What do I need to get started as an electronic musician?
I’m tired of talking the talk. This summer, I’m on a break from grad school and I’m working only part-time. Hence, I’ve got some time I plan to devote to making music.
I’ve got a background in percussion and guitar, although the music I would like to begin to (learn how to) create is electronica/house/techno/misc. beat-making.
I imagine a computer program (Ableton, e.g.) would be a good place to start. I also was thinking of buying a synth or a keyboard. Additionally, I was thinking about one of those drum machines. Does a computer program usurp all of these? What are the chances I can Dj with these as well? Should I go with an Akai APC?
Generally, I want to be able to create my own stuff be it on the keyboard or a beat, and then mix therein, with vocals or whathaveyou. I want to have some fun…
I’d be willing to spend a little dough, but I’d prefer to keep it under $500. I know these are slippery slopes.
Again, however, as you can see/read, I am not sure where to begin. Help – any and all info will be very useful! :)
Thank you…
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4 Answers
My brother is an electronic musician, I believe he started with Fruity loops and now uses Ableton Live and Reason. I used to dabble just for fun using the free version of PCDJ, that was years ago, not sure if that’s still around.
First, get a DAW. I wrote something massive on this a while ago about the different ones.
Personally, I use Ableton and Logic for DAWs but I also like to dabble with some Max/MSP a little.
My main suggestion when producing, though, is to listen to electronic music. Listen to a lot of it. There is a reason many successful producers were originally successful DJ’s and that’s because they know what sorts of sounds and beats the public is enjoying at the time. The DJ with a finger on the pulse of the electronic music community is bound to be more successful than one without.
As for spending money, get yourself a MIDI controller first. If you don’t know what one is, research it, but if you don’t think you need one, producing is not for you. When making beats, a pad controller like the MPD 26 makes it soooo much easier, or if you’re a keyboardist by heart you can look into a keyboard midi controller.
But really, you are composing music so it is a lot easier if you have knowledge of musical notation, structure and key.
In your entire list of potential gear, you did not mention speakers. These and a computer are all you actually need. Abelton Live is great software, as well as Reason and Logic. These DAWs can do everything a synthesizer or drum machine can do as well as sequence the MIDI into an organized song.
Focal, ADAM, Yamaha, and Dynaudio all make great studio monitors, but you’ll have to hear them for yourself before buying. Our ears are different, and we have different tastes. A good pair of speakers with a flat frequency response will allow you to hear the errors in your music and correct them. I wouldn’t recommending spending less than $400 for a pair of speakers, or $800 if you will eventually be releasing songs to the public.
A MIDI keyboard/controller is a nice accessory, but you shouldn’t spend more then $200–300 on one of these.
Acid Pro is so easy to use and you can get some great results.
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