Getting started in Electronic Music
This post was originally answered on Quora.
Electronic music unlike other genres is one of the most experimental and free styles of music to work in. This isn't to say that other forms of music dont involve experimentation. However, from my experience, electronic music is probably the least formulaic as opposed to the scientific prof of formula success in pop music.
You don't necessarily need to know exactly what genre or sub-genre you want to make at first. And I recommend not even worrying too much about genre. Rather, be willing to get lost in the process of experimentation and creating sound.
I've broken down some areas I would focus on at first (in no particular order).
This goes for anything creative, but I thought I would talk briefly about how it relates to music production. Be willing to listen to many forums of music, old, new and especially styles outside of the genres you want to make. This will give you a much broader sound palette to choose from in terms of influences. Some of the best producers I know of have always been able to innovate and re- invent their sound by not limiting themselves to one style or influence.
I would start with the bare minimum in terms of tools. That way you don't distract yourself with all the technical stuff and focus on learning the fundamentals of what you have and most importantly, making music.
This is what I started with and still use today. I have updated my setup but my studio still remains minimal and lite on tech.
Affordable studio monitors and/or headphones
DAW such as Ableton, Logic, Reason etc
Once you have the essential tools. Forget about seeking new ones and focus on learning what you have. Believe me, even if the stock devices don't look as fancy as some VST's doesn't mean they aren't capable of getting the job done. Not to mention how much time goes into searching for and trying out new toys. Time that could be used making music.
You'll want to learn basic drum programming and understanding of layering and rhythm. A basic understanding of synthesis and sampling is also important if you want to make electronic music. Know what oscillators are and how to use the different wave shapes which are generated from them to create your own tones. Learn how you can use filters and envelope (attack, decay, sustain, release) to shape your own sound patches.
Although a knowledge of music theory helps, it isn't essential. I do feel the ability to recognize harmony and melody, and to know what feels right vs what distracts you from the song, is a much more important skill set. Electronic music is heavily based around sounds. The more interesting your sounds are, the better. With that said, chord progressions and melodies are generally pretty simple.
Study bar lengths and how to increase and decrease energy. This goes for all forms of music however, tension and release play a big part in electronic music. Mainly because the majority of the time, it is played for an audience at clubs and festivals. So the arrangements are usually very predictable. Usually built around 8,16 and 32 bar sections.
Mixing (and other fundamentals)
Its arguable that mixing has become very much integrated into the sound design stage. It plays a important role in how a sound is shaped. So I would recommend learning some basic mixing techniques. If in the end you find your strong areas are in composition and sound design, and struggle to get a balanced mix, then I would recommend hiring a mix engineer to give your music a final balance before mastering.
Once you know the fundamentals, everything really comes down to your ideas, how creative they are, how unique they are etc. This is the case for pretty much anything. So learn the technical stuff, learn the essentials and the rest comes down to your own imagination.
