newbie here - question about educational resources

[HORTLE]

Hello,

this forum appears to be an amazing fountain of knowledge. countless threads that contain so much information. i'm excited to dive in.

ive gone to music school for the past four years studying something unrelated to production and only have a little experience recording instruments and vocals in logic. however, i've tinkered with FL, logic, and ableton, and FL feels the most natural to me. Im going with the $200 version and am considering buying harmor as well. My tastes in genre are somewhat eclectic - i listen to a good amount of dubstep, dnb, electro, but also a lot of guys like lindsay lowend, pomo, and video game influenced stuff from guys like maxo and dj cutman. I enjoy the r&b/"jazzy" elements in the latter type stuff.

my grasp on theory is very good, but i'm basically starting from the ground up in terms of audio production. to be specific, I'm looking for:

-basics of audio (waves and frequencies)
-how to optimally use FL for songwriting purposes
-how best to use hardware (24 key midi controller, scarlett solo interface, studio monitors)

Video guides or books alike, I generally have no preference. Sorry if this post is a little spoon feedy. Thanks guys for any advice.

[DEEEF]

Well, the first thing you should do is learning to work with your DAW(fl in your case).
The fruity loop manual is pretty straight forward.There are also alot of youtube videos that can help you. But using the program ALOT is really the only way to get the hang of it. Learn the shortkeys, develop your own workflow,...
If you want to go a little more in depth. You could always read some books about mixing, production, synthesis/sounddesign,...
you can find most of them for free, without to much effort
Just keep on learning and enjoying yourself while making music and you'll be fine.



Good luck with your productions

[sjm]

Couple of things about FL:

• Don't make mammoth patterns with multiple instruments on them. While you can make a song in FL that is just one mammoth pattern, this is a real mess to deal with. Split patterns up logically by part (i.e. instrument). Grouping related channels together in one pattern is good (e.g. all hi-hat sounds in one pattern, layered FX etc.) though.
• You might want to take a look at some of the demo projects to see how they are organised. In general I find that using the playlist as a traditional linear sequencer makes it easiest to keep track of what is going on. In FL, platters (clips) are not tied to a particular playlist track like in other DAWs, so you can organise things the way you want. You can also very easily create a total mess.
• Name your patterns and playlist tracks when you create them.
• If you are going to do audio recordings, be aware that FL is a PITA in this regard and you will invariably end up with a clusterfuck of audio files that you have no idea what they are. Don't use FL if audio recording is your main focus (it doesn't sound like it is)
• Be aware that FL doesn't really do MIDI. Doesn't sound like an issue in your case with just a KB controller, but you should know that doing really simlpe stuff like hooking up a damper pedal or using the mod wheel requires you to define your own mappings and jump through hoops. CCs do not work without you mapping them first.
• Learn some of the shortcuts for functions you use a lot, in particular in the piano roll, as this is where FL excels.
• Every now and then, take the time to explore the manual and/or menu options etc. you have never used. There are some really cool features that you would never know about!
• Watch the FL Guru videos about the functions that interest you. They are well done.
• If you have specific questions, post on the IL forums. While some of the discussions there are inane, you will find helpful users who will help you out.

[rod_zero]

https://www.coursera.org/specialization ... production

You can do them for free individually.

Groove3 and MAcprovideo also have good ones. Lynda.com has some very well produced but focused more on traditional recording and Protools, but you can also learn a lot from them.

[jpmfuk]

I'm in the same situation - try the 'fleek' course (free) on busyworksbeats.
the guy who does them is clear and coherent which is a welcome exception to what is usually available.
I've moved from that to his music theory course (paid) but I probably should've signed up for membership as (I think) it would've worked out cheaper.
(no affiliation)