Searched - How to get started?

[SpaceModule]

Hey guys im new to the forum but not to forums in general. i searched and i was surprised i couldnt really find anything, so either i didnt look hard enough or maybe i can get some help in this thread.

so quick little background. I LOVE lots of types of music. most sub-genres of electronic music. Dubstep stands out most to me and i ave been avidly listening to it for maybe....4....5 years? which i know thats not SUPER long, but considering im 20 i have a good start i think.

i listen to a lot of tracks and get incredibly inspired by sounds. so basically this thread is a how to get started thread. my music history: ive been playing drums for about 7 years now. so i have great ear for beat. thats about it. lol. i also mix tracks for fun on garageband (use it if you have it right?) but i want to actually get serious and try my hand at producing.... or at least give it a shot. ive been wanting to for quite some time now and ive been saving of some money too....

my setup 27" iMac Dual Core i5 12gb RAM and 1TB HD. and i have a M-Audio keyboard i picked up from best buy for like $120.

my next move is software. i was seriously considering Logic Pro 9. but have been trolling the site for a while and seen that there are other great programs too like ableton live, reason, cubase...etc. and advice for picking the right program?

now i dont want to sound like an ignorant kid coming in and asking "How to dubstep?" lol i really want to give this a shot..
so what is the best way to get started?

[blinx]

Have you used garage band at all on the mac for dubstep produciton? if you kind of like that workflow then logic would be a logical step in right direction. I have used logic, reason and ableton and have fallen in love with ableton live 8 but logic has some very nice features and plugins.

Pretty sure you can download a trial for most of these DAWS and give them a test run. Its really a personal preference man. Welcome to the forum!

[SpaceModule]

Meh not so much wor dubstep...but i have for some trance/electro type stuff. my buddy is amazing at piano so he made the melody and i came up with the beats. i would say my biggest question and i feel like a lot of people ask this; is, how do you make the tune sound "full" and not just a beat and melody?

[Phase Down]

http://www.defineaudio.com/the-best-mus ... -software/

basically says, there is no "right" DAW, but try some demos and I'm sure you'll find the right one for you, since you have a nice mac, Logic is a good buy, it is fully packed with a massive library of samples/loops and great vst's to make any sound or effect with, Ableton live is pretty awesome but it's layout just distracts me (personally) I hear many people choose Ableton because of the layout and the workflow but for me it just does not work, it is really nice though as you can change any track into a live set. Cubase is great and really clear for me, just suits my workflow.. but I feel it lacks a bit as the whole package but still is my all time DAW of choice. Reason is not officially classed as a DAW, it can not contain any vst's so you have to work with what reason gives you, which is a hell of a lot and it really gives you a different feeling when you're creating sounds I feel, as it is just like working with hardware and you can even watch the behind and literally plug cables from anywhere to everywhere and route them to your likings.

So best way to get started? Try demos and learn a hell of a lot, making dubstep(or any music) is not your typical 2 hour a week hobby.

Good luck

edit: pads background noises and samples,risers, fx and switch ups, variate your beat good eqing/mix etcetc

[SpaceModule]

Thanks for the quick responses. I have a lot of editing experience with photography and minor video editing. i know Photoshop CS5 like the back of my hand, ive been using it for about 5 years now. i know thats completely separate from audio production. but basically i know it takes time and patience to get to know a software. I really like the layout/workflow of garage band , so i think i am going to go with logic. but i could get started with just a keyboard and a computer correct? theres no other hardware i need?

[Phase Down]

Logic is a great choice, and yes you don't need anything but a computer with a DAW, when you feel like you are ready for the serious journey than start looking at an audio interface / monitors or some decent headphones once you are nice and comfy with Logic and understand mixing / eqing / compressing.

[SpaceModule]

Ok so i went with Logic Pro 9. I JUST installed it. and i was playing with my MIDI keyboard and when the sound comes through my headphones, or desktop speakers its really "crackley", and low quality sounding. could it be that i dont have good enough speakers? should i look into monitors?

this is what i have for desktop speakers.
http://www.klipsch.com/promedia-2-1-computer-speakers

these always sound AMAZING to me at least and all my music in iTunes and whatnot sounds great. so in logic is there a way to adjust sound quality output to speakers? or do i have something setup wrong?

[Collyer]

don't use logic personally but it sounds like a problem with your sample/buffer rate. look in your properties/settings and you should find one of those. sorry to be so vague but i hope it helps a bit haha

[SpaceModule]

when i go to Preferences<Audio... this is what comes up


is it I/O Buffer size i should be looking at?

[123kidd]

Yes. Too large a size will be beneficial to your cpu, however you will experience latency. Too low and you hear weird noises
Try raising the I/O buffer size just until the noises are gone.

[Point Blank Music]

Hey,

Here are some useful links; Dubstep tutorial videos in both Ableton live and Logic -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ0DopG3Bqs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUFOODnPhaE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvgHY3y_6gA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DN60PhltB4

You can also take a free sample course

http://www.pointblankonline.net/sample-a-course/

Let me know if you need any more info/advice