A true beginner needing help.

B-Motives

New Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2011
So basically, here's the start for me, I have Fl Studios 10, andddd.. that's about it so far, I'm not too sure what programs/plugins I need to get started into production.

I know there are things out there I have heard of such as Acid and Cubase, but I do not know if Fl10 is good enough and all I need is plugins, and I would like to hear all your opinions on what I possibly need to start producing and mashing up drum and bass, and I am open to ALL INFORMATION.

Basically, I've been listening to Drum and Bass for 3 years now, I am from Canada, and finally just broke and said I want to make tunes, but I do not know exactly what I need to go that way, I can DJ, I can mix, I do have a mind full of beats, I am just missing the knowledge of making those beats and the programs associated with them.

I also do not fully understand the terms "Chaining", "Subbass", and "Synthesize", although, I believe Subbass is basically the bass that sits in the background of the song the whole time (after the drop), but i'll wait for you to reply to see if I am right. I do have tunes in production at the moment, but I feel they are definitely lacking and just are not going together, maybe I am using the wrong plugin, maybe I am missing key components, and I hope you all, can help me boost my love of Drum and Bass to production.

For all who do help and assist me in this with any information whatsoever, thank you very much, you don't know how much I appreciate your help.
 
Don't try to understand to much at once. Things take time.

My advice is spend some time infront of FL and if you don't have a manual, grab one online. Go through the manual and learn FL. Take notes, use Google when you don't understand a term. YouTube is also a great source of information.

Ideally though you want to learn your tools. Learning FL (or any other DAW) is going to help you piece your puzzle together when building tracks.

Depending on the Drum and Bass you want to create it can be a difficult process to being with. Trying to create the stuff Broken Note produces is going to leave you fed up as a beginner. But, the more you learn about the tools, and the more you understand about processes such as compression, side chaining, EQing etc. the easier producing becomes.

Theres generally 3 things to consider as a producer:

  1. Understanding yours tools
  2. Music Theory (or at least the basics)
  3. Mixing

... if you want to add a 4th you can add mastering. And if you want to add a 5th you can add synth programming.

But, you're not going to learn any of this overnight. And chances are you won't learn it all in 6 months (unless you dedicate serious time and effort).

Music production is fun. It's a life long learning processes in my opinion and it's all about being an individual with an opinion and a voice (the music) to express it.

Take your time! Start by learning the basics. Don't even worry about plugins at the moment. There's plenty in FL to keep you happy.

Hope that helps.
 
The main thing I can say at the moment is don't get frustrated too early.

Yeah there will be times when you just want to quit, but just take a break and give yourself time to get back into things :)

Don't try to figure out the perfect way to do everything at once, that will just give you headaches. Focus on making the components of the tracks rather than focussing on the technical stuff all the time... that is the best way to get a creative output :D

I probably have various other tips but it's late and I can't remember them all... I might come back with some more later aha and if there's anything you particularly have trouble with, just search the forum and if nothing comes up, make a post- there's lots of friendly guys on here who will be happy to help (and some that will just be cunts but that's the internet for you ;) )
 
Thank you to you both for taking the time for your insightful posts.

I do understand to take things in stride, I am glad you told me FL is full of everything I need, because when I look into most producers, they do seem to use tons of other programs, not just one, I am not to sure as why (maybe to change things up a bit sometimes) so I came to the conclusion that FL wasn't the only thing I needed, but from what you've said, it might just be the only thing I don't want in time, but for now, I should just stick to FL and learn the basics.

I have been watching some tutorials online indeed, I am unfortunately a bit jumpy at times (Will want to learn things that maybe I should wait to learn) but I will stick to what you said and just go with the flow. I do agree it is a long process, the fact you said 6 months and I will still be learning quite alot, does speak much to me about how hard this really is, but I am very much willing to learn, because music to me, and roughly Drum and Bass to me, is what I love about life, and if I can eventually learn how to properly produce it, well.. I'll have to wait and see now won't I?

Thank you for the feedback, more is welcomed, I will read every word.
 
you need a flux capacitor and the noisia filter plug ins
jokes man.first stop-the producer masterclasses ie alix perez,chase and status,lomax n example etc on you tube
be careful of youtube as most vids (from randoms) will mislead you.bare people dont know what they are doing
music theory-check mugglinw.ipower.com
get good samples!!cant polish a ...
i think there is a zip on here called epic zip of something.pretty much has everything you need.
how long it will take depends on how much u put into it.
fl should be fine...some producers never user 3rd party plugins.
 
Learninng to produce is about 90% reading. Manuals, tutorials, books, forum threads and stickies. I recommend you start there. Do that for a few years first.
 
Don't let your head explode ''if u don't understand what it means, it means that u don't need to know it yet'' - was a line from somewhere, I'm about 8 months intro producing and it's still a learning curve so yea, can't learn this stuff over night.

It's important that u have fun, otherwise it's pointless.
Just make your tracks, try to do as much different things in them, if u rly want a specific efect try searching youtube or this forum (both being your friends for learning) for a tut and that's pretty much it...

Also pay attention to this section, there's tons of useful info here.
 
And post tunes to new talent and reviews section. I'm willing to give feedback if you need help on some parts or you think somethings wrong. I use FL too, so..
 
Learninng to produce is about 90% reading. Manuals, tutorials, books, forum threads and stickies. I recommend you start there. Do that for a few years first.

/\ This definitely. Treat your voyage into audio production like you would a college course. For example, I bought a hardbound sketch book with heavy paper (to prevent pen bleed and page tear) that I write notes in and tape up notes, tutorials, charts etc. that I've gathered over the years from websites, magazines and especially dnbforum. It's all about educating yourself AND practicing.

A couple random thoughts:

Try not to fill your brain with tons of stuff without putting it into practice first. For example, when you stumble upon a problem, like "how do I mix a kick and sub bass tightly," do the research and then apply you're notes within your DAW. It's important to understand why your doing what your doing to achieve the end result.

Settings are Variable.Always keep in mind that for most plugin settings in DAW programs, like compressors, are very flexible. Just because you see someone in a video tutorial apply a specific setting to a drum kit doesn't mean it'll work everytime with every kit. Take it as a light rule of thumb as opposed to a concrete means of doing things. Most of all, it's all about how it sounds to your ears.

Use the search engine within this forum. There are tons of great write ups by peeps on this forum who really know what they're talking about, and I've found it to be a great place to start my searching when I'm stumped or even looking for inspiration.

Don't get 3rd party plug-in happy right away. Get to know your programs plugins, as well as their strengths/weaknesses, and then decide if you really need a 3rd party plugin. Personally, I find NI's Massive to be a necessary staple within my DAW (Logic) because it creates the gritty leads and bass I'm looking for and can't create as fast with Logic's native plugs.

Analyze the Pros. Listen, I mean really listen to your favorite producers. Analyze their arrangement, choice of instruments and sound. And always A/B your material with a commercial release to get an idea if you're on the right track or not. And if you're not, think about why that is. Is the snare too quiet/loud? Maybe your sub bass hits way to hard or that kick and snare are clashing.

Cheers.
 
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I cant really say much more than what these guys above me have already said.

It takes a very long time to get anywhere near good at production, and as long as you are aware of that then I'm sure you will enjoy the journey. Ive been producing now for just over three years, and still, every time I open up my DAW and start on something new I learn something.

So you are at the start of your journey, you will have everything you need right inside FL for now, but soon you may wanna look at getting some good sample packs for drum hits and FX. From there, you may wanna look into getting a couple of VST plugins (Synthesizers) and learning them. I really cant stress how important learning synthesis is. Sure, for now, using preset sounds is cool, but it'll only be a matter of time before you wanna pick apart these sounds and learn how they are created. Once you understand how to create sounds, your journey will become even more rewarding, you'll be able to effortlessly transfer the sounds from your head, into a track!

But dont get carried away....all these things I have mentioned will happen in time, but be patient.

Another thing I must stress is this.......Stick around here, there's a load of good guys here willing to help those in need. Dont be shy, post about, get to know us and become part of the community. No matter how silly you may think something is, just ask if you dont understand, we all started at the same point you are at now, and I can honestly say, if it wasnt for this place, I wouldnt be anywhere near the level I am at now
 
Thanks again to everyone for the insightful responses, I have read every last word said by you all, and will take it all in, I will use these forums as a guide to learning how to produce properly, as well as tutorials and other information sources to learn. I also particularly like the idea of writing it all down, I'm a computer guy so maybe I'll type it on the computer, but once again, you do not know how much I appreciate the helpful responses for a guy who's posting here for his first few days.

Some responses to some of the replies; Yes, I do have some favourite producers, and with that I also kind of range around their style in a sense, especially Spor, but I'll obviously wait for that as there is much to learn before I take all the beats in my head and turn it into music.

I also have not downloaded a single third-party plugin as of yet, as you said, learn FL Studios first is what my plan will be, I have a feeling that if I do learn FL Studios, it will probably make it easier to understand other programs that are similar to FL as well.

Finally, I won't be afraid to ask for help, if there's one thing, it's I want all the help I can possibly get, and if this is the right place to be, then I'll be here.

Once again, much thanks for all this information.
 
I started off using FL and it has plenty to get you started. Try getting your head around Sytrus.....it's a very under rated piece of kit (Although it is very difficult to understand, most synth's are easier to pick up than this, but it will be worthwhile)

I havnt used FL since version 8, I made the switch to Ableton, but if there's anything I can help you with dont hesitate to drop me a message.
 
Great thread, found this really useful so thanks to B-Motives for getting it started, I'm starting with Ableton too.

Mr Fletch, can you point me towards any other links or Ableton related threads?

Thanks in advance
 
first of all hy and welcome :)

i can't really give you all the tips you need, since i'm consider myself still a beginner. but i can tell you how i did it from my first track ever to the level i'm now (which is not the highest!) :o)

in the beginning i was using propellerheads reason, because it has everything in it which you need. i could launch it on my laptop e.g. in trains and i had a stable and complete environment. then i startet to make some beats. most of this beats consisted of 2-4 bar loops and normally they sounded awful. but it was a lot of fun doing it. i never made a final track with a fully arangement. i started with very basic drums with some bass beneath it. if i had something i liked, i put additional lead sounds or pads from my synthesizers (standard presets) beneath it. what i did next i listened very closely to the productions of my favourite producers. i tried to get every element which was involved of a track. like that i learned to layer things up, to use eq's wisely and to add a lot of different elements to my sound, which made my beats a lot "thicker".

my first steps with synthesizing was with the thor synth of reason. it's incredible well designed and its imo really easy to understand. i think to get into synthesis creating your own basses is the easiest start. there you get some results fast (take a osc and put a low pass filter on it) :o).

after a long time and with a lot of experimenting in reason i bought cubase 6 artist CI2+ pack (because i needed a new soundcard) and some time after the komplete 7 package from NI. Thats the base with wich i make music now. the possibilities now are endless! i also got some really good free plugins to round things up. Am I a better producer now? NO! Are my productions sound better than the ones other make in reason? NO! Is it more fun now? HELL YEAH! :o)

the conclusion is that for the start you should stick with the standard instruments and if you have understood the basics of synthesizing, layering, arrangements, use of effects, etc. you should go further. i really don't know the instruments and the possibilities within FL. But i think for the first steps it's enough. later you should imo definitly get NI Massive. It's a synthesizer which is easier to learn than others an you can get amazing results fast.

i think you should post your tracks as they are right now. so the community can give you a concrete feedback.
 
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