Loops can also be used to introduce exotic, non-Western instruments and voices into a track. This track was created using the loops contained in Sony's World Pack, another five-CD set that loops of instruments from Asia, the Middle East, and lots of percussion from around the world, including a complete CD of Latin percussion. (The only instruments on the track not contained on the track were the strings, which were samples in Reason that I played via my Roland guitar synth.)
Getting Started
Of course, most of the individual CDs in the multi-pack sets are available separately. For anyone interested in getting started with home recording, Acid Loops are a great launching point. Think of them like a collage: just keep pasting material until an interesting pattern emerges. And then go to town with your producing and mixing your collage.
Back in the early days of Blogcritics, Eric Olsen wrote:
The parallels between music-creation software and blogging are unmistakable: both enable "ordinary people" to enter into areas of creativity and, equally important, distribution, that were only previously available to select professionals: those who were allowed to pass through the portals of either the press or the record labels by the guardians at the gates.If you're worried about where to begin, just keep in mind something Brian Eno said over twenty years ago: "almost any arbitrary collision of events listened to enough times comes to seem very meaningful." And you can make some pretty spectacular event collisions on--err--with Acid!By enabling a large number of people to engage in these activities, both technologies are democratizing their respective fields and battering the barriers between "creator" and "consumer" in both directions.
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Article comments
1 - Jacob
I want to get started in creating techno. What learning resources would you suggest for a good beginning foundation?
2 - Ed Driscoll
Jacob,
With the exception of the Sonar book (Sonar is probably too complex a program for a beginner to start on), the books I linked to above are all good resources. I'd probably start with "Burning Down The House" and/or "Home Recording for Musicians for Dummies" and proceed from there.
Also, check out some of my other posts, which frequently discuss home recording.
3 - Al
Also check out Fruity Loops. (Now called FL Studios). This is an old sequencing and music production program that's easy to use and great for messing about.
4 - Bob A. Booey
I DJ, but I hate computers and I wouldn't know how to produce any music using technology.
The programs I hear about others using are Fruity Loops and Pro Tools to make their own music at home -- there are a couple of others, but I forget the names.
I think all the REALLLY good dance music is made by people who know how to play keyboards/piano, however, especially if you're interested in more melodic stuff like trance and deep house.
But if you're just doing banging, monotonous techno, you can probably figure out the bleeps and bloops within the program.
That is all.
5 - grapeshine
The "I hate computers" comment above is rather telling. If you have no experience with computers, you have no concept of what they can do exactly. While there is a lot of bad "computer made" music, there's also a lot of bad "instrument made" music.
As far as the creation of music goes, there really aren't rules as to how to best be creative. Certainly learning how to use instruments (keyboards/piano, in the case of electronic music) or software helps, but so does listening to a lot of music. The only thing that restricts one's ability to make techno ("banging" or otherwise) is one's creativity. You can be just as creative with a computer as you can be with proper instruments.
I'd encourage anyone who wants to make music to learn as much as they can about the music they want to make. From there, learn how to use music making tools. Mess around. Have fun. Slowly things will start to come together, and before you know it you'll be proud of the sounds you're making.
6 - jus playin
Great article!
I recommend newbies to download a free version of ACID, LIVE, Project 5, or any of the other mainstream loop programs and watch the tutorial videos online. They're pretty easy to get started with. If that doesn't work find a friend with some experience to help with the initial orientation to the program, that's the easiest way to get started. The forums for the products are also a great source for getting going information. Here's an address to some answers to some common questions about acid loops