Music producing without a single hardware?

Performance & Techniques Music Production
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Music producing without a single hardware?

I am really into learning music producing. Just beginner stuffs, I start with the Audacity 2.0.6 since it’s free and I have read some good reviews regarding the software. I prefer to spend more on the DJ hardwares so I am not gonna buy stuffs like Ableton Push, etc. I am wondering if I can make some decent tunes just on the music producing software, or do I need something else? (only the mandatories please)

Cheers

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Personally, I think some hardware improves the experience, but…you can definitely do it with only software. I’m not sure if Audacity is the right choice…it’s great for simple, straightforward recording and editing. But to my knowledge, it won’t host instruments or drum machines.

My preference is for Maschine and Pro Tools, but really…any full-fledged DAW will work. Give a few of them a look and see what seems to click…then stop worrying about the choice and start learning.

If you need some suggestions…

Ableton Live
Logic (OS X only)
FL Studio (might be windows only)
Cubase
Sonar
Reason
Pro Tools
Maschine (there is hardware, but it’s not particularly expensive and quite useful)

None of them are free, but most have demo versions available and most have different “packages” that come with more or less stuff. To get started, you don’t really need anything but the basics…a subtractive synth, a drum machine, an EQ, a compressor, a delay, and a reverb. I think all of their basic versions come with at least that.

And there are intro-training videos available for every single one. They can all do pretty much the same things, but they all do it a bit differently…and some have strengths that others lack. You really can’t go wrong with any of them unless they just don’t fit the way you think.

As far as I’m aware, Pro Tools is still the most dominant in studios, but the focus on recording…which is a slightly different animal. Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Reason are probably still the most popular in dance music. There are people who swear by each one. And I’d bet that there’s at least one track you know and love that was made in each.

Reason and Maschine are the standouts as being very different from the others. Reason’s UI is modeled after old-school equipment, down to the aesthetic and sound desing of the mixer emulating that of big Solid State Logic consoles and all of the instruments and what not looking like they’re in a rack, complete with being able to play with the routing of different wires. Maschine is based on the idea of a groove box. With the 2.0 software, it can do basically everything, and that focus seems to have diminished some…but for jamming/sketching and the early stages, it’s still a bit closer to using a hardware groove box than the others, which look and work more similarly.

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Instead of Audacity try this one: http://www.reaper.fm/. Other than that: Yes, you can make music of any grade using only your computer. The only limitations that you might find is when your audio interface and monitors don’t allow accurate tweaks, but that should not bother you too much for now. A MIDI-keyboard is the only thing I would recommend (no have-to either). It’s damn cheap $10 (used) and will give you at least some way to express ideas other than “typing them in”.

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I know a few very well known producers that were hardware free for years and years… With hardware only I think one must work a little harder to achieve the sound that was once a standard… IMO the quality
Of acceptance is not nearly what it was 10+ years ago

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if you have music theory in your back ground, i think you stand a better chance of writing electronic music without hardware.

that said just start with a keyboard and mouse, and you will discover the important gaps in hardware yourself and fill them in.

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If you are on a Mac, Garageband is Completely free and you can start making tracks straight away and you can always upgrade to Logic later on ($200) when you feel you have outgrown it.

Audiacity is only really any good for editing or recording live tracks - necessary as a tool in your box, but not what you primarily produce with.

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I see.
Isn’t the garageband not a really specific software for EDM making? I have it downloaded on my mac about 3 years ago, it’s an old school software. Logic sounds real good, is it comparable to the Ableton Live 2, FL Studio, or Pro Tools? Remembering that the price is far more affordable than the others. I heard that Hardwell actually making his beats with the Logic. Should it be a great music producing tools with a great price?

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I would really love to get the Maschine if not about the price. I can actually get a nice DJ controller with the similar price. Planning to go with the free software first, see whether I love it or not then deciding if I need a better software. Ableton Live seems to offer a free 30 days trial, should I give it a shot? I wouldn’t be able to do much effectively in a month so I am not enough encouraged to download the trial. I need some training, preferably free, any references to the best music producing tutorials (I am total beginner btw). Feels like DJing is somehow linked to producing. Mostapha, can you explain me some music producing software features that can be found in a DJ controller? Like mixing, making some own drum beats, and adding some of my own stuffs. Is it available in a good DJ controller and the DJ software such as Serato?

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GarageBand is very capable it’s about how you use it… Can use anything to make electronic music I have always been a fan of fruity loops… Ableton is good and I used heavily for several years but the workflow didn’t fit as well as fruity loops for me

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Yeah man, but I want a tool that is more specific for EDM songs lol.

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All EDM or ANY electronic music is made on a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).

You can use ANY of these. They ALL are used to make EDM.

Cubase
Reason
Logic
GarageBand
Ableton
FruityLoops

…

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In the end, a standard computer running the DAW is all that is “mandatory” for production.

I consider myself to be “new” to “production.” But I have been editing music and making mashups for almost 15 years. The line between “production” and a “mashup” is wide and grey.

For mashups and edits, I have used Adobe Audition, and Cool Edit before that, and Sound Forge with Vegas Audio for the multi-track parts before that. I have experimented with Audacity for doing simple edits.

For production, I use Ableton Live 9 for “everything” at this point. I experimented with Reaper briefly and it is a nice DAW. I did not really invest in learning the tool well enough to get productive.

While a mouse is all that is “required” in terms of hardware, I REALLY like to have, in rough order of preference:

A big monitor or monitors. The laptop screen is just not enough pixels for me to really see everything. I am not experienced enough at this point to really handle the “out of sight” settings. It leads to mistakes and frustrations on my part. I actually use two monitors with a laptop dock.

Good speakers. I used some bookshelf monitors that I assembled from a kit 8-10 years ago. I power them through an old stereo receiver that I had laying around. For mixing and producing, it is important to hear the music in the room. Using reasonable monitors is a BIG step up from any headphones, and a noticeable step up from a set of 2.1 PC speakers. This is the current version of the kit I built.

A midi keyboard. I had a 25 key midi keyboard that I used as a DJ controller for a while. When I started producing, I pulled it out again. I like using that to input chords when dealing with synths (basslines, paino, horns, etc). I am NOT a piano player by any stretch…but I can manage simple chords of single instruments. I am actually hoping to expand to a 49 key version “soon” to start doing two handed chords. While not necessary, I would get REALLY frustrated without a midi keyboard at this point.

I do have/use Maschine to setup drum loops. Maschine is NOT needed for production, but it is part of my workflow and I would miss it at this point.

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There really isn’t a DAW that is made to make edm I don’t think you understand what is required to make it… Look at the groove boxes of the 90s most were used to make hip hop but there were lots of edm tracks made on then

In reality anything can be used to make it is what I’m getting at… GarageBand is extremely powerful and more then capable of cranking out an electronic track… Set your bpm to 100+ and goto town… However I think what you want is a program that contains samples for edm style tracks that you can use no musical theory and make a top 10 beatport track… It’s not that easy by the way

Or are you looking for something like this eJay where to aren’t usuing musical theory to produce but just sequencing samples??? I mean ableton and sample DVDs maybe what your looking for and maybe your not ready to learn how to really produce?

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imo, atm this is the most value for buck pack that you can buy anywhere.

http://www.arturia.com/products/producerpack

Full daw, nice midi keyboard with pads encoders etc etc. I would seriously consider this myself but I’m still learning the ropes with machine and logic.

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This looks like a nice deal

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yup audacity is for recording. i actually got a copy of ableton for free. its really cool. your sort of make loops with it and map them how you want them to play but its not really a loop cause you can edit any loop is this making sense? production software is expensive though!

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Editing a loop and composing a melody and harmony and layering in ambience is different… I know when I would produce lots it not be uncommong to have several synths layered playing the same notes to add depth to the sound… All this being said I think the amount of garbage that gets produced today is more because it’s more acceptable to have mediocre tracks released… Real production takes more then just a sample
Trigger here and there… That’s sampling not producing there’s a difference… If you want to do that pickup a vengeance sample Dvd and goto town… You will be satisfied until you get feedback and realize it’s the same thing every other person is producing

If I recall correctly when I did this remix 10 years ago I had something like 60 channels used on my mixer and overdubbed likely every synth this is likely one of the most complex tracks I’ve ever done. Then you have to make sure your levels accommodate the amount of sound going in and running compression noise limiting parametric Eqing different sounds to allow others to shine through

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[QUOTE=lucidstrings;706691]Editing a loop and composing a melody and harmony and layering in ambience is different… I know when I would produce lots it not be uncommong to have several synths layered playing the same notes to add depth to the sound… All this being said I think the amount of garbage that gets produced today is more because it’s more acceptable to have mediocre tracks released… Real production takes more then just a sample
Trigger here and there… That’s sampling not producing there’s a difference… If you want to do that pickup a vengeance sample Dvd and goto town… You will be satisfied until you get feedback and realize it’s the same thing every other person is producing

If I recall correctly when I did this remix 10 years ago I had something like 60 channels used on my mixer and overdubbed likely every synth this is likely one of the most complex tracks I’ve ever done. Then you have to make sure your levels accommodate the amount of sound going in and running compression noise limiting parametric Eqing different sounds to allow others to shine through[/QUOT

that’s actually bin going on for a long time. a lot of vinyl or mp3’s you find are not so good. however if you dig you will find something. I mostly dj minimal house and I have a lot of cool tracks. I spin with traktor. I get my mp3’s from net labels witch are free record labels on the internet. I recommend www.soundshiva.net. I meant that you use automation and FX on the loops.

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[QUOTE]Yeah man, but I want a tool that is more specific for EDM songs lol.
[/QUOTE]

Garageband has tons of EDM specific presets / arpeggiators / sample packs and synths that are more than capable of cranking out a decent track - what you don’t get is the advanced plugin/mastering/routing/midi capabilities of logic, but you can upgrade later and import all garageband tracks which would be a nice seamless upgrade in the future.

Its grown up alot since version X

And its free !

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There isn’t really anything specifc to EDM. Ableton Live and Reason are popular for it, though.