A Beginners Guide To Full Stack Music Production: From Song Idea to Finished Song

Written ByDan Havey Updated on

Introduction

I want to share with you my process for creating professional sounding songs. I call it the SoundCaptor Song Production Process. It starts with understanding how to listen to music to find inspiration all the way to finishing a professional sounding song, ready for the world to hear, all from your home studio.

Follow this process exactly! This is designed to show you how to finish songs and not try to overthink and over complicate things. Do not get side tracked by trying to worry about changing things now.

My best advice is to at least get all the way through this process and finish a few songs before trying to change this process prematurely.

To me creating songs is a multifaceted process full of wonder and complications.

I have found that there are two modes my brain will enter. Creative and Technical. So I have developed a process that I use to create music that allows for switching back and forth from creative to technical at the appropriate times.

Let’s face it, us solo music producers have to wear many hats during the process of creating music. We cannot just stay in creative mood nor can we just stay in technical or non-creative mode. We have to jump back and forth between them. But here is the catch, they are polar opposites and will lead us down different paths.

What am I talking about? I have labeled each step as either Creative or Technical. This is the suggested mind frame to approach this activity. You might ask, well what if the step is creative AND technical? I will answer that by saying this is a good question, but the answer is key to your success. What I have found is that you have to stay in either creative or technical and NOT mix them. This process is designed to help you understand this and you will learn more about this as we go along.

Well when you are in creative mode you want to play your instruments and sing and write lyrics and not think about anything that has to happen on your computer. But you have to capture the recordings in your DAW or on your iPhone so by the nature of this situation you have to jump into technical brain to then get your DAW ready for recording. Then your computer crashes or your have to search for something on the internet to figure out how to do something in your DAW and then you realize you are no longer feeling creative and would rather just jump on the couch and watch YouTube videos and feel like you can never make progress.

Well if this experience resonates with you I want to show you the exact process I use to try and compartmentalize the steps involved in writing music into two categories: technical and creative.

Using this process will help you as a full stack music producer get untuck and get songs finished and not put off till later. Following this process you will be able to go from idea to fully released professional quality tracks ready for streaming or cd or record (your platform of choice).

What would you feel like if you could finally release your original music, professional sounding music for the world to hear?

What would you say if you could get started immediately by following a step by step process that I use that is proven to work?

This is not for everyone, it will require discipline and a lot of action. If you are ready to put in the work, stick to the process, then click here to get the step by step process for free.

You can also join the SoundCapture Community of musicians all working towards the same goal of being creative and making music. You can share ideas, learn tips and trick, ask people to collaborate, etc… the possibilities are only limited to your own imagination on how far you can go with a good process and a great support structure.

Here’s to your success… Let’s capture music together!

Picture of the SoundCaptor Song Production Process – From Idea to Finished Song:

Outline of the SoundCaptor Song Production Process – From Idea to Finished Song:

  • Finding Your Inspiration
    • Introduction
    • How I Define Creative Mode vs. Technical Mode:
    • Listen To Music To Get Inspiration (Creative)
    • Create A Creative Reference Playlist (Technical)
    • Gather MP3, AIFF or WAV Files For Reference Tracks (Technical)
      • How To Buy From Apple Music:
    • Add As Reference Tracks Into DAW (Technical)
    • Listen Like an Engineer In Your DAW (Technical)
      • Add Markers To Understand The Song Structure (Technical)
      • Add Markers To Understand The Song Structure (Technical)
      • Add Tracks To Recreate Reference Track (Technical)
    • Conclusion
  • Capture Your Song Ideas
    • Introduction
    • Record Ideas As They Occur (Creative)
    • Find Reference Tracks (Technical)
    • Prepare Your Song Ideas in Your DAW (Technical)
    • Finding Song Tempo (Technical)
    • Re-Record The Scratch Track (Creative)
    • Conclusion
  • The Art of Songwriting
    • Introduction
    • Song Structure (Technical)
    • Writing Lyrics (Creative)
    • Writing Tablature Notation (Technical)
    • Guitar
      • Tuning (Technical)
      • Strings (Technical)
      • Strumming Patterns (Creative)
      • Pick or No Pick (Creative)
    • Bass Guitar
      • Tuning (Technical)
      • Strings (Technical)
      • Bass Lines (Creative)
      • Pick or No Pick (Creative)
    • Drums
      • Drum Components (Technical)
      • Basic Beat (Technical)
      • Changing Rhythms For Different Song Sections (Creative)
      • Drum Fills (Creative)
    • Keyboards
      • Moog Synthesizer (Technical)
      • Midi Keyboard (Technical)
      • Pencil In Keys (Technical)
      • Keyboard Parts (Creative)
    • Other Sounds and Instrumentation
      • “Add as little as is needed” (Technical)
    • Conclusion
  • Music Practice – Creative Vs. Technical
    • Practice Your Songs (Creative)
    • Share Songs For Feedback (Technical)
    • Listen to Versions of the Songs on Different Devices (Creative)
    • DAW Practice (Technical)
      • Practice DAW Techniques for Tracks, Instruments and Plugins (Technical)
      • Technical Listening (Technical)
      • Update/Refine Technical Reference Playlist (Technical)
      • Practice Recording Your Instruments (Technical)

Conclusion

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Dan Havey

Hi I'm Dan, aka SoundCaptor.

I have a passion for creating music and have a love for storytelling through music. I discovered my musical calling at a young age and since then I've enjoyed crafting music that hopefully resonates with audiences worldwide.

Whether it's through the strumming of a guitar, rolling bass lines, electrifying beats of a drum set, or through heartfelt lyrics of a song, my intent is to captivates listeners and evoke emotion.

I play multiple instruments and am an expert at Logic Pro. I have played in various bands throughout the years, have written two full length albums and continue to create music.

I draw inspiration from indie, classic, grunge, alternative, folk and electronic genres and tend to infuse each song with emotion, authenticity, and a unique artistic flair.

You can also find me golfing, playing tennis or pickleball, mountain biking or working out or simply exploring new sounds and musical horizons. I have a dedication to music and a commitment to spreading knowledge and inspiration through music.

Reach out if you would like to work with me, since I am also interested in helping people bring out the songs they have in their head and release them for the world to hear.

I offer full stack music production services where I can help you write, produce, mix and master your music.

Join me on this musical journey and experience the magic of music and song writing together!

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