Free Music Production Courses and Guides: Where to Start
You want to make music. So you search for a free course, and you get a wall of tutorials, each one assuming you watched the last one.
I've taught music production since 1994. The beginners I've seen give up rarely quit because music is hard. They quit because they started in the middle.
So start at the beginning. Everything below is free.
1. Make one finished song
The fastest way to learn production is to finish something. Not a perfect song. A finished one.
That's why the first thing on my free page is a course, not a PDF. In about 90 minutes you build drums, bass, chords and a melody in Ableton Live, then export the song and share it. Follow along on Ableton's free 30-day trial, or on Live Lite if it came free with your gear.
2. Set up the room you already have
Your speakers lie to you. So do your headphones, and so does your room. The Home Studio Setup Guide gives you six principles for getting an honest sound out of the space you've got, before you spend a dollar on gear.
3. Learn the language
Gain. Bus. Send. Sidechain. Headroom. Production has its own vocabulary, and every tutorial assumes you already speak it. 111 Music Production Terms translates the confusing ones into plain words. Keep it open in a second tab.
4. Starting settings for your first mixes
Once your song exists, you'll want it to sound better. Three short guides give you starting settings that work with any plugin:
- The Magic EQ Settings
- The Magic Compressor Settings
- The Magic Reverb Settings
They're starting points, not rules. Use them, listen, then move the knobs.
5. See the whole process
The 7 Stages of Music Production lays out the stages every song goes through, so you always know where you are and what comes next.
6. Don't do it alone
The Learn Music Production Discord is a free community where you can ask questions, get feedback on your songs and find people to make music with.
Pick one
Don't grab everything at once. Pick the one that fits where you are:
- Never finished a song? Start with the Ableton Live mini-course.
- Your songs sound wrong on other speakers? Start with the Home Studio Setup Guide.
- Lost in tutorials? Start with the 111 terms.
Everything's on one page: levelsmusicproduction.com/free
Each one asks for your email, so I can send it to you.
Futch - Music Production Coach and Ableton Certified Trainer
