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Get started making music

learningmusic.ableton.com

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Re: Get started making music

#211

Post by puranjay »

I'm an amateur musician and one of the things I hate about electronic music is how "distant" it all feels.

I'm used to picking up the guitar, playing a few chords and writing a melody.

Ableton (or any other DAW) feels like a chore. I have to boot up the computer, connect the MIDI keyboard, the audio interface and the headphones, then wait for Ableton to load, then create a new track and add a MIDI instrument before I can play a single note.

I know the sessions view in Ableton was an attempt to make the music feel more like jamming, but it doesn't really work for me. A lot of musicians who play instruments I've talked to feel the same way.

I would love an "Ableton in a box" that feels more intuitive and immediate.

Re: Get started making music

#212

Post by calflegal »

drblast wrote: post #210
tannhaeuser wrote: post #200

I always wondered why musicians keep up with the conventional musical notation system, and haven't come up with something better (maybe a job for a HNer?). I mean the conventional music notation represents tones in five lines, each capable of holding a "note" (is that the right word?) on a line, as well as in between lines, possibly pitched down and up, resp., by B's and sharps (depending on the tune etc.). Since wes…

Think of it as data compression that shows you the notes you're most likely to play, without taking up space for notes you probably won't. If there's a piece in C, for example, in most traditional Western music you're unlikely to play off-key notes. So why take up valuable space for those when you can denote that unlikely event with a sharp/flat symbol? Traditional music notation made no sense at all to me until I re…

This is a really great answer! This is also a big part of why different instruments read different clefs.

Re: Get started making music

#213

Post by [deleted] »

geoffreyy wrote: post #196

The first page of that tutorial reminded me of a product I saw at the Apple store a few weeks ago called Roli. They have a great app [0], but the hardware [1] itself is not ideal but unfortunately necessary to unlock some features... I will be waiting for a v2... [0] https://roli.com/products/noise [1] https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HKFR2VC/A/roli-lightpad-b...

[deleted]

Re: Get started making music

#214

Post by exodust »

uranian wrote: post #167
copperx wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's space for all kinds of music, and for some, triggered samples under a grid is considered music.

Making music (also EDM) is really, really hard. Most people that try will fail, and Ableton knows that. They are just trying to sell their product here which is fair enough. But 'getting started making music' is like you only need their product, trigger some samples and you can be an artist too. Try sit behind a drum kit for the first time, you think you can start making music? Most aspiring drummers need to practice…

To be fair, as soon as you start messing with swing, it's no longer strictly a "grid" you're limited to. Timing and breaking the rules is where musical talent starts dancing with grids and boxes.

Ableton even recommend thinking beyond machine-perfect rhythm. https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/get-swing-drum-programming-t...

I find it funny the term "humanizing" is used in regards to adding swing. I guess no worse than a term like "moderate rock".

Re: Get started making music

#215

Post by puranjay »

JasonSage wrote: post #35

This is some good coverage of the music theory behind songwriting, which is important in making songs that sound good. However, there's another part of making music which is not covered at all here, which is the actual engineering of sounds. Think of a sound in your head and recreate it digitally—it'll involve sampling and synthesizing, there's tons of filters and sound manipulation to go through, they all go by diff…

Oh man that is a rabbit hole you don't want to go down. Modern software synths are extremely complex, but also extremely powerful.

I mean, look at the interface for Serum, probably the best synth on the market right now:

https://d84g6yundlaof.cloudfront.net/assets/serum/serumall-b...

It looks like an airplane's cockpit.

Sound design is a whole another part of music. Most amateur musicians don't even bother with it because it is way to technical to master. They just use presets.

I personally hate it, but if you have a technical bent, you might enjoy it

Re: Get started making music

#216

Post by breadbox »

tannhaeuser wrote: post #200

I always wondered why musicians keep up with the conventional musical notation system, and haven't come up with something better (maybe a job for a HNer?). I mean the conventional music notation represents tones in five lines, each capable of holding a "note" (is that the right word?) on a line, as well as in between lines, possibly pitched down and up, resp., by B's and sharps (depending on the tune etc.). Since wes…

> I always wondered why musicians keep up with the > conventional musical notation system, and haven't come > up with something better (maybe a job for a HNer?).

Before starting down that path, I would recommend familiarizing yourself with the wide range of music notations that already exist and continue to be used, and then the ridiculously varying plethora of failed alternative music notations that have been invented over the centuries, and why they failed to see wider adoption.

And, of course, it's fascinating to study the evolution of the existing "standard" music notation, and see the changes that have been adopted, and the ones that weren't. For all its apparent stasis, it has definitely evolved over the centuries, in response to the changing needs of musicians.

Re: Get started making music

#217

Post by barryfandango »

tannhaeuser wrote: post #200

I always wondered why musicians keep up with the conventional musical notation system, and haven't come up with something better (maybe a job for a HNer?). I mean the conventional music notation represents tones in five lines, each capable of holding a "note" (is that the right word?) on a line, as well as in between lines, possibly pitched down and up, resp., by B's and sharps (depending on the tune etc.). Since wes…

shameless plug :) lightspeed, the sightreading flashcard game.

http://buzzcola.github.io/lightspeed-music/

Requires windows and a MIDI keyboard.

Re: Get started making music

#218

Post by puranjay »

jungletek wrote: post #121
baldfat wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are all different beast that once you learn one you don't want to relearn another. The only difference is that Abelton Live and Bitwig (Runs on Linux) are designed for live performance. I like Reaper (Cost is 1/5 but equally capable) and it also runs reasonably well under Linux. https://linuxmusicians.com/viewtopic.php?t=15280 Actually many people never pay for a license it has a similar model as Sublime Text.

>The only difference is that Abelton Live and Bitwig (Runs on Linux) are designed for live performance. Ableton, at least, also functions perfectly fine in the traditional piano-roll and timeline paradigm of DAW workflow too. Don't let the 'Live' part of the name mislead you into thinking it's only for live performers; it does everything the 'old DAWs' do, AND it's got great features to assist in live performance. Al…

Ableton is probably the best DAW right now simply because it has the most tutorials online.

I remember way back when I used Cubase. Couldn't find any decent help online.

With Ableton, you are spoiled for choice when it comes to tutorials and lessons.

Re: Get started making music

#219

Post by detaro »

puranjay wrote: post #211

I'm an amateur musician and one of the things I hate about electronic music is how "distant" it all feels. I'm used to picking up the guitar, playing a few chords and writing a melody. Ableton (or any other DAW) feels like a chore. I have to boot up the computer, connect the MIDI keyboard, the audio interface and the headphones, then wait for Ableton to load, then create a new track and add a MIDI instrument before I…

If it is just about "start playing", then it sounds like you are just looking for a hardware synthesizer or groove box? You don't need a DAW to play an electronic instrument, for many they only come in when they start recording.

Re: Get started making music

#220

Post by puranjay »

Mister_Snuggles wrote: post #18

As someone who has no musical talent whatsoever, I'm oddly intrigued by Ableton's products. I've occasionally stumbled across the Push[0] and been fascinated by it as an input device. This site is another thing to add to my Intriguing Stuff list. [0] https://www.ableton.com/en/push/

Here's the thing: music is a lot like math. The more you practice it, the more you find yourself becoming a "natural" at it.

I used to be terrible at math. Then I found a teacher who basically made me work every day on math problems.

Within a few months, I found that I actually enjoyed maths, and was even good at it.

Of course, without natural talent you're not going to become the next Bowie, but even a bit of practice can make you surprisingly competent.

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