Should I sit down and read my ableton manual?

[shadowprotocol]

Ableton 8 Suite is installed, I run the program, I go "holy shit this is complicated", and then I close it and do something else.

Should I read the manual?
Should I start at the beginning of the in-program video tutorials?
Should I do both?
Which order?

Sincerely,

SeriouslyOverwhelmed

[yuroq]

Combine the 2... Maybe start with the tutorials while the manual is open. Once you get started you will realize thats it is actually quite easy and the structure will seem logic to you ( i hope ) Enjoy !!!

[LFpHUNK]

best thing :

2 monitors (if possible) 1 screen ableton 2 screen ableton pdf open at all times. you will learn quick.

[shadowprotocol]

Yes I run a dual-monitor setup (2x 23").

So you are saying open the pdf version of the manual (I have this already) on the 2nd monitor and in the other, actually DO what the manual says?

I like this approach.

**My problem is that usually manuals are not linear enough to go from Step 1 to Step 2. Does the manual do a good job of starting with menus, then working with 1 instrument, then 2 instruments, then putting them into a song? Or is it an unstructured piece of garbage? I can't learn like that.

[LFpHUNK]

NAW, sorry i did not clarify. everything you say is correct, but just use it as a reference as you go along. just fuk around in ur ableton doin yo tjhang, then wen u gota question fuck google go to ur ableton pdf.

if there is a concept (such as audio routing) or something, then ya,read whole sections on concepts that are new to you.

basically..i wouldnt try n sit down and read that thing...just use it as a guide as u go along. ul see wen u do.

[LFpHUNK]

**My problem is that usually manuals are not linear enough to go from Step 1 to Step 2. Does the manual do a good job of starting with menus, then working with 1 instrument, then 2 instruments, then putting them into a song? Or is it an unstructured piece of garbage? I can't learn like that.

the manual is linear if you understand audio production/engineering fully. if you are lacking in any of the areas the manual will seem like a fuck fest. in my opinion, the manual does a really well job of explaining how to do whatever you want. it taught me the program more than any other source.

[lyons238]

NO I WOULDNT READ THE MANUAL OR WATCH ANY TUTORIALS. ITS BEST TO SPEND $500 ON SOMETHING YOU WILL NEVER USE. I JUST BOUGHT A SUBARU STI. DO U THINK I SHOULD GET A LICENSE OR LEARNS HOWS TA DRIVE FIRSTZZZ?? ALSO, DOES THE SUBI HAVE ANY NICE PRESETZZ FOR SICK SHIFTZZ?

lol really who posts a thread like this. its pretty obvious that the first thing you should be doing is reading the manual, reading info on the net, and watching tutorials. do you really need to ask this? its the first thing i did when i got my daw, without even having to think about it. never mind asking about it.

[Sinisterbeats]

1. Open Abelton
2. Fuck about
3. Get stuck and read manual
4. ???
5. Profit

[abZ]

Manuals are for pussies.

[JBE]

NO I WOULDNT READ THE MANUAL OR WATCH ANY TUTORIALS. ITS BEST TO SPEND $500 ON SOMETHING YOU WILL NEVER USE. I JUST BOUGHT A SUBARU STI. DO U THINK I SHOULD GET A LICENSE OR LEARNS HOWS TA DRIVE FIRSTZZZ?? ALSO, DOES THE SUBI HAVE ANY NICE PRESETZZ FOR SICK SHIFTZZ?

lol really who posts a thread like this. its pretty obvious that the first thing you should be doing is reading the manual, reading info on the net, and watching tutorials. do you really need to ask this? its the first thing i did when i got my daw, without even having to think about it. never mind asking about it.

Well this is a pretty dumb response, but whatever.

It's actually not a stupid question. Manuals are generally used as reference, not as a book. The way manuals are written, they pile a lot of information into one document. Generally, reading the entire thing from cover to cover is not a good idea. It's just entirely too much information for your brain to take in all at once and you will most likely have forgotten a lot of it before you even made it to the end. The best way to use your manuals is to use the program, and then refer to it when you have a question about what it is you are trying to do. By physically doing the action rather than just reading it, it's much easier for you to retain that information.

[lyons238]

NO I WOULDNT READ THE MANUAL OR WATCH ANY TUTORIALS. ITS BEST TO SPEND $500 ON SOMETHING YOU WILL NEVER USE. I JUST BOUGHT A SUBARU STI. DO U THINK I SHOULD GET A LICENSE OR LEARNS HOWS TA DRIVE FIRSTZZZ?? ALSO, DOES THE SUBI HAVE ANY NICE PRESETZZ FOR SICK SHIFTZZ?

lol really who posts a thread like this. its pretty obvious that the first thing you should be doing is reading the manual, reading info on the net, and watching tutorials. do you really need to ask this? its the first thing i did when i got my daw, without even having to think about it. never mind asking about it.

Well this is a pretty dumb response, but whatever.

It's actually not a stupid question. Manuals are generally used as reference, not as a book. The way manuals are written, they pile a lot of information into one document. Generally, reading the entire thing from cover to cover is not a good idea. It's just entirely too much information for your brain to take in all at once and you will most likely have forgotten a lot of it before you even made it to the end. The best way to use your manuals is to use the program, and then refer to it when you have a question about what it is you are trying to do. By physically doing the action rather than just reading it, it's much easier for you to retain that information.

well thats obvious...whoever said you should read the thing cover to cover right off the bat? no offense but i think its pretty common fucking sense to first read a few basics from the manual, start fucking about in the daw, then look up tutorials and read on the net. once you get a slight idea of what the fuck your doing, then you read a bit more in depth in the manual. for fucks sake is this rocket science or what boys

[djake]

next he will be asking people to make tracks for him

[lyons238]

next he will be asking people to make tracks for him

right haha...

but yeah i mean i admit i was being a bit of a douche. im just fucking around but seriously you can tell the kid is lazy..."when i open ableton i go wow this is complicated and do something else" - wrong attitude for this hobby right there. yeah everyone gets discouraged but it takes a long time to learn this shit...

clearly the kid isnt putting the effort in to learn the program he paid for, so why should we? I mean the damn kid didn't even start reading, watching, or fucking around with anything to do with ableton, he came here asking if he should lol...seems a bit ass backward.

edit: and for the record i just started not long ago either. and slowly but surely im building my knowledge base, and getting better and better. thats all we can do...

research practice research practice...rinse and repeat mah fuckker, thats my only advice.

[stereotactic]

but yeah i mean i admit i was being a bit of a douche. im just fucking around but seriously you can tell the kid is lazy..."when i open ableton i go wow this is complicated and do something else" - wrong attitude for this hobby right there.

Bit of a 'holier than thou' statement right there.

I used to have the exact same problem when I were a whipper snapper. Back then there was no Youtube, tutorials or any of that shit and I didn't know anyone who did production. I was also more interested in getting wasted and chasing skirt than locking myself away and actually grafting... It IS overwhelming at first, no doubt, and being a giant ass to someone who is clearly having some problems won't help anyone and isn't adding anything to the discussion.

OP, you just need to start fucking about with it. It is complicated, you will think WTF? a lot. Google any terminology you don't understand, try and grasp basic concepts such as envelopes, synthesis etc. Use the manual as a reference, but look on Youtube for tutorials on beats, bass using Operator etc. Follow those, just start working out what does what. There is a ton of info out there and good resources like here, Dogs on Acid etc. Read the production bible at the top, and understand that there is a lot to take in and it may take a while.

I only really reference the manual when I have a specific question rather than working my way through it cover to cover. I have learned a lot more from the sources above and by asking questions on forums (naturally having searched for the answer first )

[JBE]

NO I WOULDNT READ THE MANUAL OR WATCH ANY TUTORIALS. ITS BEST TO SPEND $500 ON SOMETHING YOU WILL NEVER USE. I JUST BOUGHT A SUBARU STI. DO U THINK I SHOULD GET A LICENSE OR LEARNS HOWS TA DRIVE FIRSTZZZ?? ALSO, DOES THE SUBI HAVE ANY NICE PRESETZZ FOR SICK SHIFTZZ?

lol really who posts a thread like this. its pretty obvious that the first thing you should be doing is reading the manual, reading info on the net, and watching tutorials. do you really need to ask this? its the first thing i did when i got my daw, without even having to think about it. never mind asking about it.

Well this is a pretty dumb response, but whatever.

It's actually not a stupid question. Manuals are generally used as reference, not as a book. The way manuals are written, they pile a lot of information into one document. Generally, reading the entire thing from cover to cover is not a good idea. It's just entirely too much information for your brain to take in all at once and you will most likely have forgotten a lot of it before you even made it to the end. The best way to use your manuals is to use the program, and then refer to it when you have a question about what it is you are trying to do. By physically doing the action rather than just reading it, it's much easier for you to retain that information.

well thats obvious...whoever said you should read the thing cover to cover right off the bat? no offense but i think its pretty common fucking sense to first read a few basics from the manual, start fucking about in the daw, then look up tutorials and read on the net. once you get a slight idea of what the fuck your doing, then you read a bit more in depth in the manual. for fucks sake is this rocket science or what boys

I think people are reading this the wrong way. He's not asking someone to give him step by step directions on how to use the program. He's simply asking what a good approach would be to start learning it. It's easy to get overwhelmed with everything, and if you are completely new it's not always easy figuring out exactly where you should start. On top of that there are ways to go about the learning process that are more efficient than others. It's just about knowing what's available and choosing the method that works for you. Maybe someone who uses the program has some good resources they could recommend for the guy and that would be that.

[shadowprotocol]

Well you all thought wrong about me. It's a day later and I've got a new topic specifically about laying out drums in Ableton.

Seen here: http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=189368

I used the manual last night as a reference, but just playing with the software as I do all the video lessons one by one really helped me start to learn the program. I'm picking up the software at a rapid pace, and I'm not gonna be asking anyone to make tracks for me. My questions yesterday in this topic were legitimate, and some of the responses I got in here (lyons238 in particular) are ridiculous.

[lyons238]

Well you all thought wrong about me. It's a day later and I've got a new topic specifically about laying out drums in Ableton.

Seen here: http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=189368

I used the manual last night as a reference, but just playing with the software as I do all the video lessons one by one really helped me start to learn the program. I'm picking up the software at a rapid pace, and I'm not gonna be asking anyone to make tracks for me. My questions yesterday in this topic were legitimate, and some of the responses I got in here (lyons238 in particular) are ridiculous.

k so why did you make this thread if a day later you are already doing better? pointless. and there is a steep learning curve in production. in about 2 weeks youll be complexed and asking if you should keep practicing or not

edit: btw ur drum question is much better. as you can see in your post there you did some research and actually attempted before posting. im just busting your balls here because imo this thread is stupid, and you should have just started reading and practicing right off the bat, without needing to ask. if your still not getting anywhere, then maybe ask if there is any specific reads or videos that would help you. just my 2 cents.

anyways, keep at it. and dont take my sarcasm to heart. im only fucking around..