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Get Started Making Music

learningmusic.ableton.com

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Re: Get Started Making Music

#161

Post by munificent »

flavor8 wrote: post #131

I got into programming as a kid through a desire to make music (my first program was a "song" written in pascal, playing a series beep tones at different frequencies and durations.) I got into trackers (fast, impulse, buzz) in my teens, and then synths. These days I have a strong preference towards "hardware"* only music making -- I spend most of my waking life staring at a screen, so I find it satisfying to step awa…

I'm getting back into making electronic music now and I've agonized over where to go the software/computer/DAW route or hardware/groovebox/sequencer. Right now, I'm doing it all on a computer using Reason and a very nice MIDI controller (Arturia KeyLab 61 mkii The main things I like about doing it all on a computer are:

* Great screen and interface. It's easy to drag and drop and see the composition visually. Boxes like the Digitakt look like a lot of fun, but then I watch a youTube video of it and it's like 80% knob-scrolling through menus on a tiny LCD screen and that doesn't look like fun.

* Easy file and data management. It's all just files on a hard drive. It's trivial to switch between projects, back up, restore state, etc. Managing that when the data lives on flash cards across a handful of sequencers seems really stressful to me. I'd be so worried about accidentally losing a patch or something.

* It's cheaper. If I want two separate delays with different settings, I can just add a second delay. I don't have to go on Sweetwater and drop another $200. Sure, Eurorack stuff is "modular", but each module requires shelling out cash. In Reason, I can wire up huge racks of crazy stuff without spending a dime.

But..., man, the hardware stuff looks like a lot of fun. I also feel like it can be a real struggle to get something that sounds rich and full out of Reason. I can get there, but it takes effort. It's default sound tends to be kind of brittle and dry, which is to be expected from software but can be uninspiring. (I should maybe check out a different DAW, but I know Reason well and exploring different software is a whole other can of worms.) With a lot of hardware gear — at least judging by videos online — you power it up and it sounds fat immediately.

I think what really matters the most to me is finding a path that gets me finishing music I like quickly. I don't want to just noodle, but I also want something fun and immediate enough to stay in the moment. I'm still not sure if software or hardware (or a mixture of both?) is the right path for that.

Any thoughts on how to dip my toes in the water with hardware to see if that's a better fit?

Re: Get Started Making Music

#163

Post by space-dandy »

munificent wrote: post #161
flavor8 wrote: post #131

I got into programming as a kid through a desire to make music (my first program was a "song" written in pascal, playing a series beep tones at different frequencies and durations.) I got into trackers (fast, impulse, buzz) in my teens, and then synths. These days I have a strong preference towards "hardware"* only music making -- I spend most of my waking life staring at a screen, so I find it satisfying to step awa…

I'm getting back into making electronic music now and I've agonized over where to go the software/computer/DAW route or hardware/groovebox/sequencer. Right now, I'm doing it all on a computer using Reason and a very nice MIDI controller (Arturia KeyLab 61 mkii The main things I like about doing it all on a computer are: * Great screen and interface. It's easy to drag and drop and see the composition visually. Boxes l…

Here are some sequencers you could look at (that I've personally owned)

Zaquencer - $200. The most sequencer you can get at that price point. But lots of knob turning, no real displays. Its fun though.

Toraiz Squid - $600. But it has some great features, and its very 'playable'. You can also drag and drop all of your midi from the device into the DAW.

I would suggest starting with purchasing a MIDI interface and a sequencer. Just use them to control software instruments in your DAW.

This is my workflow. Make a bunch of patterns in a sequencer. Record audio or MIDI into the DAW. Arrange the patterns. You get you brainstorming done on the hardware but the editing on the software.

Re: Get Started Making Music

#164

Post by gambler »

munificent wrote: post #161
flavor8 wrote: post #131

I got into programming as a kid through a desire to make music (my first program was a "song" written in pascal, playing a series beep tones at different frequencies and durations.) I got into trackers (fast, impulse, buzz) in my teens, and then synths. These days I have a strong preference towards "hardware"* only music making -- I spend most of my waking life staring at a screen, so I find it satisfying to step awa…

I'm getting back into making electronic music now and I've agonized over where to go the software/computer/DAW route or hardware/groovebox/sequencer. Right now, I'm doing it all on a computer using Reason and a very nice MIDI controller (Arturia KeyLab 61 mkii The main things I like about doing it all on a computer are: * Great screen and interface. It's easy to drag and drop and see the composition visually. Boxes l…

IMO, If you can afford it, hardware all the way. You will be much happier in the long run if you use hardware.

I find that the device that gives me finished tracks with highest probability is OP-1.

Re: Get Started Making Music

#165

Post by alok-g »

fractalf wrote: post #64

Ableton is great and paved the way for a more creative and intuitive workflow! I switched from Cubase very early on and never looked back. That is, until I found Bitwig ( https://www.bitwig.com ) which supports Linux! They also deserve a shout out taking it even further!

I have heard good reviews about Bitwig elsewhere too. A few questions, as a newbie to DAWs:

1. What would one miss if using Bitwig over others, if anything?

2. Same question as the above for Reaper?

3. How would the two compare with each other.

Note: I have already noted the comments child to yours.

Thanks.

Re: Get Started Making Music

#166

Post by flavor8 »

munificent wrote: post #161
flavor8 wrote: post #131

I got into programming as a kid through a desire to make music (my first program was a "song" written in pascal, playing a series beep tones at different frequencies and durations.) I got into trackers (fast, impulse, buzz) in my teens, and then synths. These days I have a strong preference towards "hardware"* only music making -- I spend most of my waking life staring at a screen, so I find it satisfying to step awa…

I'm getting back into making electronic music now and I've agonized over where to go the software/computer/DAW route or hardware/groovebox/sequencer. Right now, I'm doing it all on a computer using Reason and a very nice MIDI controller (Arturia KeyLab 61 mkii The main things I like about doing it all on a computer are: * Great screen and interface. It's easy to drag and drop and see the composition visually. Boxes l…

> Boxes like the Digitakt look like a lot of fun, but then I watch a youTube video of it and it's like 80% knob-scrolling through menus on a tiny LCD screen and that doesn't look like fun.

Totally with you there. Menu diving on a 20x2 char display is no fun at all.

> Any thoughts on how to dip my toes in the water with hardware to see if that's a better fit?

It wouldn't get you a full setup, but a keystep + a behringer neutron wouldn't break the bank, and looks like a lot of fun. (I don't have a neutron. Maybe on my list once I sell a couple pieces of equipment that I don't use.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfD8RmALHwQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJTl_ntNTgo

Re: Get Started Making Music

#168

Post by gosub »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #156

As a dev, I find Ableton incredibly frustrating. The Live Object Model (LOM) allows custom automation and software control. But it's half-closed, and half-open. Access is through Max for Live, which is a dataflow language "programmed" by joining little object blocks to other object blocks - like Scratch. There's unofficial Python support, but it's poorly documented. Many things are possible, but many other things are…

You should take a look at Reaper. It has macros, total reconfigurability and deep scripting. It's the emacs of the DAW world.

Re: Get Started Making Music

#169

Post by kbouck »

delta1 wrote: post #130
kabacha wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

379€ - wow, that's an absurd amount of money for personal software. Include that with every tutorial being priced too and having to buy synths and samples etc this turns into one expensive hobbie.

Ableton Live Standard: $449 Cubase Artist: ~ $340 Reaper: Free/$60/$225 Pro tools: ~ $600 It's priced in the same league as its competitors.

> Ableton Live Standard: $449

Arturia midi controllers (eg Minilab mkII: ~$100) come bundled with a license for Ableton Live Lite which is pretty functional and might satisfy hobbyist needs.

Re: Get Started Making Music

#170

Post by romaniv »

flavor8 wrote: post #166
munificent wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm getting back into making electronic music now and I've agonized over where to go the software/computer/DAW route or hardware/groovebox/sequencer. Right now, I'm doing it all on a computer using Reason and a very nice MIDI controller (Arturia KeyLab 61 mkii The main things I like about doing it all on a computer are: * Great screen and interface. It's easy to drag and drop and see the composition visually. Boxes l…

> Boxes like the Digitakt look like a lot of fun, but then I watch a youTube video of it and it's like 80% knob-scrolling through menus on a tiny LCD screen and that doesn't look like fun. Totally with you there. Menu diving on a 20x2 char display is no fun at all. > Any thoughts on how to dip my toes in the water with hardware to see if that's a better fit? It wouldn't get you a full setup, but a keystep + a behring…

>Menu diving on a 20x2 char display is no fun at all.

I own Elektron Analog 4 and it's extremely fun to use and make quick loops. You may need to organize your sounds a bit at first, but when you have a reasonable "palette", editing is easy. The UI is extremely well-organized when it comes to common operations. If I needed to make a professional-sounding track in hurry, that's probably what I would use.

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