Anyone know about music production?

I recently began looking into producing music on a whim and was immediately overwhelmed. I don't know where to start, so I figured I'd just ask some basic questions: If I only had it in my budget for one device (e.g. a keyboard that hooks up by USB or a sample pad), what is one that a lot could be accomplished with? Is there a certain software that works well with MIDI, vocals, etc.?

I'll throw this last one out there just to show how lost I actually am: Is there a good way to learn how to produce, possibly a book or a good video series, because I'm having trouble finding that as well?

I'd appreciate any advice from you duders.

If you have a Mac, Logic Pro is fantastic. I took a class in college that used Logic Pro X, a keyboard (don't remember what brand), and a mixer. Learning how to use everything was an immensely rewarding process, but it will undoubtedly be a different experience learning on your own. That being said, I'm sure there are plenty of tutorials online for Logic Pro to help you.

I've used Cubase before and it is pretty straight forward with a lot of advanced features - there are also a lot of manuals and stuff online about it. You don't need to buy a usb keyboard if you don't want to spend too much money before seeing if you enjoy it, as you can use your computer keyboard as a virtual keyboard in Cubase as well as editing just using the mouse. Obviously it's better with a device for that stuff but it might get a bit expensive and you might not like making music.

If your just starting and want a cheap but versatile midi controller you would probably be happy with the Maudio Oxygen 25. The new version has velocity sensitive pads and keys. The keys are kinda shit, the sensitivity is all wrong out of the box, but most Digital Audio Workstations allow you to correct that problem with a little tweaking.As a beginner I think it would work great.I have an older model and it was really simple to set up and it works pretty flawlessly with Fl studio.

I think for a Digital Audio workstation FLstudio would serve you best, if your on a PC, it's pretty intuitive and definitely the most beginner friendly of the major DAWs. It comes with everything you'd need to learn the basics. It has a large suite of Virtual instruments and plugins, that while not the best at their jobs, they will at least allow you to learn the basics of all the major techniques and effects.

Yeah, Logic Pro X is an amazing value for the capability, but it does require OS X. Cubase is very popular (and very expensive), and Ableton Live is another good one, but again pretty pricey. Our own @hamst3r uses REAPER, and its pricing is much more reasonable--intelligent, even.

Possibly a better way to go would be to download a few demos, find something you like, and buy an older version. With the core tools available in most older DAWs, and a few plugins, you can make pretty much anything for a substantially lower price point.

M-Audio's Oxygen 49 is the keyboard I use. It doesn't have the most features, but it gets the job done very well at a price I liked.

Sorry, just some scattered thoughts typed out between Google searches. Hopefully it helps a bit.

I would say (if you don't have a Mac) get Mixcraft for PC and just use your normal computer keyboard and use virtual instruments to start with. Take existing songs and just fuck around with them for awhile. Then start trying to make your own music and when you feel comfortable enough get the equipment. For recording instruments externally you need a good interface Focusrite’s Scarlett are some of the best around. You will also need studio monitors I recommend these and a decent MIDI keyboard like this one. That should be enough to get you started. Take it slow and build your own identity. Music production can take a lot of work and patience but its rewarding and a shit ton of fun. Good luck.

A few things I think are important to know:

1. You can make great music using only free software.
2. You don't need any hardware either, software is amazing these days.
3. Unless you're already a keyboard player, I would skip the keyboard for now.
4. Once you've picked a program to try out, Youtube should be packed with program-specific production tutorials.

So, where do you go from there?

Well, for your DAW (The main program; the sequencer), it almost makes no difference which one you go with, as long as you go with one that can load VST plugins. Most of them do. Every single one of them is going to be daunting and seemingly impenetrable. It's like learning a new language. You just sorta have to tough it out.

That said, once you do pick a program, it would behoove you to find out if they have a community and a website where they gather to share project files. If they do, download some project files and poke around in them. You can learn a lot that way. Take the file apart, move the pieces around, break it; just get really hands-on with the project file and you can figure out so much.

As for plugins; gotta get them VSTs, son. I would go here for that: KVRAudio. That link will take you their list of free software sorted by user rating. Or, only VST instruments sorted by rating. It's kind of a mixed bag there, but you're just starting out, so any VSTs will do, imo.

There are also a couple big name software makers who release free things, such as Komplete Players from NI and Sampletank Free from IK. You could get just those two and call it a day. If you figure those out and feel confident with them, splurge and buy the full Komplete package. It's worth it, it's a ridiculously good deal.

That's really all I've got, I guess. Skip all the expensive stuff for now, download some free software, find their forum and project files, find their youtube videos, and stay up late every night for the rest of your life.

If you want to go dirt cheap, the only thing you really need to pay for is a decent microphone (provided you already have a computer.)

Audacity is easily the best free sequencer/audio editor there is. There are mountains of also-free VST plugins that work well with it.

Rebirth practically writes music on its own. It's a great place to start since anyone regardless of musical ability can make it sound cool. It was discontinued in 2005, and is completely free now, but it requires finagling to get it working on newer machines. It's an emulation of two Roland 303s, an 808 and a 909 (two synths and two drum machines) which are quite possibly the most historically important pieces of electronic music hardware ever created.

If you're hardcore, there are always SuperCollider, ChucK and CSound, which are all free, dedicated programming languages for sound synthesis, music creation and sound manipulation. They're really not beginner friendly, but if you want to dig into sound synthesis from the ground up and aren't afraid to spend some time learning exactly how sounds are made, they're the most versatile music tools that have ever existed.

I use a Blue Yeti mic ($150), ESI UGM96 external soundcard ($100), Cubase LE, (free with the soundcard) Audacity and CSound (free and free.) Lots and lots of CSound. I've been programming CSound for over 14 years now. (I used to use CoolEdit Pro instead of Audacity and Cubase, but Adobe bought it and made it shitty.)

https://soundcloud.com/underwaterbob

Native Instruments Maschine is great for beginners. It is an all in one DAW and controller and YouTube is loaded with tutorials. I highly recommend it.

That's really helpful. I hadn't realized that some of this stuff was free while also not being from a shady looking website.

This is really dope. I got super excited upon reading this!

With these keyboards you're essentially mapping individual sounds to keys, right?

Thanks guys. It seems like I just need to pick a software now before I get started. I'll probably start with something free. Also, I see people referencing "MIDI" and "VSTs". Can anyone clarify the difference?

@manothebard: Regarding MIDI and VST.

VSTs are instruments and effects modules that run inside of a sequencer. MIDI is the way you control the VSTs through a sequencer with notes and input values.

If you want any hardware, a basic USB MIDI keyboard will take care of most of your needs. Drum pads can also be had for cheap, but they're not totally necessary as you can just program drums from the computer. They are useful for more complex rhythms that you'd want to bang out yourself though.

As for software, just try everything. Most programs have demos, so give them a shot. On the Mac side, Logic is a good program, don't know how easy it is to get into though. If you have a mac though, you probably already have Garageband which is a nice place to start if you are new to music production, though you'll want to switch to Logic once you've realized the limitations.

Personally I use Ableton Live because it has some cool custom hardware designed for it and I just really love the general workflow it presents. Not entirely easy to use, but I came into it relatively clueless and now it feels pretty natural to use. Also I like making hip hop and electronic music and that tends to be good for that.

On the windows side, I can personally recommend FL Studio. It's cheap and easy to learn, and it gears well to writing electronic or hip hop tracks. It's the first thing I learned on, and it's good because there are a TON of tutorial for this on youtube compared to other programs.

As far as learning goes, hit up youtube. There are so many video tutorials for different techniques or getting the basics of a certain genre down. Just keep doing what they do and practice. Also listen to some of your favorite tracks and try to mentally break down individual instruments and see what makes them work. Then copy them. Eventually you'll develop your own style.

What's really important is just to know what kind of music you want to make, and to start your project with a specific vision. I find that wandering into the program without a specific idea, I just end up fucking around making dumb sounds for hours that go NOWHERE.

If you wanna make music like back in the Atari days, but with modern things like VST integration, check out Renoise. It's cheap and powerful, plus trackers are dope as fuck. Not the most beginner friendly, but it does almost eliminate the need for a controller. Everything can be done via keyboard shortcuts.

If/when you get into VST plugins you should check out stuff by Audio Damage, U-He, Plogue and G-Force (specifically impOSCar2, which is hands down the greatest analog modelling synth ever made). People will steer you towards Native Instruments stuff, with good reason, they make a lot of really high quality stuff, but I think it's important to check out other companies gear.

Other than that, everyone else's suggestions are good. Start with free/cheap stuff and build up you equipment if you decide to stick with it. Good luck duder!