Starting out making Electronic music..

[Psychodelic]

So I'm completely new to the field of producing my own music, I'm VERY determined and motivated to make this happen. I want to do whatever I can that could help me with producing music. I'm not in the US for the next few months, so I can't really take any community college classes to help me learn making music with my computer. I want to look into getting myself some experience with Music Theory and certain instruments, because I'm pretty sure it can go a long way towards helping me produce in the future. I'll be starting learning Piano/Keyboard in a week or two, and I want to get around to learning the drums when I get a chance too.

So yeah, what can/should I do to prepare myself for producing music? Where can I get a good understanding of Music Theory? Should I buy a book on it? Or maybe production? I want to do whatever I can to help make this happen. Should I postpone trying to teach myself how to produce and just wait until I can take a class for it? Help me out, any suggestions/input is greatly appreciated.

[Dystinkt]

I'm gonna be straight with you because I like you, there's a fucking mahoosive thread at the top of this forum which is quite clearly titled 'WANT TO MAKE DUBSTEP, START HERE.', may point you in the right direction.

[Psychodelic]

I'm gonna be straight with you because I like you, there's a fucking mahoosive thread at the top of this forum which is quite clearly titled 'WANT TO MAKE DUBSTEP, START HERE.', may point you in the right direction.

That's the first thing I did, actually. Maybe I should of mentioned to avoid this type of thing.. lol. But yeah, it doesn't really give me much advice about learning real instruments to help in production, or other stuff like that. I read that thread for the most part, and marked it to revisit it later, my questions are kind of going towards a different direction, I'd like to learn to use production programs, but from what I can tell, most people share the opinion that it's MUCH easier to learn most of the stuff at a class rather than self-teach with tutorials. I'm looking for other options I can do, to start learning to produce, or that will aid me when I actually get to that part, like instruments, or Music Theory, like I mentioned.

[hudson]

That's the first thing I did, actually. Maybe I should of mentioned to avoid this type of thing.. lol. But yeah, it doesn't really give me much advice about learning real instruments to help in production, or other stuff like that.

That's cuz you don't really need to play real instruments to make electronic music It's really just a bunch of clicking. Music theory really helps though, so check out this page and all the links that interest you, it has some theory stuff, some mixing stuff, some programing stuff and everything else you may need to get started.

[paravrais]

from what I can tell, most people share the opinion that it's MUCH easier to learn most of the stuff at a class rather than self-teach with tutorials.

Where the fuck did you get that idea from? It certainly wasn't here as most of the producers here are self taught. I suggest you take another look at that thread and actually follow the links and read what it says this time as literally everything you need to know IS in there. So don't pretend like you've read it all just cos you were too lazy to find the answers to your questions yourself.

[Dystinkt]

Then you have my respect and apology, a surprising amount of people have a habit of ignoring that thread despite its obviousness. I'd disagree about learning to produce in a class, I can imagine it would help, but I think its just as easy to self-teach because its all about experimentation and learning your DAW yourself, which means you'll have to put in the hours outside of the class anyway. Learning an instrument would be a brilliant idea, especially drums imo itd teach you a lot about rhythms and grooves and that kind of thing, and learning piano and scales will make composition much easier. I would find a DAW that suits you best, and spend almost every waking moment using it, you don't even have to be making songs you just have to be getting to know its ins and outs. If you have mastery of your tools, the quality of your work will be greatly increased. Good luck mate I hope you succeed and just keep at it.

[-[2]DAY_-]

I want to look into getting myself some experience with Music Theory and certain instruments, because I'm pretty sure it can go a long way towards helping me produce in the future. I'll be starting learning Piano/Keyboard in a week or two, and I want to get around to learning the drums when I get a chance too.

So yeah, what can/should I do to prepare myself for producing music?

Why do you have to ask the question that you already answered yourself ? just do the shit, stop typing about it. If you need links to theory or instrument instruction, google it.

[Nacklewicket]

from what I can tell, most people share the opinion that it's MUCH easier to learn most of the stuff at a class rather than self-teach with tutorials.

Where the fuck did you get that idea from? It certainly wasn't here as most of the producers here are self taught. I suggest you take another look at that thread and actually follow the links and read what it says this time as literally everything you need to know IS in there. So don't pretend like you've read it all just cos you were too lazy to find the answers to your questions yourself.

youre the damn rudest person ive ever come across on the intrawebz
mad to u

to OP
if i were u id try out different daws and just play around instead of taking a class.. just try abit on ur own first and see if u get any enjoyment out of it (even tho everything will seem very complicated and un-comprehensive in the beginning)
i can't really give u a good suggestion on what daw to use etc, as everyone says daw doesnt matter its just personal preference.. i use FL (bout 2 yaers on and off) and its the only thing ive ever tried out (expect ejay when i was like what 8yaers old) and i love it this far.

oh laerning the piano will ease things ALOT!!! when starting out producing later on.. no need to buy books and stuff if u dont really want to. playing the piano for some time will with time, give u a sense of musicality. so stick with that ull be able to much easier create good sounding melodies and much easier hear what sounds "right" and "wrong"

i wish u best of luck

[paravrais]

To be fair I was in a foul mood earlier :\ sorry if I was a bit too harsh there.

[Mawsta]

Ive found several books at my local library on music theory that have been quite helpful. As for real instruments that's just something that takes time and practice man, not something that you can learn on a forum. Good luck in your future endeavors!

[johnny666]

to OP
if i were u id try out different daws and just play around instead of taking a class.. just try abit on ur own first and see if u get any enjoyment out of it (even tho everything will seem very complicated and un-comprehensive in the beginning)
i can't really give u a good suggestion on what daw to use etc, as everyone says daw doesnt matter its just personal preference.. i use FL (bout 2 yaers on and off) and its the only thing ive ever tried out (expect ejay when i was like what 8yaers old) and i love it this far.

oh laerning the piano will ease things ALOT!!! when starting out producing later on.. no need to buy books and stuff if u dont really want to. playing the piano for some time will with time, give u a sense of musicality. so stick with that ull be able to much easier create good sounding melodies and much easier hear what sounds "right" and "wrong"

i wish u best of luck

Agreed, try out different DAWS that you can understand or that appeal to you most, this will obviously take some time.
I personally use and recommend Live 8, Reaper (great visual I/O routing for noobs that are wanting to learn) and logic (mac)

I think a good way to start anywhere once you have found a DAW is to get your hands on some audio loops, and just play around with it in your sequencer (DAW) don't limit yourself to dubstep, it will drive you bonkers if you dont have a general understanding of everything else...trust me, im also new to producing dubstep and there have been a few times were you cant get a specific sound you want and you wanna rage it out, you will go though a lot of that as your starting out, but don't give up, it might take a little more reading or experimenting but you will get there.

Personally I started with Sony ACID ages ago and I used the on board loops and effects and I managed from there...now I work in a studio.
The rest is up to you on how in depth you take it.
Its no walk in the park, you will have to do your timeless research into techniques used with a variety of tools such a compressors, eqs and shit tonne more.
Also YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIALS are great and the rest of the interwebs is a great tool for finding what you need to know.

As for music theory, all you can do is read a lot more and practice. for electronic music you dont need to be a musical genius but you need to know basic theory on how everything works and fits together.

I hope this helps

[makemerich]

these are my answers to your questions.

1. So yeah, what can/should I do to prepare myself for producing music? If it is primarily electronic that you seek, i suggest you just fuck around and make bullshit that just comes out by getting a midi controller and cubase or whatever and just start fucking around with presets. you can then start tweeking the presets and get a basic understanding for how sound waves and their respective atributes and filters affect the sound. if it is organic music, get a guitar and start playing power chords. and reading tabs.

2. Where can I get a good understanding of Music Theory? i cannot stress enough that music theory doesnt mean shit.
your not motzart and your probably never going to be. if motzart had midi he probably wouldnt care about theory anyways. your ears will subconsciously begin to pick up intervals. learn the major scale if you wish. i would much rather suggest playing random bullshit along your favorite tunes to get a understanding for the similarities between them to find your own voice.

Should I buy a book on it? Or maybe production? go ahead, but this is a great resource, you cant ask a book questions, you can ask us questions. checkout futureproducers.com as well.

Should I postpone trying to teach myself how to produce and just wait until I can take a class for it? no. classes are great but not neccessary. if you enjoy music watch youtube video tutorials. first choose a DAW (digital audio workstation). look at reviews for fruity loops, cubase, pro tools, reason, and logic. i would strongly personally suggest reason because its all you need in one box to get started as far as basic synthing goes. its also only 300 bucks or a download away. you get the drum kits, the synths, all that shit.
also schools dont teach you just what you want to know, they teach you a bunch of shit you dont wnat to know as well.
just learn what the difference in waveforms are, how to quantize, how to "wobble" how to chop shit up, how to mix and frequency carve, and there thats a good start, go do your homework.

[arisemprex]

I would suggest.....

Guitar Pro
Reason
and a DAW of your choosing. Just look up some vids on youtube, be active in forums. ASK...remember....the dumbest question is the one you don't ask.

As for classes, theres 1 upside, and thats the fact that you have class mates....being able to talk in person is great, but you can also have your friendly online DSF community.

Just fuck around dude! Think of it as....a new toy....that makes sounds. Idk. Just get to it!

[tintala]

choose a DAW. then , spend hours upon hours researching , reading the manual, and watching all the freakn tutorial you can get your hands on! Learn the effects, how to record in it, just pick an instrument you like and get good at that one, then maybe get another ... right now your biggest and most prolonged challenge is learning the DAW that your gonna have to get......once you decide and buy that, then start putting in many many tirelss hours ..... in front of that computer .

[Genevieve]

If anything, it actually is a good idea to learn piano before you get into DAWs. But as far as learning electronic music goes, self-taught is totally fine.

[benjam]

Its A good idea to learn keyboard/piano but I wouldnt bother learning drums tbh. Its a big commitment and youll need to put a lot of hours in and buy a kit and find a practise space to really get anywhere. Plus unless you have an electric kit hooked up to your pc youll most likely end up drawing your drums in midi anyway. Its probably a better idea to buy a pad controller ( google mpc if your not familiar ) and then you can record live drumming.
Tbh man youve had the best attittude of any beginner thats posted on here recently.

[victor w]

I honestly think paying for classes on production is a waste of money...most producers are self taught anyway. It doesn't seem like you view producing as a hobby, like most of us on here. With time and experimentation you'll get there. Just listen to music very closely, and once you get into producing you'll never view music the same way. It's a hobby like anything else really, and you don't need to be taught how to do it with classes. Just watch youtube tutorials and practice. And if you geniunely enjoy producing as a hobby you'll only get better and better.
Piano would help...but learn how to move around in your DAW first...

[Psychodelic]

I apologize if any of my questions seemed redundant or might have been answered in the thread at the top of the forum, but I just wanted to ask about all the things I wasn't sure about to make sure that I'll be headed in the right direction before I really get into this.

So I guess I'll get right to messing around to messing with a DAW, and also start learning keyboard piano, since there definitely seem to be things to gain from it, as for DAWs I'll probably start with illegally downloaded FL, and then drop the $300 on Reason when I get the chance. Thanks for all the helpful suggestions and input.

[RmoniK]

Hi.

Welcome.

You don't really need music theory to produce dubstep. It's more about chromatics (semi-tones), diminished chords and blues scales. If you're going for more dub like music, try I-IV progressions, very popular in that branch. You'll need a midi-keyboard, that's for sure, but you don't need to take piano lessons or drum lessons like anyone implied. They won't make you a good producer. Just mess around till you find what you like. I mostly just drum on my desk while beatboxing to find a catchy drum line (mostly for hihat patterns, snare is almost always on 3, and kick is easily put in after you get your main riff). When you're working on synths, just screw around with those things i mentioned above to find out. It'll take you a while to get the hang of it though (i'm still in the beginner's fase).

Good luck and keep us posted.
Don't let the peeps here intimidate you.

[EDN]

Even if you do learn in a class (which might very well be easier depending on the class and your learning style) you will still need to put in LOADS of time on your own practicing and experimenting.
Anyone who tells you you don't need music theory for dubstep is lying. How else would you know what a diminished chord, blues scale or I-IV progression is.
DO learn the piano, but make sure you have enough time to practice both that and producing enough to progress properly with both (i.e. at least an hour or so per day, each.)