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How did you learn to produce?
Just wondering how everyone here learned how to produce. Was it turtorials, books, school, experimentation or someone showing the the basics?
Experimentation!
Sean, it seems like you really know your shit. How long have you been producing for? By the way, thanks for all your contributions to the forum. Your'e helping out a lot of people including myself
i just played around and experimented some...
and then i have just got some nice tips from the users here to improve myself...
I think developement is very, very important for one to create their own unique style of music. You need to go through all the stages where you dont know what the hell you are doing, that way you will remember things better when you do figure it out. Its important that you learn everything yourself, and not skim through sections of a book. If you learn things one by one, then nothing will be overlooked.
This doesnt mean that reading tutorials is a bad thing, but you wouldnt want to learn how to make music from a book, or sit and listen to someone. Sure this way takes longer, but I think you get alot more out of it. The key is to experiment, and try new things.
just played around really, explored things like bassline, percussion, leads, 303s, effects, various vsts and how to get the best sounds from them.
learn abt structure from listening to various tracks and tried to create a similar effect, but in my own style.
I've been producing for a little over 2 years. The first year all of my stuff was total garbage, the next 6 months I started to be able to throw stuff together that I thought was awesome (when I listen now it sucks), and I think over the past 2-3 months, thanks mainly to tranceaddict, I've gotten okay.
I still haven't learned how to produce, I just crap around with synths and drums and knobs and sliders 
but I started crapping around with screamtracker 3 ahhh those days, making lousy tapes with crappy hardcore
Basically by experimentation. I started with FL, and i'll probably never leave it.
I'm not actually any good at producing, I just enjoy making music.
for me... playing around with reason/acid for months got me nowhere. literally. so i stopped trying for about 3 months, then i jumped on reason very randomly and i very easily programmed a few things (something just clicked in my head). then i started "producing" with some friends who were already making things, so by having them show me the ropes it really helped me figure things out. i think it helps a lot to have someone show you the basics.
My first song was a little diddy I threw together using the .wav samples that are included in the chat program ICQ (I mixed them in Sonic Foundry Acid (as it was called at the time)) Moved up to fruityloops - I really advanced with that program.. learning structure and stuff... then I moved back to Sonic Foundry Acid (now Sony) and have been using that as a mixer (not as the loop based tracker that it's intended to be) - I've tried Cubase SL and didn't like it for mixing in wave files.. it just didn't give me the kind of contorol that I've been spoiled with by using Acid which I still use along with a few VSTi's and my Alesis QS 6.1 - and that's the story of my life
Sub note:
One HUGE even GINORMOUS thing that helped in my producing was taking piano lessons and music theory - keep that in mind if you ever want to progress past trance [] control (a perfect example of great production skills with no musical talent)
I've been experimenting with production for about 2 years and do not have a music background. Everything was good because everything I did was new but lately I feel like I've hit a wall. Everything is sounding decent but just not I was intending to make. My trance tracks have more of a house sound. I guess I just have to break each element down and focus on it before I proceed to the next one. Anyone feel the same way? I guess I'm focusing on the "formula" way too much.
When I begin a track I find a sound I like, modify, sequence and the layer another sound and build. Which method do you prefer?
| quote: |
| Originally posted by alanzo Sub note: One HUGE even GINORMOUS thing that helped in my producing was taking piano lessons and music theory - keep that in mind if you ever want to progress past trance [] control (a perfect example of great production skills with no musical talent) |
I remember years back when I'd take alternative rock songs and edit them and add effects in programs like soundforge and cool edit showing them off to my friends thinking I was all bad ass. gradually i got into some soft synths like rebirth and fruity loops. Then i got some money and bought a groove box. I played around making tons of incomplete songs before I actually ever finished anything.
started using fruity loops. got some help from my good friend rb2k1 about basslines and some stuff you can do on the program and some fx stuff. been producing for 7 months now. its fun. the rest of teh stuff i think i was just sort of expermenting and finding what i thought worked
| quote: |
| Originally posted by alanzo Sub note: One HUGE even GINORMOUS thing that helped in my producing was taking piano lessons and music theory - keep that in mind if you ever want to progress past trance [] control (a perfect example of great production skills with no musical talent) |
Trial and error.
Emphasis on error.
messing messing messing find some great settings fucking it all up messing messing.. and still messing 
I started around 6 months ago by getting Fruity Loops + Reason. Looking back now, if someone asked me "how to produce" I wouldn't reply with an ambigous word such as "experiment" because for the first two months that's all i did, and it got me fucking nowhere.
Over the past few months I've learned that producing is alot more then just randomly tweaking knobs in these programs. It's about knowing how to shape and craft a sound, while training your ear to know what sounds good, and what doesn't. It's about continually critiscing your work, while not giving up for something that's second best. You have to have an ear that knows what's missing at a certain frequecy, while at the same time, you have to know how to fill it up without getting it overcrowded and muddy. I would say it's like walking a tightrope. You have to know how to get the balance perfect. If you loose the balance of the sound. You're fucked. Above all, it's about analyzing a sound, and trying to get it to sound "right"
Then again, if i read this when i started out, i wouldn't have a clue what it means 
hope it helps someone tho.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Coudburst Wait, hold the phone...so they got no musical talent? But make great songs? So they base their music on hard facts and theory? |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by alanzo They have great production skills (mixing it together and EQing and such) but they have no composition skills - just listen to their songs - every one of them lacks a distinct melody, even when they said it has one in the song description. They said it themselves "Everything we know is self tought" you can teach yourself production but good luck teaching yourself music theory. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by SOLTRI I think thats what I need. Anyone suggest any good books for music theory? |
Massive expiermentation, bought Reason and learned a ltitle bit of the hardware aspects from it. learneda thing or to from friends who produce as well
Experiment is the right word (not stealing ideas )
1.MIDI files for melodies and harmonies
2.Local MUSIC school - Electronic Course = absolutley no help
3.http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Music/Theory/?tc=1 = steals lot of time but helps little bit
4.Girlfriend who has PIANO degree helps me with harmony and melodies sometimes ... but she dont like trance ... after 7 years I have brainwashed her little bit .. but still on PROGRESS with her
5. EAR = must important
6. New commercial songs give you right direction where do u must move
Nothing originally but thats the way life goes
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sebra
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