Making Music
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- Meeklo0
@ bore2death
I'm all for reason, but like acescence mentioned, is not that much different than logic (or cubase which is still used by A LOT of people).
The reason I mentioned Ableon Live, is because from the point of user interface (I personally think at least) will allow you to produce sounds just by dragging and dropping samples, and hitting the space bar to play, and it you will feel at home if you ever used a video editor.
On reason, you need to be familiar with hardware machines and how to wire them to the mixer, (just hit tab on the keyboard while showing it to someone that never made music before).
While I still feel there is no right or wrong answer in terms of software, I do feel you are being a total dick, calling everyone that does not agree with you "idiots". Your lack of respect to everyone on this site only makes you sound like you know little or nothing about music production.
my 2 cents.
- akrok0
oh, by the way. you better have plenty of time over.
- winnie_the_shit0
Fruity Loops/Renoise -> rewire into Protools.
People are going to get all in your face about what programs to use. Use Protools. It's in absolutely every single professional studio in the world. Which means you can take your projects to a real studio when you want to finish them off with expensive equipment.
Have some kind of controller. Korg Nanos is nice and cheap. Novation Launchpad will give you lots of options.. but you will need to learn how to program it (easy for a dev like me). If you're going to play live, get Ableton Live. You can play live in a lot of programs, sure, but ableton is a million times easier.
KRK's are good.. but also get yourself a pair of headphones (grado's Sr80, and Sr160 are nice), and some "listening" speakers. Pretend that you are yourself, and you are buying something to listen to the music that you like with. Listen to them in the store.. be critical, but not too critical.
Get a vaporizer as smoke damages equipment, and if you decide to drop 3k on some porticos.. you won't be too happy if you fuck that shit up with smoke.
As far as process. Just trust your own ideas and don't listen to what NME, QBN, Mary Anne Hobbes or anyone has to say. Go from the heart.
Then,
record
edit
record
edit
record
editmake decisions. do them. live with them.
finish.
- Popvulture0
This is so refreshing to see people who are a little more like me (primarily a designer but also an engineer) getting pissy about recording gear. It's so much better than the dickheads on recording forums like gearslutz.com.
Anyway, I'd just find a recording program that you feel comfortable with. Start with Garageband. I've been playing music all my life and have sunk a huge chunk of cash into recording gear, yet a girl I dated a while back recorded some shit with an acoustic guitar, the built in mic on her fucking macbook and keys played on the laptop keyboard... it sounded AMAZING. It drove me crazy.
So yeah, it's all about the performance, not the tool (ahem, just like design). Maybe one day if you want you could upgrade to Logic. Live is great, too. Pro Tools isn't very songwriter friendly. Beyond that, maybe a couple of nice mics, a preamp, a good converter and some monitors. Make sure you really enjoy the hobby before you get into spending crazy money, because it's addictive.
- mg330
Is it me or is anyone else perplexed by the fact that not a single person has pointed out that Reason and Logic are NOT THE SAME THING?
I mean, maybe I just don't know enough about Reason (I only ever had a demo) but Reason is not exactly a recording environment. You can sequence stuff - get that - but you can't, say, record external audio into it, right? There's not a multi-track audio / midi environment, right?
If that's the case, I would much more suggest something like Garage Band or Logic that can use external audio, and has a multi-tracking feature. Don't most people who use Reason dump it into another audio program anyways?
- Popvulture0
You're right - reason's just a synth/sequencing program. Propellerheads has a new program called "Record" for tracking. If I were starting out and wanted to venture outside of garageband, I'd buy Logic or Live. They both have plenty of built in software instruments and effects, plus the general software layouts are well suited for songwriting...
- acescence0
I guess the assumption with "electronic music" is it's all going to be virtual instruments. but even in that case, it's handy to be able to bounce synth tracks down to audio and manipulate them as audio rather than midi.
- M_C_P0
I'm considering going down the Logic road and wondered is it worth the extra bills compared to Logic Express 9? Both seem to share a lot of the same core tech. Any logic/logic express users care to offer insight?
- acescence0
express doesn't do surround sound, comes with less content and fewer plugins, and doesn't support TDM (protools) hardware
- cheers!M_C_P
- yeah, but if the dude is just starting. he or she, really don't need all of that...yet.akrokdesign
- mg330
Aside from the software, I'll give you some advice: stick with a song when you're working on it.
For me, writing music on the computer and just coming up with stuff is the worst. I send myself off in so many directions. If I find a cool tone and play something, and then come up with something else over that, maybe that will turn into two songs, and so on from there.
I've always been more of a "sit down with a guitar and ideas for lyrics and a melody" kind of songwriter. I'm very proficient at just sitting down and figuring out some verse and chorus ideas and determining the focus of a song. When I sit down at the computer, even to just flesh that idea out, it's so easy to get lost... how should the drums be? what about synth stuff? what about the second guitar part? etc. etc.
STAY FOCUSED, but at the same time, when you have new gear it's a fun free-for-all of just figuring it out. I'm still learning a lot about Logic, I just need to get more dedicated to it. I've got so many ideas for music that I just need to improve my skills for.
- M_C_P0
damn, you've just described in a nutshell my whole songwriting strategy (or lack of). I thought i was the only one!
I have an ass ton of musical stems, half baked ideas, and experimental starts/stops that have yet to be strung together to form a song. don't get me wrong, i have completed songs but the incomplete ones easily outnumber those.
i think sometimes coming up with riffs and fleshing out the arrangement on paper before going to computer is the way to go.
- sublocked0
I THINK YOU SHOULD USE THE PROGRAM I USE...CAUSE I USE IT.
This thread sucks hahaha
- cubanhaze0
Thanks for all the responses, definitely very helpful. I finally got the Roland PCR 300 and i'm really loving it.
As for software I'm still hesitating between Ableton Live and Reason.One question i have is which of these two packages offer most instruments and which of the two sound more realistic? I know that Reason has a shitload of them and Ableton seems to have less, but i've heard that Reason's sound more synthetic in which case i'd go for Live.
Cheers,
P
- inteliboy0
rather then nerding out what software to use - how about some QBN producing tips and advice?
- inteliboy0
TOP GUN SYNTH:
get a polysynth of your choosing - two sawtooths, phase them out of each other, add a subtle pitch lfo & soak in heavy 80's chorus. FTW.
- cubanhaze0
any tips on getting heavy bass sounds?
- ckentish0
ignore any reference to fruityloops - reason or ableton or both. works on any decent laptop and yep i also have the oxygen 8 controller akrodesign was talking about - excellent controller.