Hardware recommendations

onlydude

New member
Hello I am looking for some hardware to improve my studio that doesnt cost an arm and a leg (0-300). I have fruity loops and Acid 5 and I want to buy things that will help me and make my beats more professional. I know that fruity loops is a great program and I just want something to go along side of that. Please post names or links to any type of hardware you know that will help me with my production. I am just getting a little bit tierd of just playing with fruity loops to make beats and I want to experiment with other things.
Thanks
 
$300 really isn't much. Maybe search Ebay for a used Roland JV1010. Keep saving until you can get something you really want. Roland XV2020 is nice But is like $600 brand new.

Other than hardware look into Softsynths like SampleTank 2, Hypersonic, Sonik Synth 2.
Look for free soundfonts and samples. CM magazine give away free samples and soft synths with each issue and its a fun read.
 
Ahh A Fellow CM reader!
Great mag, and great stuff on the dvds that are issued with the mag.

I hate to tell you this onlydude, but your beats might not get all that hot just by getting yourself some hardware...It's more or less a learning process with the hardware itself. There's alot of stuff you can do from within your chosen sequencer software that would probably improve them quite a bit.
How long have you been producing beats?
Do you know your way around a compressor and EQ? Familiar with layering sounds and drumtracks to beef them up? If YES, YES & YES Try it some more.
Getting the "pro sound" has nothing to do with the right equipment (Don't hate on me ya all) It's skills that separates a shitty track from a good one. Skills with programing drumtracks, skills as a musician, great ears, being able to see the technical side of the music as a part of the composing (not just something to ignore), +,+,+ last but not least...If you don't have a burning flame within yourself for music, then all the equipment in the world won't help you.

Besides thinking of yourself as "just a beatmaker" Nowadays you need to see yourself as more or less the composer/beatmaker, the mastering engineer, the promoter of yourself, the salesmen of a good product. I'm saying mastering engineer allthough the majority of us really shouldn't dare to call ourselfs that, cause that's what makes or breaks a track; Good mastering, and we need to posess that knowledge aswell (as good as we can).
You won't get your beats out there if you're not pitching them to anyone (salesman)
No one wants the beats if no one has heard of the maker (promoter)
No one wants a beat that sounds dull and lifeless (mastering engineer)
and well...if you got no beats...who would want what you don't have? (beatmaker/composer)

I'm way of the initial question here, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to leave my own opinion and experience behind

-92
 
My beats really dont lack and as far as music talent goes I have a lot of it. I have a long line of musicians in my family tree :D. I just want to get into a little bit of hardware as well. Like I have seen drum machines etc for prety cheap but I really do not know what to get. I dont want an all in one mpc type thing (for now at least) but I want to get something that I can build off of when more money flows in.
 
To be honest with you, for 300 bucks you can't get much in the way of hardware. If I were you, I'd look to cop Reason 3.0. I know some people don't like it as much as hardware, I prefer hardware as well, but for $300, it's a pretty great product. If you are a student, you can get a nice discount, or you could try to get it off of ebay. I use 3.0 and it's certainly a good program. It's also got some nice tools for mastering the final product. Check it out for sure.
 
Hmmmmmmmmmm.......

$300.00 might not get you too much (even on EBAY).

1. You could get Native Instruments BATTERY 2 and an Akai MPD-16 off of EBAY.

2. You could pick up a better pair of reference monitors (Alesis M1 Active MKII's) off of EBAY.

3. You could get more RAM and another Hard Drive for your computer.

4. You could borrow some EAST/WEST ProSamples from one of our members (ALLSTAR) here at HR.COM.

Once again, $300 might not get you much, but you can definitely put yourself in a better situation.
 
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how about a pair of nearfield monitors?
how about a phono preamp and a turntable (get that sample CD shit outta here!)
 
to stay in the 300$ range lookin into these companies for drum machines :

Zoom, Alesis, Yamaha, Boss
 
The Zoom Sampletrak is kinda fun!

Was just messing around with that thing a few mins ago, bought it for my brother..cool stuff
 
Forgot to mention that I have a set of bx5's so I dont need any monitors. If you have "specific products" that you yourself have had experiences with let me know about them. I know of products like the Boss Dr Groove 202 and the Boss Dr Sample 202 and things like that, in which they use in their set ups. I am wondering if anything like this would be worth picking up.
 
Hey thank you on the advice spin. This controler looks awesome and I think I am going to pick one up. Any recommendations are still welcome
 
I'm gonna have to second the MPD, I'm glad you like it, I love mine. Just a quick question... Do you need a midi controller for your instruments (other than drum) sounds too?
 
Sorry I'm not great with the hardware lingo as I am used to just using fruity loops and other programs. What do you mean by an midi controller for other instruments? I sound stupid :(
 
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