Help! Songwriter wants to produce/program beats!

[CaribbeanBadBoy]

I'm interested in starting to program my own beats and such, of the R&B/Hip-Hop persuasion mostly. I already write lyrics and melody and can play basic keyboards thanks to a few years of piano lessons when I was a kid.

What's the best equipment to start out with? Since I don't immediately intend to do any vocals or acoustic recording, do I need to just get an MPC and/or keyboard and go the midi route? Or is just working on a computer the simplest option - if I get as laptop it'll make my producing/programming portable right?
Can anyone recommended a good workstation or something of the sort for me to start producing with?

[Toki987]

Welcome to the Home Recording BBS !

There is a forum right next to this one where you can most likely get those quiestions answered quickly by some informed people.

It's called " DJ / Hip-Hop / Rap / Beats "

[PoetSleep00]

I'm somewhat limited in my experience, but I know of a couple different routes. One of the most basic and frequently used (in my area anyway) is Acid Pro 4.0. Its a sampling based program that allows you to see the layout of your composition. You can import wav files and "phreak" them in all kinds of ways. The program is only 150 dollars or so, and its available for Mac or PC. If you're going to take that route, its relatively inexpensive to set up. I know of some producers who really shine through its userablity features.

I use an MPC2000XL for sequencing. If you're looking to make a certain style of hip hop, look to the producers you currently admire. I've read about Pete Rock who uses a loaded MPC, an organ and his turnables... Some prods use the MPC60 or MPC3000 for the gritty 8 bit sound. They're not that hard to comeby especially online. But honestly in order to make an omlette you have to break some eggs. Find what features you want out of your equipment. Then find your centerpiece. Look to hip hop producers for examples maybe. Dr. Dre has had an article in EQ mag that you can find online. He even has an equip list..oooh.. Also look in The Source, for producers credits and interviews. you'd be surprised. I've also seen production articles on Megahertz, Rick Rock, Paul Van Dyk, The Chemical Bros, Meech Wells...you can find all kind of styles of music production. Just keep your eyes open and sift out what you don't want.

Good Luck.