There are different ways to learn something.
There’s no one size fits all when it comes to learning. One way we’ve learned is by reading articles like this one on frequency response. We believe everything written here is a viable strategy to learn music production. The best strategy is the one the student can stick with. Learning is a marathon which is why consistency is the one students should look at.
If you have another strategy, please let us kn
Here are some of the best ways to learn music production.
Table of Contents
Feedback Loop
When ranking different ways to learn, judge them by feedback loops.
A feedback loop is when you have a goal and receive feedback on what you’re doing to accomplish that goal, then taking action on the feedback to improve on what you’re doing. The faster you do your inputs, and the faster you receive quality feedback, the better the education.
Learning is all about iteration. You learn something new, then you receive feedback, and then apply it. Once you apply it, you’ll receive feedback, and the loop continues.
The quality of the loop depends on the quality of the feedback, and the time it takes to receive it. After those external components are fixed, everything else depends on how much energy you put in.
Below, we have listed the best ways to learn music production.
Each learning method comes with their own advantages which we’ll talk about. To get the most out of this post, find the learning method that makes the most sense for you and apply it.
Best ways to Learn
Mentor
The most effective and efficient way to learn is through a mentor. If you can find a good mentor, it’s priceless.
The reason why it’s so valuable is because they’ll give you instant feedback assuming you have that type of relationship.
Another reason why it’s valuable is due to the personalization. They can see what you’re doing wrong and give you specific feedback. With mentorship, not only are you getting fast feedback, you’re getting feedback that tailors to your specific weaknesses.
Receiving both will decrease your learning curve. The problem with this is the difficulty of getting a mentor.
One way we can think of finding a mentor is by cold-emailing people you look up to and show them you’ve already put in the work before asking them for advice. If they give you feedback, apply that and show them that you’ve done what they told you to do.
This shows potential mentors that you’re serious. Another way we can think of getting a mentor is by offering to work for free. If you believe the return on investment is worth it in the long run, this is a successful way of learning.
Pros
- Fast feedback
- Specific feedback
Cons
- Finding a mentor
Collaboration
Collaborating is a great way to learn. One problem we have with this is the person you’re collaborating with might not have the expertise compared to a mentor.
If the person you’re collaborating with is your mentor then this is just as good, if not better than a mentorship.
There are a couple reasons why collaboration is great. The best reason why is you’re building music. None of these feedback loops mean anything if you aren’t building something. There are questions you’ll have that you never even thought about once you start creating.
The second reason we believe in collaboration is the person you’re building with is someone you’ll still learn from. They’ll ask questions you never thought of, and they’ll be better in areas you’re not. A collaborator on the same level can hold you accountable and you get the chance to learn from them. Teaching something is a great way to reinforce what you learned and make sure it sticks in your head.
You can also bounce ideas off of each other which brings us to another way to learn music production.
Pros
- Building experience making music
- Learn from someone on the same level
Cons
- Collaborator most likely on your level
Experimentation
We love being able to experiment. It’s fun to play with tools and see where it takes you. Understanding the difference between dynamic and condenser mics, or knowing whether you prefer a clap or snare in a situation is valuable knowledge. Eventually, once you play enough with it, you’ll get better.
This is the advantage of experimenting. It’s feeding your curiosity without structure. It’s similar to playing. You do it because you enjoy it first and foremost.
A downside to this is the feedback loop is stretched out. It’ll take you longer to learn since you don’t have someone giving you feedback in real-time. But, this method of learning is great for someone who doesn’t have time restrictions.
Pros
- More enjoyable
Cons
- Longer learning curve
Online Courses
The final learning method worth mentioning is online learning. In comparison to experimenting, online courses have the advantage when it comes to structure. A learning structure means you have less chance of wasting time.
They give you a roadmap on what fundamentals you need to learn first. In everything you learn, you need to understand the fundamentals first which is why online courses are worth mentioning.
Another advantage with online courses is you can set the pace of learning. In the other methods, you might have to keep up with your mentor or collaborator to keep learning. But, life gets in the way and there are times where you don’t have the bandwidth to do so.
A double-edged sword when it comes to online learning is comfortability. You might get too comfortable with your pace and actually take longer learning. The good part is that comfortability could help accelerate your learning too. Being comfortable while learning makes it easy on others to learn. It just depends on who you are.
It all depends on how much time you have, and figuring out which way you learn best.
Pros
- Roadmap for learning
- Set your pace of learning
Cons
- Comfortability can slow your learning
Finding your Learning Method
The most important action you can take when deciding which route to take is by looking at your lifestyle and time.
Young people with minimal responsibilities have the most options. For the younger people, we recommend finding a mentor to learn from. You can exchange time and energy for knowledge by working for free.
Younger people who need money can always try the collaboration route too. Social media is a great way to connect with other like-minded people.
People with a lot of responsibility are most likely to go with either experimenting or online courses. They provide more flexibility which is the main reason why we would expect them to.
No matter what route you choose, all of them have tradeoffs, and some are harder than others. If you’re serious about learning music production, creating a learning strategy is important.
Knowing which learning method you can stick to the longest, and knowing which method lets you absorb the most information is the right choice regardless of which one you pick.
