Getting started
Music production for beginners
What it is, what you need, how to begin.
- What music production actually is
- The only thing you need to start (hint: just software)
- Building blocks: rhythm, bass, harmony, melody, texture
- 7 steps from download to your first export
- Common beginner mistakes and how to avoid them
Make your first beat
From opening the app to hearing it loop.
- Build a drum pattern: kick on 1+3, snare on 2+4, hats everywhere
- Add a bassline with scale lock
- Layer a melody on top
- Shape with filter, reverb, drive
- Mix and export to WAV
DAWG for beginners
Why DAWG works when other DAWs don't.
- No empty timeline - instruments already loaded
- Scale lock means no wrong notes
- 9 scales built in (try Pentatonic Minor first)
- Game-like workflow with a real audio engine underneath
Core concepts
Step sequencer
The grid that makes beat-making visual.
Time goes left to right, pitch goes top to bottom. Tap a cell to place a note. The pattern loops so you hear every change instantly. 16 steps = 1 bar.
Full guide →
Piano roll
Draw melodies with full control.
Variable note lengths, velocity per note, chromatic pitch range. The next step up from the grid when you want precision editing.
Full guide →
Layering instruments
Drums + bass + chords + melody = track.
Start with drums, add bass for weight, chords for mood, melody on top, texture for polish. Each layer has its own frequency space.
Full guide →
Effects
Reverb, delay, filter, drive.
Reverb adds space, delay adds echoes, filter shapes tone, drive adds warmth. Use sparingly - keep kick and bass clean, add space to melodics.
Full guide →
Exporting
Finish and save as WAV.
Check mixer levels, mute anything you don't want, render to WAV. Drop on SoundCloud, use in a video, send to friends.
Full guide →Devices and setups
MIDI keyboard
Play notes by hand. USB or Bluetooth.
You don't need to know piano. A 25-key mini keyboard (under 50 EUR) is enough. Plug USB or pair Bluetooth, DAWG detects it. Play notes, record into patterns.
Full guide →
Android
Your phone is a portable studio.
Same app, same instruments, touch-optimized. Add BT headphones and optionally a BT mouse. Multi-touch, accelerometer, USB MIDI via OTG.
Full guide →
Steam Deck
Gamepad + trackpads + touchscreen.
D-pad navigates the grid, triggers control transport, right stick controls FX pad. Add a USB-C MIDI keyboard for the full experience.
Full guide →
Touch production
Fingers-first on any touchscreen.
Tap, drag, multi-touch, tilt. Works on phones, tablets, touchscreen laptops. Landscape mode for more steps. Add a BT mouse for precision.
Full guide →Genre guides
House
Four-on-the-floor, offbeat hats, rolling bass.
120-130 BPM. Kick on every beat, claps on 2+4, open hats on offbeats. Add a rhodes chord stab and a filtered bassline. Instant groove.
Full tutorial →
Lo-fi
Chill, dusty, jazzy.
70-90 BPM. Soft drums, warm Rhodes chords, gentle melody. Filter everything to cut highs. Add drive for warmth. Mix quietly.
Full tutorial →
Techno
Driving, hypnotic, minimal.
125-140 BPM. Heavy kick on every beat, crisp 16th hats, dark filtered bass. No melody needed - rhythm and texture carry the track. Add drive.
Full tutorial →