Hello Jerry...
I hate to tell you this, but... I suffered through your YouTube video of you composing with Ableton 9... I thought it was terrible. I am your fan and faithful student about marketing, and you are a very good teacher.
But you're not my favorite composer.
Thank you for the Ableton 9 tutorial, but I pass. I hate the electronic "sound" of MIDI music.
There is SO MUCH being composed today by "new composers" who all think that they are geniuses, and there is so much being put on YouTube that if Mozart was composing today, his masterpieces would be lost in the fog.
I agree ... I use protools 10 and the Apollo Twin by Universal Audio and actually use a real guitar and real bass and a real keyboard at times. The only instrument I don't currently have is a drum set so I use the Dr. Rhythm 770 and program the drums and fills for now. I say master an instrument first, learn music theory and then compose an original ... works for me but takes at least 15-20 years of your life and a lot of study. Then you can get paying gigs too.
Creator almost always overestimate his creation.
I've made music on my cell phone I and thought that it's better than most compositions on TV))
Thank you for sharing your experience with us and I am excited to continue improving starting from zero this year!