Ableton Live and general music production

[Nightmare Walking]

Well I have taken the plunge and bought a mac, Ableton Live, a midi controller and a Maschine Mk 2 with the hope of chucking a few beats together.

Any experts on here who could point a novice with no idea what he is doing in the right direction?

 

[BimboBob]

Start with something simple, very simple, like rapping. Any buffoon can do this.

 

[Summerbuzz]

What sort of style do you want to produce?

I'd start by familiarising myself with the basics of the styles I like. Most people start with the beats. Recreate drum patterns, learn the different kits/sounds associated with them. Learn how one instrument complements another.

And try recreating whole songs, so you learn the basic structures.... and how you can make a whole song with just a few elements coming in and dropping out at the right time. Do it in sequencing, but then try to do it on the fly with the maschine.

You'll want to modulate instruments on the fly as well, so it's worth spending some time learning what the different modulations do... low pass filter envelopes for house/techno, attaching the LFO to pwm/vibrato/filter for dubstep (and then modulating the rate of the LFO)... and so on. If it's hip-hop, then it's more about getting the eq and compression just right. When it comes to sounds, I'd also want you to understand the way the ADSR envelopes provide a way to make a groove. This probably all sounds like Chinese but you can learn a lot just by twiddling nobs and listening to what happens.

There are some fantastic forums.... if you want to learn, it's all out there. Last time I checked IDMforum and KVRforum were the place to be. If you have more technical questions, maybe try the soundonsound forums.

If you have literally no clue what's in front of you, start here....

https://www.ableton.com/en/help/learn-live/

 

[Tugay One Cup]

I'll try and troubleshoot any questions. Used it for about a year before my Mac broke down but not exactly for music production.

So I'm no expert but there's a handy guide on my bookshelf.

 

[Nightmare Walking]

Right fellas cheers for the replies. To be truthful I fancy making electro pop type stuff (New Order/Depeche Mode/Hot Chip)

Will probably have a big old skool rave/Piano house feel to it as I have been collecting and playing all them type of tunes on vinyl for a long time.

The actual electronic side of things, filters, compressors etc I should suss pretty quick as I come from an electrical engineering background (would not mind designing my own circuits at some point down the line.

Truth be told I have no interest in djing any more but need something to keep me occupied and on the straight and narrow so to speak. It will really just be for fun and a bit of a hobby.

Was just interested to see if there are any other bluemooners able to offer some advice.

 

[tommyhair]

Right fellas cheers for the replies. To be truthful I fancy making electro pop type stuff (New Order/Depeche Mode/Hot Chip)

Will probably have a big old skool rave/Piano house feel to it as I have been collecting and playing all them type of tunes on vinyl for a long time.

The actual electronic side of things, filters, compressors etc I should suss pretty quick as I come from an electrical engineering background (would not mind designing my own circuits at some point down the line.

Truth be told I have no interest in djing any more but need something to keep me occupied and on the straight and narrow so to speak. It will really just be for fun and a bit of a hobby.

Was just interested to see if there are any other bluemooners able to offer some advice.

I had a studio at home about 15 yrs ago. I would just take your time, learn the gear, especially ableton and machine the best you can. Once you know how to use it, it's very easy making stuff. Check out YouTube . As you start to get more into, you'll get your your own sound down. I like logic audio (sequencer with some good virtual synths etc), works well with ableton, it's really cheap compared to how much it used to be. You might not need that right now though.

 

[Nightmare Walking]

I had a studio at home about 15 yrs ago. I would just take your time, learn the gear, especially ableton and machine the best you can. Once you know how to use it, it's very easy making stuff. Check out YouTube . As you start to get more into, you'll get your your own sound down. I like logic audio (sequencer with some good virtual synths etc), works well with ableton, it's really cheap compared to how much it used to be. You might not need that right now though.

Cheers Tommy. Have been doing quite a bit of swatting up and I am ready to go now. Just need to learn which button does what. I am looking forward to getting stuck in :-)