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| quote: | Originally posted by MOK
Read all the tutorials here, read through messageboards like these and KVR. Knowledge is what fuels practice, which is what fuels skill. Eventually you'll start feeling confident with your sound.
As for gear & software, I suggest staying 'in the box,' all software. Nowadays, PC's are powerful enough that there's no reason not to take advantage. If you want hardware, go for it. But software is more powerful, and cheaper. The simplified setup is also nice, giving better access to mobility.
The good thing about modern DAWs is that you can get pro results with pretty much anything. All it takes is lots of intimate knowledge and experience with your software. The new Reason is excellent, as is FL. Reaper is super cheap and very good. I use Cubase studio, and it's never let me down. Logic is the go-to choice for Mac.
One thing I'd warn against, however, is falling into the 'gear trap,' as I call it. This is the mindset where you become convinced that your results will be better if you can get This or That or whatever. Don't fall for that. You can make incredible things despite your gear, software, or set up. Aside from your primary DAW, you need absolutely nothing. Some things help... a midi controller, some good powered nearfields, a good audio interface, a good set of headphones, a fast computer... But none of those are necessary, certainly not needed to get started.
But I do suggest getting a solid set of headphones early on ($200+, not you $100 DJ headphones crap). This can help you forestall getting good speakers till later. I can just about guarantee that the speakers you have right now isn't good for production due to lack of accuracy. Rather than sinking a bunch into that problem now, and find out later "I shoulda bought those instead....," just get good set of headphones now. There's no buyers remorse there, much cheaper, and it's highly accurate(if you went for good ones).
As for computers, in a nutshell, any solid gaming computer will be good for it. While any pc or laptop WILL work, if you're going to buy a new one, look for something with tons of processing. Not much else matters. Fast processor is what you need. Laptops afford you mobility, and desktops afford you stability and security. Personally I favor desktop if you're serious about learning the craft. I've always ran into odd, unforeseeable trouble with laptops.
Do not buy computer store sound cards. What you want is a dedicated audio interface. Those will require research on your part. You'll find lots of info on that both here and on KVR. But no rush... I suggest waiting on this til when you're eventually ready to buy your shiny new powered near field reference monitors.
Once your DAW is up and running, download and use ASIO4ALL. This reduces your audio latency.
Go to a magazine/news store and look up magazines like Computer Music and Future Music and Electronic Musician. They often run special editions made for beginners, or have articles for beginners.
Read manuals. Consider reading books. Frequent the message boards. Make a folder in your bookmarks menu dedicated to audio pages.
This is a very in-depth craft, and it takes a ton of practice to get any good. Unlike other methods of making music, it requires you to first wade in and figure out a ton of technical stuff before you can even start making what's in your head audible. So have patience.
I wish you luck.
If you have more specific questions, fire away. But don't forget to browse around a little, and perhaps MAYBE use the search function to find the answer the question you're about to ask, which has inevitably already been asked a million times over. |
Great read! Thank you!
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Trance mixes of mine
https://soundcloud.com/pulsedriver1
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. And I'm entitled to say that theres a lot of shite in hard dance if I like, in sydney hard dance is a filthier word than trance. Maybe its different elsewhere. 
) 
The reason why I made this post is because there is a certain sound that I want to make. And it's not the "club trance" sound...though I do like club trance. I want to make that "hard trance" sound. I've read past posts before but none of them really explained about the sound I wanna make. I just wanna make sure that if I buy Fruity Loops, I will be able to make the sounds, after a lot of practice and work, that I want to.
