Making Electronic Music (formerly Making Techno)

[Crispy Dave]

I have been looking into trying my way at making some techno for a while and I'm trying to find a good program to try it out in. I currently have Audacity and it's alright but I'm sure there's a program that will be alot more tuned to what I wanna do. Is there anyone out in the playground who has any experience or knowledge about this?

[Moff Chumley]

*jumps up and down, waving hand*

Ooh! Ooh! Pick me!

I've been making electronic music for a while, and I'd like to think I've picked up some insight. First of all, what exactly do you mean by 'techno'? Are you refering to electronica (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronica) at large, as most people do, or Techno (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techno) in specific? Very different things. This might help you (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJnL5tGqJWs). Personally, I'm a big house fan, but the tools are basically the same no matter what genre you're working in.

The first thing you need, NEED, is a DAW. (Digital Audio Workstation). It's literally impossible to work without one. There are plenty of DAWs out there, but bear in mind, most of them are designed for use in every genre, not just electronic. So, here's a breakdown:

REASON-
Pros: Runs lightning quick on any computer; terrific layout, but a bit confusing for novices; geared specifically for Electronica; amazing sound.
Cons: Can't import audio. Which means no vocals, ever. Also, you can't use Plug-ins with it. I'll get to those.
LOGIC-(Note: unconnected to Reason)
Pros: Amazing interface; very good sounding; very versatile; well put together
Cons: Slooooooow. And a tad hard to learn.
CUBASE-
Pros: Easy to use; cheap (but pro); good FX; great plug-in capability
Cons: You NEED plugins to do Electronica with this. Which means extra cash.
PROTOOLS-
Pros: The industry standard. A good 80% of studios use it, and as such, it's one of the most versatile, innovative, and feature packed pieces of software on the market.
Cons: Expensive as hell, plus, no built in instruments.

I recommend either Reason or Cubase. Reason is around $150, and Cubase is between $70 and $500, depending on the version. Remember, though, for the cheap versions, plug-ins are ESSENTIAL.
Plug-in: a third party piece of software that operates within your DAW. Either an instrument or an effect. Typically higher quality than included plug-ins, but they aren't cheap. I recommend Native Instruments Kontakt for drums and NI ABsynth for synths. Waves makes amazing, but EXPENSIVE, effects.

And now, software controllers. Usually a keyboard that plugs in to your computer via USB. Composing would be a nightmare without mine, but my friends get by fine without 'em. Needless to say, you need to know how to use a keyboard to, well, use one. :smallwink:

If you could be a tad more specific about what subgenres you want to explore, what kind of budget you have, what kind of musical skills you have, and what kind of computer you use, I would be better equipped to help you...

[thubby]

you might want to cut your teeth on a free program first, i have 0 experience with these sort of things but a quick search turned up ACID Xpress.

[Crispy Dave]

I plan to do mostly Techno. No vocals is not a problem for me at all. I was hoping to find a good program with a free trial or a program that is completely free. Not being able to import audio is a bit annoying for me.

[RTGoodman]

Well, if you've got a Mac, you probably have (or have access to) Garage Band. It's not very fancy and it only allows you to mix pre-built tracks together, but it can end up with some pretty good, decent-sounding tunes.

One of the kids in the indoor percussion group I teach spent one of our long busrides on another instructor's Mac building one, and we used it as the stretching/warm-up song for the rest of the season. I think you can even hear it on the old MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/ledfordindoorpercussionensemble) for the group (it's the tune called "Flacid Goat").

[Crispy Dave]

If you could be a tad more specific about what subgenres you want to explore, what kind of budget you have, what kind of musical skills you have, and what kind of computer you use, I would be better equipped to help you...


-subgenres are just about anything but mostly older style Techno.
-Budget is low due to me being a poor teenager
-musical talent is low but I have a good ear for music due to running soundboard for a few years.
-I Use windows mainly and sometimes play around with a few linux OSes. My machine specs are below

CPU-AMD athlon 7750+ clocked at 2.7 ghz duel core
Ram-2 gigs of duel channel DDR2 800 mhz
Video Card(if it matters)-Nvidea 8600 with 512 mb video memory
Sound card-Decent onboard(I don't use it because I have a USB headset currently.)(see notes about soundcard situation below)

I plan to purchace a very nice headset and soundcard soon. as for sound card I have no idea. I was looking at this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826235005)

[Narmoth]

Well, I don't play electronica. I play metal and other guitar based styles, so take my advice with a bit of caution, but:
Reason would be your instrument of choice. Compose your loops and sounds in it (have it myself, use mostly for demo drums)
Then export from Reason to a recording program for analog instruments, like Cubase or Cool Edit, the last one being a free program (that I'm using myself) to record vocals and other analog input

[billtodamax]

I actually have no idea how to do this, but formerly is spelled wrong in the title, and there should be a space between Music and the bracket.
>.>
Sorry.

[Crispy Dave]

I actually have no idea how to do this, but formerly is spelled wrong in the title, and there should be a space between Music and the bracket.
>.>
Sorry.

sleep has been little lately due to the heat. Also my brain is overheated... Damn heat.

[thubby]

sleep has been little lately due to the heat. Also my brain is overheated... Damn heat.

since when do people use their brain on the internet?

[Crispy Dave]

since when do people use their brain on the internet?

Ever since it started to be "cool" to be a bit geeky.

[Moff Chumley]

So you did plan on making techno. My bad. :smallbiggrin:

Okay, so low budget solutions. Sony ACID is cheap as hell, and seems nice, but trust me: DON'T DO IT. It makes puppies cry. There are a good variety of DAWs in a low price range. If you could give me an idea of how much your willing to spend, that would be ideal. Up to $100? Up to $150? Up to $200? For $99, your best bet is Cakewalk SONAR Home Studio. Not my favorite, but it has sufficient power and features, is easy to use, et cetera. If you can spend $150, then Ableton Live LE is within your price range. This is a very good thing.

[Crispy Dave]

So you did plan on making techno. My bad. :smallbiggrin:

Okay, so low budget solutions. Sony ACID is cheap as hell, and seems nice, but trust me: DON'T DO IT. It makes puppies cry. There are a good variety of DAWs in a low price range. If you could give me an idea of how much your willing to spend, that would be ideal. Up to $100? Up to $150? Up to $200? For $99, your best bet is Cakewalk SONAR Home Studio. Not my favorite, but it has sufficient power and features, is easy to use, et cetera. If you can spend $150, then Ableton Live LE is within your price range. This is a very good thing.


I'll think I will go with your recommendation. I need to get a few repair jobs to earn some extra cash.

[Moff Chumley]

Live is amazing. I highly recomend it. And, once you get a bit more cash, the more expensive versions are cheaply upgradeable, and amazing pieces of gear.

[Crispy Dave]

Live is amazing. I highly recomend it. And, once you get a bit more cash, the more expensive versions are cheaply upgradeable, and amazing pieces of gear.

what do you recommend as far as sound cards and headsets ae concerned? What other equipment should I consider getting? If I do add vocals im going to need to buy a better mic. What good mic setups are available. Also one more question can I hear some of your work?