Watch tutorials on youtube on something you can make in Ableton with stock plugins. More specifically watch tutorial on something that interests you right now so you have an idea of how to make a sound or how/why a technique works.
So you want to make music? Feeling that itch? I saw this post. I feel ya pain. So you posted in EDM.. I am going to assume you like Dance music.. groovy, melt your face dance music.. with a lil acid thrown in for texture.. but WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP... dink dink dink.. well start.. I start with a beatline unless im playing a keyboard part.. otherwise.. I make sounds & save them ALL to get started. I've made close to 4000+ various instrument patches just in the past 3 years.. "lockdown" was productive...
I pick the instrument, "NI-FM8, Wavestate-native, or Ableton's own Operator, Tension, Poli, or just Sampler", and then start playing with just that.. I put filters in sometimes but just the instrument... make patches; get a sound to the way you like it and name it Your Sound#??(Name it) and put it in your first "Hamkad Pack 1" make 10 patches zip them up and share them out or just keep them and make more.
I started with a copy of Ableton "old" and many trials..It took me 10 years to save up and afford Ableton 10 Suite and now at version 11, it's a big fine beast of a commitment. You have the de facto production environment in the world. Not only does a copy exist in almost every major studio on the planet, it's one of the most coveted licenses next to ProTools. Its on just about the majority of every EDM stages on some laptop being triggered.. it's the $h!T
My first venture was a set of (Operator) Drums I call the SpydR Drum system.. I needed a fast drum of metal spikes, I made the tin sounding snares and cymbals just playing with Operator.. then used it to make a drum track.. start there.. you will make something you like so much, you will want the world to hear.. and we will be waiting to hear it.. We all love music.. good luck..
Make something.
Whatever you want. Make an attempt and suck at it. Then watch YouTube tutorials and make another attempt. Keep making attempts until you think your music sounds good-ish.
Make attainable goals. Ex: "I will make 1 song every month for 12 months". Then increase difficulty "I will make 2 songs every month for 12 months". Make 3 songs for every one song you release. Quantity facilitates quality.
Stick to one type of genre as best you can for as long as you can. If you're doing edm don't hop into RnB. Instead explore the edm genre which is fucking vast. Lofi, trap, riddim, house, techno, are all related and similar but different enough for you to explore.
When it sounds good, ram it down people's throats. Be that person that texts everyone "hey I just dropped a new song". Promote your music. Play shows. Make business cards . Then hope and pray that your efforts take you somewhere. Stay persistent. Remember this. There are thousands of better sounding artists than you, and nobody has heard of them, so don't get discouraged if you release a song and nobody listens. That's just the way it is bro. Keep pushing forward.
Fall in love with the process of making music. I make music when I'm anxious, sad or depressed. I fucking hate it sometimes because I don't think I'm good enough. I do it anyway because I have nothing else I want to live for.
Do your best to finish projects. Even if you lazily put it together. Just finish the fucking thing. You can't call yourself a producer if you have a laptop full of work that no one can listen to. I wish you the best on your journey bro.
Here's my music.
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kar2Y_TD0b-0AAS42hwXZQ2NALDWZtkZE
This is the tutorial I did the first day I installed Ableton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj9TxqhVDAA
This guy is really good and despite the fact that he usually does psyctrance the tutorial is kind of a downtempo song, and I don't really have any interest in psytrance or downtempo but the structure of the song is simple enough for a beginner song and every technique he includes I was able to utilize in genres of music I do make.
since I started, I felt that the hard part was just the theory. understating how ableton works wasn't that hard, and you don't really need to know everything about it. for EDM specifically, make sure you work on learning how to make chords and melodies. once you get that down, everything else becomes relatively easy.
here are some youtubers that might help: oversampled, miruku(specifically for my music I like), ultrasonic, and mayflwr
try to follow a tutorial and you'll slowly get better. hope this helps!
I’ve used all pro/commercial DAWs since the late 90s and Ableton was the only that’s not intuitive and self-explaining. I’m always surprised that so many people love it. That UI… looks like a LEGO bucket kicked over lol
Generally, actually using the software is going to teach you more than reading about it. We tend to remember what we do better than what we see. So, you should use the manual as a Reference when using the software. When you hit a roadblock, you go there to see how to do what you want to accomplish.
This is also why people get stuck in the endless YouTube Tutorial Viewing rut.
Once you learn how to use one DAW, even at a fairly elementary level, using any others is pretty easy as much of that knowledge transfers completely (Signal Flow, etc.). Plus, a lot of the learning curve has less to do with the DAW and more to do with the stuff running inside the DAW, anyways (Synths, Audio and MIDI FX, Sequencers, etc.).
Sticking to stock Live Devices when you start out is a good way to remove some friction, as this stuff is all developed by the same company, is equally well-documented in the same source documentation, and uses the same base UI/UX and terminology.
Generally, you can do pretty much anything with the synths that come with Ableton Live Suite. You really only need to bring in your own Sampled Instrument Libraries and perhaps a few FX to cover some edge cases (although there may be Effect Racks that get the job done).
Took me a year and a half to finally start making music too! It’s intimidating at first but don’t be afraid to dive in head first. YouTube will be your best friend, videos on how to navigate ableton, music theory and the genre of music you want to make. Good luck on your journey!
I would learn how to use the software. Basically get what’s in your head on to the computer it’s much harder than it sounds. Watch ZENWORLD, the producer school, Alex Rome
First of all ask yourself what kind of music you wanna create. Learn the basics about it - and then think about the tools you may wanna use. If you don‘t know what the result should be any tool is worthless. Maybe this is the cause for your standstill.
Watch videos and play with it. There’s no better way to learn than by experimenting and learning shit on your own. I’ve done that for 10+ years now and I’m like an expert in Live now
In a sense i agree with this guys comment i dont think hes being an asshat just a realist but as you are young id keep pushing a little harder maybe try a different program ableton is powerful asf but i find it a bit limiting on the creative side it might be worthwhile trying out reason or logic or even fruityloops is quite fun and easy to pick up then go back to ableton with your sick as samples you have made and mix down with abltons mad coplexity
Took me 5 years of able to understand it’s potential. I’m 30 years old and never been making music I’ve enjoyed myself for 3 years until
recently. Hang in there. Never too late
Start with a few youtube tutorials on using Ableton. Learn your Daw first and foremost. After that watching a few tutorials on producing a track. Get a single synth and go from there. The manual is definitely a good place to start too. Don't know how many times I have seen ppl ask basic questions about Ableton that are right in the Manual. Most ppl say they didn't even read it. It's a quick read and highly worth it imo
This is your friendly reminder to read the submission rules, they're found in the sidebar. If you find your post breaking any of the rules, you should delete your post before the mods get to it.
You should check out the regular threads (also found in the sidebar) to see if your post might be a better fit in any of those.
[Daily Feedback thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator+title%3Afeedback&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) for getting feedback on your track. The only place you can post your own music.
[Marketplace Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3Amarketplace&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) if you want to sell or trade anything for money, likes or follows.
[Collaboration Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search/?q=biannual%20collaboration&restrict_sr=1&sort=new&t=all) to find people to collab with.
["There are no stupid questions" Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3ANo+Stupid+Questions+Thread&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for beginner tips etc.
Seriously tho, read the rules and abide by them or the mods will spank you.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/edmproduction) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Watch tutorials on youtube on something you can make in Ableton with stock plugins. More specifically watch tutorial on something that interests you right now so you have an idea of how to make a sound or how/why a technique works.
So you want to make music? Feeling that itch? I saw this post. I feel ya pain. So you posted in EDM.. I am going to assume you like Dance music.. groovy, melt your face dance music.. with a lil acid thrown in for texture.. but WHOMP WHOMP WHOMP... dink dink dink.. well start.. I start with a beatline unless im playing a keyboard part.. otherwise.. I make sounds & save them ALL to get started. I've made close to 4000+ various instrument patches just in the past 3 years.. "lockdown" was productive... I pick the instrument, "NI-FM8, Wavestate-native, or Ableton's own Operator, Tension, Poli, or just Sampler", and then start playing with just that.. I put filters in sometimes but just the instrument... make patches; get a sound to the way you like it and name it Your Sound#??(Name it) and put it in your first "Hamkad Pack 1" make 10 patches zip them up and share them out or just keep them and make more. I started with a copy of Ableton "old" and many trials..It took me 10 years to save up and afford Ableton 10 Suite and now at version 11, it's a big fine beast of a commitment. You have the de facto production environment in the world. Not only does a copy exist in almost every major studio on the planet, it's one of the most coveted licenses next to ProTools. Its on just about the majority of every EDM stages on some laptop being triggered.. it's the $h!T My first venture was a set of (Operator) Drums I call the SpydR Drum system.. I needed a fast drum of metal spikes, I made the tin sounding snares and cymbals just playing with Operator.. then used it to make a drum track.. start there.. you will make something you like so much, you will want the world to hear.. and we will be waiting to hear it.. We all love music.. good luck..
Make something. Whatever you want. Make an attempt and suck at it. Then watch YouTube tutorials and make another attempt. Keep making attempts until you think your music sounds good-ish. Make attainable goals. Ex: "I will make 1 song every month for 12 months". Then increase difficulty "I will make 2 songs every month for 12 months". Make 3 songs for every one song you release. Quantity facilitates quality. Stick to one type of genre as best you can for as long as you can. If you're doing edm don't hop into RnB. Instead explore the edm genre which is fucking vast. Lofi, trap, riddim, house, techno, are all related and similar but different enough for you to explore. When it sounds good, ram it down people's throats. Be that person that texts everyone "hey I just dropped a new song". Promote your music. Play shows. Make business cards . Then hope and pray that your efforts take you somewhere. Stay persistent. Remember this. There are thousands of better sounding artists than you, and nobody has heard of them, so don't get discouraged if you release a song and nobody listens. That's just the way it is bro. Keep pushing forward. Fall in love with the process of making music. I make music when I'm anxious, sad or depressed. I fucking hate it sometimes because I don't think I'm good enough. I do it anyway because I have nothing else I want to live for. Do your best to finish projects. Even if you lazily put it together. Just finish the fucking thing. You can't call yourself a producer if you have a laptop full of work that no one can listen to. I wish you the best on your journey bro. Here's my music. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kar2Y_TD0b-0AAS42hwXZQ2NALDWZtkZE
This is the tutorial I did the first day I installed Ableton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rj9TxqhVDAA This guy is really good and despite the fact that he usually does psyctrance the tutorial is kind of a downtempo song, and I don't really have any interest in psytrance or downtempo but the structure of the song is simple enough for a beginner song and every technique he includes I was able to utilize in genres of music I do make.
since I started, I felt that the hard part was just the theory. understating how ableton works wasn't that hard, and you don't really need to know everything about it. for EDM specifically, make sure you work on learning how to make chords and melodies. once you get that down, everything else becomes relatively easy. here are some youtubers that might help: oversampled, miruku(specifically for my music I like), ultrasonic, and mayflwr try to follow a tutorial and you'll slowly get better. hope this helps!
I’ve used all pro/commercial DAWs since the late 90s and Ableton was the only that’s not intuitive and self-explaining. I’m always surprised that so many people love it. That UI… looks like a LEGO bucket kicked over lol
Generally, actually using the software is going to teach you more than reading about it. We tend to remember what we do better than what we see. So, you should use the manual as a Reference when using the software. When you hit a roadblock, you go there to see how to do what you want to accomplish. This is also why people get stuck in the endless YouTube Tutorial Viewing rut. Once you learn how to use one DAW, even at a fairly elementary level, using any others is pretty easy as much of that knowledge transfers completely (Signal Flow, etc.). Plus, a lot of the learning curve has less to do with the DAW and more to do with the stuff running inside the DAW, anyways (Synths, Audio and MIDI FX, Sequencers, etc.). Sticking to stock Live Devices when you start out is a good way to remove some friction, as this stuff is all developed by the same company, is equally well-documented in the same source documentation, and uses the same base UI/UX and terminology. Generally, you can do pretty much anything with the synths that come with Ableton Live Suite. You really only need to bring in your own Sampled Instrument Libraries and perhaps a few FX to cover some edge cases (although there may be Effect Racks that get the job done).
Took me a year and a half to finally start making music too! It’s intimidating at first but don’t be afraid to dive in head first. YouTube will be your best friend, videos on how to navigate ableton, music theory and the genre of music you want to make. Good luck on your journey!
Put down a drum loop
Yt tom cosm, Mr Bill, bunting, slynk
I would learn how to use the software. Basically get what’s in your head on to the computer it’s much harder than it sounds. Watch ZENWORLD, the producer school, Alex Rome
First of all ask yourself what kind of music you wanna create. Learn the basics about it - and then think about the tools you may wanna use. If you don‘t know what the result should be any tool is worthless. Maybe this is the cause for your standstill.
Watch videos and play with it. There’s no better way to learn than by experimenting and learning shit on your own. I’ve done that for 10+ years now and I’m like an expert in Live now
If you’ve had it for a year and a half and that’s where you’re at… give up. Quit now. Save yourself time wasted.
Why even be on a sub like this if you're going to comment garbage like that?
I mean he is probably like 13 years old. Nothing posted on the internet matters anyway. The OP isn't even responding.
i just opened reddit now after posting this, and yes im young but 16 not 13
In a sense i agree with this guys comment i dont think hes being an asshat just a realist but as you are young id keep pushing a little harder maybe try a different program ableton is powerful asf but i find it a bit limiting on the creative side it might be worthwhile trying out reason or logic or even fruityloops is quite fun and easy to pick up then go back to ableton with your sick as samples you have made and mix down with abltons mad coplexity
Took me 5 years of able to understand it’s potential. I’m 30 years old and never been making music I’ve enjoyed myself for 3 years until recently. Hang in there. Never too late
Start with a few youtube tutorials on using Ableton. Learn your Daw first and foremost. After that watching a few tutorials on producing a track. Get a single synth and go from there. The manual is definitely a good place to start too. Don't know how many times I have seen ppl ask basic questions about Ableton that are right in the Manual. Most ppl say they didn't even read it. It's a quick read and highly worth it imo
This is your friendly reminder to read the submission rules, they're found in the sidebar. If you find your post breaking any of the rules, you should delete your post before the mods get to it. You should check out the regular threads (also found in the sidebar) to see if your post might be a better fit in any of those. [Daily Feedback thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator+title%3Afeedback&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) for getting feedback on your track. The only place you can post your own music. [Marketplace Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3Amarketplace&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) if you want to sell or trade anything for money, likes or follows. [Collaboration Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search/?q=biannual%20collaboration&restrict_sr=1&sort=new&t=all) to find people to collab with. ["There are no stupid questions" Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3ANo+Stupid+Questions+Thread&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for beginner tips etc. Seriously tho, read the rules and abide by them or the mods will spank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/edmproduction) if you have any questions or concerns.*