1. Software
Recommendations:
-
- Ableton (first overall)
- Logic (runner up on Mac)
- FL Studio (runner up on Windows)
2. Headphones
Recommendations:
3. Speakers
If you are on a budget:
For professional, top of the line quality stuff:
4. USB Filter
Purpose is to allow for the cleanest possible sound. The normal USB port you have on your laptop may be distorted (not the cleanest, unfiltered sound).
Recommendations:
5. Keyboard (Optional)
Recommendations:
Tutorials to Watch
Tutorial #2: Organization
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- Create an “Ableton Resource Folder”
- Create the following folders within the Resource folder:
- Add the Ableton Resource folder into the main Ableton menu:
- Can also create a shortcut to your music folder in the same menu.
Tutorial #3: Preferences
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- CTRL , : Bring up Preferences menu
- Preferences -> Audio ->
- Driver Type: ASIO
- Audio Device: Pick what you bought
- Test Tone: Toggle on and off
- Preferences -> Midi ->
- To connect your keyboard
- Preferences -> Record Warp Launch ->
- File Type: WAV or AIFF are both lossless
- Count In: Can set so that it counts 1-2 measures before it starts recording.
- Create Fades on Clip Edges: Turn this Off
- Preferences -> Look Feel ->
- Zoom Display: Change if you are on a monitor
Tutorial #4: Interface
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- 3 arrows along the sides that open and close things
- TAB: Toggle between the session vs. arrangement views
- I/O button: Toggle showing the in/out audio column
- S, R, M (mixer), D (delay), X (crossfader): Toggle show/not show the column
- CTRL R on the Track: To rename
Audio
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- Drag pre-created samples and songs (.wavs) into Audio track. Put effects onto them.
- If you select the clip, you can click the bottom right Waveform Picture to zoom in into the clip.
MIDI
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- Creating sounds from scratch.
- Select number of measures -> right click -> “Insert Midi Clip” -> bottom right Waveform Picture should bring up a piano rack.
In the Mix column:
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- 1, 2, 3, 4, etc: Turn channels on and off
- S (Solo): Solo one channel and turns all other channels off. Can press CTRL to Solo 2 channels.
- Record button: MIDI information goes to that channel.
- Track volume: Default = 0. Goes from -infinity to +6.
- C (Center): Send audio to left or right speaker
- -inf, -inf: They are knobs in the other view (TAB) that sends effects (reverb, etc)
Notable Top Buttons from Left to Right
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- TAP: To get the right BPM
- White/Black circle: Metronome
- 1 Bar: Used in Session View (below) to timing of start/stop of new instruments perfectly in musical time vs. starting and stopping randomly based on your mouse click.
- -> Button: Scrolls accordingly based on what measure you are on
- + (Record Overdub): Record something on top of something you already recorded
- Loop Controller is the next set of buttons. Select where you want to loop + CTRL L to enable a loop there.
- KEY: Remap any Ableton button to a key on your keyboard.
- MIDI: Remap any Ableton button to a place on your MIDI controller.
Tutorial #5: Arrangement View vs Session View
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- Session View
- CTRL +, – on the keyboard: To zoom in/out
- CTRL D: Duplicates the selected part of the Audio
- Tracks that are usually in every song: Kick, Rim, Hook, High Hats, Pad
- CTRL J: Within a track, join many individual .wavs into one big .wav.
- TAB to Session View and drop the .wav into the first blank square at the top to be able to use it from your MIDI software (e.g. like with the controller Madeon has)
- Session View
Tutorial #6: Navigation and the Grid
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- Right click -> Adaptive Grid: Toggle amount of detail that you want to show based on your current zoom.
- Right click -> Fixed Grid: Same amount of detail no matter what the zoom is.
Tutorial #7: Audio Clips and Manipulation
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- CTRL T: Insert additional Audio track
- CTRL E: Split off one subsection of one track. (opposite of CTRL J)
