A profound psychedelic experience. Seeking guidance from you lovely souls!

[previewlounge]

(it’s simple like that and you don’t search which hardware play what because by nature and choice you know yet already : your drummachine make drums, your synth make synth, your sampler make … etc…)

And in front of you from the left you have drums in the middle main control of the live/studio and on your right you have all synths/bass etc… But it’s up to you to organise what suit yourself the best. So you are never lost in front of your hardware. That’s the principle too.

…don’t forget your personal libraries it’s the most important one because it’s all about you and your sound signature.

man this is so cool.

re/ personal sound library …

i think a tape recorder would be so easy to capture cool sounds being made … at quite a low cost financially and also hardly any tax emotionally as there is no software to learn, no reason to research about what companies are employing anti-jitter in the cord connections between soundcard and computer, no bright monitors.

just a tape player/recorder, with a blank tape in there, ready to record. to then be archived and captured to wherever later that day or next year.

the main thing is that fun is being experienced and sounds are being captured for later resampling and sequencing.

learning and playing music with at least part of the intention being to produce tracks, essentially involves the technology and practise of … recording.

and so a tape recorder at the beginning helps to initiate the recording habit.

[StevenGrandy]

Just saw Sunshine Jones for the 2nd time last night. If you check his blog and instagram, you can see that his setup has evolved over the months/years. There are plenty of offerings with respect to good first time machine. I think for now it makes sense to get a demo version of daw and try it out for 30 days. Attackmagazine has a few intro tutorials, and what you learn there is transferable to hardware. https://www.attackmagazine.com/technique/tutorials/

[brisket]

-Don’t cheap out. If you’re going to buy a sampler or synth, buy quality.
-Don’t sell anything until you’ve spent at least a year using and learning it.
-Using software versions of instruments will help you learn the principles of production and synthesis without spending too much money straight up. You might even decide it’s all you need – it is for most people. Doesn’t really matter whether it’s Ableton, Logic, Reason, whatever, they’re all good. You don’t need a great computer if you’re not running the latest and greatest soft-synths.
-Have fun and keep an open mind, sound is the world’s greatest playground.

[SouvlakiPlaystation]

I’m sure it’s all been said at this point, but yeah…Digitakt and a cheap poly synth (Minilogue, MicroMonsta, Volca Keys) to start out. From there you can add more later if you like, such as additional synths, effects or drum machines. That should be enough to keep you busy for years. It’s the kind of setup that works for beginners as well as seasoned professionals.

And don’t totally rule out DAWs. A lot of people go back and forth on whether they want to be in or out of the box, but finding a good symbiosis between the two was the solution for me. I make all my actual music on hardware, but use Ableton as my mixer and effects box. This gives you the hands on control you desire, along with lots of powerful effects that won’t put you in debt. Being able to hit record whenever you strike on a good idea helps as well.

[previewlounge]

it’s difficult to ignore how powerful the simple-yet-effective “EQ Eight” effect on Ableton truly is.

the frequency display on that effect, although some people claim that it distracts the ears by involving the eyes, is pretty revealing and immediate to work with.

[William_WiLD]

it’s difficult to ignore how powerful the simple-yet-effective “EQ Eight” effect on Ableton truly is.

Some Digital Mixer gives a really close experience, behringer X18 controlled with iPad (there’s other solution this one is powerful and portable) was very nice to me… EQ 4 with Low Cut and HiCut, Gate, Comp… and 4 Stereo Effects Bus + routing capabilities. 18ins 18 outs recording via USB… suit studio and live performance for beginners & intermediate nicely. (350-400€ second-hand or b-stock)

[William_WiLD]

pretty revealing and immediate to work with.

You should try something like GlissEQ from Voxengo or another EQ with Multi-track spectrum comparison ! way better to mixing because you can see with different colors and on layers 2 channels, let’s say Sub Bass on channel 1 yellow and Kick on channel 2 blue… so you can adjust your frequency even easier the on EQ8 from Ableton Live I don’t think they updated in Live 10 their EQ this way… But when you taste it you can’t go back for then.

You can always start with GlissEQ analytically and swap with a better/more suitable EQ for mixing the material after solve your frequencies clashes

[DimensionsTomorrow]

I recommended a Digitakt because OP was asking on an Elektron forum, but a used SP-404sx would probably be a great place to start, and significantly cheaper. Soooooo many good tunes have been made on SPs.

I’m half tempted to sell everything and just get one for the simplicity. Lol. (Not my photo)

[Cosmic]

Download bitwig trial for free.

[Francis]

I have OT and DN and they are great machines but I’ve been using samplers since an ESI32 over 20 years ago…
I also have an sp16 toraiz which pisses me off because it’s limited in what it can do, but for you, starting out and leaning toward dance music it’s a good option. Plus people are offloading them cheap. They sound better than any elektron box I’ve heard but lack depth in how you use them.

[DimensionsTomorrow]

Less is more

Definitely. I’m going to pare down my setup again soon. I can’t focus when my attention is divided among too many pieces of gear.

[xidnpnlss]

The iPad as a music making device is nothing to sniff at. Sooooo many good apps. Though I would never make it my only tool. It plus a DT / SP would be a powerful beginners setup.

[hommes_doutant]

If you’re just starting, I’d recommend the PO-33 K.O.
Its size means that you can just carry it in your pocket and bring it anywhere. It’s a sampler but there’s also a mic included, so you can go for a hike, record a bunch of sound and play with them on-the-go.

I’d recommend any Pocket Operator also. They kinda look like toys, but the comparison stop there, they sound amazing, and each of them as something unique to bring to the table.

Also, one of the comment suggested that you take music classes but that’s really not necessary, especially when you’re just starting.

By just playing around with what you have, you’ll grow aware of what you really need to learn. Only then you’ll know if you feel you need music classes or if you won’t.

[Unifono]

DT + Yamaha Reface CS

[elek]

I’m making another vote for the Novation Circuit especially if you don’t have any prior experience and want to have something as a springboard to figure out what you like (experimenting with synths sounds, or building rhythms, etc)

The Circuit has 2 Synth voices, and a drum sample section, you can load your own samples and later experiment with making synth patches with an editor.

Its affordable enough that you won’t feel burned if you don’t get on with it, but you’d still want to keep it around to mess with when inspiration strikes.

(my background: Live Techno sets in a variety of environments for the past few years, currently I own an Octatrack, Digitone, Analog Rytm, and a small selection of synths I won’t list here. I’m speaking on this from the experience of teaching others how to do the same thing you want to do)

[knh]

For me it was a big step (after i was able to understand the technical part and some different sorts of synthesis) to learn some (basic) music theory.

It may sound scary to you but i really wish i started earlier with that, so this should be my advice for you.

Maybe it’s ok when i recommend you the book "Music theory for computer musicians“ from Michael Hewitt. I read it and could set everything in a much clearer context (even as a not native english speaker).

PS: Don’t take things super seriously and never forget to have fun

[spacetravelmadeeasy]

Hadn’t heard of this guy before but his live tracks are nice!

From 3m19 onwards it’s him explaiing his exhibition and what made him play live again for the first time in 10 years.

I back the Digitakt as a first toy. It can also form the backbone of a nice wee studio by controlling lots of other synths too.

[xidnpnlss]

controlling lots of other synths too.

Oooo good point.

[pulsefrequenz]

Didnt had time to read all (hopefully i dont double thoughts :-))

First of all: So great to see you feeling the need to do music… i think this is a never ending love (for all the folks in this forum and every other musician)

A first thought: I had friends that loved music and i lent them equipment, but 2 month later they figured out they had a different “role” in music (dj, tour manager, music journalist)… they just didnt felt comfortable with the instruments… WHAT I WANT TO SAY: TRY IT, TRY IT TRY IT… but do not spend money on any instrument just because of anyone (including me) tells you, what is right for you… maybe your instrument is percussion… or guitar…

my recommendation, if you want it: start with a DAW like ableton for this kind of music… (cause you have a computer, i suggest, so its cheap)… take a testversion… try it… if you GO HOT… WELCOME TO the electronic nerds community… if you feel totally uncomfortable, forget about samplers or synths and search for your instrument or way to spread your feelings…

anyway… have fun!!! its a long journey and a never ending learning

[ZaBong]

Pretty clear by now that many people have different and prefered approaches to making music - in the last three years, I have tried a lot of them from computer only to only hardware, iPad, Elektron, Korg Electribes etc. and back. With some caution, I’d like to give this advice:

Probably the most enjoyable experience for a beginner is an iPad with some of the simplified production systems, such as Gadget or Groovebox. You can make whole tracks with these, and upload them to the world. In hardware, the closest thing is the Novation Circuit, but this requires at least an audio interface to record.

A step up from the Circuit would be the Digitakt. All hardware comes with certain limitations, and you might find that at some point you want more than what the Digitakt can do. If you start with an iPad, you will have to add an Audio interface, but then it becomes easy to record with an iPad, and even produce whole tracks on it. In fact, combining a Digitakt, an iPad and an audio interface such as the Zoom U24 would make a pretty powerful set for mobile production.

Within this set, the Digitakt and the iPads apps can be used to produce loops, you can combine these in apps like AUM and Launchpad, and the perform and record by “mixing and matching” the loops in the iPad with the performances on the Digitakt.