For those who are tired of waiting for the type of music they like to come from other artists, creating music is certainly an avenue worth pursuing, as long as you’re passionate about music and willing to put in the work.

Plenty of people have had aspirations of rocking a crowd or having the hottest singer grace the presence of one of their songs. However, few people have the wherewithal to get good enough at the craft of producing to warrant being a best-selling producer/musician.

Below, we go over a few must-have basics for those who are just heading into the trenches and setting out to make music. If you want to know more about song recording, reach out to Producer Confidential for more advice and information.

Since you’re going to be spending a ton of time in the producer’s chair, once you’ve proven to yourself that you’re committed, it’s okay to spend a little extra on equipment you like.

This goes especially true for the things you’ll use everyday, such as your computer/laptop, your microphone, and your headphones. Get gear that you really like and that you feel most comfortable using. It’s worth the investment.

Since producing is going to entail no short amount of computer work, you’ll want to get as musical as possible where you can. In such cases a MID controller/keyboard will come in handy. Sure, you can input and adjust MIDI notes on your computer keyboard, but it’s much more intuitive to do so on a musical keyboard. You’ll also be learning how to play an actual instrument.

Adding acoustic foam panels is a low-cost option to improve the overall sound of your recordings once you get going. Acoustic foams and panels help control how sound is reflected, balancing diffusion and absorption. Please note that acoustic treatment is not sound-proofing, which is another measure worth taking, especially if you plan on playing organic instruments in your studio.

DAWs are used for recording, editing, mixing, and producing music -- it’s the software that helps you make and condense your tracks into shareable files.

There might even be some type of DAW on your computer already -- for instance, Macs have Garageband. You can spend a little extra if you’re serious about making music. Make sure to select a DAW that suits your individual needs and skill level.

There are additional tools and solutions available to help make the arduous undertaking of making music easier on you. Producer Confidential is one such service that gives users access to industry-grade samples, including melody and harmony stacks that will take your songs and ultimately your albums to the next level.

You will want to invest a fair amount of time in music theory as you create music, but you do not want to get bogged down aiming for some sort of perfection. Remember that punk music was a sound that took the world by storm because it sounded bad and like it was made by people who didn’t know what they were doing. So, with this in mind, start making that wonderful music of yours.