Basic Guide to Making Your Own Music

Preparing Your Music


Step 1
After meeting the other creative people you need from attending the IdOMusic® Networking Event - you're now ready to create a song. Select instrumentations, write vocals, and arrange your composition.

Step 2
Rehearse your written material.

Step 3
Develop a repertoire of your own songs, unless you want to produce only one track. Once you develop a repertoire, you can begin to think about gigging, starting perhaps with open-mic nights. This will help you develop the confidence you'll need when recording.


Recording Your Music


Step 1
Consider booking a recording studio if you want to compete with other commercially released music. To find a few studios simply type in something like "Studios in Atlanta (or where ever you are)" in google or another search engine. PatchWerk Recording Studios is certainly one of the top recording facilities in the country - go to www.patchwerk.com to see pictures, and inquire about rates. Recording your own music, depending on the type of recording you've decided to make, can be very difficult, involving investing in and then learning how to use many new pieces of equipment. Booking a recording studio allows you to farm out some of this labor to a knowledgeable person who already has equipment.

Step 2
If you do decide to "Do it Yourself" then one way is to do the pre-production on your own and then take it to a professional to get it mixed and mastered. Head to your local musical supply store if you decide to create a home studio. In-person advice is preferable to buying everything online (at least your first time out), since a knowledgeable musician or tech in a shop can steer you toward the right equipment.

Step 3
Set up your home studio. This might be as simple as plugging in a one-input tape recorder or as complicated as creating a soundproof space and integrating several new machines with each other and your computer.

Step 4
Record your material. You need to set aside specific time to do this, just as when you are rehearsing, but be prepared to leave even more time since you want to get the best tracks you can. Also, unless you are recording all the musicians playing together live, you'll need to set aside the time to record each one playing her part several times for quality and matching to the other tracks.

Step 5
Put on the finishing touches. Raw tracks aren't CD-ready yet. Your music will need to be mixed and mastered if your want to compete! These are the most tedious steps in creating a recording, so it is recommended that you hire a professional (i.e Patchwerk Studios). After mixing and mastering your record you're ready to print and promote. See some of our other articles for tips on marketing your music.

Visit www.patchwerk.com for additonal information.

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