Starting point for creating a dance record?
April 5, 2013 8:12 AM Subscribe
I want my next album to be a dance record. How?
I like the sounds of bands like Chromeo (I am addicted to the song, "You Make It Rough"), Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, Depeche Mode. Low moving bass, bouncy, fun. I have a newish laptop running Windows 7 and access to an awesome professional recording studio. Let's say I have a budget of $300 or less. Should I start with a computer program to lay down cool dance backgrounds, or buy a used synthesizer (if so, what?), or what? Recommend me a way to get started, please!
I like the sounds of bands like Chromeo (I am addicted to the song, "You Make It Rough"), Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, Depeche Mode. Low moving bass, bouncy, fun. I have a newish laptop running Windows 7 and access to an awesome professional recording studio. Let's say I have a budget of $300 or less. Should I start with a computer program to lay down cool dance backgrounds, or buy a used synthesizer (if so, what?), or what? Recommend me a way to get started, please!
Best answer: Do as much as you can in software. I would recommend FL Studio for anything from beatmaking to full-on digital audio workstation type stuff.
posted by blue t-shirt at 10:09 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by blue t-shirt at 10:09 AM on April 5, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm assuming you don't have any music software at the moment? There are a lot of options, Reaper is about $60 and will allow you to use all those fantastic free VSTs mentioned by Luminiferous Ether.
I should note that Reaper doesn't come with a lot of built-in sounds and you'll definitely want to load up. Personally I found Reaper difficult to use but lots of people are huge fans of it so YMMV.
If you only need to lay down the backgrounds and plan to do any vocal recording through the studio you might want to check out FL Studio's "Fruity" edition. It's only $99 and comes with a drum synth and a couple of other synths and it can load VSTs.
I don't use it anymore (because I'm on a Mac, sadly) but FL Studio is kind of perfect for dance music. It started out as a simple drum machine/looper specifically for dance musicians so it's baked right in. I think it's a lot of fun to play with and it has a huge community. Personally I would highly recommend it. The Fruity edition doesn' allow you to record audio but if you're using a nice studio you wouldn't need it. Or you can upgrade to the Producer edition ($200) which gives you audio record and a few more goodies.
You can also download the demos of either software to play around in and try before you buy. Harward options under $300? Probably won't get you very far...
posted by Doleful Creature at 11:51 AM on April 5, 2013
I should note that Reaper doesn't come with a lot of built-in sounds and you'll definitely want to load up. Personally I found Reaper difficult to use but lots of people are huge fans of it so YMMV.
If you only need to lay down the backgrounds and plan to do any vocal recording through the studio you might want to check out FL Studio's "Fruity" edition. It's only $99 and comes with a drum synth and a couple of other synths and it can load VSTs.
I don't use it anymore (because I'm on a Mac, sadly) but FL Studio is kind of perfect for dance music. It started out as a simple drum machine/looper specifically for dance musicians so it's baked right in. I think it's a lot of fun to play with and it has a huge community. Personally I would highly recommend it. The Fruity edition doesn' allow you to record audio but if you're using a nice studio you wouldn't need it. Or you can upgrade to the Producer edition ($200) which gives you audio record and a few more goodies.
You can also download the demos of either software to play around in and try before you buy. Harward options under $300? Probably won't get you very far...
posted by Doleful Creature at 11:51 AM on April 5, 2013
Try the following: reason, ableton live, cubase, fruity loops, logic.
One of them will work for you.
Buy/torrent the vengeance sample packs for drum sounds.
Spend 5 or 6 years finding out that making a good dance record is harder than you thought :)
posted by empath at 11:25 PM on April 7, 2013
One of them will work for you.
Buy/torrent the vengeance sample packs for drum sounds.
Spend 5 or 6 years finding out that making a good dance record is harder than you thought :)
posted by empath at 11:25 PM on April 7, 2013
Response by poster: Yeah, I'm not going to try a bunch of random programs - I'm not made of money. And 5 or 6 years, eep! No way, I've got too many projects for that. One or two projects a year is my pace. From previous descriptions, Fruity Loops sounds like a possibility. I don't have any illusions about quality, this is a new genre of music for me. KLF - The Manual - I'm not sure how it pertains to my question, but thanks for the interesting read. I'm not trying to make it rich, just make a record.
Thanks for the suggestions, folks!
posted by agregoli at 4:24 PM on April 8, 2013
Thanks for the suggestions, folks!
posted by agregoli at 4:24 PM on April 8, 2013
Response by poster: And time, as money, is a factor - which is why I appreciate the great, in-depth answers AskMe can provide!
posted by agregoli at 5:56 AM on April 9, 2013
posted by agregoli at 5:56 AM on April 9, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
Finding any used hardware synth, let alone a good one, for under $300 is close to impossible these days (except for the Yamaha DX7, which is great but not really in your genre).
posted by Luminiferous Ether at 9:07 AM on April 5, 2013 [5 favorites]