New to music production - Where to start?

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
Post Reply
Negative X
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2014 11:23 pm

New to music production - Where to start?

Post by Negative X » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:02 pm

I've recently finished a Cert II course that helps me understand how Ableton works, and I want to do my Cert III course that helps me with music production itself. However, the Cert III isn't starting until next year, and I really want to get started.

So is there a good place to start with my current experience? Is it possible to make a great sounding tune with only samples? Are there any sample packs you would recommend? Is there a resource that can help me get started?

I could ask several more questions but I just want to get my foot in the door. I have so many ideas but I'm stuck because I don't know where to start.

TomViolenz
Posts: 6854
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 6:19 pm

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by TomViolenz » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:20 pm

Negative X wrote:I've recently finished a Cert II course that helps me understand how Ableton works, and I want to do my Cert III course that helps me with music production itself. However, the Cert III isn't starting until next year, and I really want to get started.

So is there a good place to start with my current experience? Is it possible to make a great sounding tune with only samples? Are there any sample packs you would recommend? Is there a resource that can help me get started?

I could ask several more questions but I just want to get my foot in the door. I have so many ideas but I'm stuck because I don't know where to start.
What were those certs about that you still ask this sort of questions?!
Seems like they were a big waste of time.

Just start by reading the manual and try to answer your own questions via tutorials (youtube for example) and asking and searching here on the forum.

And consider dropping that course - it seems useless.

Stromkraft
Posts: 7033
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:34 am

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by Stromkraft » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:28 pm

Negative X wrote:I've recently finished a Cert II course that helps me understand how Ableton works, and I want to do my Cert III course that helps me with music production itself. However, the Cert III isn't starting until next year, and I really want to get started.

So is there a good place to start with my current experience? Is it possible to make a great sounding tune with only samples? Are there any sample packs you would recommend? Is there a resource that can help me get started?

I could ask several more questions but I just want to get my foot in the door. I have so many ideas but I'm stuck because I don't know where to start.
Explore everything that comes with Live. Find out what you like and dislike by experimentation. I found the best way was to just very quickly set up super simple ideas with some presets, muck about the presets until they were to my liking (I hate presets normally as they commonly suck), added some interesting effects but not too many and rendered the results. Later I threw much of these projects away after having salvaged some nice musical ideas from them. They are now in my Live scrap book.

After this experimentation process and some evaluation you'll feel more ready for knowing what to look for in Live packs, sounds and third party devices. My process took a long time, but some are faster at getting to what they want. Maybe it will be like that for you?
Make some music!

granted
Posts: 162
Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2006 6:18 pm

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by granted » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:38 pm

Negative X wrote: I have so many ideas but I'm stuck because I don't know where to start.
The first thing to do is just START! Having ideas is half the battle. Translate those ideas into music.
Have fun making a lot of less than ideal music. Have fun make making happy accidents.

And yes you can make a great tune out of just samples.

Negative X
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2014 11:23 pm

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by Negative X » Mon Oct 12, 2015 1:58 pm

TomViolenz wrote:
Negative X wrote:I've recently finished a Cert II course that helps me understand how Ableton works, and I want to do my Cert III course that helps me with music production itself. However, the Cert III isn't starting until next year, and I really want to get started.

So is there a good place to start with my current experience? Is it possible to make a great sounding tune with only samples? Are there any sample packs you would recommend? Is there a resource that can help me get started?

I could ask several more questions but I just want to get my foot in the door. I have so many ideas but I'm stuck because I don't know where to start.
What were those certs about that you still ask this sort of questions?!
Seems like they were a big waste of time.

Just start by reading the manual and try to answer your own questions via tutorials (youtube for example) and asking and searching here on the forum.

And consider dropping that course - it seems useless.
I think you may have misunderstood, the course I just completed taught me about Ableton Live, not music production. I figured the first step to learning music production is learning how to use a DAW. I haven't enrolled for the Cert III yet because it's starting next year.

Thanks everyone for the replies, helped a lot, didn't expect the forum to be this active. :P

TomViolenz
Posts: 6854
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 6:19 pm

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by TomViolenz » Mon Oct 12, 2015 2:02 pm

Negative X wrote:
TomViolenz wrote:
Negative X wrote:I've recently finished a Cert II course that helps me understand how Ableton works, and I want to do my Cert III course that helps me with music production itself. However, the Cert III isn't starting until next year, and I really want to get started.

So is there a good place to start with my current experience? Is it possible to make a great sounding tune with only samples? Are there any sample packs you would recommend? Is there a resource that can help me get started?

I could ask several more questions but I just want to get my foot in the door. I have so many ideas but I'm stuck because I don't know where to start.
What were those certs about that you still ask this sort of questions?!
Seems like they were a big waste of time.

Just start by reading the manual and try to answer your own questions via tutorials (youtube for example) and asking and searching here on the forum.

And consider dropping that course - it seems useless.
I think you may have misunderstood, the course I just completed taught me about Ableton Live, not music production. I figured the first step to learning music production is learning how to use a DAW. I haven't enrolled for the Cert III yet because it's starting next year.
I misunderstood nothing. The point stands.
I can not imagine a scenario where I spend TWO semesters in a music production or Ableton Live course (I really don't see the distinction here) and not know that one can make a tune from only samples. Further, and that may be a bit personal, but why did you wait two semesters, before you started using a DAW in your free time?

Being an artist is a self reliant profession, don't wait on people holding your hand and telling you what to do.

xbitz
Posts: 126
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2013 10:19 am

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by xbitz » Mon Oct 12, 2015 3:12 pm


beats me
Posts: 23319
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2007 6:39 pm

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by beats me » Mon Oct 12, 2015 3:26 pm

I was going to post some self-righteous “just play some music” rant, but instead I’ll share a great sample source since you mentioned samples. Splice Sounds, $7.99 a month subscription for 100 samples you pick yourself. Well organized and you can create your own folders on the site to organize and review for download later, ie: Breaks, Kick Drums, Vocals, etc.

https://splice.com/features/sounds

There’s a lot of filler in full sample packs. Better to pick and choose exactly what you want.

yur2die4
Posts: 7154
Joined: Sat Oct 03, 2009 3:02 am
Location: Menasha, Wisconsin
Contact:

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by yur2die4 » Mon Oct 12, 2015 3:45 pm

When you start making music, you're going to make terrible mistakes. You'll use the wrong samples of the wrong instruments etc, and you won't be able to identify what's wrong.

It is best to make those mistakes now, so it'll save you the hassle of learning those lessons later.

There is no right is wrong way. Don't be afraid to not sound professional. If you get caught up in that, you won't be able to develop and grow. A weightlifter who is just starting won't a) be able to lift the heavy weights right away and b) won't LOOK like the people who have years of experience.

Your tracks won't sound like other people's tracks. But you've still gotta lift every day. And you have to look at yourself, meaning, appreciate the music You make by rendering it and listening to it so you can appreciate your growth. Soon enough, you'll have those Before, and After tracks to reveal how far you've gone.

Lastly, by starting right away you will figure out questions you didn't even know you had to ask. Like, sometimes it's a theory question, sometimes you want to know a particular synth sound or effect, or sometimes you want to ask the question of how to feel more motivated.

The class is probably structured to help you learn the basics of Live, but it'll only go so far if you aren't applying it. If I went through a list of the capitals of every country in the world, you wouldn't remember them all because there is nothing to relate the information you're being bombarded with to.

Best of luck! Have a go at it :)

jestermgee
Posts: 4500
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:38 am

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by jestermgee » Fri Oct 16, 2015 12:13 am

Everyone will ave started in a different way. Some have actual musical backgrounds (playing instruments) before moving into a DAW environment. In all honesty, it is probably less work and confusing to just learn an instrument and you could probably go further too.

Hard to even say where to "start" because everyone's idea will be different but looking back on how I started (before VSTs, before the plethora of DAWs and options) I started using only a handful of samples and started making basic 4x4 patterns and of course copying tunes I knew (smoke on the water, twinkle twinkle little star etc). Certainly not anything to boast about but I knew from day 1 that I needed to learn first and then make later so I started just hammering out anything to figure out how to make patterns of drums, how to use the software, what the keyboard shortcuts were etc. No effects or automation (this was fasttracker though so these things were not even options).

Try start with a simple beat. What do you need? Well a kick, a hat and a snare for a start. Find these things (online, sample them, find an instrument). Figure out how to make a simple 4/4 loop beat that you can then play to. Add a new instrument, start playing a tune to your new beat until you get something that sounds OK to you. Figure out how to record that. Then start playing from that point and you are on your way....

There is so much in front of you to learn, it can be overwhelming. The best skill I believe is understanding that you will probably never know it all and simply getting started with something. If you can manage to break things down and focus on certain things then this will be half the battle won. Almost all your time will be learning and experimenting with some small glimpses of actual production. Most the people here have been going for decades and will probably admit almost weekly learning new things. If you aren't learning something new, you aren't paying attention.

Have fun, the rest happens automatically! Good luck and keep up the study for as long as you feel you are getting something out of it.

Division Monarchy
Posts: 232
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:54 pm

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by Division Monarchy » Fri Oct 16, 2015 2:08 am

Best way to start learning music production is to learn a musical instrument.

chrissobo13
Posts: 168
Joined: Fri May 18, 2012 4:40 pm

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by chrissobo13 » Fri Oct 16, 2015 2:23 am

When you're starting out, it's really easy to compare your music to other artists. And you should do that, it's always going to help influence your creativity and give you a sound to work towards. But don't get down on yourself because its not as perfect or as loud as your favorite artists. Your music will have its own merit, even if only you see it. Or sometimes others see it and you don't 8)

TomViolenz
Posts: 6854
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2010 6:19 pm

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by TomViolenz » Fri Oct 16, 2015 8:51 am

Division Monarchy wrote:Best way to start learning music production is to learn a musical instrument.
Say what?!
This makes no sense.

Is the best way to build a car, to become a race car driver too?
Or the best way to become a doctor to get sick?
.... :wink:

Division Monarchy
Posts: 232
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 10:54 pm

Re: New to music production - Where to start?

Post by Division Monarchy » Fri Oct 16, 2015 9:39 am

TomViolenz wrote:
Division Monarchy wrote:Best way to start learning music production is to learn a musical instrument.
Say what?!
This makes no sense.

Is the best way to build a car, to become a race car driver too?
Or the best way to become a doctor to get sick?
.... :wink:
Best way to become a pharmacist is to get high... That's what I heard anyway... Not that I would advocate it... Or condemn it 8)

Post Reply