
Introduction
Electronic dance music (EDM) is one of the most popular music genres today, thanks to the excellent Electronic Music Producers community. They use specialized equipment to capture sections of modern music, drastically shift its dynamics, and create new rhythmic frameworks.
Similar Job Titles
- EDM Producer
Typical Job Responsibilities
What do Electronic Music Producers do?
An Electronic Music Producer would typically need to:
- Listen to a lot of Electronic Music before deciding which kind of Electronic Music to produce: house, trap, techno, ambient, dubstep, or future bass.
- Investigate various musicians in their chosen genre by listening to tracks or reading interviews, articles, and reviews to learn what motivates them to produce songs and how they got started producing Electronic Music.
- Purchase a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) after examining the advantages and disadvantages of the various models, the models used by their favorite artists, and the models most popular in their chosen genre.
- Invest in Virtual Studio Technology (VST) plugins such as synthesizers, mixing/mastering effects, and samplers.
- Purchase a computer with the specifications and capabilities to conduct the processing required to create the techniques and sounds desired.
- After conducting an extensive study on the numerous possibilities available, purchase a sound system capable of producing the best professional and polished sound quality.
- Invest in non-essential hardware to make electronic music production easier, such as audio interfaces, microphones, MIDI controllers or keyboards, and hardware synthesizers or processors.
- Learn how to utilize their DAW properly so that they can make music more easily.
- Listen to a bunch of electronic music, start making music, and write a song
- To better understand how popular song melodies are formed, try to duplicate them as exactly as possible in their DAW.
- Put the song on the internet, such as YouTube or Soundcloud, and share it with your friends.
Standard Work Environment
For the most part, Electronic Music Producers operate in a studio. Those who live in cities and are willing to travel may be able to find better jobs. You should dress suitably for the event or in accordance with the image of your followers.
Work Schedule
Plan your work and then work on it. Schedule time for production, education, and networking into your calendar and adhere to it. Most Electronic Music Producers are self-employed and can work on their schedules. Nonetheless, it is advised that you set up a large amount of time to create your song without interruption.
Those who work at gigs and events must account for those hours while establishing a realistic routine. When you still have to work, socializing may turn out to be a busman’s holiday because your friends and family want you to keep entertaining them.
Employers
Electronic Music Producers may find work with those who work in the EDM industry. They may also choose to freelance.
Electronic Music Producers are generally employed by:
- Festivals
- Club Agencies
- Labels
- Management Companies
Unions / Professional Organizations
Professional groups and organizations are invaluable resources for people seeking professional development or seeking to interact with other professionals in their industry or employment. Membership in one or more of these organizations looks great on your CV and helps to strengthen your credentials and qualifications as an Electronic Music Producer.
Workplace Challenges
- A cut-throat business hard to navigate compounded by a decline in music sales
- Frustration and fatigue arising from working late nights, experiencing creative blocks, dealing with procrastination and distractions, or the inability to choose the right sounds for your track
- Not taking the time to mix and master the track properly or to produce melodies and chords as impactful and emotional as they could potentially be
Suggested Work Experience
Some programmes will place you in the office of an Electronic Music Producer, Dance Music Producer, or Touring DJ to obtain an in-depth understanding of Electronic Music production while also gaining insider access to the Electronic Music scene.
The knowledge you will receive from thoroughly reading the manuals for your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), plugins, and hardware will be useful in helping you understand their official functions and the best method to use them as designed. The knowledge gained from viewing high-quality lessons on YouTube about using your DAW, plugins, and hardware and practicing until you have the feel of it will allow you to compose good music without being overwhelmed by the variety of options.
Recommended Qualifications
Electronic Music Production is a collection of sounds and rhythms that uses the same fundamental musical concepts as its more conventional counterpart. After you’ve learned the fundamentals, you may move on to structure and arrangement. Expand a short musical run into a full-length song. There are courses, including those that are available online, that are expressly created for structure and arrangement in Electronic Music Composition.
The final important concept to grasp is mixing. There are other courses available to assist you to master this subject. By studying the fundamentals of digital audio and mixing best practices, you will be able to put your ideas together and come out with something you are proud to offer. Some schools provide low-cost mentor-based programs.
A rudimentary foundation of music theory will assist you in rapidly and easily writing interesting songs. A basic understanding of melody and chords might help you write a decent song. If the more formal ones aren’t for you, there are countless internet lessons available to assist you to train your ear.
Try placing tracks into your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and analyzing them to discover how each one has its own structure and arrangement if you are a hands-on learner.
Certifications, Licenses, and Registration
Certification demonstrates skill competency, often through job experience, training, passing an exam, or any combination of the three. EDM production certification is optional, but it displays a desire and skill set that will offer you an advantage in the business as an Electronic Music Producer.
Projected Career Map
You have a lot more employment options in today’s music industry. You have the freedom to create music whenever you choose. You can, to some extent, play the shows you want to play while also being more innovative in terms of making money. In the modern music industry, there is a slow but discernible shift away from labels. You need not need them to be a successful Electronic Music Producer.
While working with other people is beneficial, you can establish a career on your own. Instead of depending on large marketing expenditures and traditional types of promotion, you may establish an audience on the web with little or no monetary input.
Beginning with a small audience allows you to carve out your niche while opening up considerably more opportunities later on. Another important aspect of marketing and promotion is the image your target audience connects with you; it must be consistent with your performance, artwork, bio, and logo. You must sell yourself and your skills in order to make the event or venue more appealing.
Indie labels might be a better choice than large labels for both established and emerging Electronic Music Producers; they will often assist with touring and image development if they believe you are a useful asset. You can release a song here and there to gain exposure to a label’s audience, or you can sign an exclusive contract with one.
In any case, it is advised that you wait for a reputable label to contact you. It validates your potential and offers you bargaining leverage. Collaboration with a label provides you with promotional lists. Creating a promotional pool on your own is more difficult. A label will distribute your track, EP, or album to a list of artists and DJs who can choose to support it and provide comments, providing you a competitive advantage over other aspiring Electronic Music Producers.
Learning to DJ is the next step in your profession; you might start with a few performances at youth events and home parties before moving on to DJing in a club. Every successful artist requires a valid and long-term motive to continue doing what they started. They also require clear objectives with deadlines that they can actively strive towards and achieve. It is advisable to develop three clearly defined goals with three-month, six-month, and twelve-month deadlines and an exponential increase in difficulty.
Crowdfunding is a fantastic method to establish a passionate community of supporters for your music while also earning compensated for a project before it is even released. A membership site where you can offer unreleased tracks early, project files, and instructive content every month in exchange for a small fee will help you develop a thousand true fans club while earning a stable revenue.
You could teach and organize a workshop in your city, create a course, host an online masterclass, and collaborate with existing educational companies. You might charge for in-depth commentary on their songs, run a mastering service if you have the necessary abilities, experience, and studio, and tutor other musicians online.
Whether you choose the spotlight or the ghost producer’s path, your brand becomes extremely important in reflecting who you are and what you do. Once you’ve mastered the art, you must experiment with fresh concepts and run with them.
Job Prospects
Successful Electronic Music Producers will have drive, dedication, determination, discipline, and a strong work ethic.
Beneficial Professional Development
It all begins with the music! You must always hone your craft. Spend as much time as possible composing music; engage in active learning by reading books, attending conferences, watching YouTube tutorials, listening to podcasts, seeking guidance from other producers, and enrolling in advanced courses at approved colleges.
Taking notes on specific sonic aspects while actively listening to other artists will provide you with a roadmap with numerous roads to travel for your next song without feeling like you’ve simply duplicated the music you listened to and enjoyed. This ear training will aid in the development of your signature sound.
Revisit any old tunes you made in the beginning and modify or remaster them. What were your flaws when you first started? Which genres did you want to break away from? What frightened you? Address those quandaries and figure out how to make your flaws work for you.
Patience and determination will eventually help you learn the talents you need to make the music you know you can make. In order to discover what has to be changed in your productions, solicit honest input from other Electronic Music Producers at a higher level.
Maintain your cool while comparing your music to that of others at a higher level of production. Spend your time wisely organizing your samples and plugins if you want to become a great producer. Auganizer, for example, makes it simple to organize your plugins.
Experiment with new plugins and throw one into the mix every time you make a song to break out of your habit, think about your sounds differently, and achieve a different sonic outcome. Download samples that you would not ordinarily use to expand on an already recognized genre and put your own spin on it. Learn the fundamentals of music and then break them all to help you grow creatively. Think outside the box and experiment to create your own set of rules.
Make contact with a reputable label. Have a professional press photo or a well-designed logo. Your branding should be consistent across all platforms, including Soundcloud. Ideally, you should have additional music that they appreciate. To protect your reputation, you must present yourself as an asset and be honest and professional in your contact with them.
If respectable label contacts you with an attractive agreement, ask them questions that demonstrate your commitment to your integrity and profession. Their responses will assist you in determining whether they are a good fit for you and vice versa.
Collaborating with different artists to create an eclectic take on your sound as your skills become respected and renowned is a terrific approach to building relationships and your brand while learning from them.
Conclusion
It is difficult to make a living as an electronic music producer. It’s not for the weak of the heart. And it’s not something you do just for the sake of doing it. This career could be a search for what takes the imagination to a space that appears to be outside of yourself. And if you can seamlessly transfer it from your heart to the hearts of the audience, you’ve nailed it. The world of EDM is your oyster!
Advice from the Wise
To make a life, any creative person who creates works of art simply requires 1000 loyal fans.