#dawing tutorial

[midnightcrustcat]

finished working on the first track for the album im making and I'm very proud of myself!!!! havent made music that i liked since forever and lowkey been listening to the song on loop, its not perfect but hey its my first time trying to make a song in a genre i love!!!!! and today im gonna brainstorm some ideas for the next songs oujgg

[mortal-ghost]

got the ableton live free trial and i am Living

[niggadiffusion]

Revolutionizing Sound: The Laptop Studio and the Future of Electronic Music Production

Key Insights Research highlights that modern electronic music, powered by laptops and software, has revolutionized the creative landscape. Tools like DAWs, AI, and cloud platforms are driving greater experimentation and collaboration among producers. While technology reshapes possibilities, there’s still a debate on its effect on the authenticity of artistic expression. The Laptop Studio…

[awaketake]

How To Auto Remove Silence From Video With Reaper

Are you tired of wasting time removing every single second of silence from your videos? In this video, I will show you a quick and easy way to auto remove silence from video with Reaper.

Reaper offers a seamless way to clean up my recordings and remove dead air by using a feature called auto trim. This is similar to what's often called strip silence, truncate silence, or split silence.

You can simply use a threshold and remove all sound below a specific decibel value. In this tutorial, I'll cover the following key points:

What is Reaper

A quick overview of the software's features and why it's a game-changer for audio editing. Quick Install: How to install Reaper with a single line of text using Windows PowerShell (it's also compatible with macOS and Linux).

Importing Your Recordings

Import my videos or media into Reaper for hassle-free editing. Auto Removing Silence From Video with Reaper: Step-by-step process of using Reaper to eliminate unwanted silence effortlessly, including fine-tuning the decibel levels to match my audio.

Exporting Your Video

Once I've perfected my audio, I'll guide you on exporting it in the format of your choice (audio, video, or both).

Whether you're a content creator, podcaster, voice-over artist, or just passionate about improving your audio quality, this tutorial is for you.

No prior experience with Reaper or audio editing is necessary – my instructions are beginner-friendly and easy to follow.

Don't let awkward silences hold back your content's potential or waste your precious time!

Watch this tutorial to learn how to auto remove silence from video with reaper.

Your audience will thank you for the engaging and professional audio experience, and you will have more free time to focus on improving your video content.

[hustlerose]

any tips for a total novice interested in music production? electronic is definitely a genre im most interested in. sorry if youve been asked this a bajillion times xx

this is great question! i'm 100% self taught, so idk if i've done everything the "right way" but i'll do my best

fall in love with it. fall deeply in love with a genre and learn everything you can about it. this will be your gateway, your reason to learn how to make music. for me it was chiptune, then synthwave, then breakcore. keep that love alive

get a DAW and learn it inside and out. ableton has a generous trial period, or i'd recommend pirating FL studio

every major DAW comes with a suite of stock plugins, both synths and effects. find tutorials for all of them. for most purposes, thess are all the tools you'll ever need. get used to programming them yourself, but also don't be ashamed of using presets!

find out how to make the sounds that are specific to your genre. the sound design, the tempos, chords, structures, common samples, everything

every major DAW also comes with a library of samples. loops, drum hits, etc. these probably suck, but they're enough to get you started. start building your own sample library, and keep it organized. you'll be collecting samples for as long as you stick with this hobby

make things! small things, big things, different styles, different plugins. see what works. i'd encourage you to finish a couple small projects first. like 30-60 seconds. they can be just loops, or a piece with an A section and a B section

learn and ask questions as you go. it will only get easier

be proud of what you make. don't put too much pressure on yourself to make something "professional." making music is fun! improving your skills is fun! make art for the sake of making art! i believe in you <3

[jamorbital]

What other hobbies do you have in life besides BDSM Art, Anime and Videogames?

I really like music! I've been doing music-related stuff since I was in elementary school. I can play a couple of instruments, I like to sing, I know my way around a DAW and I've produced some stuff of my own under a different name.

I also like to dance. For the past couple of years I've been secretly teaching myself stuff from YouTube tutorials. I'm way too shy to do it in front of anyone else though. I literally only do it in my basement with cardboard duct taped over the windows lol. When my wife saw the cardboard she got scared because she thought someone had broken into our house or something.

This one is really weird and nerdy, but I used to mess around with prediction markets a lot and consistently made money on PredictIt back when it was more active. It was very stressful and distracting. Now I just buy index funds and sleep much better at night.

I like to program. Sometimes I do problems on leetcode just for fun. For a while I've also been working on making my own (not-kink-related) game off-and-on. It's a total mess but maybe someday I'll throw it up on Steam. 🤷‍♀️

I actually don't watch very much anime. The last series I got really into was Cyberpunk and that was already a couple of months ago for me!

[toskarin]

how did you get started making music, tools-wise?

I've talked about this a bit before and I don't necessarily recommend doing this, so skip the following two paragraphs and go right to the one under the break if you actually want the method I recommend

I lied to a girl I liked from my school and told her that, because I could play guitar I could also play piano, so I could teach her to play piano. both of these statements were lies.

I had to panic and learn both guitar and piano one week ahead of the lessons I was giving her as an excuse to hang out. so I self-taught in a haze of panic and "maybe she'll like me" (she did not) (but she kind of did) (but she was bicurious) (but she was wishy-washy on if she wanted to get together and her parents didn't like me) (and her parents were homophobic) (I think she might have texted me at one point years down the line to tell me she had a girlfriend but it was after I deleted our text history and I'm chronically unable to remember to put people's names into my contacts so who knows)

but that's all an aside. that's a bad method.

anyway if you want to start making music in earnest, doing what I did when I got serious about making songs instead of trying to impress girls whose parents wanted to destroy me with their minds here's a better answer

go acquire FL Studio. it's apparently really easy to do this because people have been acquiring it for years, or so I've heard. FL is good for learning because you've got 20 years worth of free tutorials available to you on youtube to dig through and plenty of stock vsts to play with out of the box

FL Studio is, realistically, the only tool you actually need to start making music. you could get away with less, but it's what I used, and as long as you don't pick up Specific Bad Habits, your experience with it will transfer to other DAWs if you decide to switch it later

that's all, really

if you go this route, the golden rule I'm going to impart on you right now is that you need to have a limiter on your songs. the default FL studio song templates have one, so you should keep it until you know enough to know why you might adjust something like that

it doesn't matter if it sounds fine in the editor without a limiter. everyone thinks it's not a big deal at the time, but as you get more experienced, there's literally nothing short of getting in legal trouble that you'll regret more than realising that your old work is almost entirely unsalvageable because you didn't put a limiter on it and now half of the audio is just lost data to clipping

I'm gonna put a few more recommendations for things I've used, just so you can consider them if you need something else to chew on. everything past this point is entirely optional and you'll do just fine with FL Studio alone. in fact, probably don't worry about everything below the line

-=-

items marked with [F] are free.

DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATIONS THAT AREN'T FL

for tracker-based editing and chiptunes, use Renoise. you'll either love or hate trackers, and while they have a steeper learning curve than piano roll DAWs, they might come more naturally to you. I personally think that Renoise is a lot of fun to use. it kinda has an "addictive" quality to it, as funny as that is to say

for quickly sketching songs, use [F]Jummbox. it's an html workstation (multiplatform!) that writes your sketches to a url, meaning it's pretty easy to collaborate on musical sketches. Jummbox is good for making chiptune style instrumentals, but what makes it especially accessible is the fact that it works on a piano roll system, which will be familiar to you if you're working in FL

for writing sheet music, I recommend starting with [F]Musescore. I'll warn you right now that there aren't really any good notation editors and you're making lesser-of-evils decisions when you pick any of them, but it's probably the best compromise out there right now. it's the one I use when I need to hand something to a physical musician. you can also export pieces as midi, although there's better ways to do that lol

-

VSTs

if you can acquire Pianoteq, do that. if you feel uncomfortable with acquiring it, [F]Keyzone Classic is free and can sound pretty nice with a bit of work, but you really have to learn to work with it

if your workstation can handle it performance-wise, go pick up [F]Vital - Spectral Warping Wavetable Synth. there's tons of free presets for this out there and it sounds good. cool synth. Serum: Advanced Wavetable Synthesizer is also good and has plenty of presets, but it's on the pricy side, so consider how comfortable you are with [finding a friend to buy it for you]

[F]Decent Sampler doesn't do much out of the box, because it's just a tool for playing sample banks, but if you go to [F]Pianobook, you can find tons of weird and fun sample packs of just about everything you can imagine. sounds derived from folk instruments, industrial equipment, lego sets, stylophones, choirs, whatever. incredibly useful.

Valhalla VintageVerb. this is the reverb plugin. you want this one. [F]Valhalla Super Massive is also good but it's more focused on alien-sounding reverb effects and enormous spaces, so it's kind of got a niche use case and you should be a little careful with it

if you've heard a lo-fi hip hop song on youtube, it probably used [F]iZotope Vinyl. this one can save you a lot of time if you're going for that sound because it comes with all the little vinyl flourishes outside of compression (like dust crackling) that you'd otherwise have to add yourself

[F]Genny VST is advertised as giving a genesis/megadrive sound, but what actually makes it shine is that it's an actual synth emulating the YM2612 and SN76489 sound chips. this means you can create your own sounds that work within those specs, which is a lot of fun! definitely beats just using samples, if you ask me

-

HARSH VSTS THAT I PERSONALLY LIKE BUT WHICH ALSO MIGHT !!HURT!! YOU. SO BE VERY CAREFUL USING THESE.

[F]Tritik Krush is a bitcrushing plugin. it does a good job of bitcrushing and downsampling. I use it a lot in my songs, but you've really gotta know how to keep this one under control, because it's fully capable of making painful sounds on accident and can completely devour your mix

[F]FSA Latcher is a gorgeous noisebox. it screams in horrible ways and makes dying machine noises in various colours. this is the musical equivalent of working with radioactive material, so be extremely careful using this in anything you don't want to hurt the listener's ears

girlfriend just told me I have to recommend [F]Noise Engineering Ruina to you if I'm making a category with this heading. I don't personally use it, but she likes it (she's better at music than I am) and it's free, so you should go pick it up. "it annihilates sounds very deliciously" (maybe I should use it)

-

hope that helps a bit!

[liure00]

Mixing Stuff Masterpost for Vocal Synth Users

i'll say a few things here and there on how i approach mixing based on a set of guidelines i've been giving thru learning. i won't go 100% and i encourage you research further on your own as everyone has a different perspective of certain concepts. whats important is that you understand the concept so that you are able to interpolate on it with your own liberties. yeah. please read the links before looking at my commentary or you won't understand what im saying.

Some DAWs, Their Guides, & Some Freebies: One of the first things you should do is pick a DAW and learn how to use it and its functions to streamline your mixing process.

Free DAWs: The Best Available in 2023 by Produce Like A Pro

Audacity / DarkAudacity (i like darkaudacity): has a section of the site dedicated to tutorials on using Audacity!

Reaper: has a 3 hour course FREE course on mixing!

FL Studio: has a demo version you can pretty much use forever with a few.........exceptions. I won't be linking any cracked versions though. Here's a manual for this program since many people use it!

Free VST Plugins by Bedroom Producers Blog

37 Best Free Mixing VST Plugins by hiphopmakers

ORDER IN THE COURT!: The order of plugins is more important than you think. These links should also introduce some terms we use in the audio production world (like "gain staging" or "EQing")

WHAT'S THE BEST EFFECTS CHAIN ORDER FOR MIXING? by Icon Collective:

The Order Of Things: Audio Plug-ins by AskAudio

Plugin order is viewed from "top to bottom". BASICALLY... most like to gain stage -> EQ -> compress -> saturate -> MORE EQing -> whatever else at this point, but i do my process a bit differently. don't be afraid to bend the rules a little bit. but the guidelines are there for a reason.....based on what they do

Basics: I'll link to some tutorials to elaborate on what was listed by Icon Collective's list.

Gain Staging: Gain Staging Like a Pro by Sweetwater

Saturation: Saturation in Mixing – Instant Warmth, Glue and Fullness with One Plugin by Tough Tones (soundgoodizer fans make some fucking noise i guess)

EQ: SUBTRACTIVE VS ADDITIVE EQ (WHEN TO USE EACH & WHY) by Producer Hive

Compression: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO AUDIO COMPRESSION by Icon Collective + Audio Compression Basics by Universal Audio

Modulation: Modulation Effects: Flanging, Phase Shifting, and More by Universal Audio

Time Based Effects: Reverb Vs. Delay: Complete Guide To 3D Mixing by Mastering.com

Audio Busing/Routing/Sending Tracks: Your guide to busing and routing audio tracks like a pro by Splice

Limiters: 10 BEST LIMITER PLUGINS FOR MIXING AND MASTERING by Icon Collective

Sidechaining: Sidechain compression demystified: what it is and how to use it by Native Instruments (i dont know anything about this lol)

Automation: Mix Automation 101: How to Automate Your Sound For a Better Mix by Landr (p.s learn how to write automation in your respective programs)

Last note: great. these are the main things you should focus on understanding in mixing. now you are FREE my friend!

Bonus: Tempo Mapping in Reaper (if you want to learn how to midi songs with bpm changes!!!)

[threeeyedharemp3]

<3

uhmmmm, there's one called ableton which is apparently quite good? i haven't used it ever but a bunch of people i know do. i think you might have to pay for it though? :/ there's also audacity but i've never used that for editing but it's free to download & you can probably find some youtube videos that tell you how to use it

i’d love to hear your music if you ever feel comfortable sharing it on here!! or sharing a few lyrics here and there i loveee lyrics i swear i might actually start a fanpage for you i’m sure your such a wonderful musician 😭

OKAY THIS ASK IS ACTUALLY PERFECT FOR ME TO MAKE A PSA TO EVERYONE WHO HAS ASKED TO HEAR MY MUSIC

PSA: AS SOON AS I FIGURE OUT HOW THE FUCK TO UPLOAD AN AUDIO FILE ON THIS FUCKING HELLSITE, I WILL POST MY MUSIC

psa aside, this is so fucking sweet😭😭 a fanpage??? FOR ME???? ☹️☹️☹️ THAT IS SO SWEET. and it means a lot that you have so much faith in me being a wonderful musician. IM GONNA CRY THIS IS SO WJDNWKDWMDJ

[niggadiffusion]

Revolutionizing Sound: The Laptop Studio and the Future of Electronic Music Production

Key Insights Research highlights that modern electronic music, powered by laptops and software, has revolutionized the creative landscape. Tools like DAWs, AI, and cloud platforms are driving greater experimentation and collaboration among producers. While technology reshapes possibilities, there’s still a debate on its effect on the authenticity of artistic expression. The Laptop Studio…

[bixels]

what do you use for music?

if you use specific vsts and stuff I'd like to know what they are because I got lmms but idk where to find the kinds of sounds I want to make/use.

There are a bunch of forms and databases for soundfonts from video games. Example. As with everything, be careful with what you download and double check if it's verifiable and safe. There are lots of tutorials online too on how to import and start using soundfont files on your DAW.

[jokkaproductionz]

**The Ultimate Guide to Producing Hip Hop Music: Hardware and Software Essentials**

As a hip hop producer, you’re about to embark on a journey to create the next big hit. To get started, familiarize yourself with the hardware and software tools used in the production process. In this comprehensive guide, we will cover the essential hardware and software tools, as well as provide tips on how to combine them to produce high-quality hip hop and rap tracks.

---

### **1. Hardware Essentials**

**1.1 MPCs (Akai Pro MPC Series)**

The MPC (Music Production Center) is a legendary sampler and sequencer that has been a staple in hip hop production for decades. The Akai Pro MPC series, including models like the MPC X, MPC Live, and MPC One, offer a myriad of features such as sampling, sequencing, and effects processing. These devices allow producers to create intricate beats and seamlessly blend samples with original material. **Tip**: Experiment with different sampling techniques to find your unique sound.

**1.2 Groove Boxes (Korg Electribe, Roland SP-404, etc.)**

Groove boxes are compact and portable devices designed for creating beats, sequences, and samples on the go. Popular choices among hip hop producers include the Korg Electribe and Roland SP-404. These devices often come with built-in sounds and effects, making them perfect for live performances or quick jam sessions. **Tip**: Use groove boxes for sketching out ideas quickly when inspiration strikes.

**1.3 Drum Machines (Roland TR-808, TR-909, etc.)**

Drum machines are fundamental tools within hip hop production. The Roland TR-808 and TR-909 are iconic machines that have appeared in countless hit tracks. Their distinct sounds can give your beats that classic hip hop flavor. **Tip**: Layer different drum sounds and tweak their envelopes to create a punchier kick or snappier snare.

**1.4 Turntables and Vinyl**

Vinyl records and turntables remain an essential component of hip hop culture. Many producers use turntables to sample and scratch records, adding a unique rhythmic element to their tracks. **Tip**: Explore various genres of vinyl records for sampling; sometimes unexpected sounds can lead to unique beats.

**1.5 MIDI Controllers (Native Instruments Maschine, Novation Launchpad, etc.)**

MIDI controllers provide a hands-on approach to controlling virtual instruments and effects in your DAW. Devices like the Native Instruments Maschine and Novation Launchpad are popular among hip hop producers for their versatility. **Tip**: Utilize pads for finger drumming to capture a more organic feel in your beats.

---

### **2. Software Essentials**

**2.1 DAWs (Ableton Live, FL Studio, Logic Pro, etc.)**

Your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is the heart of your production setup. Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Logic Pro are three of the most popular DAWs used in hip hop production. Each DAW has its strengths; for instance, Ableton Live is favored for its session view for live performances, while FL Studio is known for its intuitive interface and powerful step sequencer. **Tip**: Take advantage of the built-in tutorials and communities surrounding each DAW to enhance your workflow.

**2.2 Virtual Instruments (Native Instruments Kontakt, Serum, etc.)**

Virtual instruments provide an expansive palette of sounds for hip hop production. Software like Native Instruments Kontakt and Serum allows you to design and manipulate sounds, offering endless creative possibilities. **Tip**: Incorporate sound design techniques to craft unique sounds that set your tracks apart.

**2.3 Effects Plugins (iZotope Ozone, Waves, FabFilter, etc.)**

Adding effects and processing to your tracks is crucial for achieving a professional sound. Plugins from iZotope Ozone, Waves, and FabFilter offer tools for mixing and mastering your music. From EQs and compressors to reverb and delay, these plugins can help you shape your sound effectively. **Tip**: Use reference tracks to guide your mixing choices and ensure your sound fits within the genre.

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### **3. Combining Hardware and Software**

The key to successful hip hop production lies in effectively combining your hardware and software. Here are some tips on how to do this:

- **Integration**: Connect your hardware instruments to your DAW via MIDI or audio interfaces for seamless interaction. This allows you to trigger sounds from your hardware while recording in the software.

- **Layering Sounds**: Utilize hardware samplers like the MPC to create base beats, and then enhance those beats using virtual instruments or effects within your DAW.

- **Live Performance**: Incorporate groove boxes or MIDI controllers during live performances to engage your audience and add spontaneity to your set. This can create a unique atmosphere and make each performance special.

- **Experimentation**: Don't be afraid to mix and match hardware and software. Use a MIDI keyboard to play samples from your MPC, or sample your virtual instruments on your groove box. The possibilities are endless.

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By understanding and utilizing the right hardware and software tools, you’ll be well-equipped to navigate the world of hip hop music production. Remember, the most important aspect is to experiment, find your unique voice, and have fun while crafting your beats. Now go create your next big hit!

[sylvyspritii]

Oh I didn't realise it had to be a question question, sorry!

I do have a question then: you're a music creator right? And you did some work for SiIvaGunner? There's some ideas I have often for doing some instrumentation swapping in music I hear, making one song have the instruments/sound font from another. However, I'm really not experienced at all in music production and it can feel a bit daunting trying to understand it, I'm not sure where to start.

What are some resources you'd recommend to someone trying to start music work like that? Both the editing software itself (is GarageBand still a thing? Does it cost money?) and also how to go through songs and figure out stuff like what instruments they're using to repurpose them?

No worries! I just prefer actual questions over random meme pictures, i have no idea what i can add to those or how i could respond besides "ok" Yes, i'm part of SiIva, but i was more active in the earlier years I'm mostly busy with original compositions for games nowadays If you want to make melody/soundfont/MIDIswaps, the first thing you will need is a DAW, Garageband will work fine (i think?), but i can't say for sure, i use FL Studio myself, so i'll answer with my knowledge based on using FL Studio primarily For the sake of this tutorial, we will focus on games that used sequenced music, which usually means MIDI files and soundbanks/soundfonts (for more advanced non-sequenced/MIDI recreations, you will usually have to recreate songs from scratch, or invest in expensive hardware in the case of Touhou music for example) There is an FL Studio demo available, it's pretty good, but personally i just reccomend obtaining it legally since it's pretty cheap (and if that is not an option, then, well, yarr harr, you know (note to cover my ass from a legal perspective: i am a professional and i do not use pirated software)) Download VGMTrans (and the ROM of the game you wanna fuck around with, legally of course (wink wink)), it's software that can extract MIDI (the notes) and .dls (the instruments) files (you can also extract .sf2 files, which are the more traditional "soundfont" format, but .dls is easier for editing existing songs from games since the MIDI data and the .dls can get imported together to be more accurate, more on that later (basically, export .dls for accuracy, export .sf2 for fucking around if you just want 1 instrument from a game)) Okay, so now you have a DAW (we use FL Studio in this example), the MIDI file, and the .dls file So, now, open FL Studio, drag the MIDI file in a new project, and then it will ask you what you want to import it as (do not use FLEX, use MIDI OUT with LSD) (fuck FLEX all my buddies hate FLEX) Then you will see this thing

Okay so click the little folder icon on the top left, and then select the correct .dls file you exported for that MIDI file with VGMTrans Then, if you did everything correctly, you will hear the MIDI file WITH the correct instruments from the game, and it will sound (mostly) like how the original game sounds From there, you can start, then, you can edit the little bits, change the instruments easily, change the notes, and add funny fleentstones if you want So, tl;dr quick version: 1. Download FL Studio 2. Download VGMTrans 3. Throw ROM file in VGMtrans 4. Export the MIDI and .dls data from a song from the ROM 5. Throw MIDI in FL Studio, choose "MIDI OUT with DLS" 6. Choose .dls soundbank file with the little folder icon 7. The song will now sound like how it is in the game (or at least, close enough), so now you can go crazy and replace instruments and/or melodies and have fun

[funeraleee]

i’m 14 what should i do to make music like u

Age doesn’t matter tbh. Just install sum random daw and go watch tutorials on YouTube and do what u like. Tbh just play around with it and put sum work to it and have fun.

[toskarin]

I feel as though if I never make any music ever I am going to Die but I have zero training or education in anything, no instruments, no space to store, and a dingy small laptop only 10 sessions away from exploding. how do I fix my problem in one week and a budget of 0 dollars.

if you can't buy anything physical and (presumably) can't run most DAWs (digital audio workstation), use jummbox for beep-boop sounds and musescore for writing sheet music. play around with both and follow the tutorials to get your bearings

I'd recommend picking up Reaper as a DAW instead of those first two options, but that might be overwhelming when you're just starting out. consider learning it once you feel more comfortable with navigating music-making

if you've got zero experience, watch 12tone's building blocks playlist to get your fundamentals down. I don't recommend trying to learn music off of his other videos (they're not that great for it imo) but his format is pretty alright for the absolute basics

there are plenty of other videos on composition (this is the word you want to look for) you can find on youtube, along with piano lessons (piano is one of the most straightforward translations of western music theory to instrument form, so learning to write for piano will help you in nearly every case)

don't get overwhelmed. don't try to learn everything at once. if you have questions, don't be afraid to look them up or ask someone for advice

and don't forget: there's no such thing as a true "independent" musician. music is a collaborative project stretching back thousands of years, and through sharing it with each other, we connect to everyone else who helped get us to this point