Making Electronic Music For Beginners – Making music is one of the most rewarding pastimes you can have. For many, what starts as a hobby turns into a lifelong passion. But if you’re at the beginning of your journey, what do you need to make music?
Sorry to sound like a buzz-killer, but making music is going to test your resolve. With a capital F, it’s frustrating. Even the simplest production setup can feel like a space-shuttle cockpit in its complexity. And it won’t even launch you into space… you’ll spend an agonizing time manipulating the most basic controls But, on the bright side, there is another word for it; to learn
Making Electronic Music For Beginners
When you start making electronic music, there will be moments when you want to throw the laptop out the window. But if you can prepare yourself for some challenges, stay focused and persevere, great rewards are just around the corner.
Beginner’s Guide To Music Production: Everything You Need To Know
First and foremost you will need a digital audio workstation. It is the engine of all electronic music production. There are many different DAWs to choose from, so for help with this, check out our article 6 questions to help you choose the right DAW.
Basically, a DAW is software that connects all your plugins, instruments, controllers and effects and lets you create music. This is where you organize your song ideas, and it’s by far the most powerful tool you’ll ever need.
If you can’t hear what you’re doing, you can’t do what you’re doing. It’s that simple. Therefore, you will need some way to cite your work. This is almost always via studio monitors or monitoring headphones. Please, don’t be fooled into thinking you can make music on laptop speakers or even HI-FI speakers. They will never give you an accurate representation of what you are actually doing.
I believe that, to begin with, headphones are better than studio monitors. It’s a personal preference, but I think you feel a little closer to the music when using headphones. One drawback is the relatively limited frequency response compared to proper studio monitors. But remember, we’re just getting started. The perfect mixdown will come later. For now, it’s just about knowing the basics of your device and coming up with some ideas.
Create Electronic Music With Ableton Live
In short, read the F**king manual! An honorable mention for going to YouTube and finding answers to your questions, but nothing like reading a manual to get past rookie hurdles. When I started making music I was very impatient, and wasted quite a bit of time, getting stuck into a simple operation that I could figure out through the manual. It’s for a reason!
We mostly make music because we love listening to music. And if you’re just starting out, you probably have a solid idea of what kind of music you want to make – after all, inspiration has to come from somewhere.
Focus on this concept before you really start. Who do you want to voice? What tools do they use? Do they mostly flip samples, use acoustic instruments, or do they all sound very electronic? The answers to these questions will point you in the right direction.
You’ll be able to choose a DAW, for example, with more confidence if you know it’s used by your favorite creators. Likewise, you’ll know how much to spend on sample packs, VST instruments, and more to inspire you.
Electronic Music And Music Production
Now that you’ve settled on a DAW, know who you want to experience a bit, and are itching to get started. But where is the music coming from? Are you already a keyboard player or musician? If not, are you going to use most samples? Where do you sing?
The cheapest way to create original music (ie not samples) is to use a stock VST instrument in your DAW and your computer keyboard. It’s 100% legit and a great way to get started. However, if you feel uncomfortable using a computer keyboard, you can buy a MIDI keyboard to simulate real keys. Likewise, if you’re not inspired by your DAW’s stock instrument sounds, you’ll want to look for some third-party plugins. Fortunately, we’ve already scoured the world for the best VST tools of 2020. And if budget is a constraint, we’ve also compiled a list of kick-ass free VST plugins!
But what if you can’t play the keys, or don’t have a solid foundation in music theory? Let’s face it, most of us are when we start out. Luckily, we have just the thing…
Captain plugins are an essential tool to start making music. (It’s also great for seasoned pros, but that’s another story.) You can create your own chords, melodies, basslines, and drums using Captain Plugins’ advanced composition engines. You don’t need to know complex music theory, because the software makes the intelligent guesses for you. All you have to do is find out what feels right, experiment and have fun! It is suitable for all kinds of electronic music production.
Electronic Music Has Inspired Greenwich Students To Make ‘the Music They Want To Make’ For Decades
If samples are your thing, you need to figure out if they fit in with the rest of your track. This means determining the key of the pattern and what notes it contains. This is a difficult question even for experienced producers. Fortunately, with Mixed in Key Studio Edition, you can analyze any sample in your DAW and be sure they’re a harmonic match. Check out our video ‘How to find the perfect pattern with Mixed in Key Studio Edition’.
Most DAWs come with fully serviceable stock plugins for these effects. Mastering each subject is important if you want to make good quality music. EQ is an art in itself, but luckily, we’ve got some articles on the subject to help you out:
Compression, saturation, reverb and delay are also important tools, which will take some time to learn. However, they are fundamental to making electronic music. There are thousands of other great plugins out there, but learn them first, then expand
There’s nothing wrong with teaching yourself, but getting advice from other, more experienced growers is often faster and more effective. The internet is full of such advice – but not all of it is good. Check out our article on the top sources for learning electronic music production.
Best Today’s Groovebox For Making Electronic Music
End here. You want to start making music. Eventually you’ll need more, but my advice is to start with a small set of tools and expand as you master them. It’s tempting to buy every plugin under the sun when you’re starting out, but it’s better to get them incrementally as you learn and improve. Otherwise, you may find yourself overwhelmed with options that you don’t fully understand.
Adam Hignel is a music producer, mastering engineer, DJ and label-owner from Brighton, UK. When not providing content and technical support for Mixed in Key, he produces music under the name Don DiGlo, provides professional mastering and mixing services, and runs the independent disco/house label Particle Zoo. You’ve probably heard it before, but never like this. Now is a good time to start making your own music. Here’s how.
Making music at home is affordable, rewarding and fun, but setting up can be a complicated and confusing process if you don’t know where to start.
In this article, we’re going to cover all the essentials of music production: what it is, what gear you need, and the key steps in creating a track.
Mixing Music Archives
Music production is an umbrella term. Whether it’s songwriting, arranging, recording, mixing, mastering or anything in between, it can be described as music production. Simply put, creating recorded music is the entire process from start to finish.
The various elements of music production depend not only on skill and knowledge but also on specific hardware and software. So, the first step is to think about what gear you need.
First and foremost, you’ll need some kind of computer. Laptops, tablets and – especially today – smartphones are all viable options for creating music. A desktop computer will give you the most processing power and screen real estate for your money, but the rise of sophisticated and powerful apps is making phones more efficient as music production devices.
Next is a DAW or digital audio workstation. It’s software that’s at the heart of modern music production, allowing you to record, arrange, edit, mix and master your music.
How To Create Music
There are many powerful DAWs to choose from, either paid (Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio) or free to use (BandLab, GarageBand). In general, all DAWs have the same core capabilities – but there are some important differences to be aware of. Some are great for audio recording, some are great for making beats, and others work great as live performance tools.
So, before committing, take some time to learn about the DAW’s individual strengths and weaknesses. Alternatively, check out our recommendations of the best free DAWs
Music making software for beginners, software for making electronic music, electronic music for beginners, making music for beginners, electronic music production for beginners, programs for making electronic music, making edm music for beginners, equipment for making electronic music, music making equipment for beginners, producing electronic music for beginners, music making programs for beginners, electronic keyboard music for beginners
