hey mate,
im on ableton too, and as it seems you´re not that familiar with it, i should maybe tell you the basic options you got
so first in ableton you can decide on your own if you want to write your track in sequences and tracks from the left to the right, like with most other daws (cubase,FLstudio,logic,etc.) OR simply create different loops,one shots (in ableton called clips). this is splitted into the basic two sections of ableton, the clipview and the arrangementview.
i use to work in arrangementview, so that i can go right on for arranging the stuff i create. but sometimes i feel more like i first need the basic stuff and putting after into arrangementview, which is just dragndrop to the desired view,so same vice versa
also is possible to just mark things in arrangementview and dragndrop only the marked stuff.
to the recording issue guess now, you can record after arrangeing stuff in arrangement view (and maybe export after, dont get the point why record?) or play around with the clips you created and record this (hit record and play around with the clips=D). you will see that ableton is recording the stuff you do in realtime in arrangementview. what you start to record or arrange and record after is up to you. think about other songs and their arrangement, compare and think about what they have in common (in your desired style). simple basic song structure of electronic music and trance is beginning-highlight-end, you just need to write the stuff between. so create some rising feelings in the beginning, where you´re working forward to the highlight in the middle and after this going for leaving the twisted area, let the song and the audience calm down and coming to an end. sure there are tons of possible ways to come up with really creative arrangements (just think about other music and combine the compositional things like arrangement with the sounds you made or whatever comes to your mind). maybe try this site here:
http://library.thinkquest.org/22673/forms1.html
anyways, my way to start and go for things. usually i start with kickn bass:D but this is no rule and i have to agree that different stuff can lead you to a song or the idea for one. sometimes i dont feel like going for a new song and just work on sounds and patches. during the while and with the sound i did, which can be a simple sample/one shot sound or a drumloop i.e., i get an idea for a song and start with this sound i just did right before the idea came in and work on the stuff around
so it´s up to you to sort your ideas and find the most charming way (at least for you) to go for things.
to the second question i guess it´s completely different from artist to artist and in my case depending on mood and my feelings for doin a song right now or not. if i dont need to hurry because otherwise will loose my basic sound ideas (i usually dont have to hurry=D) i do each song with new stuff. thing is if im not working on a track im working on sounds and patches so that i always got enough stuff to work with. all depending on the day in my case. sometimes i take kicknbass and change it after , jsut to have some baseline for my track, but usually i start from scratch each track.....
to the third question i have to say you´re just at the beginning. most of artists doin really good music, creative and inspiring to others also, are doin this for years, these learn about this stuff for life.
it took me years to get only kicknbass in a way to work with and it will take me more years to get really stunning. at the end its up to you, but you have to earn a LOT about these things, reading books, learning, watching tutorials have discussions about music etc. but can tell you where i learned most and where to learn the basic things fastest way i guess....at least where i learned most in more or less time....
http://forum.isratrance.com/forum-produ ... ic-making/
http://www.soundonsound.com/
have a look for musical theory sites, mine are german, sorry....
give this "Hands on Synthsound" dvd a try for learning basic things about synthesizers, what is a sound, how do we achieve different sounds by different synthesize techniques etc. there is also a "Hands on Ableton" version
sorry i have to say it will take you some while to even learn only the basic things. and a LOT about music theories etc to get these dynamic playground stuff done. maybe simple way you could get this is having your bass on a desired note i.e. F2, nice deep saw bass. now you go putting up a leadsound hitting the bass on the same frequency just two octaves higher, so at F4 maybe. also you could change different notes according to F scale or just put a few slightly hits or whaever. it would take ages to tell you all possibilities, you have to understand the basic stuff and see and learn the possibilities resulting from this.
to 4 i can only say same like above. no rules, up to you .....
on isratrance my advice to you would be having a look for what topics there are before posting questions about any stuff.
here are the basic ones:
http://forum.isratrance.com/sticky-most ... ul-topics/
i read there for years and learned mostly every stuff there or from the dvd above, from reading and watching tutorials for years and guess there will be no end =D never. you choosed a hobby you will never come to an end...
I LOVE MUSIC FOR THIS!!! =*
ah btw, did you read here on the forum before? i guess no, or you had at least tried my tutorial about the kindzadza leadsound here on triplag.
4/4, Kbbb, going crazy around, do some changes here and there, break the shit out of it and there you go. at the end you will learn that its quite easy and f@#king hard at the same time
EQ btw is something one should leave at beginning, same with compressors, it will take some more time to understand these tools and working with them. in 99% of all cases i heared, working from beginning will phuk up your sound. they can destroy all work if not set right and used wise. best case is you dont need them
at the end these tools are subtractive tools, which take something from your sound to make it different. but you´re dealing with lack of quality and loosing dynamics, so forget about eq and compression/limiting etc for now. my advice, try around and learn about them, but also try to avoid the use of them until you really now how they work. there are tons of different eq´s out there, each with different sound and for different cases. but "basically" they all work like the one you already know
to the vst instruments, ....... ............. ..................... ............
piuhhhhh, sorry
so, i guess you will not go for expensive hardware, having tenthousands to spend, or? so for electronic music production guess what the instrument is.......right, your PC/MAC. so if you dont go for minimoog, nordwave, neve console, completely analog studio i guess you have to become familiar with vst instruments. they´re software instruments you can use in your DAW (ableton) which emulate this hardware stuff you dont want to pay for or simply dont have the money for. so just get few and learn how they work. or just click through preset library, coming later to this point....
naahhhh, sorry. really go for learning about synthesis first and the different ways to synthesize sounds. synthesis means to recreate a sound by using different techniques (additive,subtractive,FM,etc.) to achieve the desired one. and man its already gettin kind of a novel here =D so maybe you can see it´s really lot you have to learn and many wont be able to help you if you dont know the basic things. the knowledge about this all is power, you got the ability after doin what you like, becoming a synthesis monster creating sounds no one ever heared before, just regarding to the preset & sample stuff i will come later on ... =D
last thing i only can recommend is try to learn yourself, because otherwise ppl will often, if not usually only tell you their opinion (like i did with the eq thingy i.e., which is simply true but my opinion), which has not to be true or fit your imagination of sound. keep this in mind because many people will tell you many different things.
hope this kinda helps, cheers: stephan
ahhh nearly forgot.... i dont like to say this now, but maybe you like the trial and error way or just using stuff other people created. in this case you could save a lot of time and go for samples and presets. presets are the sounds included in a vst instrument, usually you just have to press a key on your keyboard (if you dont have one, live offers qwertz/qwerty keyboard simulation, just hit the w key i.e. and sound live triggers midi note to the vst synth;)).
samples you get everywhere, dont wanna go on now about quality, sample rates to keep attention on, resolutions etc. just google psy samplepacks whatever and think you will find enough.....
so last thing i wanna say is keep in mind if you use samples or presets that they´re easily recognized by other people already knowing the sound/preset/sample.... and you will not learn this way how to create the stuff in your mind. or how to create stuff you like from others or how to develop your own ideas or other ones ideas
think about yourself what you want to do and what you want to achieve.
also try to get a clear idea of what you want to sound like
cheers: stephan
use vst plug ins like waves to find nice tools for eq
!
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