Alright

So I've decided to start really getting interested in music. I am looking into production/recording software and so on, so any help with that will be great This also means I will start being active a lot more and writing a lot more. Now I'm going to be honest, I probably won't review many pieces unless specifically asked. I don't feel I have the time or the credibility and knowledge to critique, none of us here are pros, so I'm not going to pose as one. But, hypocritically, I will ask for you guys to judge the **** out of mine. It will only make me better. It's time to get serious

P.S. Maybe we should add a production/recording section?

If you need software, I'm using Cubase Essential Pro. I bought it for like 160 euro's, which is not expensive for software. It's a very easy program to use, you just import an audio file and you can record and dub as many times as you like. There's also some tools to add echo, remove background noise and so on. You can also use Fruityloops to record, but I've heard it's not as good as Cubase. I bought a mic for like 3 or 400 euro's, I can't remember as it's been two years since I bought my equipment ... You'll need a decent mic, otherwise it won't work out. My mic is not professional, so my quality kind of sucks, but it's workable. Also, if you want good quality, you should buy an equalizer, which will cost you around 2 or 300 euro's if you want something decent. I don't have an equalizer yet, so it's not really necessary, but however, it's better if you do have one. If you're looking for beats, just check youtube, you'll find millions of beats. Download Youtube mp3 converter (it's a free software), and then you can convert every Youtube video to an mp3 or wma file. That's all the info I got, hope it works for you ... Oh, and about the new section, do you mean like a section where we can add our audio files ? Just explain what you want, and I'll ask one of the moderators.

Thanks! I don't know how many dollars all that would cost, but the software I'd just download online. And the new section can just cover all grounds of producing/recording. From getting started to advanced stuff, to file downloads or uploads of things members have created for review.

A suggestion is FruityLoops 9.6 xxl I think it is now and is really easy to use to produce music but you will need a good mic. The VSTs you get to start are good and you can get loads more for free and I do suggest Cubase or Audacity for putting vocals over instrumentals, though audacity is not as good but it is free. I'm looking to start doing the same but not yet, I want more experience in writing and producing seeing as I only started two months ago. I would be happy to look over your lyrics and give my input but like you, I'm no pro so I'll only be as good as I feel I am capable of at evaluation. Simple opinions on flow and rhymes will probs be what I evaluate

And btw, finding beats over the Internet can be tricky and you'll never get the exact beat for your style unless you make it yourself

I know it can, which is another benefit a section for producing would have. I'm not going to start messing with software until I get a new laptop though, probably a mac.

Cool, well let us know how you get on when you start I've just started producing myself. A big help is to listen to other artists with instrumentals that are like how you wanna make and just experiment with BPMs and VSTs, but don't copy. Listen hard to your music and be a perfectionist 'cos that improves the standard of your beats and helps you learn more. That's the thing I found most helpful so far. And there's a guy in YouTube who does long, but good tutorials with fruityloops called nfxbeats if you need some help with fruity loops if you choose it

Right now I have a portable version of Ableton on my laptop, it just needs some beats in it

Not had any experience with Ableton... all i can say is just play around with everything but you've gotta be prepared to spend hours producing music. 8 hours is a good estimate for a good, well mixed beat that's quite simple