[doubledecker]

There is no recipe.
Everyone's story is probably different.
Get hold of Cubase,Logic,FL or whatever and learn it inside out.
Any of these new sequencer programs are so complex that most of us are only scratching the surface.
And in each of them you can make song from start to finish just by using internal synths,samplers,eq,compressors, etc.
Learn some basic keyboard playing.
Its not necessary, it just makes life easier and you can get results faster.
On the other hand i cant play keyboards and yet i work as a producer for 20 years now,making good living and programming my own keyboard parts just by ear.
Most important thing in music is the time you put in it.
More time you spend at the computer= better results.
More time you spend at the computer= faster results.
And if you are talented you will succeed.