I want to get started making my own electronic music. Where do I begin?

Getting started in making your own electronic music can definitely seem intimidating. All the new terminology... all the new skills you need to develop... all that expensive equipment... all your metal-head friends calling you a pussy... It might seem tough to know where to begin. The good news, however, is that it is easier than ever to get started, and so long as you have a computer, it doesn't have to cost you very much at all.

Before you do anything, I highly recommend doing a little reading on basic synthesis concepts. Although synths and samplers come in a wide variety of different recipes, there are concepts that are common to virtually all electronic musical instruments, whether you're talking about a 30-year-old Minimoog, or the latest high-end plug-in instrument. Virtually all keyboard-type electronic instruments contain a sound source of some sort (a synth oscillator or a sample, for example). The 'synthesis' part comes into play when you manipulate this basic element with filters, envelopes, LFO's, and other exotic modulation options (modulation simply means a way of changing the sound in some manner). There are two online resources I recommend beginning electronic musicians read. Both are free, and both do a nice job of explaining most basic synthesis concepts you are likely to run into. Both require registration to download, but they are free and are both well-done and informative, so it's worth the hassle.

1.) Programming Analogue Synths by Howard Scarr - This is a tutorial that was made for the Access Virus synth, but the material it covers can be applied to most instruments to one extent or another. It contains a good, brief history of significant instruments, the different types of synthesis out there, and the basics of synth programming all the way to more advanced techniques.

2.) How to Make a Noise - This is another free, downloadable beginner's synthesis tutorial, but this one uses some popular plug-in instruments in its lessons. Again, covers basic types of synthesis and concepts and examples for each.

Once you've read up a bit on how synthesis works (don't worry if you don't understand it all right away, there is a LOT to learn, and it takes time and practice to understand), it's time to get some hands-on experience. Back when I was getting started (and dinosaurs roamed the earth), this meant saving up for a synth or sampler, probably a mixer, an amp, and speakers at the very least. Nowadays, it is much cheaper to get started. Before you worry about going out and buying some expensive hardware, try playing around with the vast variety of software sequencers/instruments that run right on your home computer. My recommendation for the easiest and cheapest way to do this is to go out to your local bookstore and look for an issue of the magazine Computer Music. Each issue comes with a DVD-ROM (so make sure your computer has a DVD drive first) that contains not only demos of commercial software, and free samples, but also a variety of totally free software that covers all the bases you need to get started making music on your computer: some synths, a sampler, an analog-style drum machine, a sequencer, etc. Granted, these are not going to sound as professional or be as full-featured as a hardware synth or the more high end commercial plug-in synths, but remember that you have to learn to walk before you can run. Start out trying to make some tracks with this basic set-up and see how you feel about the experience. If you find it too confusing or just plain old 'not fun', then maybe making music on your computer isn't for you. At least you found out before you sunk your life's savings into lots of expensive gear. If, however, you have a great time messing around with these programs, then maybe it is time to start thinking about more complex, semi-professional pieces of software.

What you will be looking for is a 'host' or DAW (digital audio workstation) program. These generally consist of a sequencer (software that records and plays back note information to trigger synths, samplers, drum machines, and other electronic instruments), and audio recording and mixing facilities. Which software is best for you really depends a large part on personal preference. Most commercial software is available in demo form, so consider trying each before you buy the full version. For the PC, many people find Fruityloops to be a good place to start. There is a basic, free version you can try out, and if you find it fits your way of working, there are various levels of paid, more professional versions you can upgrade to as you outgrow the free version. Another good 'all in one' option is Reason, which is available for both Mac and PC. Reason is not an inexpensive program, but it is incredibly full-featured and has been embraced by both beginners and working professionals (such as Prodigy) alike. Keep in mind, however, that the one very significant limitation of this program is that you can't record audio with it. You can bounce down your projects to audio files, but you can't, for example, record a vocal or guitar track with it. On the Apple-only end, there is GarageBand, which is a very easy to use program, especially if you want to build your music out of loops. There are other options out there, but that could really fill up an entire web site on its own. A good resource to keep up with the latest of what is available out there for just about any platform is the KVR-VST Web site. It contains links to downloads, reviews of different software, and a very extensive (although often not very kind to beginners) user forum that should be able to get you the info you need on any computer music related stuff.

You may find these programs give you all you feel you ever need to make your own music. Even if you don't get stellar results at first, it pays to spend some time learning the in's and out's of different software. Most of it will do way more than it appears to on the surface - it just takes time to learn how to coax those results out of it. But there may come a day when you find you've outgrown those programs and want more options. I'll assume that if you've reached that point, you should be pretty knowledgeable of the options out there and can make a more informed purchase, whether you're talking about a sequencer/audio workstation like Logic or Cubase, or hardware synths or samplers. If you still feel lost, the best solution may be to keep seeing what you can squeeze out of your existing set-up while you read up more on the more advanced options. There are dozens of magazines out there that cover the technical end of electronic music. Read as many of them as you can, as regularly as you can, and you will find yourself having a better understanding of just about all aspects of music making in no time at all.

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