any electronic musicians on here??

Mental Octopus · #1 12-18-2010, 06:03 PM

I'm getting more and more curious about producing electronic music.... so much so that I think I'd like to dive in and see how it feels. I have a lot of ideas and sounds in my head that won't translate in a band setting, but I want to explore them and see what happens. Unfortunately I know very little about how to go about doing this.

I'd like to learn all about using synths, making complex beats, and sampling. All I have is a Macbook Pro and I just obtained Ableton Live. And that's pretty much where I'm at....

So can anyone recommend some good websites or literature I can immerse myself in? What kind of gear I should look into?

If it helps, some of the stuff I've been really into lately: J Dilla, Flying Lotus, The Avalanches.

will appreciate any and all guidance
(and don't worry, bass guitar is still #1!)

zenbanshee · #2 12-18-2010, 06:50 PM

My recommendation is to read Future Music, Music Tech and Computer Music magazines. I've been reading them for a few years now and have learned a ton. They often have special magazines with specific topics like using Ableton or recording guitars with a computer. They are pricey ($15 each/month) and they are all from the UK, but they are a great resource. Future Music and Music Tech are hardware and software oriented while Computer Music is really just about making music with your computer, so they don't have reviews of new keyboards and external effects.

To learn about soft synths, sampling and effects, KVRaudio.com has a forum.

Ableton is pretty powerful software, so my recommendation is to go through the manual or a book and just try everything. It can do pretty much everything to some extent.

Fuff24 · #3 12-18-2010, 07:04 PM

I am an electronic music producer. Just find a program that works for you, and make sure you are using because YOU want to. For tuts, use the web, there are some great sites... I would reccommend some to you but it you haven't specified a genre

bThumper38 · #4 12-18-2010, 07:06 PM

I think you pretty much have all you need. Just get yourself a keyboard controller for ableton, and you're on your way. I do recommend the Akai. It's super solid, and depending on your budget, you could get the one with weighted keys. I use ableton alot for tracking song ideas. I love it.

BassChuck · #5 12-19-2010, 08:45 AM

check this out:

http://electro-music.com/forum/

There are a lott of different kinds of music that fall under the name 'electronic music'. Some of it is samples and has dance type beats, other kinds of sound are very, very different (no pitchs, no rhythms). Truely its an exciting world of sound.... keep an open mind.

JonathanZorn · #6 12-20-2010, 08:31 AM

This is a useful collection of articles.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm

I teach computer music and I always encourage my students to work cross platform as much as possible. Ableton does certain things really well, but it will also limit and shape the musical decisions that you make in ways that are immediately identifiable to other practitioners. I like working with one pro DAW and several open source or freeware programs like supercollider or pd. This gives me more control over all the details and behavior of my sound world. This site has a nice collection of free programs

http://www.dontcrack.com/freeware/

You might also want to eventually look into some of the new small analog synths on the market like the Doepfer Dark Energy for additional unique sound sources. You could even build your own electronic sound sources with PAIA kits, or (for lower cost and less commitment) some of the oscillator projects in "Handmade Electronic Music" by Nic Collins.