Since as long as I can remember I've been interested in the arts. However the one that always stood out the most to me is music. I love listening to, producing and studying it. I find a life without music would be a difficult and sad one. It’s what gets me through each day and depending on which genre I listen to, it can motivate me as well. This is why I’ve chosen to delve deeper into it. I’ll share a condensed version of how I design a track in this blog post. 

[Refer to my other blog post about tools and software for more information on what I use to produce.] 

The key to producing music is to stay organized and create a plan of attack before you begin. Find your inspiration and think of a story you’d like to tell. If you focus too hard on the technicality of sound, you’ll lose the emotional aspect. This is why it’s important to envision some sort of world or situation and create sounds that tie with it. In my eyes if a listener is not engaged within the first 10 seconds they'll most likely change songs, so make it interesting! Producing in this mindset allows you to maintain a set direction and not stray off the goal.

Once you decide upon what story you’d like to tell, the next step is to design the track. A good workflow I like to use involves drawing out the song before I begin. I'll usually start with the orchestral strings and lay out the foundation. Afterward adding in the percussion and bass. Once the mood and overall structure is set I begin to draw out the details. Little things such as sound effects and noise to create and add suspense to the songs. Once the orchestral layer is completed I being to overlay the electronic parts. Synthesizers, samples, voice clips and those bass drops that seem to be so popular these days.

After the song is completed the task is not yet completed! Mastering is the most important part of sound design, as it divides the good from the bad. Even if you have produced something incredible, if it sounds muddy and distorted no one will want to listen. The key to a good master is to create a professional sound-stage and have crystal clear sound. You want the listeners to feel comfortable with headphones and not squint their eyes or mute the volume. Mastering is done through various programs, and is simply performed through the adjustments of the equalizer, volume spectrum and limiters.

Once mastering has been completed it's time to save, export and share the song with the world!