How to Learn Music Production for FREE!
Ask Yourself These 4 Questions…
Have you ever wanted to learn music production but feel intimidated because you don’t know anything about producing music?
Do you wonder what it would be like to make beats and collaborate with singers, guitarists, and other musicians but have no idea where to start?
Would you love to learn how to turn your passion for listening to music into a passion for making music?
Are you interested in getting started with music production but don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on formal education?
The Answer – Learn Music Production in Your Own Bedroom!
If you answered a yes to at least 2 of those 4 questions, you’re right where you need to be! In this article, I’m going to show you how you can go from knowing nothing about music production to becoming a proficient music producer.
And best of all, you can do this in the comfort of your own bedroom – for FREE!
I Knew Nothing About Music Production
Before I released my debut single, Drop It, I knew absolutely nothing about composing or producing music. In fact, even as a producer, I still don’t know music theory or even how to read sheet music. What I can tell you is I know how to listen to music. And that’s the most important aspect of being a music producer.
If you have a good ear, then you have good beats. I started my producer journey by recording the beats I had in my head into an audio recorder app on my phone. I said to myself “one day, I’ll make a song out of this.” Truth is, I didn’t do shit with any of the recordings for months. Then covid hit.
I was furloughed and quarantine lock down had me bored out of my mind. I started researching ways to learn music production for free or as cheap as possible.
Then, I discovered Coursera…
Welcome to the MOOC
If you’ve never heard of Coursera, it’s your lucky day! Coursera is a MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) website. They offer over 5,000 courses in hundreds of different fields and many different languages. And their classes are taught by professors and instructors from top notch colleges all over the world.
Some of the Universities offering classes are Berklee College of Music, Duke, University of Glasgow, University of Kentucky, Stanford, University of Copenhagen, University of Michigan, Leiden University, Penn State, University of Illinois, University of Sydney, and University of Hong Kong to name a small few.
Free Education That Goes Beyond Learning Music Production
Coursera has enabled hundreds of thousands of people to learn new skills, get promoted at their job, or start a new career altogether. In fact, aside from the music production courses I completed, I have taken several free STEM courses that gave me the knowledge and confidence to earn significantly more at my engineering day job.
I cannot express enough how invaluable Coursera is! Many people have even used the new skills they’ve learned to start their own business or build their entrepreneurial portfolio. And above all, these courses are FREE (if you choose the audit course option).
Their free music production courses are what influenced the words you’re reading right now.
Here’s How to Learn Music Production for FREE!
When I stumbled upon Berklee College’s Music Production Specializations on Coursera, my life was changed forever! These are the two music production specializations I completed and recommend on Coursera:
There are 4 courses in each of the two specializations – 8 total courses. However, there is a duplicate course, The Technology of Music Production. So you would technically only need to complete 7 courses total. There are also courses for 2 different DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations – the software used to record and produce music).
One course teaches the basics of Ableton Live, and the other teaches the basics of Pro Tools. If you choose one over the other, that knocks your total course count down to only 6!
Choose Your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
I chose to go with Ableton Live basics. The reason is simple. I downloaded and experimented with the trial version of 5 different DAWs. Based on my preferences of user friendliness, similarity to drag and drop MS Office applications, and the option to record in session or arrangement view, I went with the Ableton Live.
Therefore, this article is based on Ableton Live. I encourage you to also experiment with different DAWs and find one you resonate with. Even if it isn’t Ableton Live or Pro Tools, the concept is virtually the same as all DAWs have the same functionality. It’s just a matter of learning where things are in the different DAWs.
The Secret is to Audit the Course
To keep things simple and relevant, I’m sticking to Ableton Live. I completed all 7 courses in both specializations but I didn’t pay a dime because I chose the option to audit the courses.
If you didn’t know, you can actually audit any Coursera course for free! The only difference is that you don’t get a certificate of completion when you finish. But if you just want to learn and don’t care about the cert, you pay nothing. What’s better than free?
The only thing you’ll need is the free 90-day trial of Ableton Live. Oh, and a willingness and desire to put forth the needed effort.
Start Your Music Production Journey Now
The courses in both specializations take you from complete beginner with no experience in music to being able to compose and produce a whole song. Plus they give you the tools if you want to take it a step further and start mixing and mastering your song.
With the ever-increasing cost of college and higher learning institutions, there’s never been anything more important to empowering society than Coursera and other MOOC websites.
Empower Your Career and Your Personal Life
Even if you’re just learning music production as a hobby, to receive this information for free is incredible. This is great considering the record number of people who hate their job or are unsatisfied with their current career. So whether you’re in it for fun or the possibility of starting a career in music, Coursera has you covered.
That said, I highly recommend taking advantage of their free education options. Even beyond music production, I encourage you to explore courses in other fields to enhance your career and personal life. There’s something for everyone!
With Berklee College’s Coursera courses, anyone can learn music production for free!
If you know someone who aspires to become a music producer for free, please share this article. And drop a comment below if you learned something valuable.
