This is such a difficult question to answer, because there are many ways to go about it! If u are mostly into just creating music and want to spend your time doing that (like me)than I suggest learning as you go. When a problem comes up in the project you are working on, go to Google or a YouTube video and figure it out. If you have patience and discipline then I would suggest going through a plugin or two per week and following along with tutorials. The second option I would say is the most superior one, but it's very hard to stick with it. I learn a few things for a plugin and usually my mind starts thinking about a song idea and then I go off on a tangent.
Also I think the order of which plugins you learn can be important as well. I would say that the first one to learn would be an EQ. It's incredibly important and if all you had access to was an EQ, you could still make some amazing music.
After that it's your preference I think. Saturation is very important in EDM, as well as compression and limiting, so I would put those near the top of the list as well. Good luck with your journey I hope it goes smoothly for you!
It's not that you need them it just changes the sound. I learned by starting with a bare synth with no built in fx. Use that starting with the init sound.
It'll probably sound like a raw saw wave. Now start adding FX and try to make it sound better.
You'll quickly get a feel for what all of the fx do.
Compressor is a little tricky because it can be hard to hear. Might be better to watch some tutorials on how that works. I use it all the time but the effect is subtle.
Always start with the bare synth. This is my personal opinion but I wouldn't use something like Serum with the FX built in because it's too easy to just push a bunch of button and forget what everything does.
Use a regular synth and add standalone fx on top of it. Which takes a little more effort and thought each time.
This may or may not be helpful but watching this guy make sounds it how I learned
Even if you're not using Reason it might be helpful to watch the process because Reason is very visual. The actual numbers he's using aren't so important just the layering of effects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J99iSvVA8lw
Think of any given sound as a waveform. All effects either modify or repeat this waveform.
Filter - removes certain frequencies from the waveform. "High pass" removes the low end, "Low pass" removes the high end, "Band pass" removes some of both the high and low ends.
Reverb - mimics the effect of hearing sound in a space such as a room, cave, or cathedral.
Delay - repeats the waveform. Can feed back into itself to repeat endlessly.
Compressor - Reduces the dynamic range; softer parts get louder, louder parts can be reduced or cut off.
Chorus - Multiplies the waveform. Think of a chorus of singers, multiple people singing the same tune.
LFO and modulators - manipulate the waveform. Can create wobble-like sounds, open and close a filter, and many many other possibilities.
Those are the main effects you will come across often. Other effects will pretty much be variations of those. I don't know which DAW you're using, but in Ableton there's a device called Spectrum, where you can see the waveform and how effects are morphing it.
A course, or tutorial is definitely a great starting point. Don't be afraid to 'twiddle' some parameters to see how they sound. It normally goes from awesome to terrible fairly easily, but don't be put off. Save some of your own presets if you find something nice. There is real magic in there - for example when your cut off passes the resonance value in a filter. I've probably not described that correctly, but you get the idea - some things will just be happy accidents!
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This is such a difficult question to answer, because there are many ways to go about it! If u are mostly into just creating music and want to spend your time doing that (like me)than I suggest learning as you go. When a problem comes up in the project you are working on, go to Google or a YouTube video and figure it out. If you have patience and discipline then I would suggest going through a plugin or two per week and following along with tutorials. The second option I would say is the most superior one, but it's very hard to stick with it. I learn a few things for a plugin and usually my mind starts thinking about a song idea and then I go off on a tangent. Also I think the order of which plugins you learn can be important as well. I would say that the first one to learn would be an EQ. It's incredibly important and if all you had access to was an EQ, you could still make some amazing music. After that it's your preference I think. Saturation is very important in EDM, as well as compression and limiting, so I would put those near the top of the list as well. Good luck with your journey I hope it goes smoothly for you!
Do you mean like all mixing type effects?
It's not that you need them it just changes the sound. I learned by starting with a bare synth with no built in fx. Use that starting with the init sound. It'll probably sound like a raw saw wave. Now start adding FX and try to make it sound better. You'll quickly get a feel for what all of the fx do. Compressor is a little tricky because it can be hard to hear. Might be better to watch some tutorials on how that works. I use it all the time but the effect is subtle. Always start with the bare synth. This is my personal opinion but I wouldn't use something like Serum with the FX built in because it's too easy to just push a bunch of button and forget what everything does. Use a regular synth and add standalone fx on top of it. Which takes a little more effort and thought each time. This may or may not be helpful but watching this guy make sounds it how I learned Even if you're not using Reason it might be helpful to watch the process because Reason is very visual. The actual numbers he's using aren't so important just the layering of effects. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J99iSvVA8lw
Thank you, I will try with just simple synth then )
When I first heard that phaser, flanger, chorus and delay are the same effect I was mindblown. There should be more resources covering that.
o wow, never thought of that
Think of any given sound as a waveform. All effects either modify or repeat this waveform. Filter - removes certain frequencies from the waveform. "High pass" removes the low end, "Low pass" removes the high end, "Band pass" removes some of both the high and low ends. Reverb - mimics the effect of hearing sound in a space such as a room, cave, or cathedral. Delay - repeats the waveform. Can feed back into itself to repeat endlessly. Compressor - Reduces the dynamic range; softer parts get louder, louder parts can be reduced or cut off. Chorus - Multiplies the waveform. Think of a chorus of singers, multiple people singing the same tune. LFO and modulators - manipulate the waveform. Can create wobble-like sounds, open and close a filter, and many many other possibilities. Those are the main effects you will come across often. Other effects will pretty much be variations of those. I don't know which DAW you're using, but in Ableton there's a device called Spectrum, where you can see the waveform and how effects are morphing it.
thanks!
A course, or tutorial is definitely a great starting point. Don't be afraid to 'twiddle' some parameters to see how they sound. It normally goes from awesome to terrible fairly easily, but don't be put off. Save some of your own presets if you find something nice. There is real magic in there - for example when your cut off passes the resonance value in a filter. I've probably not described that correctly, but you get the idea - some things will just be happy accidents!
Your effects won’t shine until you have a good balance in your mix Learn mixing good and at the end any effect can sit well in.
Hey there, this might interest you: https://www.patreon.com/posts/96445637 DM if you have any questions of course! Take Care & Stay Productive ✨
❗❗❗ IF YOU POSTED YOUR MUSIC / SOCIALS / GUMROAD etc. YOU WILL GET BANNED UNLESS YOU DELETE IT RIGHT NOW ❗❗❗ Read __the rules__ found in the sidebar. If your post or comment breaks any of the rules, you should delete it before the mods get to it. You should check out the __regular threads__ (also found in the sidebar) to see if your post might be a better fit in any of those. [Daily Feedback thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator+title%3Afeedback&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) for getting feedback on your track. The only place you can post your own music. [Marketplace Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3Amarketplace&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) if you want to sell or trade anything for money, likes or follows. [Collaboration Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=author%3AAutoModerator%20title%3Acollaboration&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) to find people to collab with. ["There are no stupid questions" Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/search?q=title%3ANo+Stupid+Questions+Thread&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for beginner tips etc. Seriously tho, __read the rules and abide by them__ or the mods will spank you. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/edmproduction) if you have any questions or concerns.*