To be or not to be /advice wanted! (long post)

[Funkt]

I know you probably hate this kind of posts, but I'd be really thankful if you'd read it trough without skipping and try to understand me and give some advice to a fellow music lover.

This is my first post so a small introduction maybe,
I've been following this site and forum for about 2-3 years now.
I've always liked electronic music and as a kid I wanted to play keyboard/piano but never had the chance too.
About 1.5 years ago I decided to buy an S4 and get into djing, I liked it, but soon realized its not djing itself that I like, but listening to my mixes for hours, searching for things that aren’t perfect and enjoying the transitions that I got just right.
I’ll try to keep it to the point;
I’ve always wanted to make my own music, but if I go for it I want to be sure I can make the sound I want, here is where I need your advice.
I got a very specific sound in my mind and already have some amazing ideas for a few song and also a few songs I think I could make a really unique remix off.
In my head they sound brilliant, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to make the songs.
Normally I learn anything remotely related to technique and logic thinking extremely easy,
But I’m having serious problems with Ableton, I cannot seem to understand/remember all its functions and how to do something.
So I basically gave up because it wasn’t going anywhere.

Now I really want to make these songs I got in my head, I honestly think they will be great if I can get the exact sound I’m looking for, to give you an idea of what I’m looking for;
Daft Punks robot rock, harder better faster stronger around the world 2007, one more time.
The Chemical Brothers Galvanize, Do it Again, believe, midnight madness and most of Justice's songs, they have that (for me) unique not generic sound and feel and original samples, basically they don’t sound like anyone else.
You could say I’d want a mix of those but with a bit more punch.
Boysnoize’s remix of NERD – Hot N Fun is the type of punch I want.
They are all original, timeless and don’t sound generic with awesome samples.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to copy them, but you get the idea.

Now do you think I will be able to make the songs I have in mind and get them on that level? Because if I can, I’m willing to spend a lot of time and some money on it, but if I won’t be able to get that sound there is no point trying and wasting time.
I realize those are some big artist I named there.. My goal is to make music that for my ears sounds perfect, if others like it too, well that would be nice but I want to make music for myself, the way I really want it, I started thinking about this because I just couldn't find any artist that sound just like I want it.

I got no experience at all at the moment, what do you recommend me doing?
Ableton? Or should I look into something else?
Im selling the S4 and got €500 to spend on some hardware, but what?
Any guides/sites that can help me understand these programs 100%? is sonicacademy worth looking into? Or are there better ones?
Am I allowed to take samples from other music? (they won’t be really that recognizable but still, is it allowed? A la daft punk)
Also I noticed all the artists I mentioned consist of at least 2 persons, do you see any other odd similarities?

I know you probably don’t like these kind of posts around here, but I’m dead serious about this, If you guys think it’s possible to get the songs in my head on wav, I’m willing to do anything for that.
Keep it realistic tough, if you think its not going to happen, just say so, I rather not waste a lot of time and money on it then.
Any advice, tips, opinions are much appreciated and thanks a lot if you read this ridiculously long post!

[soundinmotiondj]

The answer will depend on what the sound in your head sounds like.

Ableton is one possible approach, along with Cakewalk, Reason, Pro Tools, etc.
Maschine (or other drum machines) is another approach.
A MIDI keyboard sync'd to some program is another approach.

Most "professional" (whatever that means) producers started out with REALLY simple tools - the digital equivalent of analog tape, scissors, and sticky tape. It does NOT take fancy tools to get the sounds out of your head and into a track....provided you have a clear idea of what it is that you want the final result to sound like.

Whatever you do....do something. Make something. Tools will come and go....but actually producing something leaves a stake in the sand. There is no need to understand 100% of the tools - and that may actually get in the way of you actually producing something.

[ksandvik]

Purchase Logic.

[AllDay]

Purchase Ableton

Fixed it for you!


Ot making the sounds you want to be hearing is the toughest part of producing. Making sounds work with eachother n schmidt.

[BiggChev]

Honestly, this all sounds like an exhausting exercise in futility. I know, I sound like a prick but here's my reasoning...

To have some knowledge, and attempting to do what you've explained is plausible and tedious. To have little knowledge proves even more so. However, again the process becomes even more so tedious and somewhat agonizing. To have NO knowledge, yourself in this case, this turns into borderline self-abuse comparable to the Opus Dei.

You need to understand that among all the great composers that've given us the gift of music, only one virtuoso was fully capable of what you want to do. These individuals were highly trained, life long students of music, groomed to a certain level of perfection that is almost none existent in todays world. They were innately bonded to their instruments, and said instruments acted as extensions of their bodies. Couple that with the fact that they thought to some extent in the language of music. Together, these qualities create a mapping from the domain of conception to the range of actualization. In your case this mapping doesn't exist. To compound this problem, we've added the element of technology. The plethora of DAW's, controllers, effects, plug-ins, certain basics of sound design, harmonics etc., further extends the list of tools and resources of which you've got neither.

Now, that being said, some of the greatest songs in the history of recorded music were written by illiterates with little to no education; conventional or musical. The key here is, to quote SoundInMotion, is to do something. Draw the line in the sand and challenge yourself to 'crow'. Start to acquire the tools, resources, and skill-sets required to undertake such a task. Pick up a keyboard and play it, watch youtube videos, online resources whatever. Find the notes, find how the notes work with each other. Figure out where the notes are fighting each other, study the music and how they work and in what sequence do these notes start to make sense? From there start with a simple cheap, even open source software. Methodically examine each parameter, each effect. Start creating that map from conception to actualization. What button does what, what happens when I turn this knob, so on and so forth. Learn one thing, learn it well, and learn it rigorously. Do you see where this is going?

I was being classically trained as a pianist and multi-instrumentist when I dove down the rabbit hole of digital music production. I've yet ever ONCE wrote a song "exactly" the way I've heard it. Oh, that was ten years ago. Again, not impossible. But, don't pompously assume that it can and will be done. Of course, not ONE piece of gear or one single VST/Plug-in will be sufficient. I encourage you to attempt, and when you fail I'll encourage you yet again to try once more.

I apologize for the length of this response and for the negative tone. However, It's worth trying and if you've truly have a passion and love for the art of music, it's worth attempting and failing, attempting and failing and attempting again. Keep in mind you'll be your own worst critic and that learning curve is incredibly exponentially steep for you. As for resources? Manuals, YouTube, Google, BOOKS the list is endless. Again, didn't want to be a dick but if this makes your decision process easier then I wasn't wasting my time.

Chev