New to music production

[warcer]

Hey,
I am new here and I do not know how to play any instrument but I want to learn how to produce edm. What resources would you recommend for me to be able to learn music theory?

Thank you!

[humanboeing]

For music theory you don't need much as edm is rather simple, google chords, chord inversions and how to build major and minor scales. Another option is to buy a chord plugin like Scaler.

For mixing and mastering, catch this:
https://www.teachmeaudio.com/
https://meldaproduction.com/tutorials/text

I'd advise against using youtube as a learning resource, there are some great channels there but even more people who don't know what they are doing, as a beginner you will get confused and later you'll have to unlearn all the untrue bs you've learned, I'm speaking from experience.

[shockenkleid]

first I would recommend reading music theory for dummies
then enroll in a music production school like point blank music school

[eLawnMust]

Oldskool here... Along with music theory which can get dry & meaningless I recommend JAMMING to whatever kinda EDM tunes you like to develop the 'EAR'. Then you can deconstruct any kinda EDM as you listen to it. And yes, most is not complex but hopefully YOU can change that by adding some spice to a drab genre. Best to listen to old 'disco' to add flavor to modern EDM...

[janPos]

i would recommend to start doing music and you get better at it soon

[twal]

Hey,
I am new here and I do not know how to play any instrument but I want to learn how to produce edm. What resources would you recommend for me to be able to learn music theory?

Thank you!

busyworksbeatsdotcom has a lot of great music theory material by Game, he's a very clear and concise teacher of it. A lot of free youtube videos are available as well if you don't want to pay. Check him out and see if you like him if you want.

[wangeroge]

One tip: don't use Waves plugins.

[jules99]

Some great free resources to get you started:

https://learningmusic.ableton.com/
https://learningsynths.ableton.com/

Both are made by Ableton, a company that makes Ableton Live, a DAW (audio software) that is very common in EDM production, just like FL Studio. But these websites are both completely free and do not require any software.

Then I'd look around what DAW either your friends or artists / producers you like use. Because that will help you stay motivated.

If you're looking for a free DAW, there is Garageband if you have a Mac, Bandlab if you want to produce web-base, and Mulan for both Windows and Macs.

Then I'd look up some basic beginner tutorials on the DAW you chose and start creating some simple beats and melodies. And then start looking for specific EDM tutorials for your DAW. If you stick with it, you'll create the first musical results within a couple of months.

[eLawnMust]

Some good ideas here & opinions vary...

I would avoid buying a DAW as there are SO MANY free ones you need something simple not anything to get lost in or break the bank as you might decide "It's not for me" and EDM can be made in ANYTHING. I have all kinda DAWS - Sequencers & Trackers & I could make EDM in any of them no matter how old they are... BUTT! They are all different in approach, It is a smart approach to start out with something self-contained without too much in the way of other windows or sectors to have to deal with...

You should also try out a tracker as some beginners find them easier to grasp with the line skipping - step recording on the QWERTY right in the forefront.

Protrekkr is a modern Tracker updated, works on anything pretty much Windows, MAC, Linux, AROS.....



It's completely free, hooks right into direct sound, you can use QWERTY or a MIDI keyboard with it...Simple, simple...

You can make EDM in it just fine... I don't make EDM but this is my current WIP in it. This uses both the internal 303s one for riffing & the other dedicated bassline, also internal synth is used as well as PTI instruments...

https://soundcloud.com/waxing-and-wanin ... -iteration

Also I have a couple krappy annotated tut videos-

https://3dtestosterone.net/vidsys/?p=vi ... oeNyWee9-g

https://3dtestosterone.net/vidsys/?p=vi ... neH1lELFyQ

I have more just haven't uploaded yet...

Will put links to download it on next post as forum gets funny about some links...

[eLawnMust]

Here's newest Protrekkr for windows I use it on XP & windows 10 -

https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=50409

That's updated last december I think...

For other platform version is 2.5.4-

https://code.google.com/archive/p/protrekkr/downloads

[Nakahito]

Busy Works Beats is great, you learn lots of stuff from him, you can watch his youtube channel as there's lots of new free stuff to learn every week. He does mostly hip-hop, trap, rap, and stuff like that but all can be applied. For DAW you can go with Traktion, Reaper or Cakewalk, they are free, and pretty much complete, every DAW can do mostly the same, the thing that do changes always is the way of using it as you can feel more comfortable with one or the other. Here's some stuff i made on FL Studio, im gonna add some other stuff i made on abbleton and reaper latter to the same playlist.

https://soundcloud.com/nazareno-mazzolo ... al_sharing

The most important thing as others said, is to make stuff, anything you like, start with a 4-on-the-floor beat and start building stuff arround it.

[Fannon]

Some ideas, but I cannot vouch for them as I started with learning instruments and only then moved towards music producing.

First, if you can avoid it, don't fall into the trap that you need to buy this and that to be able to make music. I'd recommend you to get something like Ableton Live Lite or Bitwig 8-track and ONLY use that. You can get such licenses very cheap here in KVR Forum or (which I'd recommend) you buy a small MIDI controller that comes with such software. You want to learn the basics first and don't get lost in all the possibilities that overwhelm even many experienced producers - so stick with what you get from there and learn to use what you have.

My feeling is that it would be good to start with beats first. It's easy to learn drum programming. Just look up the typical patterns of the genre you're interested in (four on the floor) and program those yourself. If you have a MIDI keyboard, maybe learn playing them yourself via pad controllers and start doing by playing along real tracks, maybe even start jamming / experimenting while at it.

Then a bit of music theory is helpful. Not sure you need a MIDI keyboard here, you can do this all by drawing in MIDI notes in your DAW. Please avoid buying MIDI Chord packs Learn what intervals chords consist out of and start with major / minor / maj7 / min7 (sus2 / sus4?). It's all very simple once you get it and it always follows the same patterns.

For melody it would be nice to have a MIDI keyboard. Just play in something along your beat and chords and jam around it. You'll likely mess it up but you may find good ideas in there you can then correct by hand or by quantizing.

But in summary, I would say - stick to using the basics and learn them first. Maybe get a small (used?) MIDI controller + software / DAW. And don't take shortcuts (that are often offered on YouTube), instead just stick to simple things first. And just create tracks, throw them away and create more, that's how you get the experience - not by watching many YouTube videos (now I'm also teaching to myself.. )

[Nakahito]

Some ideas, but I cannot vouch for them as I started with learning instruments and only then moved towards music producing.

First, if you can avoid it, don't fall into the trap that you need to buy this and that to be able to make music. I'd recommend you to get something like Ableton Live Lite or Bitwig 8-track and ONLY use that. You can get such licenses very cheap here in KVR Forum or (which I'd recommend) you buy a small MIDI controller that comes with such software. You want to learn the basics first and don't get lost in all the possibilities that overwhelm even many experienced producers - so stick with what you get from there and learn to use what you have.

My feeling is that it would be good to start with beats first. It's easy to learn drum programming. Just look up the typical patterns of the genre you're interested in (four on the floor) and program those yourself. If you have a MIDI keyboard, maybe learn playing them yourself via pad controllers and start doing by playing along real tracks, maybe even start jamming / experimenting while at it.

Then a bit of music theory is helpful. Not sure you need a MIDI keyboard here, you can do this all by drawing in MIDI notes in your DAW. Please avoid buying MIDI Chord packs Learn what intervals chords consist out of and start with major / minor / maj7 / min7 (sus2 / sus4?). It's all very simple once you get it and it always follows the same patterns.

For melody it would be nice to have a MIDI keyboard. Just play in something along your beat and chords and jam around it. You'll likely mess it up but you may find good ideas in there you can then correct by hand or by quantizing.

But in summary, I would say - stick to using the basics and learn them first. Maybe get a small (used?) MIDI controller + software / DAW. And don't take shortcuts (that are often offered on YouTube), instead just stick to simple things first. And just create tracks, throw them away and create more, that's how you get the experience - not by watching many YouTube videos (now I'm also teaching to myself.. )

Totally agree, less is more. I end up using the native plugins that come with the DAW most of the time, or some good and nice free/open source plugins, even while having some high spec ones.


***Some of my favorite freebies are the DSK VST, they have lots of things, some of them are great, and all of them are as light as a feather. I love the tabla sound from DSK INDIAN DREAMS, MAN, that one by itself is worth the whole catalogue for me XD .***

If you wanna go EDM you can also check Surge, Zebralette and Zenology (the free roland plugins), among others. Those are very versatile and come with a big patches bank.

[eLawnMust]

Hey Nakahito...Thanks for your 'Like' on my unfinished tune...

I went & listened to all yours on your channel very nice variety there, true musicianship I highly recommend... really liked 'Mars Resort' and 'Stop for a Coffee'...

I gotta get busy with mine but seems busier the older I get along with aches-pains that make creativity harder every year...

you might like a few of these I did...First one I did in Renoise some years ago, no drums, only pot-pan perc, short-

https://soundcloud.com/waxing-and-waning/soylent-greed

Also one I did in Aero Studio years ago, not very good but some like the synth lead which was done in FabFilter Twin2 on 'Grittar' preset-

https://soundcloud.com/waxing-and-waning/apache-swagger


As to post subject I could add more but I haven't yet seen original poster back here yet so we may well be talking to ourselves... One thing I will say is that it is very easy to acquire desktop music tools & all the info one needs about music these days...

In my time it was very expensive, you had to develop your 'EAR' by listening & jamming to records that wear out or skip using an amp that constantly buzzes...OR jamming with others of skill & music interest very different from your own... Carrying heavy equipment from place to place & having the balls to leave it there for a time for future 'jams'. Learning music theory from expensive books or worse...

One time at anothers' jamming had a passage where the guitarist & vocalist were arguing over it, drummer kinda banging away during this spat... THEN all-of-a-sudden drummer DIVES THROUGH his trap set aggressively flailing about destroying quite a bit of it, We all freak & call ambulance come to find out he was epileptic & had not taken the medication...

That 'Porch Band Scene' on the movie 'Slingblade' very realistic, had me laughing...One of my favorite movies ever...

[werners]

for edm
learn t o play the piano/keyboard/synth