help for a new guy?

[Prospect]

To start off, I wrote this all in word before making an account. In the two days I answered a decent amount of my own questions. This thing used to be 2 pages in word single spaced.
I just recently started getting into wanting to make some dubstep and some music. I have been listening to dubstep since august 2011 when I started my first year of college. Then I started branching out from there and looking at different types of dubstep. As for getting into producing it…I started on that 2 days ago. I’ve spent a large majority of my waking time since on this site and looking up all I can. So far, I downloaded the FL studio demo. Haven’t touched it yet though. I’ve looked through the forum and learned a lot but I still have some questions that I can’t really find the right answer to.

Do I need software that can break down songs / separate them or is that in FL? If I do need it can anyone tell me where to get a good one?

Second, how much hardware do I truly need? Ive thought about the money I have and how much I need to spend on things for next year of school and I have about 300-400 bucks to play with. So Im wondering what I really need? I’ve looked up some threads on this and Im getting a lot of different opinions. To start off, I already have some good speakers.

Can anyone recommend a good/decent keyboard with the mini Launchpad (that’s what you call that square box of buttons right?)and some knobs and a pitch fader? im going for low budget stuff at the moment. I think all I need is a 2 or 3 octave keyboard. And what would I get/lose by buying a full 8x8 launch pad vs a 4x4 with a dial or 2 and 3 octaves of piano keys? It looks like the 8x8s light up in a ton of ways and have a lot of different functions. Can I make do with 4x4? Can’t I just program to keys to be like more buttons?

Speaking of hardware and everything. While searching for some info on hardware. I found the “post a pic of your setup” thread. Wow. I don’t see what use someone would have with 4-5 keyboards and hundreds of knobs.

But ive been wondering should I get a MIDI controller with the turntables on it? I don’t really want records and stuff. So I could just get the ones without the needle? Or are those mostly for DJing and mixing songs? Should I get the turntables or the keyboard? Which one would I be better off with? I’m only trying to get one of the two right now and ill get the second in a few months And please make recommendations.

Also how important are monitors? Is it only to have another screen to look at stuff at for space? Because I have an HDMI cord and a 42 inch TV that I can use.

Software-
Im wondering if I should get massive. Im hearing a lot about it. There is also a deal going on till the 24th? Its at half price for $100 or you can get two other programs with it for $200 total.(razor and FM8) Should I get those other two as well or do I just need massive? Or should I get a different program?

Oh almost forgot:
OMNISPHERE
Trilain
Sonalkis
If I got Massive, would ever getting any of these programs be redundant or would they add on and help? I don’t know exactly what they do.

In total I don’t plan on buying all this stuff immediately and at the same time. Ive looked at other peoples threads with questions about hardware and people tell them “ you don’t need this or that until this time” or “I knew this much about blank and I was making music for this long before I even had a -----.“ I just think it would help if I had the equipment. I made this thread to try to get all of my current questions answered at once. That’s why its so long. If you read through all of this and want to leave a response, thanks a lot for your help.

[Disco Nutter]

Why don't you just dive into the demo first?

Watch a couple of videos on how to work with the program and try to make something.

[Prospect]

Why don't you just dive into the demo first?

Watch a couple of videos on how to work with the program and try to make something.

yeah i got a 40 minute beginner tutorial from youtube up in another video and ima be working through that i just haven't gotten the chance. i'm trying to prioritize this for just a day or 2 because of that sale on massive that im trying to make use of so im trying to see what I should do there. I also told my friend about my plans and hes into guitar and has a ton of effects pedals (he doesn't do anything with dubstep or producing)...this is relevant because he heard about a 15% off sale on musicians friend and that would help if i bought some midi stuff from there. So I was trying to make a move before that ends too. Or i was wondering if i would just go on ebay or something like that.



EDIT: looking through more of the forums and using that custom search tool came up on this thread http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.p ... &p=1779889 . all im really looking for now as far as purchases and spending money is whether or not I should get massive for the cheap while its on sale, should i get the packaged with it, and what MIDI keyboard someone can recommend or what to look for in one. The rest is mostly just info im looking for to know more about this stuff.

[fragments]

Honestly, FL Studio Producer Edition comes with everything you need to get started. There is no reason to spend more money than that. There are other DAW options as well, I'd recommend checking those out (even being an FL Studio user myself). Ableton, Logic (Mac), Reaper, Reason. They all have demos. If you really HAVE to have Massive I'd buy it on sale...NI does have sales all the time though.

Starting out, buying more than one synth VST is completely redundant. Anything synth will make all the sounds you need. Now, some do specialize in certain kinds of sound, but I wouldn't worry about that at this point. I'd recommend starting with 3xOSC in FL Studio and going from there. You don't need the Launch Pad either.

Forget all MIDI controllers/keyboards. A lot of those keyboards w/ knobs you see are MIDI controllers and some are hardware synths. Don't worry about either. The "turn table" controller is for DJing.

When people talk about monitors they are talking about flat response studio speakers--the idea is that give you a "true", flat sound. You don't need these right away IMO. A pair of decent headphones will do you.

KEEP IT SIMPLE. Learn one thing at a time. Your DAW is your primary "instrument"...learn that first and worry about all the other stuff later. Additionally, if you know nothing about music theory, you might want to start on some basics there too.

[masterchief]

do you think any of the original big producers set out specifically to make 'dubstep' and worried about all that equipment........ just get a program and start making beats! seriously .......

[madmeesh]

For controllers, I'd recommend the M-Audio Axiom.

I would advise against buying Trilian, although I love it.. it's only necessary if you want a nice collection of realistic electric and acoustic basses.

If I were starting out right this second, I'd definitely just buy Reason 6.

Reason has a bit of a steep learning curve at first, but the synths are great, the samplers are very usable, and now with the later versions, the mixer is better quality, and it supports plugins.

[jrisreal]

You seem to be confusing a few things in your post.

1) There is a difference between a novation launchpad and MPC-style drum pads, although I'm fairly certain they are interchangeable. The launchpad (http://www.ableton.com/pages/resources/ ... -image.png) is a controller directed at use in ableton...it's for live triggering of patterns and whatnot. The MPC-style pads (http://www.live-laptops.com/images/Akai_MPD_32_pads.jpg) are cross-platform and designed for use with drums or triggering samples in your tunes. You won't find a launchpad built into a keyboard. You'll want the drum pads in a keyboard though...they can be useful.

2) What use would a turntable be without the needle? Something that looks like a turntable but doesn't have the needle is either a dj-directed cd-player or a midi controller. And those are only meant for DJ'ing, so if you don't want to use it for DJ'ing, then stay away from those and get a vinyl turntable...but you said you don't want to buy vinyl, so I guess you don't need that either.

3) These "monitors" that people are referring to aren't computer screens. They're high-quality flat-response speakers meant for mixing and mastering. By flat response, I mean that they hit every frequency with the same volume. Common speakers may hit certain frequencies much louder than others, such as boosting bass volume and decreasing midrange. Monitors don't do this, they stay true to what the sound actually sounds like.

[Prospect]

You seem to be confusing a few things in your post.

1) There is a difference between a novation launchpad and MPC-style drum pads, although I'm fairly certain they are interchangeable. The launchpad (http://www.ableton.com/pages/resources/ ... -image.png) is a controller directed at use in ableton...it's for live triggering of patterns and whatnot. The MPC-style pads (http://www.live-laptops.com/images/Akai_MPD_32_pads.jpg) are cross-platform and designed for use with drums or triggering samples in your tunes. You won't find a launchpad built into a keyboard. You'll want the drum pads in a keyboard though...they can be useful.

2) What use would a turntable be without the needle? Something that looks like a turntable but doesn't have the needle is either a dj-directed cd-player or a midi controller. And those are only meant for DJ'ing, so if you don't want to use it for DJ'ing, then stay away from those and get a vinyl turntable...but you said you don't want to buy vinyl, so I guess you don't need that either.

3) These "monitors" that people are referring to aren't computer screens. They're high-quality flat-response speakers meant for mixing and mastering. By flat response, I mean that they hit every frequency with the same volume. Common speakers may hit certain frequencies much louder than others, such as boosting bass volume and decreasing midrange. Monitors don't do this, they stay true to what the sound actually sounds like.

oh ok. yeah im not trying to DJ at this time so ill skip on anything that has turntables right now. Thanks for telling me about what monitors are.

So you say that keyboards just have drumpads and i can switch the sounds out on like assign sounds i made to it from my computer? Can i use it like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4rPgqPn ... re=related


i think all my other questions are answered now thanks.

[JTreeZY]

I’ve spent a large majority of my waking time since on this site

Haha I read that wanking time at first But yea i'm a beginner too so all I can say is spend a few hours on your DAW have a wank and keep practicing. Like anything you'll get better with practice. I got an MPK mini for 90 bucks and plan on buying a nice pair of headphones and that's all the money i'll put into this hobby for a while (maybe Reason 6 soon). I don't know if your morrally against pirating shit but 90% of everything a beginner needs is availible through torrents so I wouldnt reccemend spending a dime.

[wormcode]

Not gonna lie, I read it as 'wanking time' as well lol. Damn Freud, but I'll blame the alcohol for now.

Everything's been answered really, but I'll suggest you also download http://www.reaper.fm
Try this as well as FL studio out. Find out which style of making music you like more. They are similar in ways, but Reaper has more in common with Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools, Studio One. Live etc. FL can do the same things, but FL is still in its own unique area of working. It's more than adequate, and extremely powerful... but the workflow is different to 'traditional' sequencers/DAWs, and a lot of its strong points are other softwares' weak points, and vice versa. For example: audio editing. In my opinion Cubase is the king of this, with Logic not far behind. FL's audio editing is different, and it's comprised of workarounds because it was never meant to do that in the first place. It's fully capable of doing it though, just differently.

Also, if you decide on FL, you don't need to buy anything else for a good while. Get to grips with using its built in synths and effects. The effects are actually very good. I love the Parametric EQ2 for example and use it in Cubase as well. Don't be put off by people saying it's a toy or not professional. Most of that negative hype comes from the days when it was just a sampler and named Fruity Loops. It's come a LONG way since then! The interface could use some work, but it's definitely serious software.

tl;dr Come to grips with FL first before buying extra plugins. By all means try free software though, there are loads of great freeware some of which is better than a lot of commercial software. By the way, Trilian/Atmoshpere was replaced by Omnipshere.

[jrisreal]

You seem to be confusing a few things in your post.

1) There is a difference between a novation launchpad and MPC-style drum pads, although I'm fairly certain they are interchangeable. The launchpad (http://www.ableton.com/pages/resources/ ... -image.png) is a controller directed at use in ableton...it's for live triggering of patterns and whatnot. The MPC-style pads (http://www.live-laptops.com/images/Akai_MPD_32_pads.jpg) are cross-platform and designed for use with drums or triggering samples in your tunes. You won't find a launchpad built into a keyboard. You'll want the drum pads in a keyboard though...they can be useful.

2) What use would a turntable be without the needle? Something that looks like a turntable but doesn't have the needle is either a dj-directed cd-player or a midi controller. And those are only meant for DJ'ing, so if you don't want to use it for DJ'ing, then stay away from those and get a vinyl turntable...but you said you don't want to buy vinyl, so I guess you don't need that either.

3) These "monitors" that people are referring to aren't computer screens. They're high-quality flat-response speakers meant for mixing and mastering. By flat response, I mean that they hit every frequency with the same volume. Common speakers may hit certain frequencies much louder than others, such as boosting bass volume and decreasing midrange. Monitors don't do this, they stay true to what the sound actually sounds like.

oh ok. yeah im not trying to DJ at this time so ill skip on anything that has turntables right now. Thanks for telling me about what monitors are.

So you say that keyboards just have drumpads and i can switch the sounds out on like assign sounds i made to it from my computer? Can i use it like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4rPgqPn ... re=related


i think all my other questions are answered now thanks.

Yes, that's exactly what it's supposed to be used for anyway.

[Prospect]

I’ve spent a large majority of my waking time since on this site

Haha I read that wanking time at first But yea i'm a beginner too so all I can say is spend a few hours on your DAW have a wank and keep practicing. Like anything you'll get better with practice. I got an MPK mini for 90 bucks and plan on buying a nice pair of headphones and that's all the money i'll put into this hobby for a while (maybe Reason 6 soon). I don't know if your morrally against pirating shit but 90% of everything a beginner needs is availible through torrents so I wouldnt reccemend spending a dime.

yeah i didnt want to throw that money for the FL studio so i did do that. i was gonna try to avoid paying for massive because i hear there are alot of plugins you cant get with a cracked one or something. I will look into that MPK mini im thinking of running up to guitar center or some other store where they sell that stuff and have a look around and if not ill buy it off the internet.

Not gonna lie, I read it as 'wanking time' as well lol. Damn Freud, but I'll blame the alcohol for now.

Everything's been answered really, but I'll suggest you also download http://www.reaper.fm
Try this as well as FL studio out. Find out which style of making music you like more. They are similar in ways, but Reaper has more in common with Logic, Cubase, Pro Tools, Studio One. Live etc. FL can do the same things, but FL is still in its own unique area of working. It's more than adequate, and extremely powerful... but the workflow is different to 'traditional' sequencers/DAWs, and a lot of its strong points are other softwares' weak points, and vice versa. For example: audio editing. In my opinion Cubase is the king of this, with Logic not far behind. FL's audio editing is different, and it's comprised of workarounds because it was never meant to do that in the first place. It's fully capable of doing it though, just differently.

Also, if you decide on FL, you don't need to buy anything else for a good while. Get to grips with using its built in synths and effects. The effects are actually very good. I love the Parametric EQ2 for example and use it in Cubase as well. Don't be put off by people saying it's a toy or not professional. Most of that negative hype comes from the days when it was just a sampler and named Fruity Loops. It's come a LONG way since then! The interface could use some work, but it's definitely serious software.

tl;dr Come to grips with FL first before buying extra plugins. By all means try free software though, there are loads of great freeware some of which is better than a lot of commercial software. By the way, Trilian/Atmoshpere was replaced by Omnipshere.

cool i will try out reaper too. thanks for the advice and the info!

Yes, that's exactly what it's supposed to be used for anyway.

oh thats good. can i program every key on the keyboard just like the pads? if so I would get that type of thing because then even a 3 octave keyboard would be like having 21 extra pads.

KEEP IT SIMPLE. Learn one thing at a time. Your DAW is your primary "instrument"...learn that first and worry about all the other stuff later. Additionally, if you know nothing about music theory, you might want to start on some basics there too.

thanks. at least i already know a decent amount of music theory. ive been playing guitar for about a year and looked up a ton of musical theory videos a few months ago and played piano when i was a small kid.

and i will look up 3xOSC too.

[jrisreal]

Yes, that's exactly what it's supposed to be used for anyway.

oh thats good. can i program every key on the keyboard just like the pads? if so I would get that type of thing because then even a 3 octave keyboard would be like having 21 extra pads.

Yes, I'm fairly certain. (Atleast it works in FL Studio's "FPC" Percussion Sampler) The pads are far more natural to play drums with, however.

[Jux]

FL Studio has an easier learning curve IMHO, but I am an Ableton user. I find the workflow in Ableton to be much more seamless and I think overall it has more power as a program, but in the end, it really comes down to how familiar you get. Guys like Skream used FL Studio for years (I believe he uses Logic now, not 100% certain). Just find whatever DAW you are comfortable with, and learn it inside and out.

With that said, all you really need is a good DAW, some VST synths (NI Massive, Albino, Sylenth) and plugins (Izotope Ozone, Sausage Fattener, etc), and a decent midi keyboard to start with (I'd suggest at least three or four octaves, though you could get away with a two octave controller if you are on a serious budget). And all the equipment in the world can't give you what is most important...creativity.

Do you have a decent understanding of music, or are you just getting into all of this now? Sorry if you included that in your post, I'm too lazy to look back and read it again. If you don't, get at least a rudimentary understanding of music theory before you start to make tracks. Once you learn theory, listen to tracks you love and try to understand them from a musical and production perspective. Also, listen to a variety of genres so you don't "box yourself in" with what ideas are in your head.

And also, in case you haven't noticed, please don't post "How do I sound like Skrillex"...it isn't very well received here. Thought I'd give you the heads up. And use the search function or google search the forum, because redundant questions aren't usually well received here either.

-Jux

[sigbowls]

i tried downloading the fl studio demo on my mac and it didn't work

[Huts]

With that said, all you really need is a good DAW, some VST synths (NI Massive, Albino, Sylenth) and plugins (Izotope Ozone, Sausage Fattener, etc), and a decent midi keyboard to start with (I'd suggest at least three or four octaves, though you could get away with a two octave controller if you are on a serious budget). And all the equipment in the world can't give you what is most important...creativity.

The guy just started 2 days ago and you're recommending 700$+ worth of plugins and shit that are 100% NOT NEEDED. I also don't understand why every time a new person posts a thread and mentions the DAW they chose the next like 5 responses are people trying to offer up a different one lol. You got the demo of FL, it's a great DAW, easy to use, and has everything you need. Don't buy a midi keyboard, monitors, plugins or anything else until you understand why you need them and are willing to make the commitment. Get a pair of decent headphones (can get some for 100$ or less that have use outside of producing) and just start tinkering around. FL studio producer edition has everything you need and more, look no further than that until you feel limited by what you've got and want to expand

[ehbes]

I’ve spent a large majority of my waking time since on this site

Haha I read that wanking time at first But yea i'm a beginner too so all I can say is spend a few hours on your DAW have a wank and keep practicing. Like anything you'll get better with practice. I got an MPK mini for 90 bucks and plan on buying a nice pair of headphones and that's all the money i'll put into this hobby for a while (maybe Reason 6 soon). I don't know if your morrally against pirating shit but 90% of everything a beginner needs is availible through torrents so I wouldnt reccemend spending a dime.

100% of everything a producer needs can be obtained for free and legally...

[wormcode]

i tried downloading the fl studio demo on my mac and it didn't work

akaik they don't support Mac. It should work through Bootcamp with Windows though.
I remember they announced a Mac beta a while backL: http://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?p=585503

[jrisreal]

i tried downloading the fl studio demo on my mac and it didn't work

akaik they don't support Mac. It should work through Bootcamp with Windows though.
I remember they announced a Mac beta a while backL: http://forum.image-line.com/viewtopic.php?p=585503

Yeah the "Mac version" is just the windows version wrapped in a crossover layer...should work fine, for the most part.

[Prospect]

With that said, all you really need is a good DAW, some VST synths (NI Massive, Albino, Sylenth) and plugins (Izotope Ozone, Sausage Fattener, etc), and a decent midi keyboard to start with (I'd suggest at least three or four octaves, though you could get away with a two octave controller if you are on a serious budget). And all the equipment in the world can't give you what is most important...creativity.

The guy just started 2 days ago and you're recommending 700$+ worth of plugins and shit that are 100% NOT NEEDED. I also don't understand why every time a new person posts a thread and mentions the DAW they chose the next like 5 responses are people trying to offer up a different one lol. You got the demo of FL, it's a great DAW, easy to use, and has everything you need. Don't buy a midi keyboard, monitors, plugins or anything else until you understand why you need them and are willing to make the commitment. Get a pair of decent headphones (can get some for 100$ or less that have use outside of producing) and just start tinkering around. FL studio producer edition has everything you need and more, look no further than that until you feel limited by what you've got and want to expand

Im gonna get massive though because its on sale. but if massive is a synth then what is a plugin? a bunch of samples like alot of sounds or some effects to put on your music?