How to Create a Truly Professional Song for Free

Getting a digital audio workstation or DAW is the first step to creating a high quality song. If you don’t own any DAW software already, here are some of good options to look into that are completely free to download:

• GarageBand - for Apple products only. Comes preloaded on newer devices or free to download in the app store.

• Audacity - an open-source DAW that gives you the basic necessities.  

• Reaper - full version is free to download, buying a license will cost you around $60.

These systems come with various built-in effects and instrument plugins. Though they are not the best of the best DAW systems, they are great free options that offer you the basics you will need in order to begin your song creation process. 

Sampling music is a great way to begin building your song and is even something the most skilled producers use to create the best hits. This also helps boost the creative process and makes making music super fun. Best of all, there are plenty of online sources where you can download samples free of charge. Here are some of our favorites below: 

• LANDR

• Freesound

• Sample Focus

• Sample Swap

The internet is full of other free sample websites, so feel free to do some digging on your own. Just make sure you do your research to ensure the samples you choose are legal to use. If you have doubts or are questioning whether or not the sample is cleared for use, it’s best you look into a sample clearance company to be safe.  

This will help you avoid any future legal action that could be taken against you if the sample is used without the proper copyright and permission. 

Next, if you are looking to record vocals for your song or maybe add in sounds from an acoustic guitar or other instrument, you’ll need to have a microphone. Do you own a phone? If so, you own a microphone! 

You’ll want to listen to the track on your DAW (using earphones you already own or the ones that came with your phone) while simultaneously singing and recording your vocals through your phone's voice recording app. 

Tip: hold your phone’s mic far away enough from your mouth so your vocals don't peak. You can always go back and edit this in the mixing stage. Also, be sure to email yourself a copy of the audio file in order to import it into your project so you can go back in with effects to make it sound better.

Learning how to mix over the internet is a big task, but not impossible for those who are willing to take the time to learn. Don't let mixing a track overwhelm you, because there are certain online resources you can use to make the process much easier. 

If you are brand new to mixing and starting with the utter basics, there are numerous YouTube videos and online tutorials that are free to access and great for beginners. Below are some that we have found helpful:

• Mixing Explained #1 – Basic Mixing Theory

• How to Mix a Song from Scratch – the Static Mix

• The Only 16 Mixing Tips You’ll Ever Need

Tip: when you are mixing your song, it always helps to have a reference track to listen to so you can measure your progress. Using a professionally mixed song to compare your song to will help you understand what edits need to be made and give you a good standard on how it should sound. 

Undoubtedly, hiring an engineer to master your track is the best route to go for the best sounding song. Even hiring out a paid online mastering service is a solid and sometimes cheaper alternative. But if you are looking for a mastered track on a $0 budget, you can learn to do it yourself. 

Like learning how to mix, you can learn how to master online for free. And here are two video tutorials to help get you started:

• How to Master a Song in 10 Minutes

• How to Master Your Music in 5 Simple Steps

This can be a tricky process, so we highly recommend reaching out to some fellow musicians and producers with good ears to get their feedback on your master. Constructive criticism can be a huge benefit for any musician, so definitely don’t hesitate to ask for it. 

Once you’ve finally finished the track that you worked so hard to make, you’ll definitely want to share it for the world to hear and love. Though this is something you won't be able to do completely free of charge, there are many affordable promotion options on the market.

A good promotion company is definitely worth the investment to help boost your visibility as an artists and increase your number of streams and listeners. We at Omari MC specialize in music promotion and marketing on many different social platforms to help you and your music get the recognition it deserves.

Whether you want to increase your traction on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, or all of the above — we can help you do it. At Omari MC, we’ve promoted more than 15k artists from just about every genre imaginable and have a proven track record of helping artists build their following and gain success. 

Don’t let your track that you put so much effort into go unheard. Reach out to us today to discuss the different options available to help you reach your goals!