If you want to make trip hop music, then here three suggestions to start with. These tips are intended for someone who is just starting out, and has no prior experience in producing electronic music. So, assuming that you only have a desire to make music, and a computer, where would I suggest to start from?
1. Pick a digital audio workstation
There are numerous free and paid programs that enable you to make trip hop music. Traverso DAW, LMMS, and GarageBand are all open-source opportunities. Common commercial programs include Ableton Live, Reason, Fruity Loops, and Cubase. Pick the one that suits your budget and seems like the program you would like to start with. Read some user reviews, if necessary.
2. Know where to find necessary information
As you first open your digital audio workstation, you can start experimenting with it on your own – which is one of the greatest ways of learning such software. But at a certain stage, you may want to know more about the theory of working with MIDI, layering samples, programming drums, etc. Besides the default manuals that each music making program has, another great source of information are the electronic music production forums.
Futureproducers.com, and idmforums.com are two great examples that can help you make trip hop type of songs. Both of these forums cover a wide variety of topics and problems that other electronic music creators have faced in the past. If you have a certain question, chances are that this has already been answered in one of the past discussions. Otherwise you can ask for personal advice by becoming a member. Such forums usually have an active community of already experienced musicians, who gladly share their feedback and suggestions with others.
3. Focus on making music
Since trip hop is referred to as an ‘electronic’ music genre, it is easy to get caught up in the idea that it has to be produced in a technically complex way. There is a belief that you have to use high-end equipment, and an expensive software, which has unlimited features and countless plugins. And indeed, if you want to make trip hop music, it is vital to have a capable program and a computer.
However, spending too much time on trying to find the ‘perfect electronic music program’, or starting to work with numerous complex plugins which actually make no sense to you in the beginning, might get you frustrated and sidetracked. You may forget the reason for which you started to make music in the first place – to have fun and be creative. I suggest starting out simple, and doing the things that keep you focused on making music. By keeping your focus on music production, you will naturally find whether the program suits your needs or not, and you will inevitably learn to use all the necessary features.