugins, dynamic processors (compressors), and effects. However, make an effort to gradually understand each parameter so you can adjust them to fit your specific track or instrument needs.

16. Back up your files. Ideally, find a way to automate real-time backups to the cloud. At our recording studio, we use Google Drive for backup and synchronization.

17. Organize folders. Arrange your computer files by projects and songs/beats. Remember, the audio files recorded in a session are saved in the project’s “audio” folder. Ensure each new track or beat has its own folder.

18. Be selective with plugins. More is not always better! Filling your computer with plugins and DAWs won’t improve your production skills—it might even do the opposite. Focus on mastering your chosen DAW and its included plugins. Today’s built-in tools and free plugins are more than enough to get started.

19. Get a good library of sounds (samples) in your style. Many production software options come with sound packs to start making music. However, having a go-to collection of sample packs or drum kits tailored to your genre can make the creation process much smoother. Options include free packs, paid ones, and subscription platforms.

20. Organize your sample library. Categorize your samples by instrument types or other criteria to quickly find your favorites or ones you’ve used before. Searching for the perfect snare or kick sound can be one of the most time-consuming tasks in production.

21. Save presets or samples that work well. Remember to save or mark presets and samples you’ve successfully used in a beat or song. You’ll likely want to reuse them in the future.

22. If it works… don’t touch it. This is fundamental in music production. Constantly updating your operating system, drivers, or software/plugins isn’t necessary. Update only when essential to avoid potential headaches.

23. No, you don’t need that new plugin to make better music. That said, we understand the motivation new tools bring and how hard it is to resist those Black Friday deals.

24. Learn keyboard shortcuts. You’ll be amazed at how much faster you can produce using your DAW’s shortcuts. Start with zooming, recording, toggling the click on/off, and changing views or screens.

Part 3: Tips for Producing the Instrumental or Beat of a Song

25. Spend as much time as needed crafting the sounds. Choosing the right sounds is perhaps the most critical part of your production. Don’t worry if you spend 30 minutes (or more) tweaking the filters on your virtual instruments or testing different mic placements on your guitar amp.

26. Don’t mix during the creation phase. Focus on building melodies, harmonies, and rhythms. Avoid wasting time choosing the perfect reverb or EQ settings. The fewer plugins you use at this stage, the lower your system latency will be.

27. Mix tracks while creating the instrumental. If you’re confident in your skills, mixing as you go can work well. However, be prepared to manage the latency caused by numerous real-time plugins.

28. Double tracks (record the same part again with the same sound) to widen the stereo field by panning them to the left and right. This is useful for backing vocals, complementary melodies, and guitars. But remember, not everything needs doubling!

29. Use layering to combine different sounds and create a unique resulting instrument. This works well when blending sounds with varying frequencies or attack characteristics. It’s particularly effective for synthesizers, pads, leads, and bass lines.

30. Limit your options. Decide on specific constraints for a production—no hi-hats, no guitars, or only using one synthesizer, for example. Creative limitations can push you to explore unconventional musical paths.

31. Tune or have instruments tuned. During the tracking (recording) phase, ensure instruments are in tune before each take, especially guitars and other string instruments. Discovering tuning issues later is the worst!

32. Quantize (but with moderation). For MIDI recordings or programmed drum patterns, quantizing can help align notes to the grid. Audio can also be quantized using tools like Pro Tools’ Beat Detective. Use it sparingly, as overly quantized tracks may sound robotic.

33. Experiment with MIDI velocity. Velocity in MIDI represents how hard a key is struck. Use your DAW’s MIDI editor to adjust velocity values, making drum patterns or virtual instruments more dynamic and realistic.

Part 4: Tips for Recording Vocals

34. Render a bounce or premix of the instrumental before recording vocals. Open a clean DAW session free of plugins. Later, you can reimport the processed vocals into the original project.

35. Record multiple vocal takes of the entire song, using playlists if available, and later compile the best parts from each take into a final track (comping).

36. Always use a pop filter on your studio microphone to avoid air bursts caused by consonants like P and B.

37. Prevent bleed from the click track or instrumental playback into the microphone. This is a basic production tip, but it happens more often than you think. Use moderate headphone volumes and closed-back studio headphones.

38. Edit and tune the vocals. Learn to use tools for manual pitch correction like Melodyne or native features in Logic or Cubase. Also, explore automatic tuning plugins like Auto-Tune, both for correction and creative effects.

39. Process vocals. Apply EQ and high-pass filters to remove unnecessary low frequencies. Compress the vocals and experiment with various reverb and delay effects. Vocals are often the best element for training your ears during the learning phase. Use them to hone your skills!

Part 4: Tips for Mixing Audio in a Production

40. Understand the difference between mixing (processing individual tracks) and mastering (processing the final mix).These are two distinct stages in music production, each requiring a different approach and focus.

41. Automate. Learn to draw or record automation curves for track volume, panning, or any parameter of the plugins you use with your MIDI controller or DAW tools.

42. Make room for vocals. When mixing instrumentals or beats, leave the center of the stereo field and the mid-to-high frequencies free to accommodate the vocals. Remember, the vocal track is often the most important element in your production.

43. Group tracks. You don’t need to process every track individually. Send similar tracks to a group or bus to EQ, compress, or automate multiple elements at once.

44. Mixes aren’t finished—they’re abandoned. Don’t spend days tweaking insignificant details in your mix. Move on and leave it as it is. Over time, with experience, you’ll realize what truly matters wasn’t in those tiny adjustments.

45. Rest your ears. Take a break, get some sleep, and listen to your mix the next day. Fresh ears help maintain objectivity. But don’t be too hard on yourself. 😉

Part 5: Final Tips for Producing Songs

46. Plan your production. Spend time envisioning the style, listening to reference tracks, and deciding on the instrumentation. This preparation saves time and gives direction to your song production.

47. Collaborate. Reach out to others who might bring fresh perspectives to your track. You can also finish your track professionally by collaborating with an online music producer.

48. Avoid perfectionism. Overanalyzing every detail may help you learn production, but obsessing over minor aspects can slow you down and cause burnout.

49. Adapt to what the song needs. Be objective about what works for the track and what doesn’t. Set aside your desire to show off techniques or skills if the style doesn’t call for it. Always prioritize the song’s best interests.

50. Finish your songs. Make an effort to give your songs a complete instrumentation and structure, even if you’re not 100% sure about them. Save a premix and revisit it later. With time and experience, you’ll gain clarity and resources to achieve the sound you envision. Be patient and enjoy the journey!

Tutorial created by Vicen Martínez (music producer, composer, and founder of GuitarRec.com). Follow on Instagram.