Hey guys. I’m posting this to both /r/edmproduction and /r/wearethemusic makers; if this isn’t the right place, kindly redirect me!
I’ve become keenly interested in electronic music production and am about to pull the trigger on my first DAW. After doing some reading and looking through the wiki and FAQ and threads which are like 5+ years old, I still have a ton of questions, and I’d be very grateful if you guys could get me on the right track. Please excuse what I expect will be very lame questions as I’m a complete beginner. Thanks in advance!
- I’m an adult with no music background willing to A. spend a bit of money for a basic version of a reputable DAW and B. invest a significant amount of time to learn the ropes. I have a PC laptop and want something with a simple, intuitive interface/workflow which will make the process of learning how to write electronic songs as smooth as possible. Which is the best DAW for me? I’ve been leaning toward FL Studio—is this a reasonable choice?
- How steep is the learning curve? I’m 27. How many of you were adults before getting into this and will it be an obstacle? Am I wasting my time and money coming into this with no background in music or any prior experience with anything remotely similar to a DAW?
- Do I need to know music theory? Am I going to be hopelessly disadvantaged without it?
- Do I need anything else besides a DAW? I keep hearing about synths and plugins and tons of gadgets and stuff.
- What exactly are synths and plugins, why do I need them in addition to a DAW, and am I going to have to blow a ton of money on them? What plugins should I get as a beginner?
- What exactly is a drum machine, how does it work, and do I need one?
- I do have a keyboard and elementary proficiency on it. Will I need to connect this to my computer, and do I need to be a proficient keyboardist? Will I be limited if I don't have other instruments? If I use the DAW for all my instrumentation will it sound unnatural or sterile?
- Can I make electronic music which doesn't necessarily sound so... electronic... using a DAW? That is to say music which sounds more orchestral or like a band than techno, dubstep and such.
- Where do you find samples/sound libraries? What if I want to sample an audio clip from, say, a YouTube video. How does this work?
- What’s your process like? Where do you start and how does your project evolve? Do you start with drums/ a beat, some snyth riff, or what? Melody or a harmony/chord progression? Do you first choose a key in which to write?
- What do I do when I first boot up the DAW and sit down to start my first project? What should I do before sitting down to start my first project? Where in the world do you start?
- How much of music production is constructing a song musically, and how much refining/mastering it with all the fancy technical bells and whistles to make it sound clean (and how important is the latter)?
- What’s the usual learning trajectory before I can make a halfway decent song, starting as I am from scratch?
- What if I want vocals or a choir on my track?
- What are the best resources for complete beginners in both technical DAW stuff and electronic song writing in general? The best YouTube channels? Which artists should I be listening to and learning from?
- What outlets do you guys use to share your music? Soundcloud, YouTube?
- What’s your story? How did you start, what was your progess like, and where are you now?
- Am I asking the wrong questions? What are the right questions to ask? Any miscellaneous advice you might have?
Submitted January 23, 2018 at 09:21PM by Tomeosu https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/7sj4pj/questions_from_a_beginner_about_to_make_the_plunge/?utm_source=ifttt
Javier Rodriguez
Tuesday, January 23, 2018