How did you learn to produce?

[joeyfivecents]

Just got tired of trying to make a 4-track sound good or paying too much for someone else to do it. I started recording my songs, reading about producers that made the same kind of music I make so I would know how to get that sound. Naively started reading Future Music and Computer Music, sent something in to the reader demos section of Computer Music, made the cover CD then started recording my students' rap songs which gave me a lot of experience working with different styles. Now I'm half owner of a studio, record bands, rappers, gospel, whatever else and work in radio doing commercial production. It's like everything else....practice and get your stuff out there. The internet is a beast.

[rasputin]

If you have Reason, you could download literally thousands of .rps files, some of which are quite awesome. The Charlie Clouser demo song, which supposedly he put together in a day, is amazing for just using the Reason sound bank and no foreign samples.

The thing is that you can study the racks used and look at the sequencer to study the automation and other tricks. You can't change .rps files but they're still valuable for study.

I stuck at Reasn 2.5 and I see over on the propellerheads song board that there are 6606 songs available for download. You might need more than the factory sound banks for many of them.

Whoops, didn't mention Live...Many people have said that if you could only have two pieces of software they would have to be Live + Reason...it depends on your goal and abilities but you can do a lot with that combination.

r.

[ethios4]

The main thing is
DONT GIVE UP!!
Persistence is more powerful than talent, gear, circumstance, or money.

[djadonis206]

Trial and Error and a friend in Idaho

[shiba_dad]

I'm in the same situation as the OP, I was a DJ for a few years and am now learning to produce. I do not play an instrument.

Anyways, I didnt see it mentioned in the other threads, but there is a book called "The Dance Music Manual" by Rick Snoman (Amazon has it) that seems to me to be a pretty amazing book. It has music theory, sound programming , synthesis, mixing, etc. Anybody else familiar with this book ?

[DougC42182]

Lots of good stuff in here, thanks guys! And I will see if I can find that book at a store around here. What synths do you guys use? I've read a lot of good things about NI synths like Reaktor and Absynth, which I may look into purchasing. I guess I just do need some lessons on piano really so I have a general idea what the hell I'm doing with it haha. If only I could play by ear like my brother does. The guy has never had a lesson, and can play entire songs by just listening to them. The asshole!

[signal]

I can't remember who said it, but there's a quote that goes: Good artists copy, bad artists steal. So get out there and copy, my good man!

Never heard that one, but I do like another that is attributed to Pablo Picasso:

"Bad artists copy. Great artists steal."

Everything is available to be appropriated by anyone.

[nebulae]

Started out with a Tascam 424 4-track recorder on cassette. Back then I had an Alesis SR16 drum machine and a Roland Juno Alpha synth sequenced via an Alesis HR8 8-track sequencer with a two-line display. Midi, sync, and lots of bouncing. For all of your complaining bitches who moan and groan about how hard your life is now, well, go beat yourself with your laptop, because you know nothing about the pain of midi programming on those antiquated machines.

However, as limited as the equipment was, I knew it so freaking well, and I created my first 5 albums with just those tools and a couple of guitar pedals. Less was definitely more. I experimented a lot more back then.

I also remember that for complicated songs, I'd have to create a whole matrix chart of what I was gonna record and how I was gonna bounce down to make room for more tracks. And you bitches complain about freezing! LOL!

Anyways, good times back then. To think of the power we have now...

[roby]

Well I took a class at a community college. Honestly my intentions for this class was to learn how to use effect processors and to use their mixing board for mixing my 4-track recordings. But I eventually learned the basic using Vision and some old school hardware. And thanks to that class I had a clear idea of what I wanted to buy for making music on my own. Ended up getting an Atari ST with Cubase 3.* and a sampler and a couple of drum machines, and learned the set up inside and out.

[M. Bréqs]

I was self-taught. I used a sampler and a four track with two turntables for years, but I produced a lot of lo-fi shit. My breakthrough as a composer (vice a looper and DJ) was in 1998 when I bought a Roland JX-305, and started sequencing the internal sounds. The manual was pretty good.

A one piece does it all jobby (like Reason or Live or a piece of hardware) is the best way to get started; that way you don't have to learn two different processes. Then, after you've mastered your first tool (that's in itself capable of producing passable music) then you can go investigate more specialized gear.

I truly pity those who go out and buy a really specialized piece of software or gear and try to make whole music. You're always finding out what your gear CAN'T do, and then you end up in the gear trap of buying more stuff.

So, my advice is to stick with a one piece does it all solution. For that, obviously Live is my first choice, but for a total beginner, I think that Reason is superior, since you learn how to run a real studio with that.

Anyways, I kept producing shit until I learned how to mix and master. That cannot be learned from a magazine, you have to go to a producer who's got his/her shit together and get them to A/B compare sounds for you. I went to some buddies of mine who helped me out enormously with mixing. It's a talent, nothing you can pick up from a textbook alone.

WHAT NOT TO DO: Don't go spending $10,000 on professional audio engineer education learning how to use a $80,000 studio. You'll waste money, and you'll learn to become dependant on $80,000 worth of gear that you won't have free access to.

[Tarekith]

Well said M Breqs, I like the all in one idea. I learned on an mc505, having a single bit of gear to focus on really helps you learn all the aspects of making music before needing to worry about gear. To many people start out on something like Logic with a ton of softsynths, and then get nowhere forever. Too much, too soon.

[nebulae]

Totally agreed, you old farts.

[Tone Deft]

1998 when I bought a Roland JX-305, and started sequencing the internal sounds. The manual was pretty good.

Whoa, I bought one at the end of '98, my first 'real' piece of hardware. In hindsight, yeah, it's nice to have everything in one spot, less is more. Dunno about the manual, classic Roland Japanenglish, but somehow it was good enough for me to learn that thing inside out without an internet forum. Fun box once you wiped off the cheese. But yeah, I'm looking to use less of my shit but more effectively.


I still haven't learned to produce, my stuff sounds better but I take it that production is a never ending process.

[nebulae]

No, production does end. It's the learning that never does. (I assume this is what you meant.)

[Tone Deft]

No, production does end. It's the learning that never does. (I assume this is what you meant.)

Yes sir, you ARE correct. Have a cookie.