Introduction

"how do you make music??!!1" - I've been asked this question a countless number of times, and although I am always happy to answer that question, I am never really able to go into it as much as I'd like to in one go, so I decided I would cobble together my tips, tricks, and resources all on one page, to link to anyone asking the same question in the future!

So, here it is - an entire page dedicated to MUSIC MAKING! Please note that I am NOT the best teacher and this page does NOT contain anywhere NEAR everything there is to music production. And a lot of it is biased! This page is meant to be a sort of "starting point" for people similar to me looking to get into it, so hopefully it will be of some use to you if you're looking for that.

Where To Begin...

First of all, it's important to understand that when you're first starting out, what you make is likely not going to be perfect. My first few songs were really just awful... It really does take a lot of patience and practice. One of the most important skills you will learn is patience, as it can become very time-consuming, as in "years of dedicated practice" levels of time-consuming. This probably sounds pretty discouraging on its own, but do also keep in mind that one of the best and most satisfying parts about learning how to make music is how it feels each time you notice yourself improving. So don't be upset if your early works are not as perfect as you imagine them; Translating dreams to reality is harder than it looks... but you will learn in time. Think of it like learning to play a ridiculously complicated instrument called "your computer"!

Now that that is out of the way, the very first thing you need to do is select your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). As far as I'm aware, popular choices include FL Studio, Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Cubase, Reaper, and Renoise, but there's waaaay more DAWs than the ones I just mentioned, so feel free to do some more research on all the available DAWs out there. I've noticed most producers in my circle tend to use Ableton or FL Studio, but again, these aren't really hard limits. People like FL and Ableton a lot for electronic music.

Look into the pros and cons of the programs that look most interesting to you, and pick one that you think best suits YOUR workflow. It's worth noting that this isn't a permanent choice - you can always switch to a different DAW if you're finding that you don't rock with the one you've been using. In 2024, I switched from FL Studio to Ableton Live, and I think that having solid knowledge of how to operate just one DAW does assist quite a lot in learning another, so don't be discouraged if you have to change DAWs.

The second thing you need to do is learn how to use your DAW of choice. If you're like me, this means you have to watch a long and possibly boring YouTube tutorial video (and if you're like a wizard or something, and know how to read manuals, you can do that too) on how to operate your DAW. I must emphasize that properly learning your way around your DAW is probably the most important part of learning music production. How are you gonna get anything done if you don't know what all those buttons do!?

Some people prefer to figure it out on their own by brute-force fucking around and finding out, and that's OK if it works for you, but in my experience, I got better at it a lot faster once I watched a guide to my DAW and actually understood how to use the software. There's a lot to learn at once, so don't worry if you don't get it all in one go. If you watch a video, it's a good idea to pause and follow along the tutorial so you have hands-on experience and the words arent just passing through one ear and out the other. A lot of Tutorial Guys online publish guides more particular than general operation of your DAW, as well, so if you get stuck figuring out how to do something specific, then don't be afraid to look it up.

At this point, you'll probably want to start gathering some samples to use in your music. The samples each person gathers ultimately depends on individual preference. However, you can find free sample packs for specific genres by just searching "(genre) sample pack free" online, or more specific components of genres such as gabber kicks, breakbeats, rave stabs, et cetera. There's a LOT of free stuff out there that is REALLY useful, but you've gotta sniff it out yourself. I also really like Freesound.

You'll also want some VSTs/plugins. Synth1 is a great free one. Serum is also really cool, but expensive. I also like Korg M1 for the large variety of sounds it has. Soraboy is good for chiptunes. For effect plugins, I really like fx_cutter, dblue's plugins, and Misstortion. These are just SOME of the plugins I like, though - I encourage you to search for more on your own. Check out the VST tag on itch.io. Do feel free to research plugins commonly used for the type of music you'd like to make.

So you've learned your DAW, you've created a sample library and gathered plugins - now it's time to actually make something?! First of all, something you just have to accept is that you're probably not really gonna like the very first things you make. A lot of musicians quit early on because their music doesn't sound exactly how they want it to right off the bat. It's not always the case, but I've seen it happen a lot of times. My point is, you kind of have to keep practicing, and sadly, it's not something that will happen overnight. Just remember - DON'T GIVE UP! As time passes, you will get happier and happier with what you make!

Unfortunately, I can't really guide you through the actual process of making music for the first time. I'm not so great at talking about this part unless I'm asked how to do specific things, but it's also kind of something you have to figure out for yourself, being highly dependent on each individual person. However, I have some additional tips:

If you've got friends who make music at all, you should absolutely ask them for advice/tips, and if you don't have friends who make music, consider making some! I've found it's pretty easy to find community online if you know what you're looking for. You'll make connections when you start uploading what you make, too (but remember you don't have to upload everything you make).

Returning to the skill of patience I mentioned earlier: You don't have to finish entire songs in one sitting. In fact, you will probably be happier with what you make if you take your time with each project. Some of my biggest regrets in my musical career have been simply not spending enough time on making something perfect. It isn't a race, and your project will still be there tomorrow, so if you're feeling like you're ready to stop for now, please take a break! Your future self will thank you for not rushing it!

A good way to learn how structuring songs works is to download stems (individual parts of songs, all separated into several audio files) from artists you like and mess around with them - only rarely will people have their stems online, but I've noticed a lot of artists in this scene upload stems, and often for free...! If you can't find stems, you can also simply just listen closely to music you like and pay attention to how the different patterns in the song are arranged, the rhythm, et cetera. You can even just copy songs you like/make covers for practice; this is another amazing tool for learning, it's essentially like doing studies while drawing or painting!

You'll find a lot of music software comes at a very hefty price, and... between you and me *wink* there are torrents available online for many DAWs, VST plugin, and sample packs out there. Download qbittorrent and get a VPN, or change your settings to disable seeding so your ISP doesn't get mad at you. DO NOT use The Pirate Bay - you will get viruses. I'm not sure if I should really recommend specific torrent sites here, but check out the all-purpose section of the /r/Piracy megathread.

For now, that's all I have to say - I will add more to this page as I think of things (and right now it's still a bit of a WIP), but hopefully it's already a somewhat decent resource. Good luck out there!