Completely new to producing

cliX-

newb
Joined
Jun 1, 2009
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
Okay so I've read through almost all threads in this forum now... I still don't have any idea how to start creating dnb :confused:
Which program should I start to learn? FL, cubase, reason, ableton?
Should I start learning some synth before I learn FL? I don't know anything about creating music so I'd like to know where to start and what I should focus on learning in the beginning :-/ Any help is appreciated!!
 
I'd go with Ableton or Cubase, if you want to learn quickly then Reason would be the way to go, but it does limit you when moving on to more advanced production

Ableton is very user friendly and feels slick to use.

Cubase is more difficult to figure out but has slightly more features than Ableton once you get to grips with it.
 
well it all depends on the style you are trying to do, for me anyways. when i sample and use breaks i use ableton, but for more "from scratch" stuff ill use reason hands down
 
Hmm okay.. Seems to be alot of different opinions :confused:
I have downloaded ableton now and I've gone through all the built-in tutorials but there's still lots of stuff that I don't know about it. I have also downloaded a cracked version of massive(no money to buy anything atm -.-) and a few drum loops. How should I continue? Are there any more advanced guides for ableton?
Btw do you guys create your own beats or do you use drum loops?
 
I'd go with Ableton or Cubase, if you want to learn quickly then Reason would be the way to go, but it does limit you when moving on to more advanced production

Ableton is very user friendly and feels slick to use.

Cubase is more difficult to figure out but has slightly more features than Ableton once you get to grips with it.


If this is so mate, explain to me how commix's entire album (call to mind) was produced using reason and has had some of the most talked about singles in recent years created on it....for example....talk to frank, electric, satelite type 2, be true....etc etc.
 
Whcihever platform you choose to make music, it has to be the one to suit you. Also don't spoend too much money on production software etc..you may find you either hate production or well, it was much harder than you thought. I hope neiother of the two apply and you are posting ya tracks up here soon
 
programs like FL or Reason or Logic all do the same thing and its just how creative you are and how much you know about production that really counts. I started with the FL demo then got the full FL studio package. Starting out u want to spend less- get FL definitely it can do just as much as any other program and is very affordable. Give it at least 3 - 4 months of practice and learn from the many tutorials on the web before u decide to spend more money on another program. If you are new its definitely best to save money until u are sure you want to make something out of this hobby / career. :D
 
Hmm okay.. Seems to be alot of different opinions :confused:
I have downloaded ableton now and I've gone through all the built-in tutorials but there's still lots of stuff that I don't know about it. I have also downloaded a cracked version of massive(no money to buy anything atm -.-) and a few drum loops. How should I continue? Are there any more advanced guides for ableton?
Btw do you guys create your own beats or do you use drum loops?


here is some bits for you.. look up and try this.. it may seem a bit advance but google it :)

- find a software you like the look of and play with it...

- work out how to make like a 8 bar synth loop and add to it.

- play with some drums and layer them. like 2 kicks playing at once etc.

- DnB is from 170bpm to 180bpm so pick a tempo between that.

- read up on compression + eq

- learn the difference between a sine wave and a square wave

- find out what an LFO is and what do you use it for.

- filters.. what is attack sustain decay release ? (

- low pass filters and high pass filters what is the difference?

- automation

- phasing? what is it?

- spectral analysers..

- what is white noise? what is pink noise?

- Midi?

- drum breaks? amens or apaches?

- how do you make sub-bass?

i could go on and on... but that should be enuf for at least 4 months practise
 
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If this is so mate, explain to me how commix's entire album (call to mind) was produced using reason and has had some of the most talked about singles in recent years created on it....for example....talk to frank, electric, satelite type 2, be true....etc etc.


personally i dont think it matters what software you start on.. its what you create with it that counts :)
 
If this is so mate, explain to me how commix's entire album (call to mind) was produced using reason and has had some of the most talked about singles in recent years created on it....for example....talk to frank, electric, satelite type 2, be true....etc etc.

Well its a given that the commix boys are geniuses

Always outnumbered, never outguned by the prodigy was done completely on reason, even though it was their worst album, still quite impressive

What I mean is that it doesn't support VSTs, so theres a limited amount of audio units to experiment with

and the audio manipulation is a huge problem, for example if you wanted to use an vocal sample, such as the one in Be True, then you'd have to create and edit the waveform in a different program then load it into the NNXT or NN19 samplers.
Then if you wanted to change it slightly, maybe chop it up a bit or put a fliter on a specific part of the waveform, you would have to repeat the whole process

I know propellerhead have developed some new software to work with reason to combat this, but compared to other DAWs using real audio effectively is a real hassle
 
Just to add to the point, I started producing on reason, and really enjoyed it but as I started to want to do more and different things, it was increasing difficult on reason compared to other DAWs. So I currently rewire Reason through Ableton Live, so I can get the best of both worlds
 
i went for fl studio because it's a piece of piss that has many wonders, given the arse i'd learn cubase, ableton or the new propellorhead daw 'record'.
 
Okay so I've been doing some very basic sounds now and I've encountered a problem.. Sometimes the drums cover the synth sound so you can't hear it and vice versa, how do I prevent this? (I'm using ableton live 8)

Edit: Can anyone recommend me a cheap midi keyboard? :)
 
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you need to pick punchy drums that cut through the synth, ie. either your synth is overpowerring the mix or the drums are clashy and are muffling the synth, start simple i no its hard but just take a long time to try new things and it will come.

how are you finding ableton, just started using it a bit an i like it, i must admit though if you are starting out i would strongly urge you to use fuity loops
 
you need to pick punchy drums that cut through the synth, ie. either your synth is overpowerring the mix or the drums are clashy and are muffling the synth, start simple i no its hard but just take a long time to try new things and it will come.

how are you finding ableton, just started using it a bit an i like it, i must admit though if you are starting out i would strongly urge you to use fuity loops

hmm.. ableton seems kind of complicated but I've learned how to do the basic things like adding audio effects, doing some simple beats etc. Do you have any drumskits in particular that you can recommend? Is it better to make own beats in ableton(or some other program) or to use drum loops?

This might seem like a newb question but here goes: You say that I should do dnb at around 170 bpm, but when I do that my beats get so sped up so you can barely tell which drum is which... How do I slow down my beat? I've tried fixing with the bpm for the beat but it just sounds weird :confused:
 
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i alredy knew how to make drum patterns cus i played drums before i got into producing. hmmm it might be quite a bit harder for u to make diffrent drum patterns but im sure u could work out the patterns and rememeber them by fiddling about n looking at tutorials on youtube etc.. :wave:

its all about fiddling about with fancy things :)
 
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This might seem like a newb question but here goes: You say that I should do dnb at around 170 bpm, but when I do that my beats get so sped up so you can barely tell which drum is which... How do I slow down my beat? I've tried fixing with the bpm for the beat but it just sounds weird :confused:


if u slow down the beat when the songs set to 170 bpm then the beat will be a diffrent tempo to the set song bpm and wont fit with the song now will it. it all needs to fit together at the right timings. thats what a song is about.

if it sounds to clangy and not like normal dnb beats then prehaps you have made a weird beat and the sounds r to close together

i have no idea if this next bit will make sense to u but its worth a try:

i dno what the drum machine or wotever is like on ableton but try and relate it to this simple drum loop.

make sure the hi hats r evenly done in ur pattern. if on ur loop u can put 16 hits in. make sure there is 8 hi hats that land on the odd numbers.

then put the bass drum on hi hat number 1 and the snare on hi hat number 3 and then put bass drum 2 on the 6th hi hat and snare 2 on the 7th. ;)

hope that makes sense..
 
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Thanks man!! Last part was really helpful! :)

Edit: I'm having trouble with finding drums that sounds like dnb in ableton... Anyone have any tips?
 
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