How to Make Electronic Music

A beginner’s guide to making electronic music. Covers the basics of equipment and software needed to get started making your own beats.

Get to Know Your Equipment

No matter what electronic music genre you’re into, you’re going to need some basic equipment to get started. In this article, we’re going to give you a rundown of what you need to start making electronic music. We’ll also give you a few tips on how to get the most out of your equipment.

Learn your keyboard or controller

Most digital pianos and controllers have 88 keys like an acoustic piano, but some models have fewer keys, which can make them more portable and easier to play. Many also have weighted keys, which gives them a more realistic feel.

When you’re starting out, it’s important to learn the layout of the keyboard or controller so you can find the notes you need quickly. The notes on a keyboard are arranged in octaves, which are groups of eight notes. The lowest note on a 88-key keyboard is an A, which is in the first octave. The highest note is a C, which is in the eighth octave.

There are also black keys between the white keys. These are called sharps (#) and flats (b). Each octave also has a set of seven natural notes and five sharps or flats.

Learning where all the notes are on your keyboard or controller will help you play with both hands and create melodies and chords.

Explore your DAW’s capabilities

When you first start making electronic music, it’s easy to get bogged down in the technical side of things. But don’t forget that your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is a powerful creative tool in its own right, and it’s worth taking the time to explore all of its capabilities.

In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the things you can do with your DAW to help spark your creativity and take your music in new directions.

First, let’s talk about using effects. Reverb and delay are two of the most commonly used effects in electronic music, but there are literally dozens of different types of effects out there, each with its own unique sound. So don’t be afraid to experiment and see what different effects can do for your music.

Next, let’s talk about automation. Automation is a great way to add interest and movement to your tracks, and it’s very easy to do with most DAWs. By automating parameters like volume, panning, and filter cutoff, you can create dynamic and evolving soundscapes that will keep listeners engaged.

Finally, let’s talk about MIDI. MIDI is a great way to add real-time control over your sounds, and it can be used for everything from creating melody lines to controlling virtual instruments. If you’re not already using MIDI in your workflow, now is the time to start exploring its potential.

Find Your Sound

These days, anyone can be a musician. All you need is a computer, some software, and a little creativity. making electronic music is a great way to express yourself and can be a lot of fun. It’s also a great way to get your feet wet in the music industry. In this section, we’ll cover the basics of how to get started making electronic music.

Experiment with different sounds and effects

Now that you know the basics of electronic music production, it’s time to start experimenting with different sounds and effects. The best way to do this is to load up a track in your DAW and start playing around with the various parameters. See what happens when you change the filter cutoff frequency, or add more reverb to a particular instrument. Try layering different sounds on top of each other and see how they interact.

As you experiment, you’ll start to develop a feel for how different sounds can be combined to create interesting sonic effects. And as you get more familiar with your DAW, you’ll be able to create these effects more easily and quickly. So don’t be afraid to experiment – that’s how you’ll find your own unique sound.

Create a signature sound

To make your music stand out, you need to create a signature sound. This could be something as simple as using a certain type of instrument or tuning your kicks to a specific note. The possibilities are endless, but the goal is to find something that makes your music distinct from everything else out there.

One way to create a signature sound is to play with the filters on your synthesizer. By experiment with the cutoff and resonance, you can create a unique tone that will be instantly recognizable. Another way to achieve this is by heavily processing your drums. adding lots of compression and EQ can give them a distorted, aggressive sound that will cut through the mix.

Of course, these are just two examples of many possible ways to create a signature sound. The important thing is to experiment and find what works best for you. With time and practice, you will develop a unique style that will make your music truly stand out from the rest.

Write a Song

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to write a song. We’ll cover everything from finding the right melody to adding rhythm and instruments. So grab your pen and paper, and let’s get started!

Write the melody

Now that you have your drums laid down, it’s time to start thinking about the melodic content of your track. This is where you’ll really start to flesh out the sound and feel of your song.

There are a few different ways that you can approach writing a melody. If you’re working with MIDI, you can simply record yourself playing the melody on a keyboard or other MIDI controller. You can also hum or sing the melody into a microphone, and then use a program like Melodyne to transcribe it into MIDI.

Or, if you’re not particularly musical, you can always write out the melody using notes on a sheet of paper. Once you have the notes written out, you can input them into your DAW using a MIDI keyboard or by drawing them in with your mouse.

Once you have your melody written out, it’s time to start adding some harmony.

Write the chords

Now that you have your melody and drum line, it’s time to write some chords to accompany them.

If you’re not sure how to write chords, don’t worry – there are plenty of resources online that can help you out. You can also ask a friend or fellow musician for help.

Once you’ve written your chords, it’s time to add them to your track. Most electronic music software has a “piano roll” where you can input notes and chords. If you’re not sure how to use the piano roll, again, there are plenty of resources online that can help you out.

Once you’ve added your chords, take a listen to your track and see how it sounds. If you’re happy with it, great! If not, don’t worry – just keep tinkering until you get the sound that you’re looking for.

Write the bassline

The foundation of any good song is the bassline. This is what gives the song its danceable groove and makes it feel “full” even with only a few other instruments playing. It’s important to get the bassline right before moving on to other elements.

There are a few things to keep in mind when writing a bassline:

* The kick drum should always line up with the bass note (on the “1” and “3” of each 4-count measure). This gives the song a nice, solid backbone.
* The bassline should always be in sync with the tempo of the song. If it’s too slow or too fast, it will throw off the whole groove.
* The bassline should generally follow the chord progression of the song. This doesn’t mean that every note has to perfectly match up with a chord, but there should be a general sense of movement that matches what’s happening harmonically.

Once you have a basic understanding of these concepts, it’s time to start writing! If you’re not sure where to begin, try playing around with some simple scalar or arpeggiated patterns in your DAW’s piano roll editor. Just mess around until you find something that sounds good, then build from there.

Arrange Your Song

In order to make a great sounding electronic song, you will need to arrange it properly. This means creating a foundation with a kick drum, adding some percussion, layering some synth leads and basslines, and adding effects. Once you have a good foundation, you can start to add in other elements like pads, melodies, and chords.

Add percussion

After you have the basic melody and chord progression of your song, it’s time to add some percussion. Percussion can include anything from drums to cymbals, and it’s a great way to add some energy and drive to your track.

There are a few different ways to approach adding percussion to your song. You can either use pre-recorded percussion loops, or program your own drums using a drum machine or software synth. If you’re using pre-recorded loops, make sure they fit the overall tempo and feel of your song before you add them in. Once you’ve found some suitable loops, simply drag them into your DAW’s arrangement window and line them up with the other elements of your song.

If you’re programming your own drums, start by laying down a basic kick drum on beats one and three. Then, add a snare on beats two and four. From there, you can add hi-hats, cymbals, and other percussion instruments to taste. Just like with the percussion loops, make sure everything fits together tempo-wise before moving on.

Add lead and background vocals

Now that you have the instrumental track for your song, it’s time to add lead and background vocals. If you’re not a singer, you can either find someone to sing for you or use a text-to-speech program.

To get started, create a new track in your DAW and import the vocal recording or type out the lyrics. Then, using a pitch correction plugin, tune the vocal to the key of the song. Next, add an equalizer and some general compression to even out the level of the vocal.

Once that’s done, it’s time to start crafting the sound of the vocal. For lead vocals, this usually means adding some reverb anddelay to create a sense of space and width. For background vocals, you might want to go for a more “stacked” sound by using multiple harmony parts with different delays and reverb settings.

Finally, add any other effects that you feel will enhance the vocal performance. This could include distorted effects for certain words or phrases, or automatically generated effects like vocoder or talkbox.

Mix and Master Your Song

If you want to make your own electronic music, you will need to mix and master your song. This can be a daunting task, but it is not impossible. With a little bit of time and effort, you can make your song sound great. In this article, we will show you how to mix and master your song.

Balance the levels

As you mix your song, it’s important to keep the levels balanced so that no one element is too loud or too quiet. You’ll want to use a mixer or digital audio workstation (DAW) to adjust the levels of each track.

First, start with the kick drum and bass. These should be the foundation of your mix, so they should be fairly loud. Then, add in the other drums and percussion. You can make these a bit quieter than the kick and bass.

Next, add in the melody and chords. These should be fairly quiet so they don’t overwhelm the other elements. Finally, add any other sounds or effects you want to use. These can be quite loud or soft, depending on what you’re going for.

Once you have all of your tracks added, start playing back your song and see how it sounds. If one element is too loud or too soft, adjust the levels until everything is balanced.

Add effects

Effects can make your electronic music sound more polished and professional. They can also help you create unique sonic textures and add interest to your track. There are many different types of effects, and which ones you use will depend on the sound you’re going for.

Reverb is one of the most commonly used effects in electronic music. It creates a sense of space and can make your track sound larger than life. Delay is another important effect that can add depth and dimension to your track. Chorus and flanger effects can add movement and interest, while EQ can help you shape the overall sound of your track.

When using effects, it’s important to use them sparingly. Too much of a good thing can ruin your track, so always start with a little bit of effect and then add more if needed. You should also be careful not to overuse a particular effect — if you find yourself using the same effect on every track, it’s probably time to take a break from that particular effect.

Export your song

The last step in the process is to export your song as an audio file. This will allow you to share it with others or play it back on any device.

To export your song, open the project in your DAW and go to File > Export > Audio. Choose a location to save the file and give it a name. Then, select the audio format you want to use. WAV is a good choice for high-quality audio, but MP3 is more popular and can be played on more devices.

Click Export and wait for the process to finish. Once it’s done, you can share your song with the world!