The music production "pillars of importance"
There’s a concept I like to talk about in my private lessons called the “Music Production Pillars of Importance."
I love teaching it because it’s a simple way to help you gain more control over your entire process, and finish your songs with more control.
Let’s go through them briefly.
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The Music Production Pillars of Importance
🎚️ ***Mixing / Polish***
✨ ****Performance / Dynamics ****
🎸 *****Sound Selection / Design *****
🎹 *****Composition / Songwriting ******
The pillars begin at the bottom, then move upwards.
The “stronger” the lower pillars are, the more of a sturdy foundation your entire track is on.
But with weak lower pillars, the whole song will fall down even if the top pillars are great.
For example, it doesn’t matter how good your mix is if your songwriting sucks.
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PILLAR 1: Composition / Songwriting
Focusing Question: "What are the actual notes being played in my song?”
This is your chords, melodies, and arrangement.
It’s the foundation of your track.
Here, you’re giving yourself the skeleton for everything that comes next.
Think of it like the “sheet music” everyone will be playing.
That’s why it is at the bottom - it’s what every other element builds on - and if you get it right, your song can sound great even in a stock piano.
Get it wrong, and you have no hope unless you have something absolutely incredible and unique elsewhere.
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PILLAR 2: Sound Selection / Design
Focusing Question: "Who’s playing your song and where are they playing it?"
This is about choosing your instruments and sounds.
Are you using an EDM bass? Guitar? Brass? Piano?
Are they playing in a club? A living room? In space?
This pillar is closely tied to your songwriting pillar, as the sounds you choose can heavily influence your composition.
For example, the way you play a distorted bass is different than the way you play a gentle piano.
This is why pillar 1 and 2 can go back and forth with each other a bit as you work on these 2 foundational pillars.
It pays to think about which sounds will fit your songwriting, or what kind of sounds you want to song-write for.
But if you get these 2 first pillars right, you will already have a great song with a clear energy.
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PILLAR 3: Performance / Dynamics
Focusing Question: "With what energy and feel are the sounds being played?"
This is how you bring your sounds to life. 🌱
Imagine a professional guitarist and a beginner both playing the same thing on the same guitar - why does the professional sound better?
Because of the performance they put into the part.
Think note length, vibrato, modulation, automation, pitch bends, velocity, unique FX with plugins…
This is a “life-giving” pillar, and often ignored by intermediate producers.
I have been in lessons where I am able to “save” a production that a producer was about to give up on by simply putting love into the performances.
Get this right, and you will bring your song to a whole immersive new level.
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PILLAR 4: Mixing / Polish
Focusing Question: "Does it sound full, clear, and immersive?"
This is where you bring clarity and polish to the overall production.
Volume is 80% of the game here, but your other essential tools are:
- EQ (volume of specific frequencies)
- Compression (volume over time)
- Saturation (adding harmonics)
- Reverb (the space)
- Delay (adding groove or width)
Make note that you could be using these plugins in Pillars 2 and 3 as well, but you’d be using them to create VIBE and PERFORMANCE.
In Pillar 4 we are using them specifically for clarity and fullness - a bit of a different mentality.
That’s why you can have an absolutely stellar song before you even get to this phase. Because this phase should be about enhancing, not fixing.
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Use These Pillars to Take Control Of Your Production Process
These pillars can help you with everything, from project planning to troubleshooting.
If you find yourself stuck, come back to the pillars… which one needs to be improved?
Turn off plugins, solo instruments, eliminate anything unnecessary, and refine the elements that are there.
This is how you problem-solve.
I hope this perspective helps you next time you sit down to produce.
Remember, it’s all about order of importance…
And this is why one note in your songwriting can have a bigger impact than the most expensive EQ in the world.