Tj Newhalls' Portfolio

Most people dont even know where to start as far as making music. It may seem like an overbearing feat that will only be an aspiration. I would like to change that mindset. Ive been playing music for about 10+ years now and have tried virtually every program for making tracks out there. Theres a few things I would like to change that may make things a little bit easier for you.

Myth one: You need to be able to play music.
1.Wrong, you do not need to know how to play an instrument. To be frank you don’t even need to know music theory. Many musicians may argue this but I wouldnt consider their motives to be towards your benefit. Here are the reasons I will give:

a. Most programs come with tutorials. Tutorials help you understand the core of the programs,how it works and what to do with it. These also are covered more in depth by users of a certain program and usually a search on youtube will come up will many results.
b. Besides tutorials there are usually a few projects already built that you can look at to get an idea of how a song should be constructed.
c. You may also start your own collection of samples. So what if you cant play the drums,all you need are the sounds (bass,snare,and cymbals) and then they can be arranged any way you want. If you need a violin,same thing applies.

Myth two: You need allot of money to start.
2. Wrong again. You don’t need allot of money,I could make a decent song with some pots and pans and a 8 track. But even on the technological side of things,you can make a sound studio for under 500$. A few things you may need are:

a. A computer: not necessary but helps. It dosent have to be amazing. Any home computer (produced within the last ~8 years) with work for getting the basics down. Im assuming most have a computer otherwise you wouldnt be reading this and if not they are getting incredibly cheap. You could buy a used one or a mini laptop and be fine with something around 300$. Alternatives are getting a multitrack recorder such as the Boss Micro BR Digital Recorder which runs about 229$,this would let you record multiple tracks anywhere you are. You would need to have a device that reads SD cards or a computer but could also pay a cheap studio musician to retrieve your work and burn it on a CD as well.
b. Software: This part is where people probably get abit scared because usually they assume that this is where their big purchase is going,not true…heres why: As more people understand this problem they tend to find solutions as far as audio programs I could pay 0$ to record my music and have virtual instruments as well. Im not talking about piracy Im talking about freeware/open source. A group of people that put out a product because it helps themselves and others. They may accept donations but do not require it. My favorite free audio program is called Audacity. With this alone you can record a song,edit it,and export it to an mp3/wav to burn to a CD or put up online, it also supports VSTs (virtual instruments). All you need is a microphone (as your computer should have a soundcard even if its so-so) to use.
c. Vsts are the next thing you could look into. There are hundreds of free ones for both mac and pc. For Pc my favorite are from aaron rutledge at TweakBench. Most of the sounds are fairly similar to 8bit (video game) tones but with much more variety. I cannot recommend them enough. Abakos,Cheeze,and Daedalus are all good for the PC as well and can all be downloaded (including some mac stuff) at FreeSoundEditor free of charge. Along with this you will also need a VST host. Think of this as the core that will run all your instruments for pc there are some free ones such as Savihost by Hermann Seib. Theres also Bidule for Mac and PC which could alone suck me for months at a time with all the things it can do.check it out,well worth it.

d. Most of these will need a midi keyboard which again can be picked up faily cheap new or used. Anywhere from 50-200$ will work for now.

Prodcuts to look into: Akai Professional LPK25, and the M-Audio Axiom 25.

I use a Emu Xboard 25 and a Akai MPK49 both of which I am happy with.

Other things you may want to consider: Headphones, monitor speakers, an external hard-drive(always advisable if anything crashes you will have a backup) and a guitar/bass (acoustic or electric.) Getting a music guru. I didn’t have one of these but it definitely saves allot of hassle and will push you to do better. From music to tech problems.

Thats about all for now,if I want specific enough or you need some help out send a comment on over

-Tj

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