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Music production experts?

sean121

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Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Messages
9
Recently I have developed a new passion for music creation but I have no idea what to do and where to start. So, I am here looking for some advice on what software should I go for as a newbie. I watched some youtube videos on this subject and they were suggesting softwares like Audacity, Logic pro X, garageband, FL studio, walk band, etc.


I am not sure which of these software would be an ideal choice for a beginner.


​​​​​​​Any suggestions?
 

zacknorton

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Aug 26, 2011
Messages
731
They all essentially do the same thing.

If yoive got a mac computer you’ve already got garage band.

If not download a free DAW and get into it.

Once you start pkaying around, THEN you can make evaluations as to what platform you want to dig into.
 

Ed Driscoll

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Apr 24, 2002
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4,691
As the previous poster said, "If you've got a mac computer you’ve already got garage band."

If you're on Windows, you can get Cakewalk Sonar for free: https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk

I haven't tried the Bandlab version of Sonar, but I've spent the last 20 years with the various iterations of Cakewalk, and what they can do is nearly bottomless. But the best way to get started is to get a DAW, lay down some tracks, and go from there. Asking yourself what kind of music you want to make with a DAW is the best way to guide your decisions from there.
 

alexawiliams784

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Apr 21, 2020
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2
For a beginner if you ask me I would suggest you to go for Gargeband and then slowly move towards more advanced DAW like Reaper, Ableton, Logic Pro X, etc. It is simple to use and has an easy interface with lots of in-built instruments and mixing features.


I am currently using Reaper on my windows system I wish I could use garageband on my windows system but it is only designed for MacOS right? Or is there a way to run it on Windows?
 

Ed Driscoll

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Apr 24, 2002
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4,691
This article is from 2018, so I don't know if the technology has changed much since then, but it does provide some useful tips and a word of warning: How To Use GarageBand in Windows.

If you search for ‘GarageBand for Windows’ then you will likely see lots of websites offering Windows versions of this program. To my knowledge, these are all fakes. There are no Windows versions of GarageBand and I suspect these downloads are bogus and full of adware or malware. I would stay away from such websites for the safety of your computer if you find yourself contemplating trying out one of these supposed “Windows versions” of the program. There are smarter risks you can take in life.

Use GarageBand in Windows

The only legitimate way to use GarageBand in Windows is to create a Mac virtual machine. I run MacOS Sierra within VirtualBox and it works flawlessly. If your Windows PC has the resources to run a VM version, then this is the only way I know to be able to run GarageBand on a Windows machine.

I’ll talk you through creating a Mac virtual machine and then load GarageBand onto it.

I've heard good things about Reaper, and have thought about switching. But as of when I investigated around 2018, it lacked the automatic comping feature, which I love in Sonar (now just simply Cakewalk), where you can loop a section of a recording, and it will automatically generate a new track at the end of each pass, until you're bored, or your hard drive is full. It's awesome for going crazy during solos, or comping together the perfect rhythm part or vocal.

Incidentally, the Reaper forum is home to The Greatest -- and Longest -- Music Recording Thread of All Time: Why do your recordings sound like ass?

Search around, and you can find this in an edited and collated PDF form, as the signal-to-noise ratio of the thread starts to bog down. But there is a ton of great advice there for the home DAW enthusiast. Plus this great moment:

“An explorer is deep in the jungle, being led by a native guide. They are hacking their way through dense tropical growth when suddenly drums start pounding in the distance. The explorer freezes. His guide reassures him: “no worry. drums good.” “The drums are good? No danger?” “Yes, drums good. Keep going.”

The explorer takes a deep breath and they trudge on. As the jungle gets thicker and denser, and dusk starts to fall, the drums continue, pounding louder, ever closer. The explorer asks again, “Are you sure those drums are okay… nothing to be afraid of? It sounds like they’re getting louder.”

“No. no worry. Drums good.” They continue on.

As night falls and they start to break camp, the drums become even louder, more intense. The explorer cannot shake a sense that they spell impending doom, but his guide continues to reassure him: “drums good.”

Then, just as darkness settles most completely over the jungle, the drums suddenly stop. The guide’s face goes ashen, a look of horror in his eyes! The explorer asks, “What? What’s the matter? The drums stopped– is that bad?”

The guide responds, “When drums stop, very bad! Bad thing coming! No good for anybody!”

“What!? What is it? What happens after the drums stop!?!”

The guide responds: “Bass solo.”

:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:
 

Flogger

Active member
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Sep 23, 2008
Messages
555
Eventually you will be adding pres and converters, starting down that rabbit hole. The Zoom R16 or R24 is a neat gadget. It will be a stand alone recorder on its own, but the mixing facilities are beyond basic. They record to SD cards. Since they can run on batteries they're incredibly usefull for remote recording.

The Zooms can also be used as an 8x8 interface to your computer DAW, so you can record 8 inputs to 8 tracks at once. In mixdown mode you can use the faders to control your mix.

very handy devices.
 

J T

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Oct 20, 2005
Messages
10,501
If you ever want to play with the big boys, you've got to know Protools
 

Flogger

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Sep 23, 2008
Messages
555
Which DAWs have they gone for?

Lots of Logic.

The OP is just starting out. Wading through an OS for the first time is extremely intimidating when you don't know what anything does. And the financial investment is significant for pro level DAWs, especially Avid, because they want sunk cost to be a disincentive to abandoning that platform.

For someone getting their feet wet, I would suggest Reaper (30 day free trial, $60 to purchase) with a Zoom R16 as an interface. Total investment around $500. Once they have reached the limits of that kind of setup, they'll have an idea of which way to go if they want to upgrade.
 

Iguana

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Aug 22, 2018
Messages
108
Keep in mind, with very few exceptions, all DAWs sound the same. Those exceptions are software intended to emulate analog recording chains. Music production and recording is a vast subject. You may struggle to find enough hours in the day to do/learn everything you want to. Have fun!
 

Ken Fortunato

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Feb 26, 2006
Messages
2,742
Okay... I'm just going to say it... Download the Reaper free trial to get started. Once the trial runs out, BUY IT!!! It's 60 bucks!

But your friends are telling you that Audacity is good enough and it's free? COOL! Download it and "GET STARTED"...

I don't think it's been determined yet, whether you're using Windows or Mac, soooooooooo. If you do have a Mac, click on Garage Band and "GET STARTED"... Once you figure out what you're doing, you can upgrade to Logic Pro X, (this is what I use, by the way, not that it matters).

I hope this helps... :salude
 

sean121

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Apr 22, 2020
Messages
9
As the previous poster said, "If you've got a mac computer you’ve already got garage band."

If you're on Windows, you can get Cakewalk Sonar for free: https://www.bandlab.com/products/cakewalk

I haven't tried the Bandlab version of Sonar, but I've spent the last 20 years with the various iterations of Cakewalk, and what they can do is nearly bottomless. But the best way to get started is to get a DAW, lay down some tracks, and go from there. Asking yourself what kind of music you want to make with a DAW is the best way to guide your decisions from there.

Yes, I have a macbook so I will dive right into garageband then. Thank you!
 

sean121

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Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Messages
9
They all essentially do the same thing.

If yoive got a mac computer you’ve already got garage band.

If not download a free DAW and get into it.

Once you start pkaying around, THEN you can make evaluations as to what platform you want to dig into.

Thanks! I have got Macbook and that exactly what my initial plan was, you know, to start with something, work on some pre-recorded stuff, do some mixing and editing, and get to know the interface, functions and different features and figure out how it is done and then shift towards some advance features.
 

sean121

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Joined
Apr 22, 2020
Messages
9
Okay... I'm just going to say it... Download the Reaper free trial to get started. Once the trial runs out, BUY IT!!! It's 60 bucks!

But your friends are telling you that Audacity is good enough and it's free? COOL! Download it and "GET STARTED"...

I don't think it's been determined yet, whether you're using Windows or Mac, soooooooooo. If you do have a Mac, click on Garage Band and "GET STARTED"... Once you figure out what you're doing, you can upgrade to Logic Pro X, (this is what I use, by the way, not that it matters).

I hope this helps... :salude
That exactly what I am gonna do. I am gonna start with garageband since I have it with me and figure out how this whole thing works and move forward from there on.
 

Ken Fortunato

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That exactly what I am gonna do. I am gonna start with garageband since I have it with me and figure out how this whole thing works and move forward from there on.

Yup! For those of us who own a Mac, it's a "No Brainer". Once you get it figured out, if you decide to upgrade, the $199.00 upgrade to Logic Pro X is a bargain. :salude
 

globalist

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May 23, 2020
Messages
9
+1 for all the Reaper suggestions. It's really great. I went to school for audio engineering and learned ProTools there, and spent the last 20 years working with it. Just canceled my subscription due to their ongoing compatibility issues and inability to really grasp lower end recording solutions. My interface (M Audio 192|6 which replaced a Scarlett 18i8 that met an unfortunate end) also came with Ableton Live, which feels super foreign to me.

Long story short, Reaper is far easier to accomplish stuff, and is similar enough to ProTools that you won't feel out of sorts if you do end up in a professional studio.

Logic is also not bad for the $200, I have both, but if I want to knock something our fast, Reaper is my go to.
 

bossota

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Mar 23, 2021
Messages
1
I have been working on creating music for some time, about 4 years, but I still do not think I am an expert in this field, I think I still have a lot to learn. I understand one thing, though, that you need a good laptop to create something beautiful. This year I got a new laptop and it's the best of all I've ever had, it'S ASUS Zephyrus G15. What do you think, is something more important in creating music? . I bought it from this site because they had different promotions for the first purchase - https://thecursedcrusade.com/best-laptop-for-music-production/ . I don't regret taking him, everything goes perfectly.
 
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