Introduction
When you first start getting into music you’ll often start with listening to your favorite bands first, then you’ll move onto getting an instrument, and eventually, you’ll even use that instrument to produce your own music.
However, you can even take that to the next level by using music production software that will allow you to add your music and enhance it digitally meaning you can rival even the biggest music producers out there.
It’s far easier to reach an audience these days which was part of the problem in the past; you often had to be signed by a record company before you would start getting noticed but that simply isn’t the case anymore.
With large and relatively free audiences that you have access to through mediums like YouTube and Soundcloud, you can get thousands and even millions of followers in a relatively short span of time.
With all of that in mind, we’re going to look at the top six reasons why music production is a great hobby and why you should consider taking those next steps to make it your passion.
Make Music the Soundtrack of Your Life: 6 Reasons Why Music Production Is a Great Hobby
1. Music production doesn’t have to be expensive
The great thing about music production these days is that it doesn’t have to be expensive and you don’t have to hire out costly studio rooms just to get some editing in.
You can actually build a decent home studio with a basic laptop, some studio headphones, an external soundcard, and some kind of MIDI input device for when you need to input the notes manually.
As an initial cost, you’re only looking at close to a thousand bucks but in the long-term, this gear doesn’t need to be replaced and will give you thousands of hours of fun or maybe even a career out of it.
The only other costs that are worth factoring in is your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software, such as FL Studio, but even accounting for this it should still have you hovering around the thousand dollar mark.
Compare that to say car racing as a hobby where you can spend thousands every month on repairing or replacing parts, music production is a vastly cheaper option that can even make you money in the long run.
2. Music production allows you to express yourself
Everybody has a way that they express themselves in life, whether that be through physical challenges such as bodybuilding, or perhaps in crafting practical objects such as in woodworking.
With that said, nothing let’s you express yourself better than making your own music — music has the ability to transcend words and can let you express emotions that you didn’t even think were possible.
If you’re trying to communicate a feeling or a mood then music is the best option to do that and can really let you leave your mark on the world.
A great example of this is the ultra-famous pianist/singer, Stevie Wonder, who because of his blindness has limited ability to voice himself without being judged, however, when he starts playing the piano, nobody cares about what he looks like or what his disposition is because it’s simply stunning.
3. Producing music can open up career opportunities
Music production is valuable in and of itself, however, you can also explore a variety of other avenues such as in making trailer music or providing soundtracks for video games that will all net you a decent bit of profit.
It’s not always a case of you making your own music album and then releasing it to the masses to be played on repeat; sometimes you have to take the opportunities that come your way to see what you can make of them which can actually have the most profound effects on shaping your musical career.
For example, Hans Zimmer can play a variety of instruments including the piano, guitar, and banjo, however, he uses that skill to make movie soundtracks rather than simply sticking to one thing.
He found his career defining forte within the movie industry through a lucky break when he was asked to compose the soundtrack for Rain Man.
Prior to this he had only been writing random jingles for a variety of advertisements and playing in rock bands.
You never know where life will take you but it’s important to make the most of opportunities that are given but also creating them for yourself through your musical ability.
4. Producing your own music gives you full creative control
If you’re sick of being given directives by overbearing bandmates or told that you need to create a certain genre of music then we highly recommend going down the route of music production instead.
Not only is it cost-effective, but it also gives you full creative control over what you want to make and even allows you to experiment with a wide range of sound-effects that can lead to unexpected positive outcomes.
A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) gives you access to plenty of built-in sounds and effects but they also let you expand on them with your own downloadable plugins meaning you can get really wacky with some of the stuff you make.
It also means you don’t have to rely on having a dedicated instrumentalist for each part of your soundtrack, but instead, can use synthetic sounds that are part of the music software.
Lastly, it means you’re not beholden to the schedules of less-than-enthusiastic musicians who don’t share the same passion or vision as you.
5. Music production can help you unwind
Many hobbies have a positive impact on your mood but none of them are quite the same as producing your own music.
This is because music requires you to get creative on a level that isn’t quite the same as anything else which almost becomes meditative — you really have to submit yourself to an ultra-focus whether that be for finding the right sound effect, getting the right BPM, and even isolating rogue frequencies during EQ.
When you start finding a groove and the music piece starts coming together it’s like a crescendo of happiness that really fills your soul to the brim with positive energy.
And even if music production isn’t your main career path or hobby for that matter, then it’ll still be waiting for you after a long day at the office for you to sit back, chill, and make some great beats.
6. Producing music means you can make your own soundtrack for various tasks
If you’ve ever ran a YouTube channel then you’ll know the pain of trying to avoid copyright strikes or having your channel being demonetized because a popular piece of music was playing in the background.
There are many situations like this where having the knowledge to produce music can come in handy, not just as a hobby in and of itself, but also because there may be moments in life where a soundtrack will really help enhance or bring to life whatever it is you’re trying to do.
In truth, you never know where a skill will be handy but we know for sure that it’s quite uncommon for people to know how to write, score, and produce epic soundtracks.
Important Questions Answered About Music Production as a Hobby
Is it hard to produce a song?
Making music doesn’t have to be hard, and in truth, you can make any kind of soundtrack you want.
With that said, there are certain industry standards and criteria that lend themselves to making a good piece of music especially if you want to go down a more commercial route that you should get acquainted with first.
To strip it back, most songs need a beat, a bassline, and a melody; you can achieve all of this in your first day in your digital audio workstation but it’s probably not going to be good.
It’s worth doing some research and maybe reading a book on music production first as you’ll need to get to grips with concepts like EQ, BPM, and manipulating sounds for specific effects.
Do music producers make good money?
Music producer salaries vary widely and they could be making as little as nothing all the way up to millions of dollars every year.
The best approach is to take your craft seriously, network with other producers, and beat out all the competition to get recognized to make you the number one choice for whatever projects are available.
As we mentioned briefly in our article, you can get creative and monetize your own music through various online mediums such as social media, YouTube and Soundcloud which is a good first route to go down as you’ll have basically no overheads to cover.
How do music producers get clients?
Getting clients is often a case of doing your own manual outreach and networking with companies, bands, and important people within the industry who can help give you a foundation to work from.
Some of the best advice is to actually go to gigs, attend music events, and basically just embrace the culture of music as you’ll start to notice certain patterns that can help you leverage yourself.
In this industry, don’t be afraid to talk to people or to message them to ask for their thoughts or feedback around the process of landing clients.
Some popular message boards such as Reddit feature dedicated sections for music producers meaning you can directly message people for advice.
Which is the best DAW for beginners?
The most popular DAW (digital audio workstation) software includes Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase, Logic Pro, and FL Studio to name a few.
They can all be used for similar purposes, however, it depends on how you use them to really extract their full music-producing capabilities.
Another point to add is that you can import various plugins and sounds to these workstation programs meaning you don’t have to worry whether one can do more than the other.
They are really versatile but for beginners (if we had to decide) we’d recommend FL Studio or Ableton Live for ease of use.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you should now understand why we think music production is an amazing hobby that really lets you express what you’re feeling and can offer some career-enhancing opportunities that could make you some serious money.
Not only that but if you become noticed enough then you may get the opportunity to work with music superstars or may even be asked to make a soundtrack for a pop song.
It’s not always easy to see what opportunities lie ahead of you when you take advantage of learning a skill but it’s easy to say that you’ll create more avenues for exploration that may lead to something worthwhile.
Lastly, we do think it’s worth reiterating that it’s never been easier to produce your own music and eventually find an audience through popular online mediums like YouTube or Soundcloud.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there and starting making some music and rock our socks off!
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You can also check out our list of hobbies to get an idea of some other pastimes that you may be interested in.
