I’m stoked you're interested in music production. I am too. Here's some tips on starting -

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Stuff You Need

A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) - I use Ableton and love it. Other options are Logic, Pro Tools, FL Studio. Ableton has a 30 day free trial. If you end up liking it there is an intro version for $99 but it’s very, very limited. The standard version is the next step up which is around $400. If you get that you will have full capabilities and be ready to rock.

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A Synthesizer - I use Serum. Most of the instruments I use come from there. Within serum, you can either make your own sounds, use their presets, or get packs online that have pre-made sounds. When I first got serum I searched “best free future bass serum packs” and went from there. It’s $189 but comes with a free trial.

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Sample Packs - I use samples for my drums, percussion, risers, falls, fx etc. There are plenty of free ones online. I would search "best free future bass sample packs" or "best free house sample packs" and there will be a ton. "Cymatics" has a ton of good free EDM sample packs. When downloading these they will go wherever your "user library" path is for Ableton.

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Chord Pack - having a chord pack helps a ton, especially if you don't know music theory or how to make chords. A chord pack has chords premade for every key, and a ton of progressions as well. I started with the Unison MIDI chord pack.

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Starting Off

Once you have all those things it’s time to dive in! Watch a ton of youtube videos, BE CURIOUS, mess around and experiment. It will be frustrating at times but don't let that discourage you. There will be a large gap between what you WANT to make and what you CAN make. Be consistent about it, spend time with it, and that gap will shrink quickly. Make a habit of messing around with it for 10 minutes a day here and there and in a month, 3 months, 6 months, etc, you’ll find huge improvements in what you're doing. It gets real fun when you start understanding it and can make what you want to make. 

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Some more general advice - It can be daunting trying to think of making music as - how am I going to be the next superstar, or how am I going to release on a label or how am I going to play Ultra. Those things can seem unobtainable. Just start small! Make a beat. Make a chord progression. Go from there. Start it as a hobby and if you find yourself liking it the rest will come. The most important thing is having a passion for it. It's less important to be talented or musically inclined, and far more important to love music.

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Don't let a bad or frustrating day discourage you. If you're having one of those days, take a break. It happens to EVERY musician no matter how big. Taking a break for the rest of the day or taking some days off if you need goes a long way. I’ve talked a lot with other producers about how important it is to take breaks when frustrated or uninspired. Making music takes a lot of time and patience. What sets people apart is not talent, it's putting in the time and absolutely loving music. Like I said before, that passion goes a long way.

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If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out!

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