Piano / EDM

Interested too. Not really into EDM myself, but I'd like a decent setup for doing more electronic soundscape type stuff like you'd hear in futuristic movies and such.

I have spent some time in electronic music, not much lately, but for a few years it was a main thing for me.

Hardware is more fun and sounds, more often than not, better than software. I am talking about analog and digital synthesizers, they're just more satisfying to use. I have a Roland Alpha Juno 1, Yamaha DX7, 2x Korg Monotribe, Yamaha TX-81Z, Korg Volca Beats, two Alesis drum machines. Used to have a Moog MF Drive (filter) pedal, a Roland JV-2080, Moog Slim Phatty, and Korg MS-20 Mini, but these all got sold.

When I first started all I had was a Novation SL 61 MK II MIDI keyboard and a bunch of VST's. And I added an Akai MPD-32 for MPC style pads to finger drum with.

Lately I just use a Roland A-49 as my main controller, and since I have a Yamaha DTX e-drum kit, I use those instead of the MPD pads, I'd rather use a "real" drumset than finger jam.

So you don't need a lot, just a keyboard (61 keys, maybe more) and some sort of drum thing. But you can do finger drums on a keyboard too, if you like. You likely already have what you need to get started.

I am more ITB now just like when I started out, with electronic sounds, not using my hardware that often anymore. I designed a "Slim Phatty" within Reaktor that sounds good enough for me that I sold my real Moog and just use this program. It's more convenient, and sounds fine.

You get some really great instruments with the NI bundle. Standouts to me would be Massive and Massive X, Reaktor (once you get past the small learning curve), and the Battery drum sampler. And of course, Kontakt opens up a whole world of sound. For drum samples I would recommend the Samples From Mars bundles, they leave nothing to be desired. For more ambient sounds probably the Absynth synth. Kontakt also has some more electronic focused instruments within the stock library. And for Moog, you get the Monark, which loads inside Reaktor, a Mini Moog VST.

I'll mention more software. The Arturia V Collection is a rather obvious bundle to look at. The standout to me is the DX7. With the right settings, it sounds identical to my hardware Yamaha, I think they'd be hard to tell apart in a blind test. And you get a billion more ones to try out. Probably too many. I also seem to really like using the ARP 2600. And you get an Oberheim SEM.

U-He is one of my favorites. I am partial to Zebra, and the Repro set. Zebra is big time used by Hans Zimmer, if you're into that soundtracky thing. But it's just sort of a "super-synth" that can do many things. Repro is just a sort of Prophet and Pro One kind of sound. They have other great ones I don't use, Diva, Hive, etc.

Cherry Audio has earned my attention. You probably need a Juno, and I love their DCO-106, it's addictive to me, I crave it. And they have a whole lot more. And they're not expensive!

One of the "big ones" in EDM is the Xfer Serum. I love that thing, but I've never got around to paying the $150 to have it for my own. But it is spectacular. I use other wavetable synths for example Synthmaster One, which is less expensive. And Massive X (NI.)

Synapse makes Dune, which is a standout to me. They also make the Legend, which is yet another Mini-Moog, said to be one of the more accurate ones.

For that sort of Detroit, 90's techno/acid kind of thing, the AudioRealism synths are the best I've found. They have Alpha Juno, TB-303, and the 808/909 drum machine, these are really good. I haven't bought the full bundle yet but they're superb.

When I was starting out I used a lot of GForce synths, but I don't own any of them right now. They will tickle the ears, most assuredly.

If you are a Logic person, you might already have the modern version of Camel Audio Alchemy, which is one of the old classics, that died and went to Apple heaven.

Some people buy DAWs to work in. Ableton, Fruity Loops, Reason. I personally just use the above mentioned VST's within Cubase.

Lastly, if you want to see what's "out there," just google something like "Top VST Synths 2021" for some electronic magazine poll winners, various ones to be aware of.

......

Some stuff about technique. Playing live parts is just the beginning. You'll want to tweak and destroy half of what you play into new sounds. This is nonlinear, it's not performed, you can spend time programming and warping things, to get to the final sound. You might not even play anything, you can program an entire track from scratch if you like. If it just sounds like 2-3 layered performances that's not enough, you need to create an atmosphere with effects and editing. Create sounds that are impossible to play. Chopped and screwed.

The gear part of it is fairly simple, it's the "technique" and getting your feet wet, getting your head in the right space, that might take a couple of tries. I would recommend listening to some classics.

Maybe Aphex Twin - Druqs. Mr. Fingers - Washing Machine. Anything by Universal Indicator. Something modern, maybe Andy Stott. Maybe some Thom Yorke stuff (I like ANIMA and Atoms For Peace) as a sort of pop / electronic blend.

The right effect for me is when things start to feel trippy and weird, abnormal.

Before I got into metal I was rather partial to trance so it seems I'm just a sucker for harmonies / melody. Then nothing really stuck for a long time (I liked some of the sounds but skillrex etc. just wasn't my thing), songs like heaven can wait from Sia / Diplo and a bit of a pop orientated cyberpunk resurgence changed that. So what I'm looking for is sort of bleeding edge modern..

The sounds are hyper-focussed in terms of production and that's where I've struggled with NI, also it sounds like I'd need a lot of VST's to get started so a workstation might be the key. As I'm just starting out I'd rather avoid plugin purgatory and because the workstation is a Korg (the founder in some instances of all this wibbly wobbly electronic craziness) I would have thought at least one of their sound engines could cater to that style. Also there's a lot classic elements to some pop music, in the songs I mentioned there's electric guitar / piano and the Korg Kronos 2 has to be the most convincing piano I've heard yet (VST or digital piano irrelevant).

In regards to the staccato element do you just delete parts of the waveform until it sounds right or is there something more to it?

Well it's going to be somewhat variable as pop / rock music is but something along these lines.. I must admit I'm not 100% sure what I'm going for but fortunately as you said it changes on the daily.. Another song I came across is Deadmau5 "ghost's n stuff.. I mean reviewing them it might not be all that difficult on second thought but again this is all new to me.

Most good electronic music comes from analog gear, drum machines, synths, etc. There is software to imitate all of these classic machines but the emulations sound thin and flat in comparison. You can't make electronic music without considering how it's delivered on a dance floor or live concert venue. Most times that's where software production comes up short. Etienne De Crecy has some cool studio videos you can watch. They are less about copying the latest dance, hit in logic with plugins and more about composing real electronic music from scratch.

And that chart topping music sounds like garbage live. I've been in the electronic game since the start and have all sorts of touring electronic acts in my venue. The guys that still produce using analog gear (even if they show up with a USB stick) have the best sounding tracks by far. I go to my office and hide when these lap top idiots come through. They also call themselves EDM.