Photo credit: Daniel Thomas
We learn best in community, which is why forums and comment sections are one of the most underrated tools for learning stuff as an indie musician. Obviously, I think this here website is the best one for recording artists to learn from. But I’m biased. So after you’ve delved into DMN’s helpful content, you can check out the below websites and forums that will help you as a recording artist or producer.
TikTok
One of my personal favorite platforms for music advice these days is TikTok. Yes, it may get banned in the United States, but that’s what a VPN is for.
Super talented and award-winning engineers and producers are sharing their advice and tips for free. What an amazing time to be alive. Below are my favorite TikTokers for music-related content…
Engineering/producing/mixing:
Artist development and music marketing:
Gearspace
I once took a microphone off of a karaoke machine at a thrift store and paid less than $10 for it. Thanks to Gearspace, I realized it was comparable to a Shure SM58.
This website is a place where engineers of all levels gather to talk about gear and software and how to use it. But that’s not all it has.
It features interviews with engineers and producers who have worked with some of the most well-known artists. You can also learn about the best recording gear to check out and even some songwriting tips.
Sound On Sound Forum
Sound On Sound is one of the more respected websites in the recording and engineering world. The blog posts are written by legit audio engineers who know their stuff. And their forum is packed full of helpful info too.
The forum is split into categories, like Recording: Gear & Techniques, Mixing, Mastering & Post-Production, Music Business, and so many other topics.
YouTube
You literally don’t ever have to buy another online course ever again. If you want to learn what they will teach you in music school, you can probably learn it on YouTube.
Here are some of my favorite channels about making music and being an artist:
Reddit is kind of like the wild west, but you can still learn a lot. It’s a great place to read about musicians’ real-world experiences with plugins and gear.
r/musicproduction is about anything related to (you guessed it) producing music, but they also have plugin deals and a Discord server.
r/audioengineering is more focused on the details of what gear and software to use, how to record live instruments, tracking digital sounds, and generally making everything sound as good as possible at the source. There’s also a handy FAQs page.
r/recordingmusic is focused on recording music at home. So you can learn about treating your room for sound, find answers to technical issues, and other basic-level topics. This subreddit is ideal for beginners.
There you go. Now you have no excuses for not knowing something about being a recording artist. All the info is sitting on the internet, waiting for you.