Any advice for a newbie? Any help appreciated

Vyse

Right I've wanted to give this a try for the last 15 years :eek: but only eventually got around to trying. Bought myself an Oxygen 8 V2 and it came with Ableton Live 7 LE. Find the program confusing and the manual isn't a massive help either (built in tutorials aren't bad though)

What program would you recommend for a beginner? Only looking to do this as a hobby, nothing too serious, but prices shouldn't be an issue. Looking to do stuff along the lines of early Black Dog, Pentatonik, Global Communication, A Guy Called Gerald, William Orbit, B-12, U-Ziq etc.

Also, going to put together a new PC (my current one is 6 years old and not up to much any more). Any recommendations on sound cards/ speakers?

Thanks in advance.

jiltloop

Vyse I think the best way to start out these days on the cheap is get a copy of Computer Music magazine and theres loads of free software that you can use on the disc that comes with it. Everything you need to start yourself off is provided.
I got a copy of Ableton Live Lite with an oxygen keyboard recently too but to be honest its an extremely limited version (I think it only allows 4 channels?).
If you're handy enough with PCs you could just upgrade your PC maybe? Or build a new one cheap enough. Alternatively have a look on adverts in the PC section and you could grab a bargain there.
All you need starting off is a pretty basic soundcard, as I'm assuming that you won't want to record audio for the time being. Again have a look on adverts there's usually a few soundcards on there either in the PC section or the Pro-Audio section.
Monitor wise you could get away with starting off on decent Hi-Fi speakers or if you want to buy a decent pair at a good price I'd reccommend a pair of KRK Rokit R5s, they good quality for the lower price range. Hope some of this has been of help to you. Hopefully you'll be bangin out some Mu-Ziq esque tunes in no time!

Vyse

jiltloop wrote: »

Vyse I think the best way to start out these days on the cheap is get a copy of Computer Music magazine and theres loads of free software that you can use on the disc that comes with it. Everything you need to start yourself off is provided.
I got a copy of Ableton Live Lite with an oxygen keyboard recently too but to be honest its an extremely limited version (I think it only allows 4 channels?).
If you're handy enough with PCs you could just upgrade your PC maybe? Or build a new one cheap enough. Alternatively have a look on adverts in the PC section and you could grab a bargain there.
All you need starting off is a pretty basic soundcard, as I'm assuming that you won't want to record audio for the time being. Again have a look on adverts there's usually a few soundcards on there either in the PC section or the Pro-Audio section.
Monitor wise you could get away with starting off on decent Hi-Fi speakers or if you want to buy a decent pair at a good price I'd reccommend a pair of KRK Rokit R5s, they good quality for the lower price range. Hope some of this has been of help to you. Hopefully you'll be bangin out some Mu-Ziq esque tunes in no time!

Thanks for your input. Wanted to buy a new PC as I can put it against my company and not pay the VAT.

Did indeed buy the latest copy of Computer Music. A lot of handy stuff on the disc. The DAW Energy XT seems to be good and very reasonable to buy new (only a demo version with the disc). Might look into purchasing this.

jiltloop

I haven't really tried the Energy XT program, I use the Reaper DAW that comes with the disc. It's pretty handy to use and is the full program and not a demo. If you want to use the program after testing it they ask you to pay a €50 registration fee and they just trust your honesty on that.

By the way what is your level of knowledge on synthesis and audio production in general?

Vyse

jiltloop wrote: »

By the way what is your level of knowledge on synthesis and audio production in general?

That would be none.

jiltloop

Well then I'd advise you to learn about subtractive synthesis as that is the most common type and is quite easy to understand. Post number 3 on this thread has loads of links to synthesis info: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055021935

Learning subtractive synthesis will give you a great foundation on how to design certain sounds and of course practise and experimentation is invaluable. Then its just a matter of really getting to know one DAW and sticking it to it so you are comfortable using it as a learning tool. I learned mostly on Reason and while it will eventually become a little limiting I think its one of the best programs out there for learning and experimenting on.

Quiggers

http://www.noisesculpture.com/htman_free.html
worth a browse,
i'll also vote in favour of CM mag, its thought me more than i learned at uni
and i still buy it every month without fail, always some golden nugget of new info in it.

seannash

Vyse wrote: »

Thanks for your input. Wanted to buy a new PC as I can put it against my company and not pay the VAT.

Did indeed buy the latest copy of Computer Music. A lot of handy stuff on the disc. The DAW Energy XT seems to be good and very reasonable to buy new (only a demo version with the disc). Might look into purchasing this.

id advise you to look at getting one of the more popular daws.
cant say ive heard of energy xtso if you have questions about it you might struggle to get answers

Vyse

Thanks for all the replies. Have been getting CM lately and also have picked up a few tutorial videos for ableton which have been a great help. Once I get my new PC set up I'll invest in Ableton Suite 8. Enjoying it so far, have come up with a few sound snippets I'm very happy with!

Anybody recommend a good grand piano VST?

whiterob81

hey vyse, I'm in exactly the same boat as yourself. I'm just after gettin myself a maudio oxygen 8 v2 as well. I've been trying to use ableton 7 but find it bit of a pain. must get around to watching those tutorials. I was just wondering, where can i get a copy of computer music magazine. do easons do it? does it cost much?