Ableton Live is my absolute favorite piece of software right now. It fills me with a joy I haven't felt since I first learned HyperCard or Photoshop. It's just marvelous. In fact, it's so good that it makes it harder for me to finish music since I keep tinkering on things. But I can just sink hours into it without noticing the time pass.
It's so easy to get jaded with software these days because of freemium apps, dark patterns, social media apps hijacking human psychology to drive up engagement, etc. Ableton Live reminds me that software can be beautiful and empowering, and how good and natural it feels to just pay money for a well-crafted product.
Quite off topic, but: where would a person go nowadays to get up to speed about music making? (Learning, news, etc).
I used to tinker with beatmaking back when fl studio was still called fruity loops, and this post has made me very nostalgic. I would like to get back as a hobby, but it's been like 15 years and I'm quite lost.
IMO, it's a great time for this stuff... but I've been recommending folks who ask me start out with a groovebox, as there are a lot of inexpensive ones that are super fun.... ranging in price from the Korg Electribes, to the Novation Circuit, to the (expensive, IMO) OP-1.
Youtube has a ton of stuff, but it's such a vast topic that even in the realm of something like Abelton there's a vast array of things you could be looking at and it's super easy to lose focus.
I have a FL license from around the turn of the century... I think it still works. You might see if you do and start there.
If you like Make Pop Music, but house/EDM is more your thing, EDM Tips (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2vitamJHo7kSiiuA598u-g) YouTube channel is pretty similar to the Make Pop Music one. They both even have playlists for "Making a song in the style of [Some Famous Artists]".
EDM Tips is far less in-depth, but it's also more Ableton focused and he almost strictly used default Ableton plugins and sounds.
I went through the same transition about a year ago. I hadn't touched music making for about a decade before that (had kids).
It is kind of overwhelming because the options are huge. Also, we're in a resurgence of electronic music hardware right now, which is super exciting but also ramps up the paradox of choice and analysis paralysis.
However, we have two things going for us: 1. Most music software has free demos or inexpensive lightweight versions. 2. The used hardware market is very strong so you can recoup most of the cost if you sell something (especially if you bought it used).
This means it's relatively feasible to sort of incrementally explore the space and see what works for you. I do think you have to treat it as an exploration. Unlike other music genres, electronic music lends itself to very personalized workflows. The gear and software you have and how you have it all set up is a big part of the creative process. Also, the user experience of hardware and software affects the music you make in profound ways that are hard to predict. You have to just sort of try stuff and see what gels with you.
I'd suggest:
1. Research the artists you like to see how they make their music. You can usually find video interviews with them, often in their studio.
2. Watch YouTube videos for the gear they use and see which things look inspiring.
3. Acquire a piece of it and give it a try. Make sure to force yourself to sink enough time to get past the initial learning curve.
4. If you like it, keep it. Otherwise, sell it and move on. Either way, go back to step 1.
Finding the right balance between just playing around, working to finish songs, and tinkering with your set up is a continuing challenge. Be mindful of it (i.e. don't just fetishize gear acquisition, or grind so hard you take the fun out of it) and you'll be OK.
couple of ableton made, but completely browser based tutorials (they might not fit the specific topic you are looking into learning but still I think they are cool to check out)
Let me add Ableton's book "Making Music", which is quite well done and relevant to beginners as well as experienced artusts/users: https://makingmusic.ableton.com/
It's so easy to get jaded with software these days because of freemium apps, dark patterns, social media apps hijacking human psychology to drive up engagement, etc. Ableton Live reminds me that software can be beautiful and empowering, and how good and natural it feels to just pay money for a well-crafted product.