n00b in training

Music Production Music Tech Discussion
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Hi folks. I’ve put it off for far too long and deluded myself over the years thinking I’d click with an engineer. I’ve recently come into some cash in less than ideal circumstances and have decided to make a go of it.

I’ve had Technics 1210s since 1990 and I’ve been buying vinyl since 1984 and I’ve always had a drumkit for as long as I can remember.

I’ve decided at this late stage to get into production in tandem with my switch-over from vinyl to digital.

Ok, so I’d really like to know where to start, what equipment will I need etc. I’m interested in producing very rhythmic, stripped down Tech House and Techno. Basically what I buy, myself. I’m really into some of the tracks on that recent Quartz compilation, and James Ruskin and Len Faki’s recent tracks.

I’ve bought a Mac Book Pro and Logic Studio, and a pair of Yamaha HS80 monitors. What else would you recommend I pick up? Will I need a MIDI keyboard? Should I buy any hardware at all? A hardware DAW? What the hell are plug-ins? Where do I get plug-ins?

For mixing I’ve bought Ableton Live 8 Suite edition, an Akai APC40 and a Vestax VMC 600.

I will be joining Sonic for definite and hope to take a trip up and check the place out. I’ve no idea how it works to be honest. Is it all online or are there classes I can enrol in? Time isn’t an issue, I’m ok for money and don’t have to work for a while, so I’d like to treat this as a full time thing until I feel proficient enough.

I’m really looking forward to the next few years. I hope I haven’t come across like a numpty in this post, I really am a complete novice with regard to production, but I was awesome on Music 2000 :wink:

I also have a daft blog with a few subscribers, if any of you fancy grabbing some of my vinyl mixes and reading the nonsense I spout on it.

blog link

 

edit for clarity: I’d love to get the best out of Live for Djing and learn production in tandem.

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Nice to meet you! Joining SA is a good move - I’m sure they do classes but the best place to find out this kind of info is to email them directly (‘Contact Us’ to the left of the screen).



How are you finding Ableton Suite 8? I’m seriously thinking about upgrading (I’ve got Ableton 7 with several instruments) but am holding back at the moment for cash issues. I’d really appreciate any advice you might have on whether you think it’s worth the upgrade.

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Thanks for replying, you’ll probably get sick of reading my n00b posts soon.

I’m in the process of moving, so everything’s still in boxes. I haven’t tried Abelton at all. It’ll be October, before I even look at it. I’ve bought an open plan appartment with a terrace and a corner of the living area will be devoted to a bit of a studio. I’m just kind of flat out buying things in that people are recommending, now that I have the financial backing to get it.

I can’t wait to start learning.

I really want to get a hardware DAW, but I have a suspicion the software I’ve bought already has this covered. Just as a matter of interest, is Reason used professionally? Should I pick this up?

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Reason is used professionally, and was my own tool of choice for many years (since 2001 in fact!), but since getting into Ableton I very rarely use it anymore. It is great to use as a muck about with ideas, and has a nice variety of step sequencers (something Ableton is sadly lacking in at the moment despite a couple of workarounds - take a look at the post under the ‘General Discussion’ forum).

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having logic studio and ableton 8 + a mac and set of monitors you’ve already took a huge step.



the online tutorials work in your own time, you simply watch the videos and work along.



a midi keyboard is recommended it helps when trying to come up with something even if you don’t know how to play. being a drum player will have huge advantages as you’ll already in theory know how to put a drum pattern down.



any way welcome to the board and join up as soon as you can the videos will answer a lot of you question and the members and sa team will help fill the gaps for you :slight_smile:

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plug-ins are programs that work as virtual effects and software synths you’ll be needing vst (VIRTUAL STUDIO TECHNOLOGY) for ableton and Au (AUDIO UNIT) compatible for logic.



you’ll be able to find more details about what they are by searching for them on wikipedia :slight_smile:

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Excellent. Thanks! Is there are an industry standard MIDI keyboard? I’m not sure what the correct terminology is, but one that registers the velocity of your key-strikes.

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its all in what you want to do with it. All MIDI is information that is sent from the keyboard to the program (ie. how hard you hit the key, what not was played, any pitch bending, and any other function of a keyboard you have). I have an Akai MPK49. It might be a little overkill for you, but possibly all you would really need is a 25 key midi controller to get down you thoughts and motifs rather than playing the piano of sorts. Look into grabbing an Akai APC40 if you have the dough. Definately worthwhile!

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I have an APC40. I got it and a Vestax VMC600 and hope to use the both together for djing.

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any midi keyboard will do but to be fair the more sliders and knobs the better

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I’m using a Novation ReMote 25 Sl Mk2 which has done me wonders. It has lots of lovely knobs and buttons which get mapped instantly to whatever DAW (eg Ableton, Cubase etc) you are using or any plug-ins you might have.



I have also recently bought Native Instrument’s Maschine which is unbelievable - ever since I started writing music on computers this counts as one of my most important purchases. It is basically a groove box (like Korg’s Electribe series) that works with whatever software you have on your system, although it is particularly well geared toward Ableton.

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Great stuff. I watched a video demo of the Mashcine. Sold on that instantly. Thanks so far, lads. Much, much appreciated.

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[quote]scott (8/16/2009)[hr]

  - but I was awesome on Music 2000 :wink:

 

[/quote]

 

 

Haha! I had that too… Thought it was the biz at the time! :smiley:

 

Welcome Mate!!

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I’d say you’re set mate. I have a MIDI Keyboard and it helps with playing around with riffs etc, even though I can’t play it like a piano. It also has sliders etc you can assign to stuff in your DAW (I use ableton). Korg Kontrol 49 if you’re interested

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It’s still quite suprising to me how much awesome you could actually get out of Music 2000. I had 3 things for the PS1, the whole of its lifespan. Music 2000, MGS and Tekken 2.

Also, had a bit of further digging around abou the Maschine. I’m only interested in making 4/4 tracks. Is this piece of kit still useful for this purpose?

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Definitely. There is an update (1.1) on its way that will allow you to drag and drop MIDI into the host DAW (eg. Ableton). This will really open up the potential of Maschine as you will be able to compose patterns ‘hands on’ and then move them into Ableton for tweaking/revamping etc.



There is a great forum that offers support, as well as the NI Knowledge Base that has numerous articles to help. Likewise, users can upload their own custom kits and patterns to share with others. I would definitely recommend it.

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Ahh, so I can load the Maschine with samples. Beat out a rough pattern and manipulate that further in Ableton. That’s awesome. I was genuinely looking for some hands on kit, too.

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If you have a music shop near you, take a look. There are other grooveboxes that might take your fancy as well - the Korg Electribe MX is great for example. I like Maschine, however, because of its integration with other software (this is what it was built for).



Let me know what you decide on!

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Woah! Am I going to need an external soundcard? If so, can you guys recommend one. Money no object.

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An audio interface is always good to have - I use Audio Kontrol 1 from Native Instruments, but there are plenty of good ones out there to choose from.



I know you say money is no object, but be cautious about how much you do spend on all this - you can make high quality music from the most basic setup. Remember its not the technology but the ideas that count. It sounds as though you have already got all you need to get started - have a tinker with your existing stuff and see if anyone likes it - if people respond positively when you play your tunes you can start to think about expanding your setup later, and let your music pay for itself! :wink: