This is Really Crazy But...

[ZachNCheez]

So I am 14, and I need to learn how to produce music in a month, crazy right? Well my church is doing this dumb church carnival and they need a musical talent. When they ask for a musical talent they mean old people with banjos. Instead of that, I think it would be fun is I signed up and mixed some tracks. Here's the thing: I have an extremely low budget of $00.00. I do not want switch boards, or turntables, or expensive software. Unless I can find something better for free, I will probably use Audacity.
What I want to learn to do is to remix tracks, and produce my own music by using maybe bits from songs, and open-source loops and sound samples. My question is, where should I learn to do all this stuff? I do have experience mixing tracks and producing music but it did not turn out very good. My problem is I can't remember all of the samples and loops that I have, and I don't know what to put with what. Thanks! EDM genres I like include: Dubstep/Brostep, Techno, and House. That's what I like, but I will probably also need some slower stuff such as Trance, and some highly energetic hard dance stuff such as Eurobeat, and even some rock type stuff such as Industrial. The purpose of this is to reach out to the community so, if we want to do this right and entertain people we need to do this right. Thanks, all help appreciated.

-Z@ch :D

[DJArmani]

You get what you pay for.

[Windows 95]

So I am 14, and I need to learn how to produce music in a month, crazy right?


What I want to learn to do is to remix tracks, and produce my own music by using maybe bits from songs, and open-source loops and sound samples. My question is, where should I learn to do all this stuff? I do have experience mixing tracks and producing music but it did not turn out very good.
So which is it, you learned how to produce music or you didn't? :lol:

YouTube has a lot of tutorials you could use. Don't forget to save often, since Audacity has a tendency to crash.

[sephi]

You cannot learn how to produce in a month. Flat-out impossible. You could put in a ton of time between now and then, but the result would probably not be very good - and again, that's assuming you invest most of the day, every day, for a month. You could learn how to use something like Acid - tossing loops on top of each other - but you'd need music theory, a sense of rhythm, knowledge of what your intended audience likes, how to mix and master a track... it's too much for such a tiny window of time.

I'm not saying that you can't be amazing in a month - I'm saying that you can't produce anything that anyone would ever want to listen to in a month. There's just too much to learn, practice, and create.

So let's totally forget about producing.

DJing might be an option. Since you have no gear, don't want to buy anything, and don't have the time to learn how to even beatmatch even if you had the best gear that money can buy... you need something that will sync the tracks for you. Since you don't want to pay for anything, this is your best option:

http://www.mixxx.org/

Mixxx can auto-sync tracks for you. It is not 100% perfect - nothing is - but it is pretty good for the price ($0).

However, nothing can pick out good tracks, read the crowd, program a set, or avoid key clashes and vocal clashes. You will need to figure those things out on your own. Most DJs spend years figuring these things out. Since you only have a month, you had better spend literally the entire day, every day, practicing. Get rid of your TV, cancel all appointments.

Precluding all of the above, though, is this: it sounds like this event is a place where attendees expect old people with banjos. There is a good chance that even the best DJs would be out of place here. This is just about the worst possible debut for a newcomer. It's simply the wrong gig.

Here is a much better idea:
Figure out what you like, who your audience is, and where you want to go. Do you want to produce dubstep? DJ a mainstream electro night at a club? Open for Faderhead? Throw events for kids who can't get into clubs? Spread a message? Experiment? Nail some things down.

Figure out what you'll need to get started. Be realistic. If a $200 controller and free software ends up being all you need, cool. If you need turntables and a scratch-tastic mixer, then get that - don't try to talk yourself into getting something else just because it's cheap or expedient. If you figure out that you need $6000 in gear, start saving up. If you could DJ or produce decently on free stuff, why does everyone from bedroom DJs to A-list producers buy all this gear?

Learn how everything works. Read the manuals. Watch Youtube videos. Watch them again. Buy or borrow this book. (http://www.amazon.com/How-DJ-Right-Science-Playing/dp/0802139957) Take a piano class. Play a percussion instrument. Learn music theory. Figure out what works, and why it works.

Practice. Practice, practice, practice. Then practice some more. Bring a friend over to learn with you. Spend time practicing with someone more experienced. Practice in front of friends. Take some free gigs for the experience. Throw your own house parties. Practice, practice, practice.

It will probably take you a year before you are any good and have any business playing in front of people. Your friends will encourage you, your mum will encourage you, etc. Use that as fuel to keep going, but don't ever think you're as good as they tell you you are. You suck balls for the first year. Everyone was a noob, and everyone sounds awful for about a year (give or take a bit, depending on prior experience and how much effort and time one invests). I almost quit three months in because I sounded so bad, and nothing seemed to work right. Just keep going.

Don't turn down any gigs, at least not at first. Frat party, house party, birthday, club, whatever. But at some point, focus. Do you want to do raves? Clubs? Bars? Birthdays and weddings? Crank out new tracks from your basement? Find your scene.

It will probably take you a second year to really find your niche and develop your own style. It might take longer, but in my experience it rarely takes less than two years.

Probably not what you had in mind, but 100% true.

[Kung-Fu_McGrew]

^ You're exaggerrating a lot my friend. You know a lot more about dj'ing than i do but i also know at the same time that it wont take this kid a year to get to a level where he can do a small gig like that and for it to sound okay. Sure a month isnt a lot of time but he can string something together even just using virtual dj or something like that. I agree about the producing though, it will take you a hell of a lot longer than a month to create anything worthy. The other thing i disagree on however is ur theory on how long it takes to beatmatch. Yeah okay to perfect it it will take you a while and a fair amount of experience but to get to a level where its acceptable doesnt take a lot of work*

*assuming ur not musically retarded

[Schreiber]

You cannot learn how to produce in a month. Flat-out impossible. You could put in a ton of time between now and then, but the result would probably not be very good - and again, that's assuming you invest most of the day, every day, for a month. You could learn how to use something like Acid - tossing loops on top of each other - but you'd need music theory, a sense of rhythm, knowledge of what your intended audience likes, how to mix and master a track... it's too much for such a tiny window of time.

To be fair, you don't know exactly what his experience with working with music is.... Also, he's 14, which means yes, he will be able to invest most of the day, every day. No job, no school, all music!

I say at least give it a go, worst that happens-you don't get as good as you want, but you have a solid base to grow from!

[Synaxis]

One month with a budget of $0.

Have you downloaded the free trial of VDJ? That probably the best you can get with your budget...

Or find someone who can "teach" you and let you play on their equipment. I'm sure you can find some mobile DJs in your area who would be willing to pass on some knowledge in exchange for some free labor :). Equipment gets heavy carrying it up the stairs.

[broshades]

where in Indiana are you? I just moved out to Ft Wayne a few weeks ago haha

[sephi]

^ You're exaggerrating a lot my friend. You know a lot more about dj'ing than i do but i also know at the same time that it wont take this kid a year to get to a level where he can do a small gig like that and for it to sound okay. Sure a month isnt a lot of time but he can string something together even just using virtual dj or something like that. I agree about the producing though, it will take you a hell of a lot longer than a month to create anything worthy. The other thing i disagree on however is ur theory on how long it takes to beatmatch. Yeah okay to perfect it it will take you a while and a fair amount of experience but to get to a level where its acceptable doesnt take a lot of work

Three months is not an absolute minimum (or maximum... I know "veterans" who fail at it all the time) for everyone who has ever tried to beatmatch - but it's how things tend to go, especially if you have a life outside of DJing or producing. I have watched enough people go from "I'd like to DJ" to not trainwrecking very often to playing out and being surgical with their mixes, to have a grounded sense of how long it takes, and what it takes. It can be done in a short span, but that requires a foundation and a ton of practice. It might not take several months, but it's extremely unlikely that anyone with less than a month of grueling, constant practice could play even a short set without some embarrassing mistakes. And that's just playing records at the same speed!

The fastest I've ever seen someone pick up production was a guy who played multiple instruments, had been on tour and played in several bands with different styles, and was generally a psycho about learning new musical skills. It still took him months to get something out of Reason that didn't sound like balls, and even then it was still rough. It took him a couple of years to crank out anything that didn't sound like someone just experimenting and learning. Now, by all means experiment and learn, but don't do it onstage!

These details are kinda beside the point anyway - this is the wrong gig. Brostep and Industrial at a church carnival where the expected music is old dudes with banjos? Nope.jpeg


To be fair, you don't know exactly what his experience with working with music is.... Also, he's 14, which means yes, he will be able to invest most of the day, every day. No job, no school, all music!
I'm pretty sure that if he is trying to use Audacity to produce/DJ, and is only 14, he probably has no experience to speak of. No offense meant toward the OP, just saying it's unlikely that he'd ask how to do something if he already knew how to do it.

He may be 14, but he may not be all that invested, and/or he may simply not have the time for whatever reason. I'm not saying he is or isn't, as that's not my place, but neither is it really anyone else's.


I say at least give it a go, worst that happens-you don't get as good as you want, but you have a solid base to grow from!

Giving it a go is one thing. Showing up unprepared is something else. There are enough kids out there who want everything RIGHT NOW and for free, playing out on someone else's gear or off of a laptop. Don't be that guy. By all means get a guitar and take some lessons and become a rock star, but don't try to play your first gig by air-guitaring to a backing track.

Someone show me the guy who was ready to play out after a few weeks - going from zero to at least "good enough" in less than a month.

Then I'll show you a wave of kids playing out regardless of whether they have the gear, the sense, the skill, the experience, or anything aside from a laptop and some Beatport top10 dubstep that they'd love to play for you at 8 PM.

I understand wanting to shake things up and bring the music you like to an event that otherwise sounds pretty boring. But if you play out without being ready, you're gonna look bad, and you're not gonna help the image of EDM. Take the time to get it down, and then play out. The difference between rushing things in one month and taking a few months or so to really develop a recognizable skill is substantial, and very worth it.


One month with a budget of $0.

Have you downloaded the free trial of VDJ? That probably the best you can get with your budget...

Or find someone who can "teach" you and let you play on their equipment. I'm sure you can find some mobile DJs in your area who would be willing to pass on some knowledge in exchange for some free labor :). Equipment gets heavy carrying it up the stairs.
^ This. VDJ or Mixxx would be able to auto-sync everything for you, so all you would really need to do is pick tracks that go well together. Any hands-on help you can get is often better than anything you can get from the Internet, a book, or a video.

[ZachNCheez]

where in Indiana are you? I just moved out to Ft Wayne a few weeks ago haha
Oh that's so cool! I live in East Elkhart County! That's so cool, do you still live in Indiana after the move?

[ZachNCheez]

So which is it, you learned how to produce music or you didn't? :lol:

YouTube has a lot of tutorials you could use. Don't forget to save often, since Audacity has a tendency to crash.

I did learn to produce music on my own but it wasn't very good :/
I do NOT know how to remix songs though, and that would be cool c:

[Windows 95]

I do NOT know how to remix songs though, and that would be cool c:

EDM genres I like include: Dubstep/Brostep, Techno, and House.
Dubstep (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=audacity+dubstep+tutorial&oq=audacity+dubstep&gs_l=youtube.1.1.0l2.5042.18310.0.22165.16.8.0.8.8 .0.95.645.8.8.0...0.0...1ac.YiPo4Lqzmwk)
Techno (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=audacity+Techno+tutorial&oq=audacity+Techno+tutorial&gs_l=youtube.12...160933.163415.0.166154.6.6.0.0.0 .0.102.428.5j1.6.0...0.0...1ac.W49RiKYRBOo)
House (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=audacity+House+tutorial&oq=audacity+House+tutorial&gs_l=youtube.12...82708.84212.0.86875.5.5.0.0.0.0. 93.348.5.5.0...0.0...1ac.ApSVGRu4hqM)

[David Bowman]

Audacity is a recording / editing software, it won't get you anywhere in terms of production. If you have a month and $0, your choices are extremely limited. For basic DJing, the cheapest solution would be the VDJ trial version but then you will still need a laptop that can run this kind of software, some speakers and some headphones.


What I want to learn to do is to remix tracks, and produce my own music by using maybe bits from songs, and open-source loops and sound samples. My question is, where should I learn to do all this stuff? I do have experience mixing tracks and producing music but it did not turn out very good. My problem is I can't remember all of the samples and loops that I have, and I don't know what to put with what. Thanks! EDM genres I like include: Dubstep/Brostep, Techno, and House. That's what I like, but I will probably also need some slower stuff such as Trance, and some highly energetic hard dance stuff such as Eurobeat, and even some rock type stuff such as Industrial.

Again, you're going to need at least a beefy computer, software and speakers. With music production, it is highly recommended to have a keyboard, otherwise you'll be typing notes one by one with a mouse. And some monitors so you can check if the bit of music you're producing does not sound like a fart in a tin box. That's unachievable on a $0 budget unfortunately.

http://www.djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?1199-Production-and-Recording-FAQ

There's a list of software but if I remember properly, demo software like ableton is restricted.

[tekno_violet]

What exactly does someone with "music talent" do at a small church carnival?

Im guessing its back round music while people walk around and check things out correct?
So I dont think you have to become the next Tiesto in 30days.

Just play some music that isnt going to piss a church crowd off. Christian rock will please people im sure. Hard EDM will make
the organizers think they hired the wrong 'talent'.

But 1 month should suffice.. Its a small church carnival not a night club so tight mixes and mash-ups might be overkill or as long as you don't train wreck badly on every song and know how to get out of it quick you should be able to provide a pleasant day.

IMO the bare basics is all you need and 1 month will do it. Unless its a talent show and you want to impress the girls.

How will you get speakers though?
You need music too.. I really think you should stick with church type music too.

[borrow]

*titel* Here's my number call me maybe!

[Andrew B]

This isn't a very good idea.

[borrow]

Just start djing... Church gigs aren't worth your time...

Too make it simple not your crowd LOL.

[nevin]

6 months minimum bro. And by then you might be 'shit'. One year and you get to 'okay not so bad'. Two to three years to get 'good'

[de.j.l]

The joys of auto-sync and today's "modern dj". a viable dj even for this event really cannot make this happen on the fly for this crowd. This being said because it takes more than a months experience to be able to read the crowd properly in respects to the proper entertainment. I would suggest doing a pre made mix and simply hitting play if you are to go through with this event, or even better. Get good at playing a bongo with the old people, they might appreciate this more than some wobbly wobble gobble.

[DJ Maxed]

Virtual DJ is free. If you have a computer and a setup to play music off of it, then go with that.

[Archon]

id just like to say this one thing, beat matching is pretty super really easy. its sliding a pitch control. what you're problem thinking of is phrase matching. THAT is pretty hard. beat matching not so much.

[Nicadraus]

Hi Zach! There are only very few thing you can do with Audacity such as editing (cut & paste), changing speeds, tempo, pitch and a few other effects to go with and that's about it. You might want to try something like Ableton, Acid Pro, Pro Tools and the likes but you will have to spend for these programs if you really like to learn producing and remixing your own tracks. You can also find tons of tutorial videos of the programs I mentioned on youtube. :)

[broshades]

any updates on your progress?


Oh that's so cool! I live in East Elkhart County! That's so cool, do you still live in Indiana after the move?

yep yep, I'm SW Ft Wayne, right off of 69. let me know if you need any help with anything, My resources and skills are pretty limited but yea

[tekno_violet]

He must've been fooling himself.

[KLH]

So I am 14, and I need to learn how to produce music in a month, crazy right?
If you could be a successful producer in a month, you'd have as many skill-less producers as DJs roaming around...

-KLH

[thehadgi]

If you could be a successful producer in a month, you'd have as many skill-less producers as DJs roaming around...

-KLH

We're Gettin there... :lol:

Soon there will be a 'skrillex button' in ableton. Calling it right now