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-- Is there a production equivalent to "How To DJ Right" ???

Is there a production equivalent to "How To DJ Right" ???

Does anybody have a book they could recommend regarding production, synthesis and so forth??? Is there anything that has achieved a "bible" sort of status like "How To DJ Righr"?

there is no right or wrong way to prodcue. jsut do what sounds good to you.

on synthesis just google it.

ok, well I've already found plenty of online material, but for some reason I like having something physical to read. Everything in HTDJR is covered online but I still bought the book just to have it.

there are lots of books on music production. most are directed as certain sequencers. i suppose you will need a few books.

1. general recording handbook
2. mastering handbook
3. promotion handbook (how to make it in the music industry)

search them on amazon. there are loads to choose from and you find them a lot in big bookstore chains.

i dont agree with using books to learn as your learning from peoples ideas and not creating your own. just create and learn by trial and error.

I'd say both reading and trial and error. It increases the learning curve by a lot. You don't have to do exactly as the books say, just fiddle the knobs a bit more and different but along the lines of the tutorials. You'll learn quicker with them than by trail and error only.

It is good to do stuff along with a tutorial. It gets you insight into the basics right away. Just make sure you know how to apply those tricks in stuff you do for yourself afterwards .

Ok.

there is a book called "The dance music manual" by rick snoman.
This is excellent, covering all aspects of music production. The mixing section and synthesis bits are particuarly useful. It won't teach you how to produce but as you learn yourself, it is excellent to refer to as and when you need it.

Other than that, i would recommend getting a book on whatever sequencer you use (unless you already know you're way around it comfortably). For instance when i got reason 3, i bought "reason 3 power." This sped up my learning curve in reason and music making in general a thousand times over. I know there are similar books for cubase and ableton and im sure the other major sequencers aswell. Some are better than others though so read reviews. I know that there are numerous books for reason, but some were reviewed poorly. the one i bought got lots of praise, so i went for that one and havent regretted it.

when i first started i bought "sonar 3 power" as well. i'm using ableton now but that book defiently gave me an advantage because sequencers get more intense every year as the seasoned users request more and if you werent' there at step 1... you need to play catch up.


as far as synthesis goes, you won't find much unless its videos because lets think about it... you'd be buying a book to describe sounds to you. i'm sure you've seen people on this board have an incredibly hard time ddescribing sounds to you. It won't make sense for you to go and read 50 pages and understand a synth and all its knobs when it opens. What you need is some online tutorials to walk you thru the proces WHILE you are playing it so you can hear and use your phonogenic-memory.


good luck to you

G-Con:

I bought the same 2 books a while back, and I agree that they are great reference materials. May I also recommend Power Tools for Synthesizer Programming. Another great read on the concepts of synthesis.

Thanks, these are fantastic suggestions

I'll be hitting up amazon soon to check some of these out.

If you find a 'How to produce music' book it will be the sound equivilant of paint by numbers.

Fuck that shit. Theres no soul in painting by numbers and it ain't a good way to learn how to paint.

quote:

Originally posted by Derivative If you find a 'How to produce music' book it will be the sound equivilant of paint by numbers. Fuck that shit. Theres no soul in painting by numbers and it ain't a good way to learn how to paint.

Thats not really true.

when you're starting out with little or know knowledge, then what often happens is you will twiddle all the knobs and sliders hoping that something suddenly sounds good, and when it does, you have no idea what exactly made it sound good and why. Sure eventually you will start to learn what everything does after heaps of trial and error.

But getting a book merely speeds this process up. Don't get me wrong, there is no substitute for practical, hands on learning, but text books go hand in hand in helping you understand what everything does.

Why try and blindly find you're way in the dark with no clue as to what you're doing when a book will guide you forward much quicker.

Sorry, I was thinking of the type of book that has a cover CD on the front with a finished track and instructions on how to rebuild it. You know those jobbies.

There are alot of good production resources on the internet though. Articles like 'Thinking outside the Box' for instance is a good way to learn about what you can and cannot get away with EQ. Although fair warning - it won't tell you anything about EQ or what to do - which is one of those strange things you should probably get used to unless you get mathematical about it.

Learn how synthesis methods work and learn a bit of music theory. Learn how effects work and learn some of the basics of mixing.

You can sort of get some of this stuff "by experience," but I wouldn't recommend it unless you enjoy stumbling around in the dark and getting frustrated when you have no idea at all how to make the sounds you want. It's about knowing how to make your ideas into reality efficiently whenever they come along.

How to produce right in one easy step!

1. Don't suck.

The end.

Dance music manual doesn't contain much (if anything) you wont find on the web but...

It's handy to have lot's of tips in one book instead of browsing the web through piles of crap and often unreliable sources.

'Musical note to MIDI and frequencies' chart, 'Tempo delay time' chart. Or the audio walkthroughs of drum synthesis, lead sound synthesis. Little tips like placing closed hats just before the beat (Camisra - It's Alright (Tobacco Boys Remix)). Explaining the differences in sound between different types of compressor etc. etc.

For �25 or less it's very handy to have these tips in book form (with CD). I love books personally, it's production magazines I can't stand. Ok, you might get the odd interesting article but about 80% or higher of a production mag is adverts and gear reviews. �5 a month for that?

EDIT: Just checked Amazon, �12.49 new. I had a bookstore token and paid �25. I have no regrets.

quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut How to produce right in one easy step! 1. Don't suck. The end.

Word, homie.

the trance experience by torsten fassbender....

he will take u step by step through one of his released productions, covering everythin he did to make the hit.......

covers mixing/remixing,vocal trance and chillout...

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