This text is protected by intellectual property laws. Fair use is permitted.

EASY GUIDE TO ELECTRONICA #1

GETTING STARTED
By Daniel Rothmann – danielrothmann.com
Want to learn even more? Visit www.electronica-you.com for personal tuition!

INTRODUCTION
First of all, I’d like to thank you for reading this article. It is the first of
many in a series I’ve named: Easy Guide to Electronica. Since so many
people are starting up making electronic tracks by themselves (I know I
did), I believe that it could be helpful to provide lots of the necessary in-
depth resources you need to get started, all in the same place. This way,
aspiring electronic talent can grow faster than ever, not having to worry
about looking all over the web for tutorials on how to get started and
asking clueless questions on web-forums that, occasionally, knows as little as the musician
him/herself. I’m here to provide you with the right resources, from the very beginning of setting up
your system, downloading a proper DAW (digital audio workstation) to writing great tracks, finalizing
them and publishing them online. These articles will usually consist of a content section (in-depth in-
formation about the subject), followed by a tutorial section (step-by-step guides to various aspects of
producing electronic music). This first article won’t feature a tutorial, as it is more of a general over-
view of electronic music and what you need to get started.

WHAT IS ELECTRONICA ANYWAY?

While the definition of electronica is usually always open for discussion, the way that I define electron-
ic music, is music that is fully or partially composed, produced and mixed on a computer or other elec-
tronic device. Many people define electronic music as a “genre”, while it in fact is a concept – Music
made on a electronic device, regardless of genre. This means that you can (in theory) compose and
produce music of virtually any genre on a computer, be it Pop, Techno, Ambient, R&B or even Jazz. You
can get a decent overview over most of electronic genres with Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music.

HOW IS ELECTRONIC MUSIC

PRODUCED ?
This question is a bit of a no-brainer: Elec-
tronic music is produced on a computer or
other electronic device. The computer is
usually set up with a high-quality soundcard,
a software-based DAW (digital audio
workstation) and a pair of professional
loudspeakers. Many people also find it handy
to have a MIDI keyboard available, so that

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By Daniel Rothmann www.danielrothmann.com www.electronica-you.com
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they can play their melodies directly into their computer, using the computer’s virtual instruments. If
you’re planning to produce vocal-based music, it might also be a good idea to have a high-quality mi-
crophone nearby. These things are the essential requirements for producing on a semi-professional
level, but fundamentally, everything you need to begin producing on an amateur level should be in
your room already – In reality, you don’t need anything else than a computer with a soundcard (re-
gardless of quality) and a pair of consumer-level speakers or headphones to get started.

CHOOSING YOUR DAW

The DAW is the most crucial component on the software side of music making. The DAW is the pro-
gram in which you compose, record, organize and mix your music. The DAW usually features a set of
audio and MIDI tracks, effects and virtual instruments (synthesizers, samplers etc. I’ll get to this in a
later article). The audio tracks are used to record audio such as vocals and guitars, whereas the MIDI
tracks are used to store musical information from your MIDI keyboard (or other control device) to
send to virtual instruments that will play back the inputted notes in real-time.

There are a number of great DAWs to choose from, some commercial (and some quite expensive!) and
some for free. I’ve listed a few of the most accepted DAW’s below:

Brand

Steinberg Ableton Apple Digidesign Cockos Propellerheads

Cubase Live Logic Pro Tools Reaper Reason
Approx. Price1 $500 $220 $200 From $250 Free 30 days, $130
then $60
Description Cubase one of Ableton Live Logic Pro takes Pro tools is one This particu- With no recording
the most is a very inspiration in of the most lar DAW is functionality, this
advanced intuitive DAW the simplicity extensive and growing fast MIDI-only DAW is
DAWs cur- focused on and user- advanced in popularity great for produc-
rently availa- spontaneous friendly inter- DAWs. It is used because of its ing music, even on
ble. I use it music pro- faces of Mac for recording in non-compro- a slow computer
regularly duction. This computers in a professional mised full setup. It is one of
myself. is also one of compromise of studios world- functionality the most stable
my personal ease-of-use and wide. 30 day demo systems around.
favorites. advanced fea- and low price.
tures.
Website steinberg.net ableton.com apple.com digidesign.com reaper.fm propellerheads.se
Note: I am in no way endorsed by any of these software developers – What I write about them is purely of my personal opinion.

Each of these workstations are great, but some for different purposes. If you can make up your mind
about what you want to do with your music, please read the descriptions for each of the DAW’s and
check out their websites. If you’re not willing to spend any money on a DAW yet, there are a few free
alternatives to consider such as Reaper. Reaper is free for 30 days, fully functional, no demo limita-
tions. That might be an option to consider if you’re just getting started and need to try out some soft-
ware. Go to their website to find out more.

In general, I’d recommend Ableton Live for beginners. I use this software as well, and it’s very cool
because it’s pretty intuitive and easy to use, but grows with you as your production skill increase. I am

1 These are approximate prices that I found via zzounds.com. They may be subject to change.

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By Daniel Rothmann www.danielrothmann.com www.electronica-you.com
 This text is protected by intellectual property laws. Fair use is permitted.

also a heavy user of Cubase and Reason (rewired, using both programs at the same time in total sync)
for when the tasks get more complicated. I wouldn’t recommend using Reason by itself unless you’re
not planning to record any external material whatsoever.

Some users also like to start their music making career using Fruity Loops (also referred to as FL Stu-
dio). I honestly don’t recommend this software as I think the interface is too limited. It won’t do any
good for producing anything but dance music, regardless of your production skill. There are, of course,
always exceptions to the rule; I bet a few blessed people are making superior tracks in Fruity Loops.
However, I definitely don’t think it’s the optimal place to grow when getting into electronic music in
general.

GETTING BUSY
So, you’ve chosen your DAW, installed it and set it up for your audio system right? If you haven’t,
please revisit the previous section. I can’t give specific advice on all DAWs, so if you’re having trouble
setting it up on your system, look in the manual or contact customer support. Also, if you’re buying a
professional soundcard, talk to the staff at your local music store and get some insight in what works
best for you. I am currently using Presonus Firestudio which works great for my needs.

Now that you’re ready and have your system all set up, it’s time to get your head inside that software.
At this point, you should know what you need to get started on your first track. There is, of course, still
many aspects of music making I haven’t discussed yet. Next week, I’ll cover the basics of the DAW and
give you some guiding principles on composition so you can make professional results as soon as poss-
ible! For now, I just want you to look around the software, try to get an idea of what features you can
use already, and make some music! This is my cue to exit.

END OF CHAPTER 1
Thank you for reading, I hope I succeeded in sketching out the basics of electronic music making for
you. My articles are usually pretty in-depth on the topics, but should you want to learn even more and
get personal tuition and coaching, please visit www.electronica-you.com. If you should have any
questions, you’re always welcome to contact me via email.

Daniel B. Rothmann
danielrothmann@lavabit.com
www.danielrothmann.com

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By Daniel Rothmann www.danielrothmann.com www.electronica-you.com