New to producing

[djbmc]

I would go and pick up a cheap MIDI keyboard, one with a basic version of Cubase or Ableton included, (a little keybaord is essential IMO) then go from there, FL Studio isn't like other DAWs and u may find it hard to adapt later on.

edit: c/s reason as well i learnt on Reason, it gave me a good visual idea of how concepts such as buses work, the synths and the whole cv routing thing was intuitive and very stable. When i wanted to work with audio, that's when i checked out Cubase essentials, mainly for audio editing but it was completely vst compatible as well.

[DubLeopard]

Yeah I was probably thinking I would need a keyboard too.

Know anywhere thats good to pick one up from? Or shall I just check out ebay and amazon ect?

[Aphile]

To be fair I produced with Reason for about 6 months. Moved to Ableton, and within a week was putting out stuff that was a hell of a lot better. Everything just improved. So easy to use after you spend a day or two in it.

This. Reason helped lay alot of groundwork for me. Then when I finally switched over to ableton I have the best of both words. Now that Reason 6 just came out, I have to consider it because of the new audio implementation!

[Fullmetaljak]

The problem with choosing the right software (Ableton, Logic, FL studio etc.) is that everyone is gunna say there's is better than the next. Normally the first one you learn to use is the one you use for life (almost anyways). I would suggest Logic, however I am a Logic user. I wouldn't suggest Ableton as I find it hard to use, but then this is because I am so used to using Logic (and because I can't adapt to change lol).

All you can do is try some trials and see which suits you best, they all do the same thing and are almost as powerful as each other (Ableton has a better bpm matching algorithm and is more of a live software package) but other than that you can make music with all of them.

Also it's not so much the software as much the person using it and the VSTs/Plugins you fit it with

Hope it helps

[mitchAUS]

I tried FL Studio and Reason 4 before I bought Ableton. Found Ableton pretty easy to learn but after a year with it I wasn't content so ended up with logic and love it. It may be worth considering your learning style. If you think you won't bother reading the manuel and are going to rely on youtube videos to learn then Ableton or FL are probably the most covered, especially Ableton.

There are a few things you should look at as your starting out:

Production Techniques
1. Your going to want to understand the difference between audio and midi and how the DAW handles the two.
2. What is a VST/au, and the difference between Instruments and Effects. (ps. FL names instruments generators from memory)
3. Basic routing (THIS IS KEY, IT IS THE BASIS OF MANY PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES)
4. Basic gain staging.
Music Theory
1. What is a time signature, what is a bar, what is a beat, what is rhythm etc.
2. Understand key signature, scales, pitch etc
3. Once you understand rhythm and pitch you can look at structure. Structure is what makes music make sense.
4. Learn some basic drum patterns to bass your beats (You can use drum lessons to make sense of drumming. For dubstep, take a funk drum pattern but have it at half time, It will give you the basis of getting things in time.)

*Feel free to skip the next paragraph as its just me getting nostalgic about my early production experiences"
A useful resource that I think often gets overlooked is drum tutorials on youtube, books etc. I have a piano background and had some composition knowledge from that, but I couldn't write drums. The first time i ever came across music production was on Finale in 2005 and we had to remake Prisoner of Society by the Living End using the general midi sounds that came with the notation software. We were given the sheet music for guitar and vocal parts and then had to make our own drums. While the rest of my class sat there struggling to make a beat that made sense I went and grabbed "A Song Book for Rock Drummers" and looked at where they placed thee kick, snare and hats and what was done for the fills. Still to this day i use this technique. I was feeling some soca inspired rhythms but knew nothing about them...not much of a soca scene in Australia haha... So I searched for a soca drum tutorial and sequenced what the guy said to play. Once I started understanding the vibe I was able to branch off and have fun with that.

It is a lot to take in a first but that should give you some fundamental knowledge into starting to make some tracks.



My advice to a beginner is that producing music will not be a cheap hobby. I mean you can get away with freeware for most things but I don't know anyone on here who uses freeware exclusively and monitors, audio interfaces, midi controllers etc. cost. Its also a hobby that takes shit loads of time to get good at (some exceptions but I couldn't name any) and most of us will never get back the money we invest into production.

Botom line is, find a DAW that is fun to use. In the end DAW's are pretty much on par these days so its just about finding something that your going to enjoy using.

[DubLeopard]

Yeah just seems to be getting mixed opinions on it. So I'm just like

Lol. I'm just gonna get a few demos and see which one I like best. Lol

But thanks for the advice anyway guys. I reall appreciate it

[Stubs]

I am new to producing as well, started a couple of weeks ago.
I started out with Reason but it didn't do it for me, so I tried Cubase and I'm very happy with it.
A lot of the programs have free trails, so I think trying out a couple of different ones is not a bad idea.

[billybuxton]

I wish I had started with Ableton because it did take me a while to learn it after being used to FL studio. I personally feel like Ableton feels like a more natural work flow while FL seems claustraphobic in a sense.

I 100% agree with this
But if i did't use FL first i dont't think Ableton would have made as much sense to me.

[Turnipish_Thoughts]

I don't like FL Studio. I found it really badly designed and too 'gimmicky' and flashy and a bit vague and confusing. Of course thats just me though. I personally use Reaper and occasionally whip out Reason for rewire.

I started on Reason, then moved onto Reason+Cubase. Ditched cubase like a hot rock when I found Reaper though, it''s seriously all you need from a DAW, especially with Reason Re-wired.

Up to you though. The biggest advice i could give you as you're just starting out is, do not worry too much about which DAW you're using and worry a hell of a lot more about learning the craft of computer music creation. Learn synthesis, LEARN MUSIC THEORY! get intimate with music creation and don't fall into the trap of thinking understanding the DAW or the units will magically make you write good music.

Start simple, learn the craft of melody making, harmony and composition as much (if not more) than you are learning synthesis, sound creation, sampling, DAW logistics, FX units 'whens and hows', virtual studio ins and outs, signal flow, mixdown (Stereo field/panorama/frequency/amplitude balancing) mastering so on and so forth.

Its a big subject. Balance your research!