A lack of guides...

[Dark Dawn 24]

Hello everypony!  

 

I'm pretty new to community, and have been blown away by the amount of creative and wonderful things that have been done by fans.  it has personally inspired me to try to make some content, the problem is there aren't really all that many good, comprehensive starter friendly guides.  

 

I would like to compile a list, and perhaps make a topic that will link across a great many threads to make all of this information easily accessible.  Over the next few days I'm going to update with all of the things I have done, and in what order, to try to help others who don't quite know how to start.

 

Join me on my Cutie Mark Crusade!  

 

I'm going to be dabbling in animation, graphic design, and music production.  

 

If these guides already exist, or this topic has been done, feel free to let me know.  I haven't found it quite yet.  Any help would be appreciated.  

 

Starting:  Pony art, a drawing guide by: 

D1SC0RD

 

http://mlpforums.com/topic/63097-lets-learn-to-draw-ponies-sketch-this-picture-current-twilight-and-cadence/?hl=guide

 

A good website on finding resources for the music in MLP:

 

http://www.everyponysings.com

 

 

Signature Making guide by

Azura

 

http://mlpforums.com/topic/62738-wip-the-ultimate-signature-making-guide/?hl=guide

 

One of the best posts on music production I have found...

DusK

 

1. Learn music production. This is not something that can be skipped. Music is both a science and an art. Don't skip the science. I posted some guides last month covering a wide range of musical styles, and I'll be adding as I go. Give some of those a read, especially if they pertain to the style(s) of music you're looking to do. There are way too many brony musicians who grab a DAW and mix terribly, stick some pony samples in it, then put out their badly produced music to the Internet expecting boundless praise. Don't be one of those people.

 

2. Try before you buy. Anyone who tells you "FL Studio is just for electronica" or "Pro Tools is just for recorded music" doesn't know what they're talking about. The differences between commercial full-featured DAWs are mostly found in workflow. Give the trials a shot, and decide for yourself which DAW fits your workflow. Some DAWs have specific perks that may sweeten the deal for you, and some may have hindrances. Learn your DAWs carefully before you decide, because it's a big investment. And speaking of big investments...

 

3. Don't pirate. I know a lot of musicians break this rule. I used to break this rule myself. But as you grow in notoriety and skill, piracy becomes riskier. At any point in time, if a software developer finds out you've been using one of their products to make your music, they can ask you for your licensing information. If you made your music with pirated software, they can sue for damages even if you released your music for free. Don't take the risk. I know some libraries and stuff are expensive, but any serious musician would bite the bullet and shell out.

 

To address some of your specific questions:

 

I definitely recommend a USB audio interface, but make sure you're running at least USB 2.0. Some older musicians are still stuck in their ways, reminiscent of the days when PCI audio cards were the way to go due to their decreased latency, but that hasn't been an issue since USB 2.0, so don't pay them any heed when they say "internal or nothin'". USB 3.0's even faster, and I'm sure that USB interfaces that make use of it are well on their way. My personal recommendation is to go with something in the TonePort/POD Studio families of Line 6 products. Solid, reliable, and they get great amp sim tones with their included software.I myself use a POD Studio UX1. M Audio makes some great USB interfaces as well from what I've heard.

 

As far as mic choices, unless you're capable of effectively treating your sound environment either DIY or through more commercial means, a dynamic mic will do. The Shure SM 57's a studio powerhouse; you can record anything with it and it'll turn out fantastic even without bothering with sound treatment (though it's still better to at least get yourself a cheap reflection shield or something). Condenser mics sound better, but only in the right environment; without the right sound treated environment, they'll end up sounding terrible.

 

For orchestral, be sure to give that orchestral guide in the thread I just posted a careful read. Orchestral's extremely hard to do digitally, and if you don't take careful consideration of all the nuances that make orchestral music so organic, your tracks are gonna sound like rips from an SNES game. Look into some commercial VSTs for orchestral as well, because although Squifont's great, it'll only get you so far. East West Symphonic is a popular (albeit expensive) choice. My personal favorite is Miroslav Philharmonik; kinda hard to beat its value per dollar.

 

 

http://mlpforums.com/topic/54881-music-guides-and-resources-for-musicians-who-want-to-make-music/

 

PMV "style" guide, it's a good read! By

Stellafera

 

http://mlpforums.com/blog/463/entry-4369-the-art-of-the-pmv/

 

This is all I have for now.  I'm not going to reserve posts, as this will be remade with a more appropriate title when they are all compiled. 

 

I beg everypony to help.  If you can/are willing to write guides, let me know!  Lets encourage artistry and aide in the expansion of our creative production base!  

 

Thank you all, Dark Dawn out.

 

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Edited November 27, 2013 by Dark Dawn