Link to this article | 2009-02-13 23:02:50
Making music has never been so cheap and it's only going to be cheaper.
You'll need the following:
- a computer
- an audio interface
- a controller keyboard
and also
- a DAW
- plugins
The Hardware
Since you're reading this, you already have a computer. For audio interfaces - what they do, what they are - see this post.
The controller keyboard is essentially a dummy keyboard; generally, it does not have its own built-in sounds. This can make it cheaper to manufacture, and compact and light-weight.
Sometimes, however, a secondhand keyboard or synthesizer may be cheaper; those however lack some options that make controllers useful, like sliders and rotary knobs that send out MIDI messages. They can also not be connected to a computer via USB, so you need something like this.
Even if you can't play, a controller has advantages; one of 'm being that you can play a chord properly (with a mouse you can't). Yes, there are on-screen keyboards and there's software that turns your QWERTY keyboard into a controller, but those are stopgap solutions and they're not useful in terms of expression. A velocity-sensitive controller can play back sounds louder when you hit the keys with more force.
All of the above is relatively straightforward. The more nagging questions come with what's below!
The DAW
A DAW (digital audio workstation) is the heart of the modern studio.
It's also basically a fancy name for either a software package like ProTools, Cubase, FL Studio, Logic, Ableton Live, Sonar, etc. or the total of the computer + software + audio interface. In this case, I'm using the term only for the software.
A DAW has the following tasks:
- record audio (what you hear)
- record MIDI (what you play, to send to either hardware or software synths)
- mixing the end result
- hosting plugins (synthesizers, samplers and effects)
The latter may not be so obvious at first; after all, several plugins work in standalone mode. What you don't see is that those plugins have a very thin and simple shell around them. Other plugins come in the shape of a .dll file and that's it; there's no way to open them.
Here's how it works:
So, assuming that you went the really cheap route of ASIO4ALL and a screen keyboard, you probably might not have any cash left for plugins either. So, here's what you do:
Get Koreplayer, ShortCircuit, Synth1, PolyIblit and Proteus VX (you'll have to sign up for it) and a copy of Reaper and you're pretty much good to go. See what you can jot down in terms of ideas for music - then you can start looking at the bigger packages (if you even need to, because Reaper is pretty awesome by itself).
Especially ShortCircuit is a great find. Get yourself some neat free samples here and you'll be able to build a drumkit of choice, add Audacity so you can cut up samples and loops - and start to work with it.
DAW Choice
The choice for a sequencer package is mainly based on having invested time to learn it - or to work around what it can't do. The more time you invest, the harder it is to switch; because you've gotten used to the workflow.
Workflow is everything. All other questions (Mac/PC, analog/digital, hardware/software, chocolate/vanilla) pale in comparison to it. Your choice of a sequencing package should be based on workflow; if you feel that the software's philosophy matches yours, you're good to go; if you feel that the program is working against you (this doesn't count if you have no idea what you're doing), get rid of it.
You have an idea in your head. You'll want to commit this idea as soon as possible to a permanent medium. For that purpose, I was really happy with my Palm Tungsten which had a small sketchpad. Since the pen wasn't that accurate, I wrote down melodies like A1 E2 A2 E2 G2 E2 D2 C2 (where 1 or 2 denotes the octave) - no duration included. Because I could write my ideas down pretty much whenever and whereever I wanted, I could keep 'm, try 'm, and I could commit them to an even more permanent medium (harddisk or e-mail).
Why is this important? Inspiration may strike at any given moment. Even if it's a fragment, you're gathering these shards and concepts of songs - and when you finally have time (like in the weekends) to work these ideas out, you have a veritable treasure trove at hand. Any software package that holds you back is like a tool not used to its fullest.
So, see if you can find demo versions of the sequencers and try them one by one. Spend 2 weeks or so using them; then see if they fit with what you do.
Plugin Choice
Of pretty much every plugin there's a demo version. They stop working after a while, emit random bursts of noise, or drop the volume to zero from time to time.
Do you need the biggest, latest, most expensive plugin? Consider this first:
Which is the best plugin of these two?
The answer is : none. They're the same (free) plugin; Xhip. It's just that nr. 2 has several effects on it; not even special ones, either, just the standard ones in Ableton Live. Also, the filter cutoff parameter is automated. Since Xhip's interface has several points of improvement, I rather use Synth1, but with that you can achieve a very similar result.
Makes quite a difference, doesn't it? This is why it pays to learn how to use the synthesizers and effects; otherwise you're going to pay once you run out of factory presets every time, and that's quite an expensive hobby.