Some pointers on initiating production wanted

[dublerium]

Easy people,

I've been wanting to get into producing for ages, and have been reading up on it for a while; now just need to put it into practise. I've checked out lots of demos for software and the one I felt most comfortable was FL studio so I purchased the latest version the other day.

I've been reading through the production bible and that is such a big help, still got lots to plow through with that.

The point of posting is this; I really want to get into this it's not a question of drive just the intitial jump in is obviously a deep one. The sort of advise I haven't been able to find online is what sort of stuff is a good practise to get going, and what you people would advise are the most effective ways of going about it. Every corner there is so much to digest, so just let me know effective ways you may have used to get into it or wish you had known at the time. Whether it's focusing on a certain feature of a program, composition or what realistic goals to set and how much time spent of them. I appreciate it's an organic process and everyone has there own ways, i'm sure i'll find my own, would just like to here what others have to say for guidance and to use as a point of reference.

Thanks in advance.

Charlie

[3za]

Just have fun

Don't really know how to answer your question tbh, if you got any specific questions to do with FL/ producing/ music, I might be able to help with that. It's all about getting over the hurdles, when you face them.

[Sheff]

EQing and compressing...use of the Parametric EQ2


trust me i wish i had realised the importance of this from the start. i dont really know shit about producing either, ive just been doing it on and off (mostly off) for a few years and never bothered to learn how to EQ stuff properly

trust me it makes producing alot easier and less stressful,

Compression is nice to learn about as well


http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.p ... an+amateur


some good advice in that thread too which helped me

[3za]

EQing and compressing...use of the Parametric EQ2


trust me i wish i had realised the importance of this from the start. i dont really know shit about producing either, ive just been doing it on and off (mostly off) for a few years and never bothered to learn how to EQ stuff properly

trust me it makes producing alot easier and less stressful,

Compression is nice to learn about as well


http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.p ... an+amateur


some good advice in that thread too which helped me

Surely that all comes at a later stage, after you pick/make your sounds, write your riffs, and arrange your track. I don't see the point in using a EQ, or compressor if you still ain't sure on doing all that yet. We are making music foremost here, so I think we should get that one out the way first imo. Maybe even stay away from the computer for now, and learn to play keys, guitar, or whatever floats your boat, and maybe even learn some music theory (you might want to skip that bit very dry).

[dublerium]

EQing and compressing...use of the Parametric EQ2


trust me i wish i had realised the importance of this from the start. i dont really know shit about producing either, ive just been doing it on and off (mostly off) for a few years and never bothered to learn how to EQ stuff properly

trust me it makes producing alot easier and less stressful,

Compression is nice to learn about as well


http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.p ... an+amateur


some good advice in that thread too which helped me

Surely that all comes at a later stage, after you pick/make your sounds, write your riffs, and arrange your track. I don't see the point in using a EQ, or compressor if you still ain't sure on doing all that yet. We are making music foremost here, so I think we should get that one out the way first imo. Maybe even stay away from the computer for now, and learn to play keys, guitar, or whatever floats your boat, and maybe even learn some music theory (you might want to skip that bit very dry).

Looks like you do have something to say to my question then

I obviously want to have fun with it and am already enjoying scraping the surface but what i want to know is the most effective/best way to spend your time when just starting out, In your opinions.

[poundcake42]

Being in the same boat essentially ( I've only a few months in) just don't get discouraged when most of the synth work you do sounds like crap, or just not quite what you want. Synthesizing is one of the tougher things to pick up, so have sessions where all you do is work with a synth, save patches you created that you like, and reset to start anew. Also practice layering drum samples to get nice sounding new samples. Export some that you like to .wav so you have some unique samples for future work.

[Shum]

Don't get too bogged down on the technicals for now, that will slow you down no end. Just write music that you like, it probably won't sound 100% how you imagine it (or maybe it will!) but the idea should be to get a feel for your gear/software and then using that to put together your musical ideas.

[blinx]

As Nike says...Just Do it!

[ToxicBass]

I liked the notion of 30 second loops when I started out. Open a plugin, read the manual then make a 30 second clip using it. Nothing crazy complicated just a basic drum beat and basic synth. It gets you used to your DAW, gives you practice in writing melodies/drums and you get to learn your plugins. When your loops start sounding decent and you're happy with your selection of plugins then you can expand and start creating basic tracks.
Obviously there's lots of ways to get started but I think the above could be helpful.

Also the google DSF is immensely useful and you will probably be able to find answers to lots of questions you might have when starting out. I'd recommend bookmarking it:
http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=00220 ... wxoicg4myg

As said though just have fun

[Heartless]

I'm gonna agree with 3ZA. I got into producing when I was pretty young and had no knowledge of music whatsoever. I wasted a lot of time making dumb mistakes because I was trying to produce something I didn't understand.

I say this pretty often, but get on eBay and buy a handful of cheap, used books on eBay. Theory, composition, etc.

[ToxicBass]

I'm gonna agree with 3ZA. I got into producing when I was pretty young and had no knowledge of music whatsoever. I wasted a lot of time making dumb mistakes because I was trying to produce something I didn't understand.

I say this pretty often, but get on eBay and buy a handful of cheap, used books on eBay. Theory, composition, etc.

I recommend The AB Guide to Music Theory by Eric Taylor for music theory.

[MadSci]

Don't get too wrapped up in new software and techniques. Synthesis is both more simple and more complex than you may think and learning one synth completely will usually allow you to make better, more original sounding wubs than trying every new thing that comes out.

Also a less abstract tip. take a synth, add in like two bars of notes and set your daw to loop, then just tweak nobs and add an change things until things start sounding cool.

Also, automate hella shit.

[jrisreal]

I liked the notion of 30 second loops when I started out. Open a plugin, read the manual then make a 30 second clip using it. Nothing crazy complicated just a basic drum beat and basic synth. It gets you used to your DAW, gives you practice in writing melodies/drums and you get to learn your plugins. When your loops start sounding decent and you're happy with your selection of plugins then you can expand and start creating basic tracks.
Obviously there's lots of ways to get started but I think the above could be helpful.

Also the google DSF is immensely useful and you will probably be able to find answers to lots of questions you might have when starting out. I'd recommend bookmarking it:
http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=00220 ... wxoicg4myg

As said though just have fun

this is pretty much what i did. I started making 2 bar loops and did that for a while until I was happy