Hi, I'm completely new here and I have no idea where to start.

do you already play an instrument? have you ever written a song? you have a goldtop as your user picture but nothing on your equiboard...

http://equipboard.com/forums/dj-electronic-music/topics/hello-i-m-am-completely-new-to-this-and-i-am-picking-out-gear-and-software?page=1#post-10086

if I had no musical grounding I would start with Ableton Live, a Push controller and maybe a cheap analog synth like a little korg volca with the built in sequencer to learn basic subtractive synthesis and generate phrases without a keyboard. A midi keyabord won't do you a ton of good if you don't know what the keys mean, so just bypass it for now.

You will probably really want to concentrate on sample/loop manipulation and sound design at first and maybe get a basic music theory book to learn some rudiments of how more traditional music is constructed. Electronic music gives the complete novice the ability to do some cool things if they have a vision and and patience, but it never hurts to learn the fundamentals of western music too.

none of this is simple and intuitive to work out for most people, its just as tricky as learning a traditional instrument and almost every branch of electronic music, every instrument and every piece of software has its own learning curve... be persistent and you will get it and start being able to express yourself effectively because once you learn some terminology and get over a couple of the early hurdles it gets a lot easier moving forward

you will probably want one of these too:

http://equipboard.com/posts/best-audio-interfaces

In closing, I recommend investing as little money as possible starting out just in case you don't like making music. While software and affordable instruments and studio gear have democratized music creation, its not for everyone.

as for DJing, its a creative process but you aren't 'making' music, its more curatorial.... personally I don't get software DJing, its really easy that way and not nearly as much fun as the way we did it in the 90s... though digital certainly is a lot more cost/space effective! When I finally sold off one of my old Technics, the mixer and unloaded my massive vinyl collection it made me a mint and freed up a lot of space for more guitars, amps and synthesizers. I am sure the guy who posted above has a good ide how DJs do it these days, I am a dinosaur.

Title basically explains it. I'm looking to get into music production and I have no idea where to start.

A good friend of ours was in the exact same boat as you, and inspired us to put together this guide. I strongly recommend you read it top to bottom: How To Make Electronic Music

It goes over some basic gear you'll need, and we definitely stress choosing, learning, and getting cozy with your DAW, since that will be the centerpiece of your music-making.

Alex Aiono does have a nice and simple setup, if you look at a video of his like this one that's definitely more of his performance setup - of course, the gear could be used for both production and performance!

Read that guide, and come back with any questions you might have about your specific needs 😄 👍

I love this sentence, hahaha; "Don’t let the name confuse you - they are called 'monitors', but are in actuality just speakers (they have nothing to do with the display sort of monitor)." I cracked up when I read this mostly because it never occurred to me there could be any confusion... and yet its so obvious someone who wasn't raised around studio equipment might have no idea what people are talking about when they say studio monitors.

By the way, I think you guys are wrong and for music production and NOT DJing good speakers are more important than headphones. Even the best pro grade cans are a bit deceiving, especially ubiquitous closed back designs that lock all the sound pressure over your ears (great for overdubs and a quick reference, not so great for accuracy).

Additionally ALL headphones present a wonky stereo image. If you are going to use nice headphones you should do 90% of the mixing in mono and not commit to any panning until you can throw it up on properly spaced speakers otherwise your great headphone mix may suffer from a mushy center image when played on speakers. Others will disagree, but there are psychoacoustic thigns going on with headphones that you have to be aware of when mixing without another reference.

Although for the OP this is a ways down the road.

haha glad you got a kick out of it 😄 that was actually from personal experience, me and a music producer buddy were talking monitors, and our other non-musician friend in the room said it was the most confusing conversation since he had no idea we were actually referring to speakers!

Point well taken regarding monitors over headphones for production. However, I think for a budding music producer - the target audience of the guide - closed-back, over-ear headphones might be the most practical and cost-effective option.

A very workable set of cans can set you back $100-150. It's hard to get a single good monitor with a 5" woofer for that, much less a pair. Production environment is also a big consideration. The beginner producer will be bouncing around between their DAW and YouTube tutorials, probably on-the-go in between classes, or on the bus/train during a commute, or while traveling, etc. Yes closed-back headphones have their issues, like accentuating the low frequencies and lacking a great stereo image, but regardless I would strongly recommend that route to a novice.

If the indication is that they're sticking with the craft, and the space is available and the funds are there, then yes, studio monitors should be the next purchase, all else equal.

yeah, I admitted as much after my anti-headphone spiel, but I still think mixing in a sketchy room with budget monitors yields better results for most people than mixing on headphones without speakers... the cost thing is pretty hard to deny though. I have a lot of money tied up in speakers.