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OP, all of these decisions can't be decided from a single thread, as there is ALOT of different software, hardware, and skills that come into the equation. Any information given will just be the tip of the iceberg, hopefully this will be enough to get your feet wet and swimming on your own.
That said, I would recommend googling each of the artists you mentioned, and make sure to include the word interview. From my personal experience, the majority of the "big guys" will often tell what they use in their studio. For your information, most of the producers you listed use either Logic Pro, Ableton Live, and Pro Tools, usually a combination of them, so take a look at these and see the pros and cons for their workflow.
Next is hardware. I would recommend midi controllers over actual hardware synths, but if you could, get both. The processing power of computers is increasing at an alarming rate, and nowadays there are plenty of VST plugins that can rival hardware. VST plugins is an interface developed by Steinberg and has become a standard for the majority of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW), meaning once you get a certain VST plugin, you can use it almost anywhere (Propellerhead Reason DAW doesnt support this be/ its a closed system). Basically what they do is simulate real world hardware found in studios (synthesizers, effects, etc.), and go even beyond that by introducing new ideas that you don't normally find in studios. Popular synth plugins for the type of trance you want to make is Sylenth1, Zebra 2, Nexus, Native Instruments Stuff (Massive, FM8, Absynth, etc.), Vanguard, Omnisphere, Camel Audio Alchemy, and so on. There is simply too many to list here, it is up to you to do your research and find the ones you prefer the most. Most DAW come with their own effects, so I wont go into detail there, but be sure to study them intensely because they are one of the most important aspects to making trance music. Reverb, delay, flanger, chorus, distortion, rhythmic gating, ring modulation, compression, EQ, exciters are some of the big ones that you should look into due to their wide use in trance.
As for midi controllers, you may want something bigger than 25 keys if you want to make really complex melodies or if you have any previous musical background. Preferably it should have knobs, sliders, pads, and of course pitch bend and modulation wheel. I recommend M-Audio keyboards, such as the Axiom. I believe Kaskade uses the Akai MPK49, so check that out. The behringer BCR2000 or BCF2000 are recommended to add to your studio due to their cheap price, yet huge addition of controls over your parameters.
Now skillsets required for your goals are many. Producers nowadays have to have skills in just about everything, Sound design, mixing, music theory, Songwriting, promotion, and many things in between and out of that list. Lacking in just a single one can be fatal to your career, unless you find connections that can fill in the skills you are lacking in. And each of these categories have many subcategories that you have to learn about. For example, Sound design you must learn about each effect, how they work, how synthesizers operate, how each wave sounds like, how it sounds like when you combine two waves, how to duplicate a sound, etc. Music Theory, you have to learn about chords, progression, song structure, scales. You also have to learn how to play the keyboard if you haven't already, as pretty much every DAW & synthesizer uses keyboard format (piano rolls), so learn the keyboard well (what each note corresponds with).Learning the terminology in this field is crucial, words such as oscillators, arpeggios, cutoff filter, resonance, dry/wet, LFO, sidechaining, Impulse Responses, and much, much more should become part of your daily vocab.
Now, there are also some knowledge that I think every person, producer or not, should learn, as these are what I call crucial life lessons. Remember that with every failure, there is a lesson you can gain from it. Never let them hold you back, only obtain the knowledge from it so you can grow. Accept yourself and the traits that you cannot change, learn to use them to your advantage. There are no shortcuts to building a strong foundation, but there are better workflows, know the difference between the two, and you will succeed. Remember that moderation or less is always better than too much. Also, If you are ever comfortable with a situation, then there is a problem, because with comfort comes stagnation of growth, always put yourself (or your mind) into discomfort so you can push yourself to the next level. Finally, nothing in life is hard when given enough time. If it is what people call impossible, then it just takes longer than a lifetime to achieve.
Hope this gives you enough to start out. A study was done that said it takes about 10 years to truly master something. Im sure there are too many variables to make such a solid statement, but use that as a reminder that it will take quite a long time to achieve your goal, so don't sweat if your first productions are not great, or if any of them will be great for a long time. Just keep practicing. Cheers and happy producing!
- Zeus
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