Understanding the Music Production Workflow

The Idea

Every great piece of music you hear starts with an idea. That idea can take time to execute. Sometimes, it incubates in your mind; sometimes, it is written down in ink. When I first started making music, however, the idea wasn’t really there. I would simply start making music and keep working on it until it sounded good.

That’s not how anyone should approach making music. It took me a long time to understand my own creative process. Nowadays, I don’t necessarily start with an idea. I start with imagination.

What is my imagination trying to convey? What am I feeling? What are my heart and mind trying to tell me?

Most importantly: Have I translated those feelings properly into music?

Yes, asking these questions is important. However, not everyone approaches creativity in the same way. This blog post isn’t designed to teach you how to translate your imagination into an executable musical idea. Instead, I want to show you a basic approach to making music and how the different stages of the production process come together.

Sketch

What do you do when you get musical inspiration away from your desk?

I have often struggled to translate ideas into execution because I don’t have a strong grasp of music theory. However, that has never stopped me from discovering tunes, melodies, or musical ideas.

Luckily, many of the ideas I get are technical. For example, if a track doesn’t have the proper sonic output, I might increase the input signal going into the compressor and adjust the gain staging accordingly.

Ideas and inspiration have no way of announcing their arrival.

They can appear while you’re working, travelling, eating dinner, lying in bed, or doing something completely unrelated to music.

That’s why writing down your ideas or quickly recording tunes on your smartphone is one of the best ways to keep track of them.

Why is keeping track important?

In simple words: we forget.

It happens to me all the time. When a musical idea pops into my head, I seldom remember it later. Sometimes an idea stays with us naturally; other times, we struggle to recall even the simplest melody.

You can also use a music app, such as a virtual piano or something similar. When a melody suddenly strikes you, play it, record it, recreate it, and then take it into your DAW where you can develop and perfect it.

The important thing is to capture the idea before it disappears.

Arrangement

There are two songs I would like you to listen to before reading further. The first is “Falling” by Peter Gabriel and Afro Celt Sound System, followed by “Why” by Enigma.

In Falling, you will notice all kinds of musical instruments playing together. There are no unnecessary breaks or awkward gaps between instruments. There is space betwSAeen the different elements, but the music flows smoothly without the bass, drums, vocals, and other instruments fighting each other.

In fact, the bass plays only when it needs to, and so do the drums. The major accompaniment, however, works together to create the overall musical picture.

Have you noticed something?

The arrangement in this song is very subtle. No instrument is constantly shouting for attention. The entire song feels balanced, and the musical elements know when to appear and when to step back.

Now, let’s compare that to Why by Enigma.

The song uses instruments that establish a subtle presence. None of them announces its arrival. Instead, each element gradually builds its presence while contributing to the expectation created by the music.

The song doesn’t constantly deviate from that expectation. There are no unnecessary surprises. It features the synth rhythms and percussion grooves typical of Enigma’s music while maintaining a carefully controlled arrangement.

Enigma creates an arrangement that uses relatively few instruments. Michael Cretu then builds the presence of those instruments, determining when one should arrive, when one should pause, and when one should speak.

This is called arrangement, and it is a skill at a different level altogether.

The best way to approach it is to ask yourself:

What do I want my music to do?

What instrument is your music emphasising? Which instrument demands presence? Which instrument needs occasional silence?

There are many questions you could ask, and I cannot list them all here, but I’m sure you get the idea.

Here’s an example.

When I produce music, I make the atmosphere the lead instrument. A two- or three-layer synth can create an atmosphere where the layers merge into one instrument rather than remaining three separate instruments.

The idea is to let those layers lead the music rather than dominate the song.

Melody also needs its own space and silence. Synths don’t necessarily need to occupy every bar. Sometimes, allowing an instrument to disappear is just as important as allowing it to play.

Only through practice and attentive listening can you begin to understand what goes into a musical arrangement.

Recording

I won’t get into the technicalities here.

I do all my voice-over recordings in Audacity using a standard USB dynamic microphone connected to my PC. I haven’t recorded any vocals for my songs yet.

Editing

Editing also falls under Audacity for me. It involves selecting words or sections that don’t sound quite right, enhancing them, and making them sound appropriate for the final recording.

Sound Design

Ah! Here comes my favourite part: sound design. Sound design is similar to recognising a brand. When you see two golden arches in the shape of a capital “M”, you instantly recognise McDonald’s. You notice the subtle “T”, and you know it’s Tesla.

These are visual representations that trigger your memory. When it comes to music, however, what engages listeners is the music itself. One of the most recognisable aspects of music is its sound design. Enigma has a unique sound design that makes its songs instantly recognisable.

You can come across many music projects, producers, and artists that sound like Enigma. Is that brand imitation? I don’t think so. But the moment you listen to Enigma-inspired music and compare it with Enigma itself, you can instantly recognise the difference. Enigma has a very distinct sonic identity.

If you keep sounding like someone else, when will you ever sound like yourself?

That’s why sound design matters. It helps create a separate sonic identity for you as an artist. Over time, listeners can recognise your sound and know that it is you. Getting inspired by an artist is one thing. Imitating them is another. Developing a distinct identity of your own is something else entirely.

Choose that step wisely.

Sound design doesn’t need to be complex or complicated. It should be creative, and adding subtlety can greatly enhance its distinctiveness.

So, how do you approach it?

When I began music production, sound design felt complicated. Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release—the famous ADSR parameters—were definitely intimidating, to say the least. What I learned over time is that it doesn’t have to be complicated.

One of the easiest and most interesting techniques for experimenting with sound design is using equalisation, or EQ.

Yes, you read that right.

Try it.

Write a chord progression or melody lasting four to eight bars in your DAW. Then use EQ not to correct anything, but to deliberately alter the sound characteristics of the synthesiser. The change can be subtle.

In fact, that subtlety is what you should pay attention to first.

Listen carefully to how a small change in frequency can transform the character of a sound. That is sound design.

Mixing

I think mixing is one of the most misunderstood topics in music production. Some YouTubers can make it sound incredibly complicated. It was only recently that I understood how uncomplicated it can actually be.

Let’s try an experiment.

In your DAW, add three layers of synth. They don’t have to be perfect, and the sound selection doesn’t need to be sophisticated.

Just add three layers:

Synth 1

Synth 2

Synth 3

Now listen to them without touching the faders.

Mute Synth 3.

Slowly move the fader of Synth 2 down until it blends naturally with Synth 1. Listen carefully to the sound and notice how the sonic identity changes.

You might not get it right the first time. That’s okay.

Repeat the process several times until you begin to understand how the level of one instrument changes the overall sonic identity of the combined sound.

When you reach a point where the two sounds blend naturally, stop.

Now unmute Synth 3 and repeat the process. Finally, listen to all three sounds together. Move the faders until their individual sonic identities blend into something cohesive.

If they don’t sound appropriate, or you’re simply not happy with the final result, consider changing the sound selection.

If you’re happy with the blended sound of three different synths, what you have achieved, my young apprentice, is mixing.

Remember: no instrument should fight for space.

Mixing helps determine exactly that.

Refer back to the earlier example and listen to Falling by Afro Celt Sound System. Many instruments are playing together, but not a single one of them seems to be fighting for space. That is the beauty of a good mix.

Mastering

Mastering is what comes after you are satisfied with your final mix.

Its purpose is to prepare your music for release so that it translates consistently across different playback systems and distribution platforms.

Most of the time, you will be working on the master channel, making final adjustments such as EQ and compression while checking for issues such as excessive muddiness, uncontrolled bass, or conflicts between the bass and kick drum.

You also want to make sure that the overall balance remains cohesive and that no instrument is fighting unnecessarily for space. There could be many other things you notice that I haven’t mentioned here. That’s why you must pay attention to what you want the final result to achieve.

Your mastering approach will vary depending on the genre you’re working in.

My approach to LUFS is relatively simple. I generally aim around -16 to -14 LUFS integrated, depending on the track and its intended release. There is no single magic LUFS number that works for every song.

The important thing is to achieve a balanced master without destroying

the dynamics of the music.

That’s why you should listen to your final mastered track across the devices you expect your listeners to use.

Don’t forget to use reference tracks to maintain tonal control.

After completing my final master, I transfer it to my phone and listen through the phone speakers. Then I move between different listening devices, from Bluetooth earbuds to wired headphones.

This is where the true test lies.

Feedback

Your final mix doesn’t necessarily end when you export the master.

If you’re part of a music community, you can share your music online before release and ask for genuine feedback.

The feedback you receive can prepare you for the final release and give you valuable insights into how other people perceive your music.

I do this whenever I need genuine feedback, and I’ve found that many people are willing to support you and offer useful perspectives.

Sometimes, another pair of ears can identify something you have become too accustomed to hearing.

Distribution

This is where you finally send your mastered song out into the world.

You will need a proper music distributor who can deliver your songs to thousands of streaming platforms and digital stores.

Once your music has passed through the production process, it’s time to let listeners experience what you created.

The Workflow

The basic workflow is what ultimately constitutes music production.

It starts with a simple idea—or sometimes just an emotion or an image in your imagination—and how you approach and preserve it.

You capture that idea.

You sketch it.

You arrange it.

You record it.

You edit it.

You design its sound.

You mix it.

You master it.

And finally, you distribute it.

But music production isn’t simply about following a checklist. It is about nourishing an idea until it becomes something real. The most important thing is not to lose the original feeling somewhere along the way.

So I’ll end with this:

Love what you do. Do what you love. And enjoy the process.

All the best!