# Getting into electronic music...



## Aristocrap (Apr 5, 2011)

Hey all,
I've been interested in starting up a musical project for a while. I play guitar in a band with a couple of friends, but as college approaches I'll have to part with them. That being said, I've really been into electronic music - electro and house in particular. I want to start making my own, though I'm not sure where to start.

I'm going to be hooking a synth to my computer and running Cubase or something like that. It came with a RP55 Digitech pedal, which was a gift, so I might as well make do with it. I'm having a bit of trouble deciding on a synth. At the moment, I'm looking at Roland's Gaia SH-01. I tried it out in a store and I had fun with it. It's not as pricey as some larger ones either and I like using the sliders to create my own sounds.

Hm, maybe I _do_ have a rough idea where to start, but do those of you who are more knowledgeable in the area have any tips or suggestions?


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## Foxithefox (May 12, 2012)

Hey.

A few things worth a look at to help get into producing electronic music: 

Future Music: http://www.youtube.com/user/FutureMusicMagazine (Loads of tutorials from Swedish House Mafia, Thomas Gold, Aviici....).
IDM Forum: http://www.idmforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81 (IDM Music Production Forum).
Gearslutz: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-electronic-music-production/ (Big forum for all things Music Production & Studio Gear).

I know its an old post but hey, you might see this response or it will help others with similar questions =3

Hope that helps!


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## Oly (Jun 8, 2012)

Foxithefox said:


> IDM Forum: http://www.idmforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=81 (IDM Music Production Forum).



I'm a mod there. ghyt wembpang. There is a metric fuckton of information in the Studio section there, well worth a browse.

Tweakheadz guides are an excellent read, and for anyone interesting in making music at home, not just for electronic music. Find them at this spot on the net right here. covers everything from home recording software and hardware, to what kind of computer you should use, to the basics of different styles of music and how to write, record and produce them effectively.


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## Little Ghost (Aug 8, 2012)

If you have the money, get a nice modular setup. The parts are almost always top quality, and your setup is extremely customizable and upgradable. The downside to a modular setup is that you'll have to pay upwards of $1000 USD for even a basic setup. If you want to go this route, lurk the Muff Wiggler forums, specifically the Eurorack ones, since eurorack is progressing faster than any other module format. If you don't have that kind of money, I'd reccomend the Alesis Micron. It's relatively cheap and has some key features that make it superior to the SH-101, for example, the ability to play multiple VCOs at the same time, which can really lushen up leads and make them a lot fatter. I'm not saying the SH-101 isn't a great synth, but it isn't really an all around synth like the Micron is. The SH-101 is more bassline centric. 

My final recommendation is to try virtual synths first. I don't know if you've used them or not, but I *highly* recommend that you don't start out with a physical synth, because you might end up not enjoying producing, and then you've wasted $400 - $1000+ dollars on something you'll never use. Physical synths are more fun to use, but get your feet wet with VSTs first.


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## Harbinger (Aug 10, 2012)

Wish it was a path i took, nearly finishing collge now doing shitty waste of time media for seemingly no reason. Is it something you can start at any point in your life with zilch experiance and still become eventually good?


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## Oly (Sep 10, 2012)

Little Ghost said:


> If you have the money, get a nice modular setup. The parts are almost always top quality, and your setup is extremely customizable and upgradable. The downside to a modular setup is that you'll have to pay upwards of $1000 USD for even a basic setup. If you want to go this route, lurk the Muff Wiggler forums, specifically the Eurorack ones, since eurorack is progressing faster than any other module format. If you don't have that kind of money, I'd reccomend the Alesis Micron. It's relatively cheap and has some key features that make it superior to the SH-101, for example, the ability to play multiple VCOs at the same time, which can really lushen up leads and make them a lot fatter. I'm not saying the SH-101 isn't a great synth, but it isn't really an all around synth like the Micron is. The SH-101 is more bassline centric.
> 
> My final recommendation is to try virtual synths first. I don't know if you've used them or not, but I *highly* recommend that you don't start out with a physical synth, because you might end up not enjoying producing, and then you've wasted $400 - $1000+ dollars on something you'll never use. Physical synths are more fun to use, but get your feet wet with VSTs first.



Recommending a modular synth as someone's first synth? ummm... not really what i'd suggest. O..o

other than that, I can't really disagree with any of this. you can start out actually entirely with freeware and still have all the tools you need to do pretty much anything.


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