12 year old son wants to get serious about mixing, need advice

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cheroxy

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Our oldest son is 12 years old. I'm a computer nerd. My wife has 16 years of piano, a few years of saxaphone/jazz and music composition experience. I think he has taken a little bit form both of us and wants to make music on the computer, but we have no idea where he should go from here. I know Sony Vegas very well for movie editing and got the latest verson of Acid. I'm thinking of getting Sound Forge as well assuming that will be needed. We've downloaded a few free loops here and there, but they are very eclectic. I've seen some nice loops on Beatport recently.

So, with that background...what suggestions does anyone have? Where can we go to learn more about how to make EDM? Should we learn to make some of the sounds from scratch in Sound Forge or just work with loops and make our own vocals when needed? Do people do a lot through VST? I messed around with that in Acid was able to lay a couple experiemental tracks down so I know I can do it if needed.

Thanks for any advice.

---------- Post added at 01:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 PM ----------

For example, how rigid are guidelines like the following? I can't imagine it is that strict...

House music features a kick drum on every beat. Techno features a bass drum on every beat, a backbeat played by snare or clap on the second and forth beats, and an open hi-hat on every sixteenth beat. While House music has a tempo between 118 and 135 beats per minute (bpm), Techno music has a tempo ranging from 130 to 150 bpm.
 
Seriously get yourself at least "The Dance Music Manual" by Rick Snoman, volume 1 and volume 2 (this is about to drop). You might also consider "Unlocking the groove" by Mark J Butler, which is a good study of rhythm in use within dance music and EDM.

And about rigidity - yes it can be that rigid, but as with any guideline and rule derived from analysis, you can manipulate this so that you create the music you want.
 
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cheroxy said:
Our oldest son is 12 years old. I'm a computer nerd. My wife has 16 years of piano, a few years of saxaphone/jazz and music composition experience. I think he has taken a little bit form both of us and wants to make music on the computer, but we have no idea where he should go from here. I know Sony Vegas very well for movie editing and got the latest verson of Acid. I'm thinking of getting Sound Forge as well assuming that will be needed. We've downloaded a few free loops here and there, but they are very eclectic. I've seen some nice loops on Beatport recently.

So, with that background...what suggestions does anyone have? Where can we go to learn more about how to make EDM? Should we learn to make some of the sounds from scratch in Sound Forge or just work with loops and make our own vocals when needed? Do people do a lot through VST? I messed around with that in Acid was able to lay a couple experiemental tracks down so I know I can do it if needed.

Thanks for any advice.

---------- Post added at 01:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 PM ----------

For example, how rigid are guidelines like the following? I can't imagine it is that strict...

House music features a kick drum on every beat. Techno features a bass drum on every beat, a backbeat played by snare or clap on the second and forth beats, and an open hi-hat on every sixteenth beat. While House music has a tempo between 118 and 135 beats per minute (bpm), Techno music has a tempo ranging from 130 to 150 bpm.
Click to expand...

First of all, I think it's pretty good that your kid wants to do EDM, and is using both parent's knowledge for that. I dind't have that, so I'm really glad your kid can have this kind of support.

Now, regarding EDM per se, there are so much more than House or Techno. There's really a myriad of styles you can follow, mix together. In the end, you'll be sticking with the ones you like/listen. Let me give you an example: Before I started producing EDM, I was a heavy metal guitarist. Then, I discovered Drum and Bass, which is one of the "mother" styles out there. From there, following my taste for dark things, I discovered Dark Psytrance, Deep House, Breakcore (a more speed-up drum and bass miced with techno and many more things), and more recently Dubstep (not the one made by Skrillex, but the "old-school" one, made by Skream and Benga).

Now, keeping in mind all that, I produce Dnb, Dark Ambient and Dubstep. This means you need to keep with the styles you're more familiar with.
 
get him a copy of reaper, a lot more flexible than acid i think and the workflow should be fairly similar. then watch a ton of tutorials to get started and worry about mixing later, focus on getting beats down and the basics of whatever program he decides to use in the end. mixing is a follow on stage once the foundation of a track is in place.
 
Try FL Studio or Ableton.

FL Studio is very user friendly for people starting off. Ableton seems more advanced but is very powerful if you get over how advanced it may look. Both end up being simple when you're used to them!
 
@djmarkrowan I actually started with Fruity when I was 14. I thought it was so crammed/ confusing so I quit after 2 weeks. 5 Years later I stumbled over Ableton and haven't looked back since. I think it comes down to preference and what you want to stare at for hours (I personally like Ableton because when you open it you don't have 100 things everywhere)
As for starting off. Rick Snowman's manual is a must. for Software, I suggest Nexus2 (great for instant sounds that actually sound professional), Sylenth1 (my favorite tool for learning about synthesis), and a Moog desktop synth (Although these cost and arm and a testicle, they are very simple to navigate and are extremely powerful)
 
cheroxy said:
Our oldest son is 12 years old. I'm a computer nerd. My wife has 16 years of piano, a few years of saxaphone/jazz and music composition experience. I think he has taken a little bit form both of us and wants to make music on the computer, but we have no idea where he should go from here. I know Sony Vegas very well for movie editing and got the latest verson of Acid. I'm thinking of getting Sound Forge as well assuming that will be needed. We've downloaded a few free loops here and there, but they are very eclectic. I've seen some nice loops on Beatport recently.

So, with that background...what suggestions does anyone have? Where can we go to learn more about how to make EDM? Should we learn to make some of the sounds from scratch in Sound Forge or just work with loops and make our own vocals when needed? Do people do a lot through VST? I messed around with that in Acid was able to lay a couple experiemental tracks down so I know I can do it if needed.

Thanks for any advice.

---------- Post added at 01:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 PM ----------

For example, how rigid are guidelines like the following? I can't imagine it is that strict...

House music features a kick drum on every beat. Techno features a bass drum on every beat, a backbeat played by snare or clap on the second and forth beats, and an open hi-hat on every sixteenth beat. While House music has a tempo between 118 and 135 beats per minute (bpm), Techno music has a tempo ranging from 130 to 150 bpm.
Click to expand...

I agree with previous posters who recommended FL Studio and Ableton Live. It's not too expensive for the beginner packages and there are tons of free tutorials available online.

As for the guidelines, they don't have to be that rigid, but for someone just starting out, stick to it. I'm sure your wife had to learn the C Major scale and basic songs in 4/4 time signature before she learned about chord progressions and articulation.
 
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I would say to start your son off with Image-Line FL Studio. It's the software I use, and it comes pre-loaded with Granular, Additive, FM, and Subtractive synths. It also comes with all the effects you could want in a mix. Image-Line also gives you lifetime free updates whenever they come out with a new version of FL.
 
It's awesome he wants to get into this at such a young age. My biggest regret in life is that I didn't start sooner. One of the first things I learned was sound design and how to use synthesizers. That's what really sparked my interest in music producing. I never really got into using loops at all. As soon as I felt comfortable using Logic, I was able to create custom sounds for all (or most) of my tracks in a project. I recommend the same to anybody.

That's what worked for me. But of course, everyone is different.
 
cheroxy said:
Our oldest son is 12 years old. I'm a computer nerd. My wife has 16 years of piano, a few years of saxaphone/jazz and music composition experience. I think he has taken a little bit form both of us and wants to make music on the computer, but we have no idea where he should go from here. I know Sony Vegas very well for movie editing and got the latest verson of Acid. I'm thinking of getting Sound Forge as well assuming that will be needed. We've downloaded a few free loops here and there, but they are very eclectic. I've seen some nice loops on Beatport recently.


So, with that background...what suggestions does anyone have? Where can we go to learn more about how to make EDM? Should we learn to make some of the sounds from scratch in Sound Forge or just work with loops and make our own vocals when needed? Do people do a lot through VST? I messed around with that in Acid was able to lay a couple experiemental tracks down so I know I can do it if needed.

Thanks for any advice.

---------- Post added at 01:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:21 PM ----------

For example, how rigid are guidelines like the following? I can't imagine it is that strict...

House music features a kick drum on every beat. Techno features a bass drum on every beat, a backbeat played by snare or clap on the second and forth beats, and an open hi-hat on every sixteenth beat. While House music has a tempo between 118 and 135 beats per minute (bpm), Techno music has a tempo ranging from 130 to 150 bpm.
Click to expand...

Honestly, if you are a total newbie at this thing, I gotta say go with FL Studio man. The program is pretty easy to learn and once he gets a hold of it then, I would move on to buying VST's and such. Now to learn some basic FL Studio, I would recommend this site:

www.howtomakeelectronicmusic.com

This site has over a 100 tutorials, it will link you to over 100 free sites to download VST's for cheap or for free. He also has free samples and loops for beginning producers. His first page his where to start which should help out a bit.

Now some say FL Studio is too easy and for beginners and people who want it as a hobby. That isn't true. If your son is creative and knows how to get music made, then he will succeed no doubt. There have been many producers who now tour the world and are making millions just by using FL Studio. Some names are Deadmau5, Laidback Luke, Afrojack, etc. These are all producers who have made over millions just by using FL. Then after your son gets the hang of FL Studio, move him on to Ableton, which in my opinion is the second best DAW of all time after FL.

If you want to see the type of content that can be made with FL Studio, check out my music here: https://soundcloud.com/tubbylife

Here is a link to a trial version of FL Studio, so you can try it before maybe wanting to purchase:
FL Studio

If you have any more questions just drop a line or reply to this thread.

TheTubbyLife
TubbyLife Studios - We make sure everyone is accepted, even TUBBIES.
 
FL Studio is a good starting off program to use, that's what I started off with and still use today. It's easy to get into and there are endless tutorials on YouTube that can help you even more!
 
nice necro post - thread has been dead for 5 months and Xmas has come and gone so the purchase has been made and presented.... clsoing thread
 
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