Help me get started!!

[iontheable]

Alright, I'm sure you guys get these kinds of open-ended inquires often, but I felt I wanted my needs to be specifically addressed:

Firstly, I am, for the most part, new to the world of Electronic Music production, I have been producing songs for about ~10 years, though, my tools have been drums, guitars, harmonicas and the piano, not computers(those were initially built for other things ; ). And recently, I have started toying around with the idea of creating some simple electronic music; dubstep wets my whistle the most..

I currently have an incredible PC, an i7 920 @ 4.2GHz with 6 GB's of 1600 DD3 and two 24" monitors and I would love to utilize this beast in producing some super ph@t beats. And although I am not sure if it would be worthwhile of mentioning, I also own a Casio WK300(?) with MIDI out, the model with the pitch wheel and dynamic 76 keys

I am looking for the beginner's setup, I have ears and I intend to use them, so I want to create quality, although I don't want to break the bank on a mere hobby.

I have read over the bible, provided by your board, but honestly, I got quite lost in it all. I am in need of some advice on a basic hardware setup, as well as matching software details.

A friend of mine has suggested Ableton as a DAW, as he swears by it; but again, I got quite lost inside the prog..


So, any direction is much appreciated, I am quite eager to learn and to start this new adventure, much thanks^^

[bigfootspartan]

Well im impressed you took a read through the bible. It's a ton of stuff but once you understand it you'll be good to go. Basically you have a decent setup as far as computer/MIDI keys go.

First I'd suggest just trying a bunch of different DAWs to see what you like the most. Coming from a background like yours I'd recommend a classic DAW like Reaper (it's cheap for a hobbyist and super capable) or Logic. From my experience both were super straightforward. however if you feel like you'll be able to understand Ableton then go for that.

Frm there just start programming beats with a drum machine, or tap them out on your midi keyboard. Learn the synths that come with the DAW inside and out, then move on from there as far as buying plugins.

[fragments]

I'll add that Reaper has the only "truly" fully functional demo out of the the above mentioned (I think).

I began on FL Studio (and still use it) and found it very intuitive, my first songs were horrid, but I never felt I couldn't find what I wanted after some quick trial and error or a quick look at the help file. I also, personally, really like the 3xOsc synth that comes with it for creating sub bass and lots of mid range sounds.

[legend4ry]

I am not that knowledgeable on Ableton but one can't help but suggest using Cubase if you're looking to use a lot of hardware as it really shines with audio-in.

I think Ableton is really good with actually processing audio and seems to have a lot of midi hardware geared towards it but I don't know how its like at all, the GUI baffles me and I generally hate its layout..


I am fluent in FL and Cubase and picked both up pretty easily after a good 3-4 months of keeping the manual beside me and i'm sure its the same with any DAW.

And hardware wise.. If you have a decent interface/pre to record into, you don't need much else! You already have a midi keyboard and personally don't think a mixing desk is worth while these days.

[benjam]

Get yourself demos of abelton, reason, reaper , fl, logic whatever. See which one suits you and your workflow. Id suggest looking at picking up an audio interface and set of monitors if your serious and willing to put time into it ( reviews in the stickies) Plus the audio interface will be useful if you want to record vocals and guitars. Youve obviously got no worries on the PC side of things so expiriment with the demos and read up on synthesis.

[sackley]

Welcome

I just wrote a long rambling post.... deleted it to save you all.

Just demo a bunch. Reaper, Ableton, Cubase, Studio One and Logic (although mac is required for that...) should all deal with live audio well. Any daw can, but I just think the interface of those is more audio-clip friendly... personal opinion.

Stick with it and don't get caught up in too many details. Read read read and experiment.