Help wanted getting started in producing electro house!

[Yoozer]

Originally Posted by mandanthe202

Hello I am looking out on starting to produce electro house. I haven't got the slightest clue where to start.

Invader!'s Guide to Electro House and Dubstep Production

My New Book - Secrets of House Music Production

Also what equipment to buy if needed?

What's your budget? (as a number, please)

Generally:

- computer + software (DAW)
- instrument plugins (also supplied with the DAW)
- effects plugins (also supplied with the DAW)
- soundcard for music production (audio interface)
- controller keyboard (allows you to play software synths and samplers)
- speakers / headphones for music production (e.g. small computer speakers or surround / 2.1 sets with tiny cube speakers and a big subwoofer are not ideal for this)

Such a setup is called ITB - in the box - because generating and mixing the sound happens in the computer. Depending on budget and preference, you can also go OTB - out of the box - to the point where you don't need a computer at all and have a dedicated machine per task.

This requires a different set of investments, though - and it's generally pricier, because there's no free hardware, but there's lots of free (as in beer) software.

how to make synths

You don't make them, you make synth sounds Anyway, there are loads of tutorials for Sylenth1 and NI Massive (and other synths) on Youtube - far more than what I could type here. However, quality is not consistent - and often aimed at one sound in particular instead of letting you understand the synthesizer. It's asking someone for directions every time you go out of the door vs. learning how to use a map; the latter is far more useful.

[triplizard]

My reco - I wouldn't spend a lot of money until you try out some different things and get a feel for what you like. At the very least you're going to need a (half decent) computer to work with (unless for some strange reason you want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a purely hardware based setup).

From there I'd recommend downloading the demo version of Ableton Live and then go through the built-in tutorials to develop a basic understanding of how it operates. If you like it (and this is something you want to stick with) you can buy a full copy when the demo expires.

For sounds, you'll need plug-in synths. There are a number of half decent ones available with the Abelton Suite (not sure if they're available in the demo or not). Also, you can get demo versions of some of the major ones out there - check out Native Instruments Massive. There are also a who bunch of free ones available, e.g. The 27 best free VST plug-ins in the world today | MusicRadar.com

Note that there are lots of effects that are included in that list - focus on the synth sounds for starters and then expand into the effects later.

I'd recommend going through as many video tutorials as possible from youtube. Many are crap, but you'll figure out which ones pretty quickly. It's helpful to have a dual screen setup and walk through exactly what they're doing in the tutorial with your own setup (i.e. only do tutorials related to the instruments you have, at least at first).

Assuming you already have the computer, you can do all of that for free. If you like it and want to delve further down the rabbit hole, then you can start looking at interfaces, outboard gear, hardware synths, etc.

[mandanthe202]

Thanks for your replies! So far all i have to work with is my macbook and samsung r530 both with decent specs. My budget is as much as it has to cost me but I will be buying things bit by bit as I save up the money saying as though I'm only 15. I have a small part time job that will help me buy things in the order of things that are essential. I downloaded the demo version of fl studio 10 and had a go at making a song using a tutorial I found on youtube First Song FULL by dantheman47812 on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free ... Preferably I'm looking for a setup that doesn't use very much space as it's limited. Thanks for all your help so far its been useful