Share advice you'd give to your newbie self

Kaiwan_NI

@AutumnSounds said:

LEARN how to use the plugins that come with your DAW and Komplete. - They'll do what you need, then once you've exhasted all knowledge and can apply that knowledge, THEN go explore other work-flows.

@Joe Patterson said:

don't go and buy a bunch of stuff, learn what you have and learn everything it can do. 

@Polygala said:

Too many options to knock you off course. There is too much you can do! Most of it can wait.

Think we can all agree that choice paralysis is really a thing.

manassas77

I'd tell myself if I want to be able to mix hi-hats in later life, wear earplugs when playing live gigs ... I said "GET SOME EFFIN' EARPLUGS!" Or at least leave the room while the drummer is doing his soundcheck :)

Don't be a plugin junkie #1 : 80% of the effects you buy will be variations on EQ, Compression and Distortion, and won't contribute very much more than the stock DAW FX.

Don't be a plugin junkie #2 : Most soft synths do pretty much the same thing, so you will be just be buying presets at a premium price rather than more new instruments.

The moral of this tale as others have pointed out, is RTFM!

L Dee

1. To practice piano everyday. Especially learning all of your scales.
2. Find more quality musicians to hang/work with, steel sharpens steel
3. Learn how to maintain your gear sooner so that you're not at the mercy of high priced repairmen
4. don't go wild on the plugins, that's putting the cart before the horse
5. Don't rush, have fun learning and enjoy the journey
6. Have multiple backups!

Chromofonic

There is some solid advice in all the replies above. I tried to give my advice in video form. The 4 biggest myths of sampling virtual instruments. I don't want to offend anybody in the video. I share things I wished I knew as a newbie. I love Kontakt! It should be advertised more and contrasted against all the proprietary sample players big sampling companies try to push.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITXpgpFot9E

Kaiwan_NI

Learn how to maintain your gear sooner so that you're not at the mercy of high priced repairmen

Ouch. Any gear maintaining tips @L Dee?

Kaiwan_NI

Thanks for the video (and a good laugh) @Chromofonic. Solid advice. Nicely shot. That forest walk in the beginning looks super chill!

Yo @EvilDragon you made an appearance at 6:33. 😂

EvilDragon

Ahahahaha! 😁

L Dee

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/5199#Comment_5199

Absolutely! buy spare parts in excess while they're still cheap (esp tact switches). Also don't be afraid of a soldering iron!

Zolthar

As a relatively new producer I love the advice in this thread. I wish I had learned to play an instrument or two when I was young, so that's something I'd definitely recommend to start asap.

Kaiwan_NI

@Zolthar said:

I wish I had learned to play an instrument or two when I was young.

Same. Or in my case I did learn to play, until my piano teacher asked me to stop coming to class because she could see there was zero passion in me lol

TraceyIncer

I'd like to give some advice to the aspiring musician - don't sweat it when you're making music.

1neflame

A daw doesn't make the producer, its your skill level and determination.

portthames

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/1793#Comment_1793

This is golden.

ShelLuser

"Just because it works for "them" doesn't mean it will also work for you."

When you're looking at that new expansion, Kontakt instrument or sample collection you may also come across several demos to demonstrate you how the product can sound. Thing is: that doesn't always mean it will sound like that, just that it can sound like that. Ergo: make sure you don't set your expectations too high.

But also...

"If you're starting (or expanding) and you're serious about the industry... dare to invest, deeply."

One way or another this industry isn't cheap. Maschine? E 600, Push? E 700. Komplete? Varies between E 600 and E 1800, Ableton Live then... between E 350 and E 600. Sure, there are discount periods but that doesn't change the fact.. that if you want to build up a solid foundation it's going to cost you.

But if you do.. focus on buiding a foundation you can actually work with vs. just grabbing all sorts of shiney things. Maschine & Push are awesome, in my opinion they make a true "power couple". But unless you're willing to center your studio around Live then Push may be pushing it a little. 🙄 Maschine is awesome, it can do a ton more than just percussion, but unless you have other ways to play music.. it may end up a bit limited when you need more than one octave. In which case a Komplete Kontrol might be a better option.

But once you make that decision on what you want... dare to go for it.

Sasquai

Lots of great advice here.... I think the big ones for me are:

Always, always, always read your manuals. Knowing your software/hardware should be priority A1. Once you find your DAW, stick with it. Unless your certain that the software is your obstacle( which, if you haven't read the manual you can't be certain of anything) don't start switching DAW's. That won't help. Solve the problem with what you have.

Don't let technical problems stop you. Over the years I spent countless hours troubleshooting, researching, and ultimately solving hardware and software problems. Anything from an audio interface to a button in a program not doing what it should..... there's always a reason why. I've developed an attitude of "I refuse to be defeated by machines...." and it has led to me now having a skill that I never knew I needed.... and it is incredibly valuable both in music and in life in general.... Learn how to accurately describe the problem you're having (in google or to someone your asking), learn how and where to find information, bookmark and note any resources you come across because you'll probably need them again, learn relevant terminology (the manual) etc... As technology advances, the number of things that can go wrong just gets bigger and bigger, so the likelyhood of tech-related obstacles popping along the way is inevitable. But they can almost always be solved, and there's very likely someone else who has encountered and solved your problem.

Don't spend your money on plugins you don't understand, especially early on. The best thing you can do is save your money and get the best computer possible. I can't count how many computers I've burned through making music but its a lot. If you can't afford the best computer, get the best processor possible and then from there I'd say, make sure what you buy is expandable in RAM( up to 64GB) and storage (two or more ssd slots ideally) so you have the flexibility to add components as you go. Now, if your not really sure about this music thing and are just testing it out to see if you like it, you can probably disregard this. But if you're like me, and you know that music is what you do, focus on the machine at the center of all your music making activities first and foremost. And once you do get a new computer don't just throw your old one in the closet never to be heard from again. Use it. Wipe it, and use it for all the things you don't want happening on your "music" computer. Use your old computer for the internet. The less you bog down you music computer with other ******, the better.

Work with other musicians... collaborate. It's amazing how two different people can complete the same task in completely different ways. Observe your peers. Learn form them, share with them and remember that humility will serve you much better than pride. If you find others with this same approach, you will learn a ton of little things you had no idea even existed. It becomes a symbiotic relationship that should make each of you better musicians and producers.

Lastly, once you have all the above checked off, spend some time researching and get a hardware synth that will fit your style and workflow. Don't just buy something without knowing about it. Go to physical music stores and try them out. Plugins are great but there's something about interacting with the real thing that leads to a more natural understanding.... at least for me anyways. A lot of synths can double as a midi controller so you can kill two birds with one stone. Once you get your synth, read the manual.

Oh and save often.... ;-)