There are some dream jobs on this planet that seem almost impossible to get . Before the advent of computers, it was fairly hard to get into the music industry. Now with the help of the internet and computers, it’s easier than ever to begin producing your own music. Note that this guide can’t give you the creativity to create music. All I can do is show you how to get started.
The first thing you’ll need is a fairly powerful computer. This is really no major problem because computer prices are rapidly declining. Most music production software programs (which we’ll get to later) require large hard drives and large amounts of ram. When choosing a computer, make sure that you choose one with at least 100gb of hard drive space (which is as cheap as $39 at major electronics stores if you’re custom building), and at least 512mb of RAM (preferably 1gb of ram, but 512mb will suffice). Processor speed really doesn’t matter if you’re buying a new computer, because you generally can’t get a brand new computer from one of the major manufacturers (Dell, Compaq, Gateway, etc.) with a processor speed under 2ghz. Just in case you’re custom building your computer, make sure the processor speed is above 2ghz. The reason why is that music programs can be processor intensive, and you’ll need as much power as you can get. If you want to keep it very affordable, stick around 2ghz. You’ll need a fairly nice set of speakers. This isn’t required, but it’s best for mastering (preparing a master copy of music from which copies will be made). Since you’re just starting out, a good nice pair of speakers that come with a subwoofer should suffice.
Next up is software. There are tons of music production software available. Some are geared toward the beginner, others are geared toward the professional. Since you’re a beginner, I would recommend Propellerhead’s Reason, available at http://www.propellerheads.se. Reason is recommended for beginners because it comes with everything needed for beginners to start making music. Reason costs $499 from the Propellerhead website, and is a very good value figuring that it is a complete music production solution. There’s also a feature limited version of Reason called “Reason Adapted” that’s not very popular, and probably won’t get you far if you’re serious about music production. Reason comes with a video tutorial and manual. In most cases, that won’t be enough. I would advise reading some tutorial books to get the hang of Reason. A recommendation is “Reason 3 For Windows and Macintosh” by Joe Lyford. Another good book is “Reason 3: The Complete Course” by Robert Innocent. Both of these books are available on Amazon.Com and Barnes and Noble and retail for around $25. Also recommended is a midi keyboard, which is a keyboard that can’t play sound on it’s own. It connects to your computer and uses sound generators in your music production program to make sounds. A very popular keyboard that retails around $99 and used by both beginners and professionals alike is the M-Audio Keystation 49e. This keyboard connects to your computer’s USB port rather than a specialized MIDI port, thus making it compatible with most of the computers on the market. You can find this keyboard at popular music stores both offline and online. Amazon.Com also normally carries this keyboard in stock.
This is basically all you need to get started. There are many websites where you can go to get help with Reason alongside the recommended books from before. Two of the most popular is www.futureproducers.com and www.reasonfreaks.com. These websites have free tutorials and free sample songs from you to learn from. The best way to learn is through exploration and trial and error. It’ll come to you eventually. Also, if Reason isn’t right for you, there are many other programs available. Do some research on Fruity Loops, Cubase and Sony Music Studio to see what’s right for you. All you need now is a bit of time and creativity, and you’ll be on your way to making your masterpiece!
