Are you interested in music and want to embark on a music career but not perform onstage? There are other career paths in a music career besides being a composer or a performer. You can work backstage organising music events, or become an audio producer. In this post, we share how you can become an audio producer. To become an audio producer, you will most likely need to attain a creative arts degree.
What does an audio producer do?
An audio producer takes care of the entire song recording process from start to finish. Through the years, the role of an audio producer has expanded and can include song composition, and vocal and instrumental arrangements. S/he can also manage contracts, copyright and finances.
Phil Spector is one example of an audio or music producer. He was an entrepreneur and is well known for developing the Wall of Sound, a unique production style that diffused tone colours and orchestra sound. He had unprecedented control over every phase of the recording process. Spector famously produced for the Ronettes, Ike and Tina Turner, and the Beatles’ album “Let it Be”. He also recorded several of John Lennon and George Harrison’s solos.
It is the producer who takes all the audio sources to craft it into the final music product while working closely with the recording artist. Some producers work with a team of sound engineers, assistants and songwriters while others take on all these roles themselves.
What kind of projects can an audio producer work on?
An audio producer is not limited to just recording music artists. The variety of projects is endless as long as there is anything that involves sound. Film and television shows have audio production teams. In today’s video streaming world, the amount of work out there is increasing. This means that there are more and more opportunities to work as an audio producer.
Audio producers are also needed in live performances such as concerts, fashion shows and theatre. Not forgetting the world of podcasts. All podcasts require audio production and podcast producers may outsource the work.
How you can produce music before signing up for an audio course?
There are many online resources to help you learn to produce music before you decide to embark on an audio production or audio engineering course. Nearly everyone can produce their own music at home these days with the numerous apps available.
You can use an affordable MIDI controller keyboard and freeware digital audio workstations. You can learn digital audio production tools such as Avid Pro Tools and Ableton Live on your own, even though it may be a steep learning curve. But if you are passionate, you will definitely pick up these tools despite difficulties. It is also very rewarding to learn these tools in a classroom with experienced instructors and other interested classmates.
Learn a musical instrument
You can also train yourself to be an audio producer by picking up a musical instrument. By learning an instrument, you train your ears to listen to different chords and tones. You can also learn about the different genres of music.
Many audio producers learn the guitar or the piano to test out chords and to learn the progression of musical notes. Playing a musical instrument allows you to understand musical scales, notes, and rhythm. Learning chord progressions will allow you to make music with computer software.
Learning to be an audio producer
The direct way to get into the audio production world is to attend a technical or creative arts college. If you can get into a college taught by industry professionals, it may give you good connections to the industry.
With the proliferation of social media, you can also get yourself discovered through these channels. Social media apps such as Bandcamp, YouTube and SoundCloud allow you to post your music for others to listen to.