The easiest setup for absolute beginners

[zerocrossing]

I'd suggest GarageBand on a Macbook or Mac Mini with a quality USB microphone to start with, then graduate to a small interface and proper microphone if the interest holds. Not sure what the "external stuff" is, but she should be able to use her phone for that.

Acoustica Mixcraft would be an alternative for Windows. There's also Cakewalk by BandLab, but I haven't looked into the new versions/subscription.

I second this. Let her start with Garage Band and a laptop. It’s pretty easy to be up and running in not too much time, and I have a friend who’s recorded some pretty cool tracks which just Garage Band and a MIDI keyboard. When she’s ready to advance, move on to Logic or something. Maybe get a hardware synth for some hands-on fun.

[DrGonzo]

Show them where to look and get out of their way.

That's an uncomfortably solid advice. That's exactly what she did when I wanted to start painting. She gave me a canvas, some colours, brushes, said have fun and let me figure out things myself.

But technology is different though. It has a higher threshold and usually more to keep in your head how to do things. How to arm/record, how to sync, phantom power etc

That's why I think I will make a simple boxed solution that she just have to learn the basics of, like the Ableton Move which might be perfect, as it it's really simple to just hold a button sample your voice or whatever and it's ready to play directly.

But Garageband is also a very good suggestion.

/C

[Uncle E]

Plus, Move has built-in finger drumming lessons.

[bermudagold]

IOS is the easiest way without a doubt

probably...start with loopy on an ipad...can graduate to garageband or stay simple with AUM...the most intuitive, immersive, gamification of music tools are on ios

https://loopypro.com/

[twal]

Reaper configured to start doing everything upon setup with a template. All the routing pre-setup using a full on library with one vst package like Absolute or Falcon. It would be great, because only one synth is needed, Reaper is stable, and is one of the best audio recording workstations. Absolute 6 on here for $200 bucks with Reaper and you have a great, solid setup that can make just about any music with guitars, pianos, percussion... (besides the fact Halion is a little buggy, but No big deal). Any laptop just about will run Reaper. This is one of my setups...

[BBFG#]

Show them where to look and get out of their way.

That's an uncomfortably solid advice. That's exactly what she did when I wanted to start painting. She gave me a canvas, some colours, brushes, said have fun and let me figure out things myself.

But technology is different though. It has a higher threshold and usually more to keep in your head how to do things. How to arm/record, how to sync, phantom power etc

That's why I think I will make a simple boxed solution that she just have to learn the basics of, like the Ableton Move which might be perfect, as it it's really simple to just hold a button sample your voice or whatever and it's ready to play directly.

But Garageband is also a very good suggestion.

/C

Have you been to an art supply lately?

[DrGonzo]

Reaper configured to start doing everything upon setup with a template. All the routing pre-setup using a full on library with one vst package like Absolute or Falcon. It would be great, because only one synth is needed, Reaper is stable, and is one of the best audio recording workstations. Absolute 6 on here for $200 bucks with Reaper and you have a great, solid setup that can make just about any music with guitars, pianos, percussion... (besides the fact Halion is a little buggy, but No big deal). Any laptop just about will run Reaper. This is one of my setups...

Right - also a solid suggestion.

[DrGonzo]

Show them where to look and get out of their way.

That's an uncomfortably solid advice. That's exactly what she did when I wanted to start painting. She gave me a canvas, some colours, brushes, said have fun and let me figure out things myself.

But technology is different though. It has a higher threshold and usually more to keep in your head how to do things. How to arm/record, how to sync, phantom power etc

That's why I think I will make a simple boxed solution that she just have to learn the basics of, like the Ableton Move which might be perfect, as it it's really simple to just hold a button sample your voice or whatever and it's ready to play directly.

But Garageband is also a very good suggestion.

/C

Have you been to an art supply lately?

More than once now I spoke about it with an old friend of mine, and he told me this was his trick to defeat resistance when making music. Whenever he felt the joy of making music to be less than normal, he switches medium and do paintings instead. Or sculptures. Then he goes back to music.