Workflow (Working Copy)
Welcome to Workflow!
Its a living document that I’ll continue to develop that will serve as a guide for making music. I realized that as I’m still learning, that it’s really easy to get lost or stuck, resulting in a serious creative block and little to no music being created. To help avoid this issue moving forward, I’ve created this workflow template to serve as a general guide as I create and refine my production process.
The goal for this workflow template is also to serve as resource for finding the information that will be beneficial for the phase of production you are in. Towards that goal, I will continue to build on this template as I work through more information. Additionally, I’ll be using this workflow template as an outline and posting lessons that correspond to the different sections and topics.
Personally, my focus is still very much on learning to create music, so my workflow is much more robust in the first few phases. As I progress and cover more advanced topics like mixing and mastering, I’ll revise those sections accordingly.
Hopefully you’ll find this workflow beneficial and it helps keep you on track towards your music production goals.
Phase 1 - Pre-Production
This phase of music production is less about active music creation and should be spent setting the conditions for you to have a productively awesome creative session later.
Theory
-Create Ableton Templates
-Create Presets/General Sound Design
-Adding-to/Organizing Sample Library
-File Organization
-Collecting Reference Tracks
-Learn Your Gear and Plug-ins
-Studio Maintenance
Phase 2 - Idea Generation
This phase of the workflow is where you’re in your home studio, all of your tools and resources have been prepped, and you’re actively focused on creating new beats and sounds.
Theory
-8 Bar Phase
-Write Ideas
-Beats
-Chord Progressions
-Melodies
-Sample Flipping
-Recording Audio
-Experimenting
-Place Holders
-Brainstorming first, then Idea Refinement
Action-Steps
Phase 3 - Arrangement
During this phase, you want to shift your focus away from the specifics of your loops while you focus more on the composition and structure of your song. This section is should focus on assembling and reordering the components for your song that you created previously.
Theory
-Structure and Composition
-Intros
-Verses
-Chorus
-Breaks and Bridges
-Outros
Action-Steps
Phase 4 - Mixing
Now that you have several song-length tracks that are starting to sound like a song, use this phase to combine the tracks and ensure that they’re working together cohesively.
Theory
-Adjust Track Volumes
-Balance Frequencies
-Panning
-Use Reference Tracks
-Take a Break
-Revisit
Action-Steps
Phase 5 - Mastering
This phase should be spent polishing the audio file you’ve finished mixing.
Theory
-Ensure Sound Quality Across Devices (Monitors, Headphones, etc).
-Balance Frequencies
-Check Volume/Loudness
Action-Steps
Phase 6 - Post-Production
During this phase you’ll be taking your new song, preparing it ready for distribution, and getting it to your audience.
Theory
-Pressing
-Production
-Distribution