What should I do?

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

What should I do?

Hey guys let me tell you a little bit about my situation. So I live in Chicago and I’ve been to one music festival, Ultra 2013, and am 18 years old. Honestly all I can think about every day is producing music and eventually DJing but I dont have any money nor do I have any equipment. I have a girlfriend who loves EDM as much as I do and we planned on going to 3 festivals together this summer, EDC Chicago, Spring Awakening, and North Coast. I already have all of my tickets however lately I’ve been wondering whether I should sell all my tickets and buy equipment and chase my dream now or hold off on getting my equipment and go to the festivals. All I think about it making my music and at the same time I love the experience of festivals.

I could sell each ticket for about $200 each and save an extra $100 each just from not attending (ie. food/souvenirs)
Is there a compromise I can make to do both?

I’m just looking for some opinions from you guys as to what I should do, all help is appreciated.

The gear I plan on buying by the way is
-M Audio Axiom 49
-Either Ableton 9 or FL Studio
-Traktor S4
-Midi Fighter 3D

Any advice on gear is greatly appreciated as well.

EDIT:
Okay guys I’m convinced and I will be going to all the festivals this summer, HOWEVER this does not mean I dont have the money to buy any equipment. This isnt a hobby that I just wanna do I honestly want to put the time and effort into making music and I wanna learn how to get started. What I’m asking now is what would be good starting equipment/software for Producing music, not DJing. I want to focus on producing music then eventually DJ. I’m already hooked on trying Ableton but what other software/hardware would be a good purchase to go with? Any MIDI keyboards you guys recommend?

EDIT 2: So now it’s between M-Audio Axiom 49 + Ableton 9 Intro or Ableton Push + Ableton 9 Intro

But I just thought I’d share a little bit about myself this time

I’ve played the french horn and flute growing up as well as sang however I’m not gonna say that I have a strong musical background whatsoever. Honestly I’ve watched two of my cousins DJ over the years and I’ve always been lost on what I wanted to do until I went to Ultra 2013 with one of those two cousins who came back from the navy to go with me. Honestly when I hear music played I honestly close my eyes and all I think of is taking all the music I hear in my head and making it come to life. It’s the only thing I ever was sure of that I wanted to do with my life. Everyday all I do is plan out how I can save up to get equipment and to get started and everyday I worry about being able to work enough to get the equipment I want. People on the thread are saying to start off really small in case you dont like it after a while but honestly its all I think about doing, its all my girlfriend hears me talk about and the first time I actually found equipment and stuff just to mess around with at a store I literally stood there for over an hour just playing with it trying to figure it out to learn. I can’t put it into words but it’s what I’m meant to do I just know it. I come home everyday disappointed that I dont have the equipment to to make everything I want to make and I’ll sit at home or in my car for hours just listening to all kinds of songs just getting ideas of what I’d eventually want to put into one of my own songs one day.

The genres that I’m most interested in are Electro House, Progressive House, Trance, and Tech House. I honestly like most EDM besides Trap.

This is all I ever think about and this is the only way I’m able to put it into words for you on how serious I am about it.

2

You’re in a rare position of having plenty of time and festivals to go to! Fuck the gear, spend your time in the sun and get to those festivals!

Winter months are made for jobs and money expenditure when you aren’t outside!

3

Lots of questions spring to mind:

  • How much of a musical background (ever played instruments, music theory knowledge?)
  • How knowledgeable are you about ‘EDM’, what genres do you like especially?
  • How much do you truly love music?
  • No disrespect, but how serious are you? That’s a lot of money to spend from the get go.
4

Just use the demo version of ableton until you have the money to buy the full version

5

I would also recomand going to those festivals and have a fantastic summer. This producer/DJ crunch might not last. So you could end up with gear you will not use for a long time and a summer without any fun.
And you would not need the Midifighter 3D for starting you could use the drum pads on they keyboard instead.
Or just sell one of the tickets and you are close to getting the M-Audio and Live intro witch should be fine for learning and basic production. You can always upgrate later on.

6

well first, i think it’s a jerk move to make plans with your girlfriend to see these shows then sell all the tix or cancel on her because you want to buy stuff. even if she’s supportive of you, it’s still something that reflects badly on your part. go to the shows, enjoy the experience, and let it get you more excited to get on the other side of the audience.

as mye says you can demo ableton for a full month with no limitations. that might also stretch into 3 months if they allow 1 month for each version (ie intro, normal, suite)…not sure on this though. you can also get into production with almost no money as ableton intro is less than $100. you can also upgrade to normal or suite (with a discount) once you have the money and have hit the limitations. as a beginner, intro will offer you plenty to get going. i personally think it’s better to have limits when starting, but that’s just me. if you really need a midi keyboard, then just wait for a good deal on craigslist for something. i got an mpk 49 for $120.

also, i wouldn’t jump right in and buy all that gear you posted. either pick djing or producing to start with and focus on that for a while until you get comfortable then add the other. if i were you i would start with producing since it’s going to be the cheaper of the options and it sounds like you have no budget at this point in your life. you can also start off quicker if you don’t have a lot of tracks in your library already. djing takes a long time to accumulate good songs in order to play out live.

just my 2 cents and some food for thought.

7

Sorry i worded it wrong, i already made all these festival and by myself and then i just started dating this girl recently and i met her when i went to ultra and she wants to be with me at the festivals. Her and I never planned anything together.

8

Break up with your girlfriend and you’ll have a lot more money for your gear.

9

And you won’t feel guilty macking all the groupies.

10

% chance that you’ll become a famous DJ, .02. % chance that you’re currently dating the girl who you’ll spend your life with, 30.0. Knowing the odds?, PRICELESS.

11

Enjoy the summer and the girl. You won’t have summers free forever.

Just hold off on the gear. Buy one piece at a time, when you can afford it.

Skip the Axiom and anything form M-Audio.

Ableton 9 is a great choice.

The S4 is a safe bet, but not my favourite. I recommend learning on turntables, however possible.

Skip the MIDI Fighter 3D until after you’ve got something to mix with (like a mixer), as well as all of the above (besides the M-Audio keyboard - don’t buy that).

Welcome!

12

You don’t need any gear to start producing, there’s plenty of free instruments, fx and even DAWs out there. And the techniques of making electronic music are broadly the same. By the time you’ve got money to spend, you may have a better idea of what you want and why.

13

this. a midi keyboard really doesn’t make or break producing at all so don’t let that stop you from following your dream. and you can find trial versions and such of fl studio, ableton, etc. Also there are free DAWs like he mentioned.

and if you want gear, there are things for 50-100 dollars out there that will work for DJing/producing so you could get started if you wanted without spending more than a couple hundred. There isn’t really a reason to get an S4 and a MF3D to start DJing when you can get something with similar function for <$200

14

Go to the festivals.

15

I didnt make these plans with my girlfriend, I had just recently started dating the girl and she wants to be with me at the festivals.

But in what order should you say that I buy my equipment?

Ableton 9
Midi Keyboard (Axiom49 or MPK49)
Upgrade to MacBook Pro
Then my DJ equipment later on

or

Midi Keyboard
Ableton 9
Upgrade to MacBook Pro
DJ Equipment

The DJ equipment wouldnt come til next year, the midi keyboard/ableton would come by mid summer and the macbook would come around christmas time

16

Dude you are 18 years old. Here is your shopping list for the next few months:

  1. Condoms

End of List.

Seriously you have 2 of the greatest things an 18 year old can have, a girl and festival tickets. Both of these will bring you great joy. Fuck the equipment, you can buy that anytime. Enjoy life. Go to the festival and see the djs you like and you will get inspired in ways that you only can by seeing artists live in an amazing setting. Festivals are the single greatest forum for inspiration and trust me when I say there are few better experiences than being at a great festival with a partner. If you have never been to a festival you cannot know the unbelievable experience that it is (of course I have been to Glastonbury so I may have an unfair advantage in this department).

Meanwhile read this forum like your life depended on it. Drool over equipment. Get the demos of the software. Make some music.

Don’t throw away what could be the greatest summer of your life chasing bits of plastic with buttons. That shit will come and go.

Trust me on this.

17

I’ve been to Ultra and I’ve already decided that I’m gonna keep my EDC/Spring Awakening/North Coast tickets

My question now is what starting equipment/software should I get for producing, the budget isnt an issue but I’m just looking for starting stuff nothing like crazy expensive (ie over $400)

18

:laughing:

19

Are u seriously this hard headed? Buy a used mix track pro and a trial version of ableton and shut up and go to the fests.

20

Go to the festivals!

Definitely buy Ableton first.

(I recommend against the Axiom and the MPK).