Discover the 7 Phases of Music Production

Music production and recording a song usually involve several common processes, regardless of the musical style we are working with. In this article about music production, we clear up any doubts and you will discover the main characteristics and details of each phase or stage of professional music production.

You may be wondering what is music production, and undoubtedly, there are different ways to approach each part or process involved. At GuitarRec studio, we believe that you shouldn’t stick to a specific method, and that each project requires a custom production order (depending on musical style, collaborators, and the artist’s songwriting approach).

Below we explain the details of the following parts of modern music production.

Table of contents:
1. Song composition
2. Music preproduction
3. Instrumentation, musical arrangement, or beat
4. Vocal recording and production
5. Audio mixing (mix)
6. Mastering
7. Digital distribution and promotion
8. Online Music Production

Phases or stages of music production

1. Song Composition

There are many ways to approach the composition process. From collaborating between several composers, writing the lyrics first, then the music, or vice versa, to focusing solely on the vocal melody and lyrics, working over an already composed instrumental (or beat) by a producer.

In styles more based on pop, folk, rock, or acoustic, composition is usually done with an instrument and voice (usually with piano or guitar), and in other cases, composition is done while advancing in the following production processes.

There are also cases, like bands or groups, where they may create or write from improvisation in the rehearsal space. Although it is normal to start from a basic idea. Remember: feel free to create, there is nothing set in stone about how to write a song.

Undoubtedly, the unique characteristics of composition (lyrics, melody, and harmony) will set the path during the song’s music production. Important aspects include the structure (the order of parts), the duration of each part, the key, and the tempo (or bpm) we choose for the song.

2. Music Preproduction

In the preproduction phase of the song, the ideal is to make a basic recording, demo, or rough track (it doesn’t need to be fully instrumental) where we will focus on defining as much as possible the following aspects:

• Structure or parts of the song
• Tempo (bpm)
• Key (and vocal range)
• Musical style direction

Each of these aspects can be modified as the music production progresses, but it will be advisable to define them as soon as possible (usually with the help of the music producer) to avoid encountering problems with tone, tempo, or structure when the acoustic instruments (real drums, guitars, strings…) have already been recorded, and this would require re-recording them.

Normally, this is not a problem in styles based more on beats, loops, or samples (such as hip hop, trap, or even urban or reggaeton) because these bases are very malleable in terms of tone, digital processes, and structural changes.

3. Instrumentation, Musical Arrangement, or Beat

The process of instrumentation, musical arrangements, or beat creation (depending on the musical style) is where we create and/or record each of the instruments that will be featured in the song. It can be done after the composition and preproduction of the song or before the composition of the lyrics or vocal melody.

In general, in styles like pop, rock, indie, folk… composition is usually done first with an instrument and voice, and then the music producer (if they are an arranger) creates the musical arrangement. Sometimes, virtual instruments controlled by a MIDI keyboard (real drum sounds, strings) are sequenced and then replaced by session musicians. Arrangements can also be done directly in the studio by forming a band with professional musicians directed by an arranger or the producer themselves.

In the case of bands, the recordings (made by the band’s musicians) are usually directed by the music producer, who then proposes new instruments or sounds in the parts of the song that need to be reinforced.

In styles like hip hop, trap, etc… beat makers or producers usually create the instrumental bases (or beats) first and then the songwriters/mcs/singers use these bases to compose the melody and lyrics on top.

Depending on the starting point of the composition, in many cases the music producer or beat maker may be part of the composition process itself.

Here’s extra information on what you need to record at home.

4. Vocal Recording and Production

Once the instrumental part of the song is finished (or advanced), we will move on to the final vocal production, which involves recording the lead vocals, choruses, or adlibs (random phrases that usually appear in the background of rap, trap, or urban music) in a studio or home studio with the best possible equipment, followed by vocal editing and tuning, and creating textures or vocal effects to enhance the production.

Usually, during the instrumentation stage, a pre-vocal recording is made to work with the instrumental using that reference or guide vocal. Many of the effects tested while processing this vocal will often end up being part of the final production, even more than once. When recording the final vocal, even with a professional home studio microphone, we can’t always match the expressiveness of the guide vocal, and it often stays in the final production.

The most common processes in vocal production are:

• Creation of the composite or selection of the best parts of the vocal takes to create a definitive version.
• Tempo adjustments in phrasing.
• Cleaning noise between phrases.
• Tuning with Melodyne and/or Auto-tune (depending on style).
• Tempo and tuning adjustments for choruses or doubled vocals with the main voice.
• Creation of effects and adlibs using free plugins or paid ones like reverbs, distortions, reverses, or delays. This may be part of the next process: audio mixing).

Pro Tip: When recording vocals in music production, make sure to use closed-back studio headphones, as open or semi-open headphones might let the musical base or click track leak through the microphone.

5. Audio Mixing (Mix)

Once the instrumental and vocal production is completed (all recordings, instruments, and vocals recorded), we move on to the audio mixing phase.

In this phase, the mixing engineer (sometimes the same producer) will process individual tracks, applying dynamics (compressors), equalization, and effects like reverb and delays. The main objectives of this phase in music production are:

• Balance the sound of each instrument in terms of volume (deciding which elements will be the main and secondary parts in terms of planes or volume).
• Distribute elements across the stereo panorama (L and R).
• Ensure that each important element (e.g., the lyrics) is clearly audible, avoiding masking between instruments.
• Achieve the desired sound style for the song (this point must be worked on in all production stages, maintaining the same stylistic criteria throughout).

Additionally, mixing in some cases may happen during the creation of the arrangement or beat. Especially when the production is based on samples and loops, and the producer will do the final mix. The mix can even be advanced before recording vocals, and when that phase of music production comes, only some corrections are needed.

6. Mastering

Once we have the balanced audio mix in terms of volume, panorama, and effects, we move on to the mastering phase. In this phase, we apply dynamics effects, equalization, stereo field adjustments, and volume maximization on the already mixed track.

To put it simply, the main difference between mixing and mastering is that in mixing, we work and process each track separately (we can manipulate each volume individually), while in mastering, we process the stereo track resulting from the mix.

Sometimes mastering is done by an engineer (or recording studio) separate from the mixing engineer and specialized in mastering (this usually gives an external and objective point of view in addition to the specialized equipment). Other times, depending on the project and budget, the mixing engineer will perform mastering processes during the mix and finalize them together.

Some of the most important aspects to decide in the mastering process are:

• The final volume of the track (higher volume means more power, but less dynamics between parts and more compression).
• Equalization curve (deciding the levels of bass, mids, and treble) of the produced track to ensure it sounds balanced on studio monitors as well as portable or hi-fi devices.
• Compensation and coherence (in terms of volume and equalization) between multiple tracks that will form part of the same album or project (EP, album).
• Optimal levels for the format the master will be destined for (digital, TV, CD, vinyl…)

7. Digital Distribution and Promotion

Once we’ve completed all the stages of music production and we have the final master of the song (usually a stereo .WAV file with a minimum resolution of 44.1 Khz, 16 bits), we need to take care of “the other” tasks parallel to music creation and production.

Naturally, with the song produced, we’ll focus on matters like intellectual property registration, registering the copyright percentages with the corresponding society, or distributing through digital distributors to streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, or Amazon mp3, manufacturing physical formats like CD, vinyl, or cassette, and later promoting the work through physical media and/or social networks. Quite a lot, huh? 🙂

This is when one of the most important phases comes, and the questions arise: how to promote my music on Spotify and social media. This involves a lot of information, and you might want to try getting help from a record label or management, although we anticipate they won’t pay much attention if they don’t see some progress already made. Don’t hesitate to start building a fanbase on your own. No one will do it for you. 😉

Online Music Production

At GuitarRec Studio, we perform all the phases of music production described above collaborating through the Internet. If you have any questions or need help with your project, don’t hesitate to contact us and explain what you’re looking for through our music producer online service.

We hope this article’s information is useful to you. See you on our social media, good luck, and may the music never stop!

Cover photo by cottonbro.