It takes approximately 3 minutes to listen to one song but there is a whole process behind the making of that ONE song. This process can take anywhere between 3 days to 3 weeks to even months as the music-making process can vary widely depending on the artist, genre and individual creative approach. Here's a general outline of the steps involved in the music-making process:
➡️ Idea Generation and Conceptualisation:-
This is where the initial spark of inspiration occurs. It could come from a melody, a chord progression, a lyrical idea, a theme, an emotion etc.
➡️ Pre-Production:
This includes deciding on the key, tempo, time signature, instrumentation and overall arrangement of the song. Artists might create a rough outline or a basic structure.
➡️ Composition:
Songwriting takes place during this phase. Musicians write melodies, chord progressions, lyrics and other musical elements. Some might start with lyrics, while others might build around a melody or rhythm.
➡️ Arrangement & production:
In this stage, the structure of the song is fleshed out. It involves determining where verses, choruses, bridges and other sections will go. The instruments are programmed around the song. The arrangement can significantly impact the song's dynamics and emotional impact.
➡️ Recording:
This is where the actual recording of instruments and vocals takes place. It can involve tracking each instrument separately or recording live performances, depending on the style and available resources.
➡️ Coming back to production again:
This stage involves refining the recorded tracks. It includes processes like editing, tuning vocals, adding effects and balancing the levels of different instruments to create a polished and cohesive sound.
➡️ Mixing:
Mixing is the process of blending individual tracks together. It involves adjusting the volume, panning, EQ (equalization), compression, reverb and other effects to create a balanced and engaging sonic landscape.
➡️ Mastering:
Mastering is the final step in the production process. It focuses on preparing the entire album or song collection for distribution. It includes optimizing the overall audio quality, adjusting levels, and ensuring consistency across tracks.
➡️ Feedback and Revisions:
Throughout the process, artists often seek feedback from peers, collaborators or professionals. Based on the feedback, they might make revisions to improve the song's quality.
As indie artists, we tend to take care of all these processes and be a part of each and every process. Most of these processes are done by us independently while some are outsourced. At times, we also collaborate with other artists to bring a different colour to the track.
End of day, the key is to find a process that works best for artists and allows our creative vision to come to life.