acoustic musicion looking to tackle this brave new world

[Rainbow_Rage]

I wrote out a nice story for you guys, but the TL;DR is I’m getting into digital music and wondering about a good place to start.

So school’s done and I find myself with more free time than I know what to do with. Perfect situation for learning a new skill (and putting my painting off even though I no longer have an excuse). I see all these great amateur musicians and think, “I’m a pretty musically inclined guy. I can do that, and I can do it better.”

Now, chances of me getting a band together are pretty much nil, but digital music is something I can do from my dorm room, which is good. The dorm situation does mean that recording could be difficult, but I’m essentially getting my own personal lounge next semester so I’ll probably find a way to use that. Until then I’ve got synths and whatever samples I can find.

I’ve been making music for 10 years, but I’m a live performer. Specifically, I’ve played horn in a Brass and Reed band, Military Band, Big Band and Small Jazz Ensemble. I covered a large range of genres, but I’m especially keen on Free, Blues, R&B, Jazz, and Funk. Like any good Jazz musician, Improvisation is a key part of my skill set. Give me a tight rhythm section and a lead sheet (or if it’s a standard, I can probably play from memory), and I’ll make my horn sing.

Digital music is different. I may know music theory, but the technical knowledge of how to do anything is beyond me. I barely know what a DAW is, much less how to use one. I’ll probably end up using FL mostly, but Ableton looks pretty good as well. All this garb with compressors and EQs and mixing? Closest thing to experience I have with that is this one time where we had monitors at a concert (unless you count yelling at the drummer).

It’s just so mechanical. I feel like I’m in a completely different world without the spontaneity of live performance. Sure, I can record with a MIDI keyboard, but that doesn’t even come close, and good luck trying to replicate free jazz. It’ll be a while before I can find a sound I’m happy with.

At the end of the day though, my technical knowledge is my limiting factor right now. I’ve immersed myself in tutorials and learned how to do most basic stuff, but I don’t know how it all comes together to make a song that doesn’t suck. What I’m looking for is a simple project to get me started and figure out what the hell I’m doing.

p.s. I guess I should introduce myself as well since I’m new here
Hey, I’m Rainbow_Rage and in addition to other things, I now (apparently) make crappy music
Also, I’m generally pretty shy and don’t talk much, so this is probably more text than all my other posts will be combined.

[Trillionage]

Do you know of the program Sibelius?

[Rainbow_Rage]

Do you know of the program Sibelius?

I have, but isn't that more of a music notation soft akin to Finale?

[Trillionage]

Well yes, but you can also export your work as a MIDI file, which then you could import to FL or Ableton and master it there. Do you have any knowledge on soundfonts and samples? I'm not an expert by any means so i feel ya bro.

[Makkon]

Hey Rainbow_Rage, have you contacted our moderator CircuitFry? We have a number of skype chats that are wonderful for getting started in digital music composition.

[the4thImpulse]

May I ask why you want to venture into digital music? From what you wrote your very good at live preformance and improvisation and those skills are very hard to trasfer into the digital realm. To start all you need is a DAW and lots of time to watch youtube videos about it (thats how I started), the people here are very helpfull but it would be a lot of work to eplain the entirety of digital music in text.

[Rainbow_Rage]

May I ask why you want to venture into digital music? From what you wrote your very good at live preformance and improvisation and those skills are very hard to trasfer into the digital realm. To start all you need is a DAW and lots of time to watch youtube videos about it (thats how I started), the people here are very helpfull but it would be a lot of work to eplain the entirety of digital music in text.

Why do I want to do it?

I love music of all kinds, and I hinted that making it in my preferred atmosphere isn't practical due to lack of facilities. That's something that could be overcome , I'll play anywhere, any time for anybody, but that's not the only thing. The real problem is finding a group that's interested, has the material, can meet regularly and doesn't suck. That and the time commitment would make it very difficult for me.

Digital music I can do from my dorm room without issue and I'm totally going to convert that "personal lounge" I'll have into a makeshift recording studio so I can get my horns into my tracks. This will also give me something to do while on basic this summer that isn't "blow all my money in Montreal".

Plus, it's something new to do and learn.

I know it's going to be different. One of the points I was trying to get across in my post is that, despite my musical background, I really have no idea when it comes to this (although I imagine I have a significant leg up on most people. Judging from what I've seen, I probably have more knowledge of music theory than most on here). I really am out of my element.

And yeah, that pretty much what I've been doing: mucking about in the FL and Ableton demos and lots of youtube tuts.


Trillonage:

What? Okay, I'm not that useless, I know what a sample is and sort of what a MIDI is. Soundfonts I have no idea, but I know it's a thing and am guessing it has something to do with sound. Pretty much I know enough to smile and nod if you were to start talking about it. Maybe even add in a few mhms.

I don't see what the advantage to writing in Silibus and then importing to FL or Ableton is when both programs are capable of writing the music on their own. I've used music notation software before and have found that it can be a pain to use. Those were free and budget versions though, so it may be different with the high end stuff. Really, I only use it when my sketch book starts getting messy and I want to get the most important parts into a cleaner, easier to read format. Almost my entire bible (book full of lead sheets), is hand written.

Makkon:

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into that.

[colortwelve]

If you do end up managing to get your whole 'personal lounge' thing set up as a makeshift recording studio, I'd recommend just starting by making some basic instrumental loops (probably just bass and drums (you may even go with some premade loops your first time or two around, or get someone to help you out with making your own)) and then doing your jazz thing over the loop. And from there, if you want, you could chop up your recorded bits into a bunch of short, almost sample-y fragments, then add a few atmospheric touches like some pads or ambient samples, and boom, you've got a jazzy trip-hop thing going on. And from there, y'know, ask anyone around here about mastering and EQing it and stuff. At least, that's how I'd have gone about it if I had played an instrument before starting as a producer.

Until then, I'd say that what would probably be most profitable is this: Sit down, open up a synth preset, and improvise away. Sure, it isn't the same as performing live, but the spontaneity can still be there, especially if you focus more on improvising melodies than making one and fleshing out a track from there. If you can do that well, then you probably wouldn't need to do much other than add some percussion, etc., and you'd ideally have something that, while being a little minimal, is no less effective because you've put yourself (specifically your ability to improvise) into it.

As for technical knowledge, in my experience it's just been something one picks up after a while. My first handful of tracks weren't EQd and were mastered awfully, I had no idea how to keep sounds from clashing, and I also happened to lack any music theory knowledge, so stuff pretty much came out as this unsavory pile of dissonance. But I picked up a few things - there are YT videos, there are many, many threads here on technique (hell, it's even got its own subforum), there are threads elsewhere, there are guides. But there's still something to be said for just jumping in and seeing what happens. If you hesitate because you don't think you know enough, you probably won't ever get anything done.

[the4thImpulse]

[quote="Rainbow_Rage"]
And yeah, that pretty much what I've been doing: mucking about in the FL and Ableton demos and lots of youtube tuts.
quote]
All I could really add to this is just keep practicing and learning, there is a lot to this kind of music production and much more then you could possibly learn in a summer. Keep moving foward and were always here to help . I would suggest sticking with one DAW for the summer and spend most of your early time learning it and then focusing on the fun stuff (EQing, Compression, Limiting, Stereo Imaging). I know finishing songs is the fastest way to progress in this adventure so if you get stuck on something you dont understand try to move on instead of staring at your screen in frustration (its happens too often when first starting).

[Trillionage]

What? Okay, I'm not that useless, I know what a sample is and sort of what a MIDI is. Soundfonts I have no idea, but I know it's a thing and am guessing it has something to do with sound. Pretty much I know enough to smile and nod if you were to start talking about it. Maybe even add in a few mhms.

I don't see what the advantage to writing in Silibus and then importing to FL or Ableton is when both programs are capable of writing the music on their own. I've used music notation software before and have found that it can be a pain to use. Those were free and budget versions though, so it may be different with the high end stuff. Really, I only use it when my sketch book starts getting messy and I want to get the most important parts into a cleaner, easier to read format. Almost my entire bible (book full of lead sheets), is hand written.

Sorry if i came off as patronizing. It wasn't my intention.

A soundfont is pretty straight forward: its like a font but for sounds. It can serve as a substitute to the standard MIDI that comes with your computer if you don't have a very advanced or powerful sound card. Sound fonts are made from wav samples and can be plugged into MIDI tracks and its not only limited to electronic or traditional instruments. You can have chiptunes or Video Game instruments. If you have FL you can very easily get Soundfonts online to experiment.

Sibelius can be a bit of a pain to use if you don't have a MIDI keyboard or a keypad, but it works if you are want to make more "traditional music" or a base for what you will work on Ableton or FL. Since you have a more theory based experience, i thought that maybe Sibelius would make you feel more at home since the interface is slightly more simple, at least for 7.

[bartekko]

Hey Rainbow_Rage, have you contacted our moderator CircuitFry? We have a number of skype chats that are wonderful for getting started in digital music composition.

Also we have an IRC channel that is even better.

[bartekko]

Hey Rainbow_Rage, have you contacted our moderator CircuitFry? We have a number of skype chats that are wonderful for getting started in digital music composition.

Also we have an IRC channel that is even better.

[Pickslide1992]

In terms of recording space, mine is extremely portable. I have an HP Pavilion laptop with FL Studio on it (I have it on my desktop as well) and I have a Line 6 Toneport DI-Silver running Pod Farm. The unit is so small I can easily put it and the USB in my bag or guitar case. That way I can be in my bathroom and make a beat. xD

I have a slightly more advanced set-up in my bedroom though. I have a couple of mics, another, larger pedal (Line 6 Pod XT Live. I guess you can tell I'm a Line 6 fan, huh?), plus some more drum/synth samples and VSTs (Some are the same on my laptop as my desktop)