Starting up

[afyong]

Alright so I'm new to this forum.. I'm looking to start producing and I need some help with everything basically
I am reading online manuals, reading other forums and everything to learn more about ableton, and currently looking to buy some hardware. I came across the Launchpad and I thought it would be good to start. Any ideas? Any recommendations? Anything would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance

[JuanSOLO]

Some of the best "getting started" videos are posted on the Ableton Site,http://www.ableton.com/de/movies

I would start there. If you get to a place where you want to know something more specific, then search these forums for answers, or ask questions. There are tons of Ableton tuts out there that get into some specific tasks.

[garyd7]

Just dive right in! I've found youtube to be a massive help and there's loads of other tutorials all over the internet, including this forum.
As for hardware it's not majorly important for producing especially if you're just starting out, besides an audio interface. Any midi controller however is great for playing/controlling soft synths, which saves a lot of time from drawing in notes manually

[seventhirtyfour]

Personally, I'd just rec starting out with a MIDI keyboard. I'm pretty new to Ableton too and right now I honestly I don't see myself needing anything more than a MIDI keyboard to produce (hardware-wise). I have not come close to hitting any walls yet that another piece of hardware would have gotten me over. The only other piece of hardware I own is an APC40 but only for live performance.

I didn't really like the sounds I was able to make with Operator or any Ableton/other presets that I applied, so the first purchase I made after Ableton was a software synthesizer plug-in. But, that was just for the kind of music I am wanting to make. Bottom line--other than a MIDI keyboard, I would maybe check out some soft-synths to help you along your way rather than new hardware just yet.

[bosonHavoc]

or learn a little about synthesis
operator is pretty amazing and can do a lot
you can even do all kinds of stuff with just simpler and effects too

[mescalinebanana]

My main advice for getting started:

START SIMPLE

Don't dive off the deep end before you learn to swim. Wade into the pool. Learn the basics before you try to get fancy.

Beware of Gear Acquisition Syndrome - the more gear and software you have, the more intimidating it is and the more you have to learn before you start. The list of things you actually need to make good music is very short indeed.

I don't recommend emulating a certain style of music or trying to reproduce a certain artist's sound. Not only will you almost certainly fail, but you probably won't enjoy yourself either. Play around, experiment, have fun. The best music comes out of the experience of creation, not from some preconceived notion.

[afyong]

I love the support here, thanks everyone for all the help! I will def follow these. I came along the Novation Launchpad and apparently it comes with Ableton Live 8 Launchpad Edition. Any thoughts on this?

[seventhirtyfour]

I love the support here, thanks everyone for all the help! I will def follow these. I came along the Novation Launchpad and apparently it comes with Ableton Live 8 Launchpad Edition. Any thoughts on this?

I have never used it--I've only checked out YouTube vids on it when I was looking to buy a controller. But, my 2c, I think it really comes down to what kind of music you're creating/performing and if that music really requires Live to be controlled by a controller rather than mouse clicks. I personally would suggest someone learn Live a little bit first, and if they feel like they a controller would make things easier...go for it. I think learning Live while learning a controller and how to use that controller with Live could make things confusing, at least for me.