Hey all, I am deciding to get into a little production myself. So far, I just make edits and things of that nature through recording in Traktor. However, I want to use some sort of production tools to work with Midi, maybe even for my S4. What programs would you recommend that work with mac? And what is their learning curve? I’m trying out Ableton, but it is a very complicated interface.
It’s hard to tell you what works best for you anyways, because each program has a different workflow and will help you in different ways.
Personally, I use Ableton and I find that the live clip view essential to me forming a solid foundation to a track without having to mess around too much with an arrangement. It also allows me to DJ and create on the fly, but I chose it only after I had researched other options (Soundforge, Reason, Logic, etc.)
Also, when you get more involved, you might find yourself combining two or more programs. I used to use a combination of FL Studio and Ableton, because FL would perform better in some areas than Ableton would or visa versa.
You just really need to find what works best for YOU. Good starting out from the box would be FL Studio, which you can demo for free. If you have Ableton though, I’d say a good few hours just watching the basics will give you a good start.
The more time you spend the faster you will learn. I went from Reason 5 to Logic 9, after some weeks doing some hardcore practice, you should get the flow of it.
It’s all about hours (a day) spent practicing and experimenting and not years of producing.