quote:

Originally posted by DayTrader I've been a newbie for about 8 years now (and continue to be one)

i like your ambitions

quote:

Originally posted by ken_lee i like your ambitions

haha yea, there were a few rather long breaks due to many other "ambitious" endeavors

Read threw the master tutorial list. Fl studio's is a great program, I'm new myself, and Ive learned a lot from the tutorial list and through experience. If you get fl9 producer edition there is a lot of tools native to the program you can use to make the quality of trance you seek - to a certain degree. Its all you need at this point, in my opinion anyways. You can always install VST's and what not for more synths. I recommend fl9. Learn about the dynamics of a track before you get going, I started throwing shit together w/o learning the dynamics of a track and it sounded horrid of course; clipping due to ridiculous db levels and synths colliding together in random chaos. EQEQEQEQ.

Thank you for all the advice. Regarding the different genres of trance, I think what I mostly listen to is progressive trance, but I'm still not completely sure. Is it common for DJ's to mix it up and create trance music of different genres, or do people generally stick with a specific one? Either way I'd appreciate it if someone could point me to some artists with a good selection of progressive trance tracks so that I can figure out if I'm way off with my assumption (and to find some new music to listen to of course).

Also regarding the music software, for which one do you think there are the greatest number of tutorials out there? Seeing as I don't know anyone who creates electronic music, I'm guessing I'll have to use tutorials as guidelines at first, so a big selection would definitely be helpful.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik Hel do you have any idea if it supports the use of QWERTY keyboards in this manner?

Personaly I never use QWERTY or piano roll. I like playing a real keyboard and I suspect as a musiscian yourself you may to find you get more feeling and find inspiration from playing.

A basic midi keyboard can be had for $150 or less.

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https://soundcloud.com/butlerrichard

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik Hel Thank you for all the advice. Regarding the different genres of trance, I think what I mostly listen to is progressive trance, but I'm still not completely sure. Is it common for DJ's to mix it up and create trance music of different genres, or do people generally stick with a specific one? Either way I'd appreciate it if someone could point me to some artists with a good selection of progressive trance tracks so that I can figure out if I'm way off with my assumption (and to find some new music to listen to of course). Also regarding the music software, for which one do you think there are the greatest number of tutorials out there? Seeing as I don't know anyone who creates electronic music, I'm guessing I'll have to use tutorials as guidelines at first, so a big selection would definitely be helpful.

There are tons of FL Studio tutorials on Youtube. Do a search and check it out. That's where I learned most of what I know about it.

I'd recommend FL studio too just for the immense amount of tutorials in youtube, you can learn to do things in fl seeing other daws tutorials when you are more experienced , and i think Fl is just like the other daws.

Thank you for all the advice. Most people seem to be suggesting FL studio 9 so I think that's what I'll get. at first I was thinking about getting reason 5 but ultimately your opinion plus the cheaper price of FL9 made the choice fairly easy. Having said that, there's still something I'm curious about FL studio 9, and that's the fact that there's such a vast amount of plug-ins and other stuff available for purchase. This makes me think that maybe the stripped-down version of the software won't be enough, does anyone have some input on that?

In my opinion, I think you need to get the Signature Bundle because it comes with Sytrus and a soundfont player. Sytrus is very nice, especially if you don't plan to purchase other synths yet. Soundfonts for me are essential. I purchased no other plug-ins from them. For me this is more than enough. But I did buy some other 3rd-party synths: Nexus and Sylenth1. Eventually, you'll probably want to add some synths to your arsenal as well, but for now Sytrus should be fine. Or even the 3XOsc is good if you're just learning.

FL Studio all the way!

And who the fuck recommended reason to a newbie is that a joke? Thats prob one of the worst programs a newbie can be using and as a newbie I used it for my first 2 years of production which were largely wasted hitting the tab key and shitting myself silly.

FL Studio as my first choice, Ableton as my second for a newbie. And the best thing about FL is you can just rewire reason to it once you learn wtf you are doing.

If you have any questions just pm me with your aim and I'd be glad to help you with the learning curve the first few weeks after you get it.
I also think at least you should consider getting a midi keyboard.

A minimum for "professional" trance really would be:

Sequencer of choice that you are comfortable with and have learned inside and out.
A midi keyboard not just for the keys and inspiration but because its much easier to link knobs in FL and program synths with the knobs on your midi controller than clicking on shit individually and turning them one by one inside the sequencer.

Eventually you are going to need either mid to high quality studio monitors.
And eventually you will also want a reputable interface like the Echo Audiofire.
And it doesn't hurt to treat your room either in later years but you can worry about the shit after you learn the fundamentals of production. Realistically speaking you prob don't need to worry about having the best monitors and interface till you get some experience under your belt.

So for now bear minimum would just be a sequencer like FL Studio, midi keyboard, and a nice share of vsts. Don't be too picky about your vsts as theres lots of good ones, but definitely be picky about the fxs you use in the mixer. As good as FLs native plugins sound waves made a huge impact to my mixes after I started using them, soundtoys too, and even they aren't the "best".

Last edited by DJ Robby Rox on Jan-27-2011 at 23:29

I would say that you should use this forum, the producers section, to get feedback on your progress. I started off with Reason a long time ago but have only been using Ableton for about 2 years now, and if I would have switched to Ableton sooner my production game would probably be a lot better.

Money isn't really something you need. I would even suggest grabbing a pirated copy of Ableton or something, just to see if you like it. If you do get comfortable with it, maybe consider buying it. Also, you need a good ear for dance music. Having a lot of experience listening to and enjoying this genre (many years) will enable you to make more solid tracks.

Your most important investment will be a soundcard and real monitors (not M-Audio or crap like that). You will also need to find a soft synth you are comfortable with. Rather than downloading a bunch of different ones, download one and use it exclusively so that you will learn how to design sounds and create synth patches without having to learn different GUIs and stuff like that.

Your other important investment will surely be sound packs (samples), it's a good idea to collect as many sounds as you can.

Will, dedication, pure talent are what will be more determining factors in your outcome as a trance producer. Also, it would probably be wise to learn how to produce in general, rather than worrying about producing a single genre.