[redlol]

right ive got the software for cubase 4 essential and i wanna make dance/trance/techno music...

my question to guys is what ELSE do i need to get?
i know i need some sort of drum software so can you possibly reccomend some? low cost or free is possible
can i program synths n stuff with the computer or do i need a keyboard to do it?
also ive read a bit about plugins but im not sure i quite understand... do i need them? or are they just addons that have other sounds and effects and such on them?

Please reply in detail and with screenshots possibly if you can be arsed to take em all help is much appreciated, im sick of playin with garagebands shite loops and bad drum sounds

[S-O]

Are you dead set on using Cubase? I love cubase, but I suck at using it for electronic music.

Have you looked into trackers at all? There are free ones and not free ones.

I love renoise, mostly because I worship Venetian Snares' work, but costs like $75. revisit is another one, free.

[natspotats]

i need similar help with cubase except for my guitar. i run my rp1000 into the computer through usb and i can hear myself and the computer through my headphones but when i get to cubase i cant hear the click track or get it to record me playing.

any ideas? i can record with audacity but that kinda sucks

[redlol]

well ive got the program and its from what i hear 'the' program for PC to record with. and yh im set on using it because it was expensive and i have little to no income as im only 17. but what im wondering is what stuff do i need to use it for making electronic music? wat sort of keyboards, pads, plugins, mixers etc. i wanna build up a sort of studio for it i got plenty of room to do so its just im not sure what exactly i need to get started properly. woujld 4-6gb of RAM be plenty to do this with?
i need sort of an idea of what kind of hardware and software to 'acquire'.
all ive got is a shitty dell laptop and cubase essential4 :L



EDIT im a bit of a terminology noob in terms of studio stuff so can you maybe explain what stuff is? eg 'trackers' wtf are those?

[cycloptopus]

you don't NEED a keyboard, but my guess is it would be nicer. I use Cubase 4.5 and work with the Staff Editor to put the "notes on paper" so to speak. You can also work with the Key Editor which has an 88 key layout that you can map notes out graphically. So it's doable without a keyboard controller using only your computer keyboard, but it might be a bit clumsy depending on your preference. The plugins are your sounds. Cubase comes with HalionOne as its base package plugin. I believe it is a Steinberg Synth/Keyboard brain and there are lots of cool sounds to get you started. I have the full version of Cubase so I don't know if you get all the same sounds or not. I know the LE version has a limited amount of sounds compared to the full version, but still you can get going even with that. Hope that helps!

natspotats- have you checked your VST Connections? Sounds like if you can't hear your click, your output buss may not be set up correctly or something along those lines. You may have to check Device Settings and/or make sure your rp1000 is routed to each channel you are trying to record on.

[redlol]

yh i know theres halionone included but how do i bring up the full interface for it? how do i make the computer keyboard play notes n stuff? do i need to buy a drum program?

[synrgy]

Get ready for a novella-length post:

I'm a little fuzzy on the specific difference between versions. I just have full, 'regular' Cubase 4. (IE, the Cubase with no subtitle or extra letters..) but to be honest I have hardly touched it since I finally got the hang of Ableton Live. Both are amazing programs, though. I still use Cubase for my mastering. It seems to have the most 'transparent' audio engine -- as in, what you put in is what you'll get out of it. Other programs, say Reason for instance, seem to 'color' the final exported .wav file in a very subtle way..

Anyway, there are a lot of different things that are just going to take time to learn. There is no 'right' way to produce electronic (or any) music of any flavor, though there are some techniques that are considered 'standard' or 'popular'.

First, I strongly suggest you find some production forums. The SS.org community is amazing, and this is my favorite forum hands down, but there seem to only be a hand full of us who A) listen to and/or appreciate electronic music generally speaking and B) also produce electronic music ourselves. Try to find a forum where the focus is on what you're trying to learn.

If you have little-to-no experience, you're going to need some time to just learn the software's interface, and the bare-bone basics of production. Once you get that stuff out of the way, you can start worrying about more intense stuff like programming your own synth presets, drum kits, what 'sidechain compression' or 'ducking' is, and so on.

Just have as much fun as you can. If you start to get frustrated, take a break, come back later.

To answer your more specific questions:
You should already have enough to get started. What's nice about programs like cubase is that they allow you to sequence midi and raw audio files, so in the beginning you can just use audio files of drum breaks you like and focus on learning the synth stuff you'll use for the melodic or FX elements of your tunes. There are *plenty* of free VST samplers and synths out there for you to fill in any blanks that didn't come with the program (I don't know if your version includes any drum machines or synths, etc), but bear in mind you usually get what you pay for. Once you get your feet under you though, you'll probably want to invest in some version of nice VST synth, like Rob Papen's Albino, or whatever.

You can program everything via mouse and keyboard, and honestly I would recommend that to start, or at least -- that's how I started. Again, once you get your feet under you, a MIDI keyboard will really speed up the game and become an invaluable resource, but it's pretty useless until you have the foundation of programming knowledge under your belt.

The need for VST plugins depends on what your needs are. Basically, they're what you said -- extra effects, synths, drum programs, etc. If your software doesn't have some tool that you need, try to find a plugin for it.

Here are some final tips I've got for you:

1. Find books on producing, mastering, etc. Read them. Seriously. The Cubase manual has TONS of golden tips in it. 'The Mixing Engineer's Handbook' was great, and enjoyable.

2. Less is more. It's quick and easy to get carried away with 32 tracks of different harmonies and sounds, but the simpler your arrangement is, the more powerful it has the potential to sound after you mix it all down. You'll eventually learn all about frequencies, and how a 'busy' track can be pushing too many elements in the same frequency range, making things sound really harsh.

3. Do NOT, under any circumstances, allow your self to get into the mind-set of "I'll be able to start writing amazing tunes as soon as I get (random hardware or software item)". Work with what you have. You'd be surprised how little you can do a lot with.

4. Learn the difference between the different types of waves: Sine, Saw, Triangle, Square, etc (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../Waveforms.svg). These are the fundamental building blocks of ALL synth sounds, and an understanding of what each sounds like (unaltered in all it's raw glory) is perhaps the most important tool you'll ever have when programming your own synth sounds from scratch.

5. I can't stress this enough: have fun. If you don't enjoy it, there's no point in doing it. The days of the 'insta-rich dj/producer superstar' are officially behind us, at least for now. There's no money in electronic music production, unless you're Paul Oakensuck or Tiestblow, and are writing the soundtrack for the next multi-million-dollar video game or movie.

6. Toss me a PM when you're stuck on something, and I'll be glad to offer any insight I might have.

Hope this is helpful! Good luck to you!

[redlol]

^ thanks for your input dude
but i still dont know wtf im doing

again- do i need to buy a drums plugin? if so what do you reccomend is good?

i got this thing called halionone that came with cubase and is supposed to be liek some great VST plugin thing for sampling but i cant find anything for my specific version regarding how to use it. apparently you can bring up an onscreen keyboard that has the keys mapped to ur normal pc keyboard but theres nothing i can do to bring ANYthing like it up on the screen. does anyone have any idea how to load samples onto it? i cant even turn the silly knobs ons the interface for it

[synrgy]

Originally Posted by redlol

again- do i need to buy a drums plugin? if so what do you reccomend is good?

Originally Posted by synrgy

You should already have enough to get started. What's nice about programs like cubase is that they allow you to sequence midi and raw audio files, so in the beginning you can just use audio files of drum breaks you like and focus on learning the synth stuff you'll use for the melodic or FX elements of your tunes.

As to Halion, I never used it. Sorry. It sounds like what you're missing is just a couple of mouse clicks. Seriously, dude -- read the manual.