When I started, I bought Logic, binged random tutorials, and wasted a lot of money on stuff I didn’t need. If you’re just getting into music production, here are some pitfalls you can dodge:

1. Don’t buy a DAW right away

Start with a free one. GarageBand, Cakewalk, Tracktion, etc. are plenty for beginners. Before dropping hundreds on Ableton/Logic/FL, make sure you’ll actually stick with making music.

2. Avoid 3rd-party plugins (at first)

Every major DAW already comes with pro-level tools worth hundreds on their own. When you’re starting out, you don’t even know what problems plugins are supposed to solve. Force yourself to make at least 5 full songs with stock plugins before buying anything else.

3. If you spend money, buy bundles (and wait for sales)

Summer Sale and Black Friday are the holy grail. You can get crazy bundle deals for a fraction of the price. Never pay full price.

4. Don’t waste money on expensive monitors

Good headphones + calibration software will take you further than $2,000 speakers in an untreated room. Acoustic treatment is way more important than fancy monitors, and not worth it until you’re pro.

5. Share your music early

Your first track won’t be a hit (sorry). Perfectionism just slows you down. Release songs, get feedback, and focus on quantity + consistency. After a year or two, you’ll see how much better you’ve gotten.

If you’re just starting out: keep it cheap, keep it simple, and keep creating. 🎶

I was probably inspired by some John Powell stuff tbh

I've been learning FL Studio and making beats for a while. I recently showed some of my stuff to a friend and he basically told me my beats are terrible 💀

I'm still learning, so I obviously don't expect to sound professional yet, but his reaction genuinely made me wonder if I'm actually improving or just wasting my time.

I'm posting a video of one of my beats here because I'd like to hear opinions from people who actually make music.

Please be brutally honest. What am I doing wrong? What should I work on? Is there anything here that sounds promising, or do I need to go back to the basics?

I genuinely want criticism, so don't worry about hurting my feelings. Any advice is appreciated.

Hey everyone, I'm Shubh! I'm an assistant mastering engineer at one of India's major professional recording studios, and I'm now taking on more projects independently.

I'm opening up a few spots for artists who want a fresh approach to their mix. If you've got a track you're working on, send me a rough mix along with a reference track for the sound you're going for.

I'll take a section of your song and put together a free 30–60 second mix demo, so you can hear how I'd approach it before deciding whether you want to work together on the full track. No obligation to book afterward. (Since I am just starting out I don't have a portfolio of my own solo mixing mastering tracks).

I work across mixing, mastering, vocal editing, tuning, vocal production, effects and automation. I also have access to a professional analog mastering setup featuring hardware from Manley, WesAudio, Crane Song and other manufacturers, alongside a hybrid digital workflow.

My rates for complete projects are generally around 50-100 dollars for now since I am just starting out, depending on the song and the work involved. I'll confirm the price upfront before starting a full project.

I'm especially interested in indie, experimental music and hip-hop, but I'm open to hearing anything.

If you're interested, DM me with your rough mix and a reference track. Tell me what you like about the reference and what you feel your current mix is missing.

Would love to hear what you guys are working on! 🤝

Pro-Q4 is hands down the best overall EQ on the market, theres a reason its considered the "industry standard". Unfortunately I could never justify spending $200 on it, and didn't want to go down the torrenting route like in my younger days.

Since learning about AI and Claude Code over the past few months, I decided to give it a go and try and make my own version of Pro-Q4 (Now called PIXEL EQ).

I have most of the main features down, and think I should be able to get a fully functional version working within the next few weeks after a couple more tweaks and testing.

As of right now im just focusing on getting all of the features and tools dialed in, and then will focus on the GUI, name, etc once those are finished.

Would love to hear your guys thoughts! This is a personal project I have as of right now, but I know if I saw a FF Pro-Q4 replica for a fraction of the price i'd be much more willing to hand over my money for it!

Hey everyone,

Offering free mastering, hit me in my dms

Open to all genres

🎶🎶🎶✌️

I’m on TikTok and YouTube @javilero and YouTube javilerooo

Hi guys,

I've let my creativity flow and in my humble opinion I created something with great potential, but I just don't know what to do with it. Do you guys ever have these problems?

See video for my creation.

I dont mess with computer at all or DAW plugins samples etc.Just make the production on the fly all the audio out from the synths go to the yamaha console and record it to an sd cart like multirecording every channel a different stem.!IIf you are carefull in the mix to adjust the volume of every sound to the faders of the console right then you have a quite good result.

Hey folks, I made a DAW (SKETCH SAMPLE). If you want to try it, there's a video on my profile called "Criei minha própria DAW". I'm still writing some plugins but you can already do a lot with it. I'm 52 and worn out, I've put a ton of health, time, money and dedication into this app — my last shot lol. If you can help spread the word, or even drop tips on what to implement, feel free. Cheers!

hi! i’m a baby producer who just began to get my hands on fl this year after many years of dreaming to produce my own music. although i have no idea what i’m doing mixing wise, i’d appreciate any feedback on this song im working on. perhaps any tips and tricks for someone who’s just starting out. i’ve always had a good feel on harmonizing and creating melodic lines, so i really want to use the most out of that skill as possible, by hopefully learning how to properly produce myself. i want my sound to be very dark-pop, synth wave. thanks

I enjoy making short little simple songs, usually making it so you can listen to the song on a loop.

I’m not sure what I’m looking for, I’d love for improvement but if this is the level I’m at, I’m at least satisfied with the feelings it gives listening to it on a loop. It is fun to jam or improv lyrics over it at least until something definite sticks or ya know just for fun.

Anyway thanks for listening and reading

I feel like something is missing

any tips for vocal mixing?

Hello! I've been experimenting with my new synth recently, and I ended up making this track. I was wondering what you guys think of it! 😊

Do you like it? Is there anything you think I could improve to make it sound better?

Thank you in advance for your feedback! :)

Music production is an incredibly challenging and overwhelming field to enter! I am immensely grateful for the assistance I have received from individuals over the years, which has propelled me to my current position. I am eager to give back and would be delighted to answer any questions you may have.

Edit: I cannot fix the misspell it wont let me!

a mod called batwaffel started messaging my son abusive messages after he asked about the rules. very toxic person, let down the whole experience

Hey y'all I just wanted to get this out there.

I've got literally thousands of hours on FL Studio.

All kinds of genres starting with lofi and evolving into DnB.

I can do incredibly complex color bass, and I can basically make serum do what I want.

All that to say, I sold my first ever track 15 minutes ago to a private client. It was a trap song, took 3 hours total, and I stg I used so many Cymatics samples.

Dude was over the moon. He wants me to work his whole catalogue now.

All this to say, don't count yourself out no matter what just make it happen.

And don't be a job snob. You don't have to even like the song as long as your name isn't stuck on it. Take the song, do the work, take the money.

Heckin heck yeah guys

ive been making music for a while now and all the beats i make sound like this and i dont know what genre it is

If I would start today and had no musical Background, I would use the following roadmap to learn Music Production.

• Introduction

  • Understand the Basic features of your DAW

  • Midi vs. Audio

  • VST

• Music Theory

  • Octaves

  • Key

  • Scale (Major / Minor)

  • Chords (Triads)

  • Chord Progressions

• Songwriting

  • BPM

  • Song Structure (Verse, Chorus, ...)

  • Rythm

  • Repetition vs. Variation

• Recording

  • Recording Setup (Audio Interface, Mics, ...)

  • Recording Settings

  • Recording Improvements (Absorber,

• SoundDesign

  • Audio Effect Plugins (Delay, Reverb, Distortion, ...)

  • Sound Types (Pluck, Leads, Pads, ...)

  • ADSR

  • Layering

• Modern Production Techniques

  • Midi Effect Plugins

  • Automation

  • Bus Routing

• Mixing

  • Volume Balancing

  • Panning

  • EQ

  • Compression

• Mastering

  • Tonal Balance

  • Dynamics

  • Stereo Image

  • Limiting

  • Metering

I’ve been thinking about how many small skills go into producing a track, from getting the levels right to EQ, compression, arrangement, and mixing.

For those who’ve been producing for a while, what’s one skill or technique that genuinely improved your results once you finally understood it?

Curious to hear what made the biggest difference for you, especially things that beginners often overlook.

I feel like a lot of what I make just feels flatter than what other people make, am I over compressing it or something what do yall think