New to the forum, looking for direction/guidance

[versaceroner]

Hey guys, I'm new here and heard great things about this forum so cheers guys! I look forward to learning and eventually contributing here. This is a completely new avenue in my life. I'm 25 years old from Canada and I have absolutely no musical experience aside from playing the trumpet when I was a kid haha. But after a few long, interesting discussions with a good friend of mine we both decided that we want to pursue something we are both passionate about. This will be a complete 180 degree change in focus for the both of us. We decided we're going to structure our time to allow for at least 3-5 hours of learning/studying each day.

I'm really just here because I feel like it's a good first step to take to join a community who share our interests and obviously are far more educated than we are. Now to be a bit more specific as to the advice we're looking for; I'd just like to hear some input on how some of you guys got started, do any of you feel formal education (audio engineering, production, etc) is necessary or do some of you feel its unnecessary and why?

Another question is regarding how we could best utilize our time in these early learning stages? Should we primarily be reading books on music theory? Or should we just dive in and start experimenting with equipment and software and learn through youtube tutorials along with our own trial and error? Keep in mind we are not in a rush and aren't trying to just create music for the fun of it, or create something unoriginal and amateur. We are willing to go through all the learning curves however long it takes and really do this the right way.

We want to work together and already have a general vision of the style our music will be. It will be like a cross between goldroom (chill, ambient) and various future house artists like tchami or pyrodox. And we're hoping we will just find our own unique signature sounds along the way.

So that being said, based on the styles of music we want to pursue, my last inquiry is about what kind of software and equipment we should look into. It just seems like there's so much out there and I'm assuming it changes every year so I figured the best way to narrow this down and see what you guys are presently looking at. Like for example we're considering getting a Maschine along with their MIDI keyboard, Not yet sure about which DAW we will get. I was also really interested in a large pack of various softwares compiled into one big package. I saw they have the komplete 10, which looked to me like a whole bunch of VST's in one large bundle. I know its early on but we are both very creative and excited to sample from a vast array of different genres. So yeah, any thoughts recommendations regarding software and/or actual physical equipment would be awesome.

Long OP I know so here's some
CLIFFS:
-25 yrs old with no music experience wants to get into learning about electronic music production and possibly music theory if necessary (we will obviously learn theory eventually and we are open to learning it right away, but just want to know what is most important things to learn about first in order to get started quickly as possible)
-I will be working with a friend, our eventual goal to be duo performing artists. So that could be a whole other discussion in itself. Any advice there would be great.
-Tell us about which software and equipment you guys prefer and why? Also recommend any books?
-Also any thoughts regarding our musical tastes and if you feel like it fits with the direction edm music is moving over the next few years or not, and if that even matters?

Thanks guys! Really looking forward to getting some advice. Any really thoughtful advice will not be taken lightly we remember everyone who helps us Cheers!!

[Redmerkurii]

Hello and welcome to KvR, in regards to this particular site and your coming from the complete novice angle is to spend your time here lurking, reading and cross referencing. There are some excellent personalities to be found here with literally decades of experience in music tech related fields. In regards to what you aim to achieve from your obvious enthusiasm is that your goals may change over time. In regards to going out and buying gear I would reccomend to start on a really small budget because this thing can easily turn into a huge money pit. There are a ton of freebies out there that are absolute quality, make the most of what you already have and milk it for all its worth until you're absolutley sure to move up a level. There's a heap of other cool sites and youtube channels to explore too. In regards to music theory books try your local library it's a great free resource. Having a collaborative friend will help you massively as you can bounce ideas off each other and gain experience quickly. Other than that have FUN!

[Passing Bye]

Welcome!

Agree with what is said above, there are plenty of free resources for everything and quite good ones too, but as with everything, you see their true value and find them in true light as you move along, give me now budget and I will score some good personal setup, but that's because I know what I need and like, what get's best out of me and what is relevant to my creation, that maybe isn't applicable to anyone else.

Nothing beats having a really productive good start and first steps, better to focus on little and spot on info, sure you can always watch tons of videos, read tons of forum threads and books, but in the end of the day, you will be doing that whole your time so in my honest opinion, for starters it's just better getting there focused.

Having said all that, I find DMP-Dance Music Production fundamental series to be great value to anyone starting out with electronic music in concern, everything is laid out to follow all the necessary steps one should cover before he can get hold on making a full blown track, tutoring is spot on and it really sets them apart from many, there is also dance music manual from them, worth checking out.

http://www.dancemusicproduction.com/ind ... ndamentals

You can't go wrong with Komplete, but you could wait a little with that and just pick a DAW, than explore what you got there to play with, from there you can open a thread or already find some other solid options to cover some needs or anything, don't be shy, just ask, this forum is right place for that kind of info really.

There's a thing in getting creative and tweaky, so yes, some gear/toys are always nice, Maschine is nice choice and even some nice synth on long run, just to get tweaky and stuff, but that's not important that much right now, but have that opened as option for sure, nice MIDI keyboard controller is a must.

So yeah, I think that's enough info for now, if you have any further questions, I'm here

[rod_zero]

Get piano lessons, they will make learning theory easier. look for a good teacher that also teaches composition.

As for gear If I was starting again Ableton Push would be my first piece of gear, it's fun and makes composing easy for a beginner.

[Taifunk]

Hello and welcome I'm also new to kvr, but I follow the forum as a reader for many years, I agree with the things already mentioned, and if I can be of help I suggest you concentrate well on the direction you want to follow in order to understand what tools you may need, I think the most important thing is to experiment, there are excellent free tools and also superior to many of the commercial ones if I were you I would start with these so immediately begin to focus on the music without being distracted from investments risky. when I started I would have paid many dollars just to synth1 and other great free tools that now exist. in Italy we say "is not very important what you have but how you use it" sorry for my bad english, I'm here for any help.

[versaceroner]

Thanks for the advice so far I really appreciate it. I just purchased the book "How music works" by David Byrne. I felt like that would be a good starting point to get some general education on music as a whole. And then I plan on taking the Learning piano by ear course by Ozie Cargile.

For now just wondered if any of you could maybe recommend some good quality free tools I could use to start experimenting with? And also just curious for when I eventually do make a purchase I was wondering if any of you have experience with Ableton and if so, what do you think is the best VST and MIDI keyboard to go along with it? Or any more general advice is extremely helpful thanks guys

[V0RT3X]

I'm a long time Ableton live standard user, and I honestly can't recommend it enough to people. It's an excellent program for both studio and live performing so i think it would be a great place to start. Live 9 comes with an excellent set of HQ effects so you won't really need much else to start out with when making quality mixes. Yes it is a bit expensive to buy, but it is an amazing program to use for music and sound design once you learn most of it's tricks.

If you can afford it, maybe look into purchasing Ableton Push as well, because it's a great tool to use and learn on and gives you hands on control of live.



Video about Ableton Push




For 3rd party instrument plugins that are good for ambient, chill style music i would highly recommend the following listed below. These are all absolutely amazing value for money plugins and you will find they will cover ALOT of sonic territory. You might also not need much more for electronic music production, as both + the ableton library will provide you with years and years of content.

However before i go on, i should mention that both will require dedication as they are very deep instruments. Zebra2 would probably be the best one to start with and then Reaktor would be a good logical second option.

U-he Zebra
http://www.u-he.com/cms/zebra

Zebra2 is a excellent synthesizer to learn synthesis on, and you can really find some amazing sound packs for it that expand it quite a bit. One really awesome thing about Zebra is the X/Y pads that you can use for live performances! It also ships with a very nice Reverb, a simpler synthesizer based on one of it's oscillators called Zebralette, and Zebrify which lets you use all of Zebras HQ FX on other tracks.




Native Instruments Reaktor
http://www.native-instruments.com/en/pr ... reaktor-5/
Reaktor would be excellent for when you want to get a bit more experimental than what Zebra has to offer and has an excellent set of tools that can be used for live performances. You don't have to build stuff with Reaktor, in fact you can really enjoy the plugin with all the 3rd party & factory stuff. However for sound design stuff you get ALOT of bang for your buck with reaktor! Reaktor also comes with an FX version that you can use.



All of these plugins & Ableton Live can be found on the market place 2nd hand for much cheaper than the retail price so be patient.

[rod_zero]

If you are going to choose Ableton Live inesting in Push is a great option, it will make your learning more fun and fast.

[Taifunk]

about free synth I suggest these :
Synth1
Xhip
TAL-NoiseMaker
TyrellN6
Mausynth

if you like watching here
http://bedroomproducersblog.com/free-vst-plugins/

[Passing Bye]

For now just wondered if any of you could maybe recommend some good quality free tools I could use to start experimenting with?

Just use your DAW stock stuff, you are more than covered in majority cases whatever DAW you choose

[arkmabat]

Mulab free, Kajerhus Classic Effects, Synth1, Dexed and OBXD should be plenty to start with. All free.

[Passing Bye]

I find simpler limited synth's really fun and productive, dunno, there's something about them, you just tweak and tweak and there's not much to tweak and little by little you have a blast just trying to overcome limitations and results are great, especially if you are starting out and you wanna have some fun and learn synthesis.

This one is free

http://www.kvraudio.com/product/charlat ... ngineering

and this one is awesome

http://www.kvraudio.com/product/tal-bas ... audio-line

Both on same principle, simple, limited, fun and productive, both sound great and both will fit into your chill/ambient thing

Maybe this inspire you towards your new setup

[deastman]

I agree that Ableton Live is a great choice, especially if you eventually plan on performing live.

Push is great. I own one. But I would not recommend it right now. The reason being that it will get in the way of learning to play a proper piano keyboard. It's like a big red easy button. You can get Push or some other grid controller later on if you decide that you need one.

I strongly recommend that you invest in piano lessons. It is a lifelong skill, and really worth your time. Knowing how to play a keyboard and the basics of music theory will make your journey into music much easier.

Get Ableton Live, a full size 5 octave MIDI controller keyboard, an audio interface for your computer, and some studio monitors (speakers). Stick with the instruments included with Ableton and whatever other free plugins you choose. When you are starting out, having too many choices will just confuse you. The focus should be on learning the basics of playing, composing, and recording. Getting bogged down in a bunch of different plugins and hardware controllers will only be a hindrance to your real goal. That goal should be to make music, not collect toys.

Which brings me to my final point: practice. You have to be very disciplined about practicing every day. We only improve by doing. It is easy to fall into the trap of just watching a lot of videos and reading books and fooling yourself into thinking you are getting somewhere. You will only improve through practice.

Good luck!

[fedexnman]

For free , I would ........
1. Mulab free - basically 4 tracks but has some descent synths , pianos , drums etc etc . You can also use your computer keyboard as a piano keyboard for now ...... Basically more geared for a midi DAW host .
2. Asio4all .....for your computers soundcard or motherboard sound . Just make sure you figure out whether you are gonna use a 32 or 64 bit host ....I'd recommend going 32 bit for now , because there is so much free stuff out there .
3. Podium free ... here is your audio n midi host .....
I'd look into some kind of USB midi keyboard controller maybe a 49 key , maybe a used one .

[Passing Bye]

Check out Btiwig also while you are at it, if you are leaning towards Live, that's the only thing comparable

http://www.bitwig.com/en/home/recent-news.html