Okay here's the list. I spend some time on this. If you have any specific questions, let me know:)


***

On Composition:

Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies - Dennis DeSantis
Amazon Link
This is a fantastic book. Each page has a general idea on boosting creativity, workflow, and designing sounds and tracks. I recommend you read and digest one of the tips per day and really think about applying them.

Music Theory for Computer Musicians - Michael Hewitt
Amazon Link
Really easy to digest book on music theory, as it applies to your DAW. Each DAW is used in the examples, so it is not limited to a specific program. Highly recommend this for someone starting out with theory to improve their productions.

Secrets of Dance Music Production - David Felton
Amazon Link
This book I recently picked up and so far it's been quite good. It goes over all the different elements of what make's dance music, and get's quite detailed. More geared towards the beginner, but it was engaging nonetheless. It is the best 'EDM specific' production book I have read.

Ocean of Sound - David Troop
Amazon Link
Very well written and interesting book on ambient music. Not only does David go over the technical side and history of ambiance and musical atmospheres, he speaks very poetically about creating these soundscapes and how they relate to our interpersonal emotions.


***

On Audio Engineering:

Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio - Mike Senior
Amazon Link
In my opinion, this is the best mixing reference book for both beginners and intermediate producers. Very in-depth book that covers everything from how to set-up for accurate listening to the purpose of each mixing and mastering plug-in. Highly recommended.

Zen and the Art of Mixing - Mixerman
Amazon Link
Very interesting read in that it deals with the why's more than the how's. Mixerman, a professional audio engineer, goes in detail to talk about the mix engineer's mindset, how to approach projects, and how to make critical mixing decisions. Really fun read.

The Mixing Engineer's Handbook - Bobby Owinski
Amazon Link
This is a fantastic companion book to keep around. Not only does Owinski go into great technical detail, he includes interviews from various audio engineers that I personally found very helpful and inspiring.


***

On the Industry:

All You Need to Know About the Music Business - Donald S. Passman
Amazon Link
This book is simply a must read for anyone hoping to make a professional career out of music, anyone wanting to start their own record label, or anyone interested in how the industry works. It's a very informative book for any level of producer, and is kept up-to-date with the frequent revisions. Buy it.

Rick Rubin: In the Studio - Jake Brown
Amazon Link
Very interesting read that is a semi-biographical book on Rick Rubin. It is not so personal as it is talking about his life, experiences, and processes. It does get quite technical when referring to the recording process, but there are better books for technical info. This is a fun read on one of the most successful producers in history.

Behind the Glass - Howard Massey
Amazon Link
A collection of interviews from a diverse range of musicians who speak about creativity, workflows, and experiences in the music industry. Really light, easy to digest book.


***

On Creativity:

The War of Art - Steven Pressfield
Amazon Link
This is a must-read, in my opinion, for any creative individual. It is a very philosophical book on dealing with our own mental battles as an artist, and how to overcome them. Definitely pick this one up, all of you.

This is Your Brain on Music - Daniel S. Levitin
Amazon Link
A book written by a neurologist on the psychology of music and what makes us attached to it. It's a fairly scientific book but it is a very rewarding read with some great ideas.


***

On Personal Growth and Development:

How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Amazon Link
Although this seems like an odd book for a music producer, personally I think this is one of the most influential books I've ever read. Knowing how to be personable, effectively network, and form relationships is extremely important in our industry. Whether it be meeting and talking to labels, meeting other artists, or getting through to A&R, this book helps with all these areas and I suggest this book to all of you.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey
Amazon Link
Similar to the recommendation above, although not directly linked to music, I assure you reading this book will change your views on life. It is a very engaging and practical book, and gets you in the right mindset to be successful in your life and music career. Trust me on this one and give it a read.

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Amazon Link
You know the feeling when you're really in the groove of jamming out and all worries tend to slip away for those moments? That is the 'Optimal Experience' according to the author. This book will teach you about that experience, and how to encourage and find it in your work. This is a very challenging, immersive, and enlightening read, which deals with the bigger picture and finding happiness in your work and life. Very inspiring book that puts you in a good mindset when you're doing creative work.

The Art of Work - Jeff Goins
Amazon Link
A very fascinating book that looks at taking your passion (music in our case) and making the most of it. It guides you on how to be successful and turn your passion into your career. Some very interesting sections touching on dealing with failure, disappointment, and criticism, yet listening to your intuition and following your passion. Inspiring and uplifting book to say the least.


***


Phew. That was a lot of work. Hopefully you guys get some usefulness out of this list. This is put together after years of reading dozens upon dozens of books on these topics.


Enjoy!

Books I have read that helped me, loosely in the order I read them:

• Practical Recording Techniques By Bartlett and Bartlett. This is a more "general case" audio recording text, about sound and recording. It's less focused on the EDM trope of people doing everything on their computers, as it talks a lot about outboard processing, microphones, and such, but I think that sort of thing is actually quite helpful to know.
  
  
• Welsh's Synthesizer Cookbook by Fred Welsh. This is an overview of subtractive synthesis which goes into quite useful depth on what's going on and what you can do with it, with lots of diagrams and such. In particular he goes over using oscilloscope and sepectrum analyzer plugins to see what's actually going on with your waveform. The second half of the book is a "cookbook" full of "recipes" that are basically presets written down on paper. If you're quite comfortable with synthesis you don't need much of what it has to offer, but I thought it was great.
  
  
• The Mixing Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski. This is all about mixing. I feel like a lot of what this book offers tends to come up online as a lot of it sounded familiar when I read it, but it's still a solid text.
  
  
• The Daily Adventures of Mixerman by Mixerman. This book is pure fucking comedy - it's a series of diary entries by a supposedly respectable mixer in LA, mixing the worst band he's ever seen. It's generally understood to be fictional, but it's very entertaining and it actually goes into a lot of detail about why certain audio decisions are made, and because of this serves as a surprisingly good primer on how such a studio is run. But mostly, it's hilarious. You can read a few chapters here.
  
  
• Zen and the Art of Mixing, also by Mixerman. This one isn't fiction, or funny, but it's the same author brain-dumping all about mixing, going into the depth that I wished he did in The Daily Adventures. If you already understand the technical tools in mixing, this book is all about what goes through his head when he's mixing, and I found it to be just incredibly helpful. The author is very opinionated about some things, but he makes this very obvious.
  
  
• The Dance Music Manual By Rick Snoman. This one comes up every time someone asks for a good book on dance music. I have only skimmed it, but from what I've gathered it's all about electronic styles and is aimed squarely at the sort of person who reads this sub. I really need to read through it entirely so I can say this for sure, but a number of people have told me if you want to learn dance music and only read one book, this would be a pretty good one.
  

As a lot of people have mentioned, you don't need a lot of fancy gear. I would suggest a small midi keyboard and a decent pair of headphones. Those two things are the only thing I use every day. Once you get familiar with production and decide it's something to really invest your time/money in, then you can branch out with more gear.

After you decide to get more gear, I would suggest the Komplete 9 Bundle which will have pretty much everything you'll ever need forever.

Aside from the Syntorial you mentioned on learning sound design, I would look into doing Hooktheory's daily challenge for ear training. I highly suggest doing this every day until you can 100% the beginner one and do pretty good on intermediate. Learning how chords and intervals sound in relation to a melody is absolutely invaluable when composing quickly.

Additional learning can be found on Coursera for free. I highly recommend you take these courses when they are available.

Introduction to Music Production - Discusses the signal chain, how to work in a DAW, and the basics of synths and effects.

Developing your Musicianship - I am doing this one right now. It's basic music theory and ear training, very informative! It's super light on coursework and the videos aren't long so I recommend jumping in and catching up if you can.

Songwriting - This might not be in your wheelhouse, but it focuses on writing lyrics and creating a song holistically: making sure every part means something and reinforces the main thoughts of the song.

Fundamentals of Music Theory - I haven't taken this one yet, but it's coming up in a few weeks. I'm very excited about it.

Seriously, if you have any questions about anything I would be happy to help. I've been writing music for over 15 years now and I love teaching. Feel free to PM me with anything, whether it be related to gear, theory, composition, arrangement, finding creativity. It's always fun to help a newbie along :)

Best of luck!

I mean Imma be real with you, I think you should invest in good headphones. These ATH M40x headphones are great, and they're only 100 bucks. I know 100 bucks may sound like a big investment, but these headphones are actually on the cheaper side, and provide great value for your money. I personally have the ATH M50x headphones, which are maybe like 30 bucks more expensive, but those M40X's are actually even better for mixing, since they have a nice balanced audio response.

Edit: You should also get an external audio interface I recommend this. I have one and it isn't very expensive and works great, very simple to use too.

First of all, you have to decide what you want the focus of the track to be on. You talk about bass a lot, so I guess that's your focus. So start by lowering all faders to the bottom (start with silence).

>When mixing, what are my goals to get my levels at?

Skip to the main part of your song, a part where everything is playing. Raise the fader on your bass channel so that it peaks at about -12dB on your Master channel meter. Now, without looking at any meters, raise the fader of your next most important channel (in EDM, usually the kick) until it sounds good alongside the bass. Then do the same with the next most important channel until all three sound good together and repeat until you've raised all faders by whatever amount.

By the time you're done, you will probably be peaking at -6dB. Don't worry if you aren't, so long as you're not clipping.

Not every part of your song will fit into this mix, but it's a pretty good place to start. Now you get busy with automation in parts like your intro/outro and breakdowns.

>To make my track professional sounding, I'm using a spectrum analyzer, so what do I want the shape of all the levels to be?

Forget about the spectrum analyser. They have their uses, but real men mix with their ears. Professionals mix with their ears. Stop worrying about the numbers (so long as you're not clipping!)

>Is bass supposed to be higher than the rest because it's perceived as lower?

Not necessarily. You might find that your bass fader is higher than the rest, but that's because you made it your focus. It would be different if you were making a rock track, where the guitar or vocals would be the focus of the mix.

>How do I get things like my lead to stand out without squashing hats and other sounds?

We call this "separation," and you do it with EQ. If your leads are interfering with your hats, chances are that they are sharing some of the same frequencies. What you have to do with EQ is separate the frequencies of each channel so that they don't clash. This is where you would use that spectrum analyser, at least until you develop a good sense of frequency with your ears alone. Solo the hats and look at where they peak on the spectrum. Now cut that frequency from your lead with EQ. Don't go nuts, a cut of 5-6dB is more than enough. Now do the same in reverse - look at where the lead peaks and cut that from the hats. The two tracks should now play nicely together without clashing.

By the way, I'm of the opinion that with EDM, where the producer is in full control of the sound design of all the elements of a track, if you need to drastically EQ any track, then it's better to just rethink the sound selection. Why bother trying to force a lead to fit a hi-hat when you have many GB of other hi-hats on your hard drive, or when you have a synth with total control of the frequencies in your lead? It's true, you can't polish a turd, and you can't make two polished turds look good together either.

>Often I test it in my car with a subwoofer and my levels for bass are low but I'm already almost clipping.

It's probably just that other channels have bass information that doesn't need to be there, leaving no room for your actual bass. Since you're now mixing to focus on your bass, this should be less of a problem. To go along with what I was saying about frequency separation it's common to just high-pass filter every channel to about 120Hz except the bass and kick, so that they are the only thing heard in that whole frequency band (which is what your subs are playing).

>I just need like an in depth text resource

My recommendations are The Art of Mixing and Mastering Audio.

• "When in doubt, leave it out." If you aren't sure if you should keep a change you made (tweak a plugin, add a plugin, add a synth, etc) TAKE IT OUT! If you don't, you'll just be causing unneeded buildup.
  
• "Practice makes perfect, but nobody is perfect." If ANYTHING you're doing doesn't sound good, don't look for a special trick! Just keep practicing! That said, you can get stuck in the mindset that your stuff isn't good enough when it might actually be amazing. Be sure to bounce your tracks off people that can offer honest feedback.
  
• "When you mix, pretend you are organizing instruments in a 3D space." A traditional mix engineer pointed me to this book and it has since changed my mixes drastically for the better.
  
• "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist." Thanks Picasso, I can't say I like a lot of your art, but there's a lot of truth to this quote when done thoughtfully.
  
• "If you feel stuck while producing, take a LONG break." My own piece of advice from my own experience. I found that when producing for weeks on end, I didn't really end up with much improvement after a certain point. I found that taking a break for weeks or even a month can give you a fresh approach to producing, creating a notable jump in quality. The idea is that you break your old production habits, and develop new ones from simply listening to lots of professional music instead of just your own mediocre work. When you hop back into the studio, your whole approach is revitalized.
  
• "Don't pirate plugins." Aside from the fact that piracy is bad, it changes your perspectives on the plugins and devalues them. I could go on a long rant about this, but basically you tend to carelessly throw plugins on when you pirated them instead of learning what they can do and ONLY applying them in circumstances that need them. EG, you'd be using Pro-Q on everything instead of using your DAW's built in EQ along with other EQs like Voxengo Overtone GEQ and a bit of Pro-Q where it's needed.

Took me awhile but I've found 3 different midi keyboards id recommend depending on what you need.

Korg nanokey - This one's solid for traveling or if you have a more mobile setup. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M8UZG0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=BHFPSURENR6T&coliid=I2GZUV8FTNZIPC&psc=1

Alesis V49 - This is the one I'm currently using. I like it because its semi-weighted and fits perfectly with my desktop setup. And if you wanted drum pads but don't want to shell out the money for novation launchpad, these get the job done but certainly aren't the best. I'd highly recommend it though if you want a weighted MIDI keyboard that doesn't take up much space. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IWWEW20/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

M-audio 88 key - If you want a full keyboard this one's very good. No drum pads but semi-weighted and if you want a full-sized keyboard its very good for the price.
https://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Keystation-Keyboard-Controller-Semi-Weighted/dp/B0006676A0/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1493660753&sr=1-3&keywords=maudio+88+key

I bought a $3 ebook off Amazon on FM and practiced with Dexed, which is a free DX7 clone: https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Noise-Frequency-Modulation-ebook/dp/B008H7CEQG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502944537&sr=8-1&keywords=fm+synthesis

You can make some cool sounds with FM, it gets used a lot for metallic and glassy textures. The hollow / plucky bass sound typical of deep house is usually FM. Serum has FM too, actually a lot of virtual "analogs" include basic FM ability. If you want to go deep into FM, Native Instruments FM8 is a good choice. Serum is more about wavetables and wavescanning, which is where instead of having a fixed oscillator shape like a saw wave, you load up a table full of waves and can cycle through them on the fly, which creates some interesting textures too. Whereas FM is usually about modulating a sine wave with other sine waves to make a different waveshape instead, over a period of time that you define with an envelope. So yeah both do evolving sounds. FM is more like high speed LFO.

Should also mention the Korg Volca FM, if you want a hardware FM box. Costs about the same as Serum.

9 Ways this 10 Ways List makes me cringe:

1. Layer your snares EDM snares are crisp, snappy, and/or sizzly. Do you really want your snare to punch? Layer your snares, sure, but do it for the right reasons. Add some white noise. It won't help the punch, but it'll help that snare cut through anything.
   
   
2. Layer your kicks Layering kicks is a great idea, sometimes, but using one kick for its click and another for its bass doesn't equate to more punchiness. It just means you have independent control of each part of the "kick" sound. Layer your kicks to gain control rather than losing it in a game of trial-and-error/mix-and-match. Don't layer just for the sake of layering.
   
   
3. EQ your snares Of course you EQ your snares, but this article sounds like the author just read and copied Bobby's book without considering context. EQ your snare to make it sizzle, snap, or crack. Boosting the low-mids is appropriate for some music, but more often than not in EDM you'll be cutting the bottom out of your snares pretty hard, including the 250Hz range. And again, do you really want your snare to punch?
   
   
4. EQ your kicks Of course you EQ you kicks, but offering up the same kind of generic book advice isn't appropriate for synthesized kicks used in EDM. Also, it's a lot more effective to cut out unwanted frequencies than trying to boost what's missing. (If something is missing, that's when you start thinking about layering.)
   
   
5. Be sparing with reverb! This has almost nothing to do with punchiness, and if you're putting so much reverb in your tracks that it does affect a drum's punch, you've got bigger problems to worry about...
   
   
6. Compress! Again, yes, you should compress your drums, and compressing your drums can make them punchy, but the article still doesn't get it quite right. The most common way to use compression to get more punch is to mix dry and heavily compressed tracks of the same source (aka New York compression.) The author must have skipped that chapter.
   
   
7. Distortion - I'm not gonna argue this one. Throw enough darts, you're likely to get something right... Distortion limits dynamics and adding a layer of distortion to a dry track can have a similar effect on dynamics to New York compression. Of course, it also adds other sonic elements that the author mentions [that have nothing to do with punchiness.]
   
   
8. Try adding synths Hey, you know what would add something to your song? Adding something to your song! Maybe you could add some sounds, too! Surely that will make your drums punchy.
   
   
9. Don’t use low quality samples Well, duh, but this is still shitty advice. Rather than talk about tangibles like bit-depth, sample rate, file type, or any other tangible aspect of a sample's quality, he makes a completely unqualified critique of a specific DAW's default samples as an excuse for his own shortcomings as a "producer". (Who wrote this shit, anyway? Fucking Guy Fawkes? No one proud enough to put their name on it, I guess.)
   
   
10. Turn everything else down This is, most importantly, the dumbest of all the suggestions in this article. In dance music, the drums may rule, but (aside from the kick) the drums are small. They're EQd and compressed and phased to maximize perceived volume and presence while taking up the least amount of headroom, allowing room for the instruments that require more headroom and bandwidth to achieve the same perceived loudness. Besides, even if you turn everything else down and the drums sound louder, loudness and punchiness are not the same thing.

Samson open back, I got them for 40$ on amazon they're way underrated..the open back alows the music to breath in my opinion...the stereo imaging makes it so its like siting in the room with the musicians and you can visualize the different spectrums placement way easier...also your ear fatigue is nearly gone...i never thought it would be so clear of a difference, but it is..the only issue is maybe someone else is in the room and doesn't wanna hear what your listening to...even still they're pretty quiet and I can't beleieve no one has ever mentioned them to me sooner...im sure for more money in your 200$ you can get something way better if so let us know? I got the Samsons for 40$ and I'm amazed I could only imagine what the higher end ones sound like
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002LBSEQS/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1510509188&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=open+ear+headphones&dpPl=1&dpID=41MAEcppkgL&ref=plSrch

First off - no it's not pointless using standard PC speakers or whatever headphones you have. Your first 1yr / ~500 hours or so of producing is simply learning anyway. At this point you might be figuring out if this is the right hobby for you, a career, or just a passing interest. If doing this doesn't hold your interest then there wasn't much point buying expensive gear just for this.

You don't even need an audio interface to begin producing electronic music from within a DAW. You probably do need one if you are going to record vocals or other instruments though.

Go with what you got for the first year if you are on a tight budget. If you find yourself loving producing you'll find a way to save up for the gear you need.


-----
$33/£25 Superlux HD 681: http://www.amazon.co.uk/P-Howard-HD681-Superlux-Headphones/dp/B002GHIPYI/

$80/£78 Sony MDR 7506: http://www.amazon.co.uk/SONY-PRO-MDR7506-Headphones-closed/dp/B000AJIF4E/
(The UK price seems like it's pretty high compared to US - maybe shop around?)

$100/£72 Sennheiser HD280pro: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD280pro-Closed-Monitoring-Headphones/dp/B000065BPB/

I don't really see any studio monitors less than $250 USD that I'd personally recommend. Anything in that price range is pretty junky and you'll want to upgrade in < 1 year. My lowest cost recommendtion for monitors is JBL LSR 305 $122/£120: http://www.amazon.co.uk/JBL-LSR305-Active-Studio-Monitor/dp/B00DUKP37C/

Hi all,

So I've read a lot about cheap monitors and this is what I've found...

The yamaha's are good, but jbls lsr305 are better.

I've listened to both at guitar center but let's be honest, hearing them in your own studio is far superior to a 2 minute test while a salesman watches you expecting a sale.

JBL review

Just gonna throw this one into the ring as well. The touchscreen may or may not be something extra that comes in handy. I probably wouldn't use it for much during production but it could have some live uses.

Decent CPU, more than enough space, 8GBs RAM. I know it would cover your DAW-related needs pretty well but the graphics card probably isn't what you're looking for if animation is going down too. Still thought I'd mention it.

edit: Here's one more that's a bit more expensive. I think it fits all of your needs pretty well though and it's still just under $1000.

I hope you understand that most people (I'm talking about producers and commercial preset sound bank designers, not about vst developers etc) that claim that to know sound design actually understand what are doing only on a basic level and come with the sounds just by messing with things, and that the commercial synths are super limited compared to the modular/programming environments, which are what you need sometimes for realistic sounds.

The thing is that, if you want to become a really good sound designer, you will have to learn some DSP and math.

These are good start:

https://noisesculpture.com/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Designing-Sound-Andy-Farnell/dp/0262014416

If you want more after them, see Computer music tutorial by Curtis Roads.

Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory (don't mind the silly name) is the best book I've ever read on the subject. Written in a way that's clear and easy to read and never talks down to you.

Go do yourself a favor and get this wonderfull work. http://amzn.com/1592574378

Get the cheapest keyboard you can, imo. I think the money would be better spent on monitors (speakers) or headphones, depending on whether you have any already. If you have decent listening devices already, then don't splurge for sure and just use what you have. By decent I basically mean not the earbuds that came with your phone, or speakers that can relatively play everything in the frequency range from ~50 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

The DAW (Digital Audio Workstation.... i.e. FL Studio, LMMS, Ableton, or whatever you choose) is going to be where the real heavy lifting is done. The keyboard will basically be a controller for using the software. You could make the same stuff without it, albeit you would have to draw the notes in.

So, my opinion would be to go as absolutely cheap as possible. I have one of these and I just plug it into my roommate's ~$100 keyboard he got from Costco when I feel like it. Basically, my advice is to get the USB-to-MIDI converter and find a keyboard with MIDI outputs on the back.

You said you play piano? On, like, a real piano? If it is electronic you might just be able to use what you already have. Look on the back and see if it has a MIDI OUT port.

I would recommend reading.

​

The Dance Music Manual. The producer (Rick Snowman) who wrote it has some solid credentials. Its presents the knowledge in a very approachable format and will give you a whole overview from construction of drums/melody/harmony to mixing to mastering.

​

For drums you'll want Drum Programming by Ray F Badness. This book will teach you how to create drum progressions that catch attention and don't get boring.

​

For synthesis, read SOS's Synth Secrets. Its free, and if you read it and try it out on a synth in your daw, you'll be well on your way to synthetic mastery.

There are some very affordable, pretty decent headphones that are reasonably flat and neutral, with decent frequency response, that are suited to production. A popular pick is this $34 Samson pair: https://www.amazon.com/Samson-SR850-Semi-Open-Back-Reference-Headphones/dp/B002LBSEQS/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=open+back+headphones&qid=1568599255&s=gateway&sr=8-9

Seems worth it to me if all you have is earbuds or colored media speakers. Less than the cost of most popular soft synths...

Hey guys, I'm kind of trying to get into producing from a musical background but finding it quite difficult. Think getting a midi keyboard would be good because I think I'd find it more intuitive to have an actual keyboard in front of me but I'm really cash strapped just now and for the foreseeable future.

So yeah my question: which of these is better just to start me off? pretty cheap and might not be great but I don't want to invest anymore than this kind of money just now

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LPK25-Ultra-Portable-Keyboard-Controller-Laptops/dp/B002M8GBDI

or

http://www.juno.co.uk/products/m-audio-keystation-mini-32-mkii-usb/465133-01//?currency=GBP&flt=1&gclid=Cj0KEQjwid63BRCswIGqyOubtrUBEiQAvTol0cEFhLNeWnChIypSyuk9al5gFlCVH-PmGBr1Pj1TPjIaAovL8P8HAQ

i have an 1000 dollar gaming Laptop that has an i7 processor, a M.2 SSD of 128 GB for the operating system, a SSD of 400 GB for storage (you can add a bigger SSD for memory, AND I can send the 1 TB hybrid SSD hard drive it came with - it's easy to mod btw if you ever want to upgrade it. I got it specifically to make music, but quickly realized the laptop just didn't fit my lifestyle since I have a desktop that I prefer to make music on. I will ship this to you for 500 bucks if you're interested. It is fairly powerful, and you'd be getting a very special bargain. if you'd like to know more PM me. no worries if you aren't interested.

https://www.amazon.com/GL552VW-DH71-15-Inch-Discrete-GeForce-Metallic/dp/B01578ZKPO

MIDI is a port you can find in the back that looks like this. Some keyboards come enabled with a standard usb printer cable, but you can find converters pretty easily.

Sure, no problem. Check out /r/audiophile for more ideas as well. I did research on headphones for about a month before I bought them and have a really sound understanding of the situation. If you want to ask any questions feel free.

Also, if you're not concerned with bothering people around you, I would suggest you check out the Sennheiser HD598's... The best sounding open aural headphones I've heard. At least, until you start looking into $600 headphones.

The guide I just linked, despite being written for a specific commercial product, has lots of good conceptional information that be applied to whatever tools you have at your disposal to work with. It is a widely recommended resource for learning the fundamentals of mastering techniques.

Besides, I think your expectations for what people will put into reddit posts is a little screwy. Mastering is a huge topic. Its is an art form in and of itself, not a simple procedure like side-chain compression or programming a specific synth patch. Introductions to the art of mastering take up hundreds of pages. If you want to understand a huge topic, read a book. If you want a few pointers, tips, or tricks, ask people on sites like reddit.

https://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Oxygen-49-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00IWU2CBA

I have an older model of this, which doesn't have a drum pad, and it works well. Has aged well and has a good feel. Big enough to not always warrant changing octave up/down, small enough to fit most places, including your lap.

If you're not a fan of trial and error then study music theory. That's the "magic formula" for lack of a better term you're looking for.

You need a complete understanding of theory in order for it to work, it's much like math. What you're asking is for someone to teach you long division when you don't understand multiplication, addition, and subtraction. Music theory is cumulative. It really can't be summed up in a post because you need to apply it in context.

Not to be a dick but 10,000 hours is what you need to get good at any craft whether music, production, or otherwise. If you're not willing to put in that level of work, then I'd quit now while you're ahead.

If you are, I'd recommend this book here. It's the most orderly and logical theory book with a focus on composition that I've personally ever come across.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Theory-Lifestyle-Paperback/dp/1592574378/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464280205&sr=8-1&keywords=the+complete+idiots+guide+music+theory

I was set on the Equator D5s, but for as good as they are my understanding is that a lot of people are disappointed in the sub bass.

I ended up being swayed toward the JBL LSR305. They appear to be one of the bargains of the moment and from everything I've heard people have been very pleasantly surprised by the accuracy and bass response.

The Akai LPK25 is amazing value for the money. I got mine for around 30 quid on Amazon.

I like to think of mixing like packing stuff neatly into a box, everything has a space so it all fits. The art of mixing book helped a lot! Patience and practice of course.

Maybe something like this for on-the-go purposes. Probably great for melodies, not so much for chords

http://www.amazon.com/Korg-nanoKEY2-Slim-Line-Keyboard-Black/dp/B004M8UZG0/ref=sr_1_5?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1420928192&sr=1-5&keywords=midi+keyboard

I decided on a M-Audio Oxygen MK4, which is much cheaper than what I was looking at and has plenty of keys for me to work with comfortably. I suppose I'll look at more expensive options once I have more experience. Thanks for the feedback!

You're probably right, but robot sounds can be synthesized. Designing Sound has examples that show you how to create whiirs and robotic motor sounds using Pure Data. There are definitely ways to synthesize those sounds in other music programming languages, although I don't know of any commercial synths or plugins that do that.

Here are your best budget options of gear you must have:

Headphones -

[Audio Technica M50] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HVLUR86/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00HVLUR86&linkCode=as2&tag=silastu-20&linkId=KJN5X2ZF3TL466SZ)

Sony MDR7

Monitors -

KRK RP5G3

M-Audio AV40

MIDI Keyboard -

Akai MPK Mini

Korg nanokey

Novation Launchkey

Moar Buttons & Knobs -

Korg nanocontrol

Korg nanopad

Microphones -

Shure SM58

Shure SM57

Recording Interface -

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

PreSonus Audiobox

Those are pretty nice. I went back and found the pair I got, they were cheaper than I thought http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004FEEY9A/ref=s9_dcbhz_bw_g23_i1_sh

Okay .. firstly SOLID idea..

Secondly.. I'm not sure what you used to master it, or if you even mixed it at all because it is extremely muddy and loud.

Get a pair of monitor speakers or studio headphones.. if you're on a low budget I would recommend getting these. If you're on a bigger budget definitely check out Audio Technica's.

You're welcome!
In that case I'd recommend one of these (or similar): http://www.amazon.com/VicTsing-Cable-Converter-Keyboard-Adapter/dp/B00ACGMOA6

I'm using a pair of Samson SR850 that is just $50. It seems to be having great reviews and it is working quite good for me. The highs are quite bright but after some break-ins it should fix itself.

I do have some recommendations which helped me. None of them use Sytrus, but the theory will translate right over.

This is a video that walks through making a generic FM bass patch:

https://youtu.be/1XbrTC0NndM

This is a longer video that covers FM more broadly, but then goes into some specific patch programming:

https://youtu.be/u9nuZvxukNI

And this is a pretty solid little e-book about FM which goes quite in-depth and contains some nice FM synth recipes for various sounds. It focuses on FM8. It's really cheap too. I bought it for $3, but it's only $1.40 right now apparently.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Noise-Frequency-Modulation-ebook/dp/B008H7CEQG/

Great specs for the money:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0105REMVA/?tag=pcpapi-20

Uses the same CPU has the $2400 MacBook pro. Same amount of ram. A 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD also has

If you prefer a smaller laptop with same specs minus ssd:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01578ZKPO/?tag=pcpapi-20

Well I LOVE mine and they hit low enough for me as a hobbyist.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DUKP37C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Add the sub if your want lower or harder hits.

https://www.amazon.com/JBL-LSR310S-Powered-Studio-Subwoofer/dp/B00I08RT3U/ref=pd_sim_267_6?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VMNYZ1DT0R1Y5N18TJGH

https://www.amazon.com/Samson-SR850-Semi-Open-Back-Reference-Headphones/dp/B002LBSEQS

​

These headphones are a steal for 30 bucks. Go through the trenches with these, especially as a beginner. Not only are they budget friendly, they are great reference headphones.

This is the best book I’ve come across on EDM production. Lots of good info and helpful explanations of musical techniques commonly used in EDM. This is the new version, I know with the last version you could “rent” the kindle version for a fraction of the cost of owning it which is a good way to sample it before buying as it gives you the entire ebook but for a limited time.

Dance Music Manual

These sennheisers are the best headphones in their price range by far and are near the center of your price range at 100 bucks http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-280-Pro-Headphones/dp/B000065BPB . Do not get beats by dre or audio technica not worth the money.

The mastering engineers handbook
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1598634496
The mixing engineers handbook
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1598632515

Highly approve. Read them about 10 years ago and they are amazing. They also have been updated since I believe.

I'm a big fan of these. If you can shell out the extra 50 or so for the m50x, I would recommend you do that.

Buy This

I just got this a few months ago and it was the first piece of hardware I've gotten for my setup and it completely changed the way I produce melodies and progressions. I never new how limited I was only being able to play one octave at a time on my computer keyboard and then drawing in other notes until I got a keyboard.

Also, the drum pad has helped me immensely in creating a natural shuffle in my drum patterns, by taping out your beats you get much more creative as compared to just drawing in the same drum pattern you use in nearly every track.

Necessary, no, but neither are arms or legs...

I read this book, which is good for the basic approach: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008H7CEQG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This would probably work a lot better with an i7, more storage and 16GB DDR4

ASUS ROG GL552VW-DH71 15-Inch Gaming Laptop, Discrete GPU GeForce GTX 960M 2GB VRAM, 16GB DDR4, 1TB (ROG Metallic) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01578ZKPO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_HNuQwbFPQGVA5

Also... Highly recommend the dance music manual as it has both music theory and production elements.

Also, for those interested: ATH-M40x headphones on sale for $74.25: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVLUR54/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_WgKzzbPSR3DA1

Music Theory for Computer Musicians


Can't recommend this enough.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1598635034/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_WgX3CbXVSZR92


He also has books on composition and harmony. These are my goto books along with

Dance Music Manual https://www.amazon.com/dp/1138319643/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6iX3CbJ2DMG77

highly recommended, along with zen and the art of mixing

This isn't a bad resource for the price

This is the keyboard I'm looking at getting - https://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Oxygen-49-Keyboard-Controller/dp/B00IWU2CBA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1511679656&sr=8-5&keywords=midi+keyboard+with+drum+pad. What do you think? I choose the 49 because I'm also going to take piano lessons again and would like to have multiple octaves available to me.

Regarding the drum pads - I have no experience with percussion so I'm really just looking for a way to get my feet with it.

This is the cable I got. It seemed like the most inexpensive option, but I'm not sure if I got the right thing.

Here is the mobile version of your link

The Mastering Engineer's Handbook: The Audio Mastering Handbook https://www.amazon.com/dp/1598634496/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RUHoDbKMHKJ0G

Haven't personally read this one, but was able to check out his book on mixing, which explained concepts to me very thoroughly and concise.

I just copped these , they're relatively cheap and have a p flat response.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M40x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00HVLUR54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512010579&sr=8-1&keywords=40x+headphones

They were 70$ when I got em on cyber Monday but they've gone up a bit

you need a midi connection? http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Converter-Music-Keyboard-Window/dp/B0017H4EBG

load up drivers boom bang you can use the keyboard as a device on your pc, but you need a daw or some program to use it in!

Don't go for the X version of any Audio Technica headphones if you're producing, they've got an altered bass/treble curve. At that price point, I'd grab the Sennheiser HD 558s - They also have the same drivers as the HD 598s, but are $50 cheaper.

Audio Interface: http://www.amazon.com/PreSonus-AudioBox-USB-Audio-Interface/dp/B00154KSA2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1464108100&sr=8-7&keywords=Audio+interface

MIDI Keyboard:http://www.amazon.com/Akai-Professional-LPK25-Ultra-Portable-Controller/dp/B002M8GBDI/ref=sr_1_12?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1464108184&sr=1-12&keywords=midi+keyboard

Headphones:http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-202-Professional-Headphones-Black/dp/B003LPTAYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1464108227&sr=1-1&keywords=sennheiser

Akai Professional LPK25
https://amzn.com/B002M8GBDI

LPK25

I would reccommend http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD-598-Over-Ear-Headphones/dp/B0042A8CW2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448984112&sr=8-2&keywords=hd+598

I'm bored so here's my take for beginners:


Fl studio (producer edition): $200


Sennheiser HD280-Pros: ~$100


Scarlett 2i2: $130


Equator D5s: $400


Alesis V49 49-Key USB MIDI Pad/Keyboard Controller: $130


Grab a bunch of old rugs and anything else that can absorb sound in your room.


Total: $960 (padded a little)

Edit: Beginner =/= starter. These things you can grab here and there through your first couple years of production, after you have your computer and DAW and know you want to spend money on this stuff.

Yes.

Any headphones with really light pressure, or headphones that have velor earcups. I personally use the Sennheiser HD598s. I have no problems with my ears aching after wearing them for hours.