nascent

Hi all

Background:
I love music. Not just listening to music(who doesn't love that?), but the art and composition of music--from modern to classical. I analyze everything I listen to. Much to my regret, I never was disciplined enough to learn any instruments growing up, and don't really have the time to start learning an instrument now(though I think about it from time to time). I can't sing well(I blame my parents' genes ) but I love to anyway, and constantly sing and make up songs. I've written probably well over a hundred songs(lyrics and basic music--to the extent one can write music without even any theory knowledge) which have never been produced to the slightest degree. They exist mainly in my head and scratched on paper in a way I can recall them(sometimes). Most of them are probably terrible, but I don't care.

Foreground:
I am now a fairly well established Graphic artist with a heavy degree of experience in Motion graphics--primarily for the web, professionally. I love art, I can draw, I have an intimate understanding of creating things with the computer. But I still couldn't play ode to joy on a kazoo to save my life!

So now I want to create music on the computer. After occasional searches online for music software over the past year or so, it is evident that the digital music world is quite vast and complex, and I don't know where to begin! Here is the gist:

• I'm primarily interested in generating movie score type music, not techno/hip-hop/dance/etc.
• I don't have any instruments to hook up and record into the computer with, so I need to actually generate audio with the computer.
• I don't want to simply make cheesy mixes of completely pre-canned loops strung together. I want to actually make music. I'd supplement with some loops, I imagine, but I want to be able to imagine it and create it.
• I don't expect to be making award winning music overnight(or ever, for that matter), so I don't need thousands of dollars worth of stuff, but I don't want absolutely terrible quality either.
• I don't know how to read or write music, but I'm confident I can learn what I need to.

In summary, I just love composing music, I don't care about being good or making a career out of it, I simply enjoy it for its creative value and want to finally get into creating it using digital medium. How would you recommend I get started?

Thanks for any advice, all!

PS - I've searched around the internet for an appropriate forum to ask this question, and specifically chose this site because it doesn't appear to be filled with, er, emo kids.

 

Aqualung

Welcome to KMA! We're honoured that you chose us, and you made a good choice. Quite a number of our members produce electronica on their computers, so I'm sure they'll be able to give you a lot of suggestions. I'm not very skilled in computer production, and I have never even created a decent rhythm track, let alone a whole song, so my knowledge is pretty limited, but what I have I'll give. I've tried a couple of programs, and Fruity Loops is the best one I've found for producing electronic tracks. It's pretty complex (which is one of the reasons I have never complete a whole song - I get bored easily) but you sound like you've got a lot of drive, and it's definitely masterable.

By the way, what sort of a pricerange are you looking for for the software?

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nascent

Wow! Fruity Loops looks amazingly like the exact program I've been looking for! The funny thing is that in the little bit of searching I had done previously I frequently came across its name, but never looked into it because the word "Loops" made me think it was another cheesy loop mixer. Some of the features look absolutely identical to what I had pictured in my mind(the synthesizers, etc), and who can complain about free updates for life?? It's definitely in my price range, even with some add-ons, I'm nearly ready to buy it right now. Downloading the demo now.

Thanks, Aqualung! This is exciting.

Would still love to hear from anyone experienced in creating electronic music, what advice you might have for someone just getting started out.

Aqualung

Wow, I'm glad I could be such a help!

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Here we go. Mushu cereal for breakfast with duck sauce.

pianok

This is Just My Ignorant Opinion,,,,, Learn everything you can about MIDI. The various sysex manipulations that are available will teach you to use "ANY" digital type music, software, hardware or any type of external device that you may come across in time. Even with Fruity Loops it will sooner or later come back to MIDI manipulation. Kinda makes me wish I had paid closer attention back when I first started installing sound cards for people. Hmmmmm!

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Habey Gonzo

Hi nascent, I haven't done much computer music, but when I compose for myself, the first shots are always computer based, just to get an idea of how the set of instruments sound together and all that. I'll give you a quick explanation if you are interested (too late, I'll write it anyway :p ):

I use Guitar Pro to write the music sheets for each instrument (since I'm a guitarist, it's easier for me than using sibelius or other "general" writer). Once everything is written and sounds like you want, export to a midi file (I think sibelius can export too).

Load the midi file in a multitrack editor (I use cubase, but I believe others do the job too) which supports vst instruments. Then, "plug" each midi track into the vst instrument you want (I have one for drums, one for bass, and a few synths, but the net is full of other stuff). Then you'll get a much better sound than the usual midi.

Finally, play with the FX and other stuff, before the "final" mixdown.

In my experience, it's a simple way of producing stuff, maybe too simple, but for a quick preview it's enough. I supose you'll learn more while doing it.

Inferno_Paintball

You're into graphic arts? Do you have any experience in Flash?

nascent

Thanks, all.

This Fruity Loops is brilliant, and quite deep. Anybody know of any good kick start tutorials etc to get started with it?

Yes, I do a lot with Flash, probably the main thing that keeps me in business, actually.

FYI, here's a great example of the kind of stuff I admire:
jesperkyd.com

They have quite a bit of electrica/techno stuff, but they also have quite a bit of modern electronic orchestral style stuff, and that is what I love. They end up getting orchestra's to perform a lot of their stuff, but they are electronic at their roots.

Aqualung

Electronic orchestral stuff is great. If that type of stuff is your influence I definitely can't wait to hear what sorts of stuff you create.

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Here we go. Mushu cereal for breakfast with duck sauce.