If you’re looking to make it as an artist, you need a hit song. A song that tops charts, captivates audiences and sets you apart from other musicians in the industry. Whether you’re a complete beginner or have already released a handful of tracks, producing a viral hit can definitely be difficult.

But what if there was a way to get started on the right foot, and set yourself up for success? Well, we’re here to help! We’ve put together a list of the top 10 tips for producing your first hit song.

1. Get The Right Gear

2. Understand Your DAW
3. Learn Basic Music Theory
4. Analyze Music That Inspires You

5. Find Your Signature Sound
6. Take Breaks
7. Practice Makes Perfect

8. Ask For Feedback
9. Consider Your Brand Identity
10. Have Your Song Mastered

Without further ado, let’s get started!

| 1. Get The Right Gear

Getting your hands on the correct music gear is the first step in crafting a viral hit song. Music equipment is one of the most important tools for any musician. The quality of your equipment can make a big difference to the quality of your music. Make sure to get yourself a good computer or laptop, a digital audio workstation and a solid pair of studio monitors. Additional equipment to consider includes MIDI keyboards, microphones, headphones, and hardware synthesisers.

| 2. Understand Your DAW

Your digital audio workstation (DAW) is the heart of your studio. It’s where you will spend most of your time creating music, so learning its ins-and-outs is crucial to becoming a successful producer. Different music production programs come with their own set of terminology and quirks, so spend time learning how your DAW works. No matter which DAW you use, there is an endless amount of free online tutorials and lessons available online that can lead you on your way to creating your first hit song. If you need help finding the perfect DAW, click here.

| 3. Learn Basic Music Theory

While there are many components to music theory, understanding music theory basics like chords, scales, and key signatures will help you create better melodies and chord progressions. You don’t need to be a professional musician or a music major to understand these concepts — just take some time to study up on them so that they become second nature when writing your next song.

| 4. Analyze Music That Inspires You

Getting into the habit of critically listening to music that inspires you is key to making a viral hit song. Listening critically means analyzing what works and what doesn’t work within a piece of music so that it can be replicated when writing your own songs. The more familiar you become with the techniques used by songwriters who write hits, the easier it will be for you to replicate them in your own work. Analyzing different pieces of music can help you develop your own unique style and voice as an artist.

Find Your Signature Sound

| 5. Consider Your Brand Identity

Making music is an expression of your identity and for that reason, it’s important to create a brand identity. The way you choose to package yourself will shape how people see you and how they listen to your music. Think of branding as a way to truly differentiate yourself in the music scene and give people something they can recognize and connect with. Accompanying your music with a theme will enable listeners to better identify with you as an artist and therefore connect with your music on an emotional level as well.

| 6. Take Breaks

It may seem counterintuitive, but resting is essential to producing quality music. Resting is crucial to maintaining focus and ensures you stay in the best possible mindset for creating music. Resting will allow you to work more productively and efficiently as well as helping you create better music. Make sure you get enough rest in between sessions, so that you’re relaxed and fresh when you dive back in. If you start to feel drained, take a break.

Take Breaks

| 7. Practice Makes Perfect

Although it sounds cliche, it’s true. Practice is the key to anything in life—especially in music production. Making music is a craft, and like many things in life, it takes time and practice to get good at it. It’s important to not get discouraged when you don’t get something right away. There are so many skills that are involved with making music but if you practice every day, you will certainly get better. The more time you spend learning and mastering music production, the better your music will sound and the closer you will be to producing a hit song.

| 8. Ask For Feedback

When it comes to producing a hit song, it’s important to find people you trust and ask them what they think of your track. Whether it’s a family member, a friend or someone with experience in the music industry, feedback can help you improve your track and get it sounding as good as possible. Sometimes getting an outsider’s perspective can help identify places where your song could use improvement. Feedback can also give you valuable insight into which direction to take with future releases.

Ask For Feedback

| 9. Find Your Signature Sound

When it comes to music, there’s an endless supply of available content. There are artists creating songs around every corner and musicians releasing new albums at a rapid pace. The only way to make your music stand out is by finding your own signature sound. The term“signature sound” generally refers to a particular style or approach to making music that sets you apart from others and makes you stand out as an artist. If you’re trying to produce your first hit song, try searching for what others have done in that genre and come up with something completely different. Every successful artist has a signature sound and an important step in producing your own hit song is to find yours.

| 10. Have Your Song Mastered

Getting your song mastered is a great way to give it that final polish and ensure you’re delivering the best possible product. Mastering is the process of applying equalization, compression and other processes to your final mix to make it sound as good as it possibly can. If you’re serious about making a hit song, send it to a mastering engineer who knows exactly how to get your song to sound perfect on any speaker system. You can get good mastering work done for less than $100 and engineers can sometimes offer discounts for new clients.

Want To Know More?

Here at Live Aspects, we have dozens of useful lessons and tutorials created to enhance your music production skills and help speed up the learning process. You can access our huge range of music theory lessons and production tips and tricks here.

10 Tips For Producing Your First Hit Song