How to learn sound design and production?

JeffMT · Post by **JeffMT** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 10:16 pm

Hey everyone I'm new on here. I've been djing and trying to learn how to produce for a couple years. I've been struggling for a while now trying to learn how to produce. What would be the best way to learn sound design, composition, arranging, & mixing (production)? Would anyone recommend online courses at Dubspot or Warpacademy.com, or is there a better way to learn this? Any help would be greatly appreciated. By the way, you can follow me on my facebook page and my soundcloud listed below. Thanks!

https://www.facebook.com/JeffMTOfficial
https://soundcloud.com/jeff-mt

musikmachine · Post by **musikmachine** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 10:38 pm

It's a vast subject. What type of music are you looking to produce?

Edit, trap and dubstep i guess?

Tagor · Post by **Tagor** » Wed Mar 18, 2015 10:44 pm

Acoustics only is a very wide field, so it would the best, for somebody who have absolute no idea
to learn just an classic instrument like keyboard, guitar, flute ect.

the knowledge only of that will flowerish all the other production-themes.

Nowadays, i would just tell to learn it @ a school, and if nothing near
then learn it online. Do not hesitate to spend an amount from 1000-5000$
to get a 2 Year-Programm. in This 2 Years you may get a boost, where some bedroom-producer
need 5-10 Years.

you can only do it step by step. f.E. you can in the morning do guitar-lessons
and after lunch ableton-lessons. then there will come the point where you will
connnect it, and you start with doing in the evening recording-lessons.

there is no PATH - you have to make you own path through this jungle.

Teachers and Tutorials can just help you to point the mind towards certain things.
That can be a big helper, even if you establish a deeper connection where you can ask
in the future about approaching problems, themes.

just my half cent

JeffMT · Post by **JeffMT** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:54 am

musikmachine wrote:It's a vast subject. What type of music are you looking to produce?

Edit, trap and dubstep i guess?

Mainly dubstep and trap. Maybe some Drum&Bass.

JeffMT · Post by **JeffMT** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:57 am

Thanks Tagor for the advice. I'm actually thinking about taking a warp academy course and it's only a couple hundred, and then maybe take dubspot courses when I get out of school.

Airyck · Post by **Airyck** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:43 pm

Read a lot of books on the subject. Participate in forums like these.

Practice EVERY day.

TomViolenz · Post by **TomViolenz** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 2:17 pm

by doing

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 2:33 pm

TomViolenz wrote:by doing

On that note..

If you want to learn synth sound design I recommend this

http://www.syntorial.com/

It starts with a single parameter and then tests you to reproduce the sound they create by ear. They then add another parameter and repeat up through 66 added parameters. They have a demo that goes up to the first 22 lessons out of 199.

tedlogan · Post by **tedlogan** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 2:59 pm

As people said - practice every day / by doing. Just keep on working on something/jamming/building sounds&instruments - every day. There are no shortcuts. You will get better and better. You'll listen to stuff you made a year or so earlier and go "how the fuck did I think that was even passable?" and so you improve and learn.

YouTube is a vast resource for tutorials or if you're stuck on something.

Also try to set up your home studio and DAW so that you enjoy working with your gear/software. Pare it down to a few very good tools which speak to you. It's very hard to even open your DAW/pick up an instrument if you loathe the thought. I didn't bother to streamline/finetune my whole setup for years, and it really held me back as I didn't want to work on anything.

Get ready for mental anguish and misery, self-loathing and doubt, hopefully followed by elation and satisfaction. Repeat this cycle forever. But, for some inexplicable reason, it's all worth it.

Good luck!

re:dream · Post by **re:dream** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 3:38 pm

I like what Tagor is saying

Forum user invol has written a great book called the Music Producers' Survival Guide.

It has a lot of useful ideas about the four key bodies of skill you need (he calls them holons): music theory, sound design, your DAW, and audio engineering. His key point is that you have to go at it recursively, increasing your knowledge and skill in each area incrementally. Slowly you will start seeing how they connect.

Check it out, and enjoy the journey!

JeffMT · Post by **JeffMT** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:11 pm

Thanks for the help everyone!

willdahbe · Post by **willdahbe** » Sat Mar 21, 2015 9:05 am

Here's a site with all sorts of great tips. http://www.attackmagazine.com

Then there's also loads of youtube tutorials!

Stace30 · Post by **Stace30** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 12:47 pm

beats me, thank you very much for sharing that link. I had no idea that site/idea existed. Very, very cool indeed. Thanks again.

syntorial.com, great idea.

How to learn sound design and production?

How to learn sound design and production?

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