Hey guys,
I was just wondering, how did you guys learn all the stuff that you know now about producing/making music?
I am currently with roughly 2 years of experience working with Ableton Live, I just recently got my Midi Keyboard, and I'm wondering - how do I make my self better?
I keep experimenting, getting more VST plug-in's (which I feel is becoming useless), making some tracks - liking some more and some less,
but yet I feel there is a SEA of stuff I don't know.
I don't feel I'm nearly as good as I should be in playing my keyboard,
I don't have any clue on mastering etc',
I don't have a deep understanding of synths and an ability to create sounds from scratch,
My ability to create interesting drum-loops is very limited,
and I feel like there is so much MORE I can't even put my finger on.
And my question is - is there anywhere where I can get all the answers? Some online-course or something? A great book you guys can recommend?
I honestly feel lost...
Thanks a bunch guys,
How did you guys learn?
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- KVRAF
- 5223 posts since 20 Jul, 2010
I was playing the piano (though not especially well) before I got into electronic music. I think having an instrument helps, even if that instrument is a keyboard or piano. But being able to think musically wihout the computer being on is infinitely helpful when the computer with all it's distractions and possibilities is at hand.
I wouldn't even begin to worry about mastering or sound design until you have some basics down. You can practice playing with rhythm with as little as a metronome and slapping your lap. I compose a lot of my drum parts that way (upper chest for bass drum, thigh for snare
)
Get music lessons if you can afford it, if not, try a good tutorial course or something like that. Try learning to play songs you like on the keyboard. But most of all work out what about music brings you to it and what you hope to achieve in the long-run from an artistic point of view.
I wouldn't even begin to worry about mastering or sound design until you have some basics down. You can practice playing with rhythm with as little as a metronome and slapping your lap. I compose a lot of my drum parts that way (upper chest for bass drum, thigh for snare
)Get music lessons if you can afford it, if not, try a good tutorial course or something like that. Try learning to play songs you like on the keyboard. But most of all work out what about music brings you to it and what you hope to achieve in the long-run from an artistic point of view.
http://sendy.bandcamp.com/releases < My new album at Bandcamp! Now pay what you like!
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 4 posts since 23 Jul, 2011
Hey mate,
Thanks for the response.
I have 7 years of guitar playing experience,
and I did play about 2 years of piano as a kid,
I feel my problem is more technical then that of "grasping music"..
Thanks for the response.
I have 7 years of guitar playing experience,
and I did play about 2 years of piano as a kid,
I feel my problem is more technical then that of "grasping music"..
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- addled muppet weed
- 111257 posts since 26 Jan, 2003 from through the looking glass
dont "get more" do more!
took you 7 years to get where you are with the guitar, similar time for a comparable skill level i guess.
as you already have the equipment, just do some bits and make some mistakes.
then post a bit with questions, then fix the mistakes repeat as infinitum!
but the more you do the more you will learn than rading technical manuals.
honestly.
once you have a reasonable level of understanding the manuals are worthwhile.
give it time, it will all fall into place
took you 7 years to get where you are with the guitar, similar time for a comparable skill level i guess.
as you already have the equipment, just do some bits and make some mistakes.
then post a bit with questions, then fix the mistakes repeat as infinitum!
but the more you do the more you will learn than rading technical manuals.
honestly.
once you have a reasonable level of understanding the manuals are worthwhile.
give it time, it will all fall into place
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- KVRAF
- 1769 posts since 30 Jul, 2007
16 years ago with Impulse Tracker and a 60mhz computer. 
Then an Alesis QS6 Keyboard which I sold when I found Jeskola Buzz Tracker.
Then an Alesis QS6 Keyboard which I sold when I found Jeskola Buzz Tracker.-
- Banned
- 10196 posts since 12 Mar, 2012 from the Bavarian Alps to my feet and the globe around my head
There are many many great books, online courses, academies, video tutorials, audio blogs...
If you want to read, watch and learn everything, you need some extra lifes!
My tip: Make a priority list, and try to dedicate your time to a few tasks instead of trying to learn everything in one moment!
If you want to read, watch and learn everything, you need some extra lifes!
My tip: Make a priority list, and try to dedicate your time to a few tasks instead of trying to learn everything in one moment!
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- KVRist
- 424 posts since 12 Oct, 2009 from London, UK
You say you finished some tracks, that's great. Actually I found this was the best way I learned things. I found I don't learn much from YouTube, etc cause I must watch video after video and probably only remember 10% of what I just seen.
Keep finishing as much music as possible and you'll something new every time. Keep a pen and paper close at hand too and keep note of little things that you pickup along the way, for example; keyboard shortcuts that increase workflow or making note of a good fx chain.
If you are looking for a course Point Blank looks really good. I've never done one myself but they do offer free videos on their YouTube page and even have production master classes with some top producers there too. It's well worth checking out.
On the sound design side, you definitely have too many plugins I don't think there's a person on this board who doesn't Rob Papen offers a great book called The 4 Element Synth. I'm half way through it and have learned a lot so far. Well, maybe not "learned" as such, I'd have picked up a lot of this information over the last 6 or 7 years, what the book is doing is filling all the gaps in my knowledge and giving great practical uses for each part of the synth.
Don't worry about mastering, you just pay an expert for this when you need it.
Keep finishing as much music as possible and you'll something new every time. Keep a pen and paper close at hand too and keep note of little things that you pickup along the way, for example; keyboard shortcuts that increase workflow or making note of a good fx chain.
If you are looking for a course Point Blank looks really good. I've never done one myself but they do offer free videos on their YouTube page and even have production master classes with some top producers there too. It's well worth checking out.
On the sound design side, you definitely have too many plugins
I don't think there's a person on this board who doesn't Rob Papen offers a great book called The 4 Element Synth. I'm half way through it and have learned a lot so far. Well, maybe not "learned" as such, I'd have picked up a lot of this information over the last 6 or 7 years, what the book is doing is filling all the gaps in my knowledge and giving great practical uses for each part of the synth.Don't worry about mastering, you just pay an expert for this when you need it.
Deep N' Dusty House Grooves !!!
Artist: http://soundcloud.com/nigel
Label: http://soundcloud.com/diplopiarecords
Artist: http://soundcloud.com/nigel
Label: http://soundcloud.com/diplopiarecords
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- Banned
- 12367 posts since 30 Apr, 2002 from i might peeramid
if you intend to use synthesizers a lot, perhaps learning about the technology will help you get the most out of options.
you come and go, you come and go. amitabha neither a follower nor a leader be tagore "where roads are made i lose my way" where there is certainty, consideration is absent.
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- KVRAF
- 6466 posts since 18 Jul, 2008 from New York
Just follow this sure-fire 10 step plan to achieve musical success:
1. Buy lots of synths
2. Buy lots of presets
3. Buy lots of loops
4. Buy lots of sample packs
5. Buy even more synths
6. Buy even more presets
7. Buy every friggin' loop you can find
8. Throw it all together on a track
9. Fame
10. Fortune
It has worked perfectly for me so far although I seem to be stuck on step 7.
But seriously, limit yourself to the bare minimum of synths / tools and learn to use them really well. Focus on completing tracks even if they are not masterpieces. Don't fall into the trap of just working on loops and buying stuff.
1. Buy lots of synths
2. Buy lots of presets
3. Buy lots of loops
4. Buy lots of sample packs
5. Buy even more synths
6. Buy even more presets
7. Buy every friggin' loop you can find
8. Throw it all together on a track
9. Fame
10. Fortune
It has worked perfectly for me so far although I seem to be stuck on step 7.
But seriously, limit yourself to the bare minimum of synths / tools and learn to use them really well. Focus on completing tracks even if they are not masterpieces. Don't fall into the trap of just working on loops and buying stuff.
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- Banned
- 10196 posts since 12 Mar, 2012 from the Bavarian Alps to my feet and the globe around my head
I'm in a loop. I always repeat step 1 to 7...Frantz wrote:Just follow this sure-fire 10 step plan to achieve musical success:
1. Buy lots of synths
2. Buy lots of presets
3. Buy lots of loops
4. Buy lots of sample packs
5. Buy even more synths
6. Buy even more presets
7. Buy every friggin' loop you can find
8. Throw it all together on a track
9. Fame
10. Fortune
It has worked perfectly for me so far although I seem to be stuck on step 7.
But seriously, limit yourself to the bare minimum of synths / tools and learn to use them really well. Focus on completing tracks even if they are not masterpieces. Don't fall into the trap of just working on loops and buying stuff.
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- KVRian
- 1148 posts since 29 Jun, 2012
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- KVRer
- 7 posts since 7 May, 2012
working with an experienced music maker is a great way to learn new tricks
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- KVRian
- 951 posts since 14 Apr, 2004 from Maryland, USA
I'm in my 50s, so I've got a long history at this but haven't ever focused well enough to accomplish as much as I would have liked, I'd definitely agree with the advice to do more, rather than get more. Pick a plug-in to focus on or a technique to learn, and work that really hard while producing a complete track, which doesn't need to be an epic, just a couple of minutes (mostly, something with enough form and structure that you can declare it done). Participating in the one-synth only and/or KVR monthly challenges is also a great way to push yourself to get things done, and because there's a sort of focused group, surrounding those you get more feedback on your work than you do just randomly posting new tracks in the Music Cafe. There are also lots of great articles on the website for SoundOnSound magazine, and virtually all of their content that's more than 6 months old is there for free.
DaveL
DaveL
You can twist perceptions, reality won't budge.
-- Rush Show Don't Tell
-- Rush Show Don't Tell
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- KVRist
- 84 posts since 31 Mar, 2011
Fast Tracker 2 -> ModplugTracker
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- KVRian
- 1242 posts since 21 Feb, 2010
One benefit I had, at least for me it seems to be true, was only having Reason in the beginning. I did play around with Music on the PlayStation and eJay on the PC before, but this wasn't really serious. Being limited by the specs / tools back then (roughly 2001) helped a lot to learn better.
Nowadays, everything seems to be very saturated and seems to require less and less effort, with so many ready-to-go tools and whatnot. Sit down with one synth for some hours each day.
Also, buying stuff that you don't need is part of the process. I know that sounds weird, but it's true in my case. I had to overdose myself to learn the hard way and take a step back. I wasn't ready for a vast collection of tools. Maybe I will never be that guy to handle 50 or so instruments in a folder on my computer. Again, it takes you to experience what works for you and what doesn't, also in terms of options available.
Otherwise, no tutorial, guide or video can beat hands on experience. Try to learn a bit each day and experiment with it. Watching tutorials, there is so much information and you may just be able to take in that little, so keep it simple and rather try to use knowledge immediately to give it some sense, rather than taking it in and doing nothing.
Nowadays, everything seems to be very saturated and seems to require less and less effort, with so many ready-to-go tools and whatnot. Sit down with one synth for some hours each day.
Also, buying stuff that you don't need is part of the process. I know that sounds weird, but it's true in my case. I had to overdose myself to learn the hard way and take a step back. I wasn't ready for a vast collection of tools. Maybe I will never be that guy to handle 50 or so instruments in a folder on my computer. Again, it takes you to experience what works for you and what doesn't, also in terms of options available.
Otherwise, no tutorial, guide or video can beat hands on experience. Try to learn a bit each day and experiment with it. Watching tutorials, there is so much information and you may just be able to take in that little, so keep it simple and rather try to use knowledge immediately to give it some sense, rather than taking it in and doing nothing.