Production Tips
• Triggering Logic from an AKAI MPC
• Reverse reverb effect
• Breakbeats
• Recording vocals
• Working with acapellas
• Getting started
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Getting Started
Level: Beginner
Posted: 20.08.07
Whatever your musical background there has never been a better time to start producing your own music. 10 years ago producing records from a bedroom setup would have started at around £4000-5000; now it's more like £500. There are many options avilable and this can be very overwhelming to the newbies, so I will aim to breakdown the essential kit required for making music of professional quality on a skint student's budget! (lol!)
1) Computer
The reason the cost of music production has dropped is because all your music can be created from one single computer. You don't need seperate keyboards, synths and mixing desks; you can do this all virtually inside the computer. Now in 2007 with processor speeds the way they are it's totally possible to create complex compositions with your sequencer generating everything.
So choosing the right computer can be a bit of a minefield! You will hear lots of opinions and advice but I will try and give you my own personal take on it. If you are already quite computer literate and feel comfortable with constantly tweaking the system settings, taking the motherboard out etc then you will probably feel more home on a PC. You can get tremendous power for your money using a PC – you can pick up a good machine for around £299 and this will give you plenty of power to run lots of virtual instruments and audio tracks.
Now a lot of musicians are not complete tech heads, and choose an Apple Mac over a PC as it's simpler to use, but by this token they are alot more expensive and models can outdate over the course of a few years quicker than a PC. There are quite a few computers in Apple's range of consumer products. You could pick up a Mac Mini for £399 and this is a small but compact computer, although you will have to provide your own mouse, keyboard and monitor (which can all be picked up cheaply from any computer shop). You can also look at an iMac which provides everything in a built-in monitor, although these can be more expensive around £899.
Choosing the right computer depends on your budget and taste, but even the cheaper computers will give you enough power to make pro-sounding productions.
2) Software
The bits of software you use to create and produce music are called sequencers, of which there are many! I have been teaching complete beginners for the last 5 years, and have always found the greatest program to start on is Propellerheads' "Reason" music software. It gives you everything you need, samplers, synths, effects units and mixing desks all in one package. It's lay out and ease of use is genius. So much so that a lot of big producers favour the self-contained software over other sequencers for this very reason. Reason is also dual platform, so it works on PC and MAC, and retails for around £250. You can get demo's and cut down versions to try out for free from the Propelllerheads website.
Other notable easy to use software is Fruity Loops or FL Studio as it is now known. This works alot more like a drum machine than a sequencer, although it does include powerful editing options. This software is PC only, and retails for round the same price as Reason. Again its ease of use and layout is the real winner here!
If you wish to do more complex stuff such as trigger external MIDI gear, or record vocals etc you will have to look towards the bigger sequencers which can range from £350-£700. Sonar, Pro-Tools, Cubase, Logic, Digital Performer are some of the big boys. Some of these sequencers are dual platform but Logic is Mac only (It's owned by Apple!), Sonar is PC only (and works very well for this reason!). Arguably the 2 main sequencers are Cubase and Logic, Cubase offers more powerful Audio options than Logic but Logic is alot more configurable for your working needs. They all do similar things, both have their fans, so do a little research before your purchase. Both do cut down versions for a fraction of the price of the full program.
3) Soundcards
Most soundcards aren't actually cards anymore, since the use of USB and Firewire ports has become standard on every computer. You will be able to use your computer's built in soundcard while you are learning and this will be fine but as you want to do more things with your productions such as recording samples from vinyl or instruments etc you will need a dedicated soundcard. If you intend to just mix within the computer you can use a soundcard with 2 Mic/Line inputs and 2 outputs. M-Audio have a great range of budget soundcards, check out their Firewire Solo or 410 Series.
If you want to record a band for example then you will need a bigger number of inputs, the standard seems to be 8 inputs and outs, which should be enough to capture most stuff. Motu do a great range of big input soundcards, like the 828 mk2 for around £750. If you feel like you want to mix on a real mixing desk, you will want a soundcard that offers you the most outputs, this will allow you to seperate all your parts across the desk. Motu do a fantasic soundcard that offers you 24 inputs and 24 outputs!! But this is one of the ones that earns its title sound-CARD! As it is only available inside your computer as a PCI card and not thru USB or Firewire.
4) Monitors
By monitors I mean studio speakers, not computer displays! When you are starting out your Hi Fi or Computer speakers will be fine for general use. As you start getting better results out of your gear you will want to show them off to your mates! But you may well be disappointed as your Hi Fi Speakers often offer a coloured sound. By this I mean your tracks will always sound good on your speakers, but not in the car, in a club or at your mates house! This is why studio's use professional studio monitors as they give you a complete flat sound. It may not be as nice to listen to as your Hi Fi, but you know you're getting the truest sound from the monitors. Therefore if you make your track BANG on your monitors, it should translate well anywhere!
The range of monitors is wide, and the prices vary. Most monitors now are known as active, which means they dont require a amp to power them. Monitors that need to be powered by amp are called passive. Tannoy, Alesis, Yamaha all manfacture great budget monitors between £100-£300 range. These will be great to use and much better than your Hi Fi, giving you the chance to finally hear all the detail in your work.
As you get more serious about your production you may want to look at bigger monitors such as the Mackie 828's or the Genelec series. These are in the £700 price range, but offer a load more in the way of detail, though that's not to say that you can't mix on a cheaper pair of monitors. In fact for the last 2 decades producers swore by Yamaha NS10's which were in the budget end of studio monitiors! Final note, take a CD of the kind of music you will be producing and mixing and test the monitors out at the store, don't let the salesman talk you into what he thinks his best!
5) Midi Keyboards
You don't need to play the keyboard to make great music, but you can have limitations writing with just a mouse. Having a keyboard will give you more scope to play melodies and chords etc. What you will need is what is known as a controller keyboard. This is because it doesnt contain any sounds within the keyboard itself but acts as a trigger for the virtual instruments from inside your computer. If you have never played the keyboard or struggle you may want to look into getting a small 2-3 octave keyboard like the oxygen 8 made by m-audio. An octave is 12 keys, so this would give you 24 keys, and this would be fine for inputting melodies etc.
If you have a little keyboard skill or would like to learn how to play you may want to look at getting a larger octave keyboard. Something like 5 octaves should do the trick. You can pick up controller keyboards for as little as £50, but the higher the price the better the build and feel (some players prefer weighted keys to mimic pianos). All of the current keyboards connect and are powered via USB.
Conclusion
So there you have it, investing in music technology can be a black hole for your money sometimes! Its important to remember that you don't have to buy the best computer, best monitors etc all at once. Start off with a computer and a good sequencer package and take it from there! Happy Beatmaking!
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Seminars
NEW SEMINAR ANNOUNCED!
Production Tips and Tricks
Date Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 April 2008
Location Central London (Westminster)
