a good production studo ????

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RancidOne

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im crazy confused about the equipment i wanna get . i dont know how i wanna record or anything ... all i know is that i wanna produce some hot beats. i have the option to buy a Casio wk-1200 keyboard it has midi ..... will this be of any use to me ?? well here are my plans ..maybe someone can lead me into the right direction .......
1. a drum machine ....(any suggestion?)
2. a sampler ...i was thinking about the Korg ES-1
3. a keyboard ..casio wk-1200
4. i dont know what i wanna record with ...digital or anlalog ...if i go digital i was thinking about the new tascam 788 or the fostex VF-08 if i decide to go analog the tascam 424MKIII 4 track.
5.mixer .... mackie 1604-vlz-pro
6. cakewalk pro
and i own a computer .....ima bout to upgrade it soon . am i missing anything . any peices of equipment u recommend me getting ....i seen a post about the korg triton keyboard and the emu sound module being all i need to produce ...someone else said a trinity keyboard the akai mpc2000 and a few sound modules to be complete ....... r these 2 stetups good ? wich one do u prefer and y ? and what software do u recommend and y and what would i use them for ...thanx a lot ...sorry it kinda long ...but i need answers i wanna start purchasing equipment .....i've waited to long for this ....... i can feel the beats ..lol .... holla back ...thank a lot .
 
You have the right Idea

Ok you have the right Idea, but you might wanna change up the gear you wanna get a little bit, Also, i dont know how much you want to spend. Here are my recommendations based on no budget limits.

Drum Machine + Sequencer: Akai Mpc2000Xl or Yamaha Rm1X

Sampler: Roland Sp202, Yamaha Su10 or Su700, Any "S" Model sampler from Akai you can afford.

Keyboard or Sound Modules: Yamaha EX5 or anything from the roland JV series. Perhaps even the roland Xp30, Xp60, or Xp80. Any one of these will be of good use to you.

Digital or Analog Recording system: This is all on the individual. If your serious about this i suggest
going digital computer based all the way.

Btw have you done any of this kinda work before ? Making Phatt tracks doesnt just happen because
you have the gear. It's all about them Man/Woman behind the gear. One other thing. I Seriously recomend the Akai Mpc2000XL for anyone serious about producing hip hop or any other form of Beat
Driven electronic music. If you go with that peice, make sure you get the 2000XL, 60 or 3000 model. Dont fool around with the plain 2000 model. I hope this reply is of some assitance to your questions and i hope your happy with whatever gear you decide to go with :)

Take Care :)
 
thanx a lot it really cleared things up for me ... i think im goin to go with the akai mpc2000xl and the korg triton pro-x keyboard and i want to set up my computer for recording and also get an analog recorder . will i need a mixer ? if so what do u recommend ? and the part about having the equipment is goin to determine a phat beat ..i know this ... but if i can express myself , my thoughts , and my ideas through a beat .. i think that is phat .... wether its hot or not is all up to the listener .... some might think so others might not ... but if the majority does then u know u got something . let me know about the mixer ..peace
 
man i hope you dont think the mpc is like a supernntendo or some toy, shit i've had for like 4 months and i basically know most of the functions but i been practicin hardcoe, and theres still a lot of shit that i need get better at. I can't imagine what it would be like to bust out all that equipment and not know shit about anything. I say take it slow and get one peice at a time, learn how to use that one peice, to the point where you really dont need anything else. Thats where you really begin to develop your skillz, thats how you get creative, when you're forced to flip it diferent ways with out to many options, it keeps you grounded and its better for you in the long run. From what i've read premo still got the old school mpc60 and some other peice and he basically said the same thing i just did, or i just said the same thing he hadf said. remeber its an art, creativity is endless when your mind is free. Free yo mind and the rest will follow, I know you been hearin all this tak about beats but it aint as easy as it sounds. Get one thing, make sure this what you wanna do than make sure you makin the right moves on your next purchases.

out.
 
i appreciate ur words of wisdom tazkat and i agree with u .... and i dont think its a supernintendo or a toy .... its a tool that will allow me to put whats in my mind into musical form . i know it aint easy ..... if it were so easy it wouldnt be the art that it is . but can an artist paint without a brush ? basically i see equipment as ur paint brush , and with that paint brush u paint a picture of whats in ya mind . but enough preeching .. i've heard nothing but good things about the mpc so im gonna get one of those and a keyboard .... and start buildin my studio in my basement .. i have mad work to do ... but this is my heart .. i've been wanting to do this as long as i can remember ... now its time to make it happen .... and i might not ever be anyone .. but im not doin it to be someone , im doin it to express myself .. plus i know a few people that write and freestyle and some of them have talent .. so i can hook up a mic and let them spit and do there thing .. but any other peice of equipment u highly recommend other than the mpc , will i need a mixer ... like a mackie or something like that ? once again taz i appreciate ur input ... peace
 
im lookin into learning how to mix myself, shit is very hard, i read tons of shit on it but have yet to practice it, i know you can mix with cool edit pro, i think up to 64 tracks. if you go analogue you can only mix 4 tracks (thats if you go wit the 4 track) and the mixer is included on most 4 track recorders if you go wit the 8 track or higher most likely you gonna have to get a seperate mixer, i recommend digital, get a good program and you can really take it to the next level with the mixing and effects. but like i said this shit aint gonna happen overnight, software is fucking confusing and you have to have a really powerful computer, so if you goin digital look into cool edit pro, cakewalk, or the highly priced digi001.
 
Confidence

Hey yall.. me again.. About the Mpc.. yeah the 60 3000 and 2000Xl are the bomb.. the reason i diss on the plain 2000 is because the OS is totally unstable and i know alot of headz who were disappointed with the sampler in that peice.. it crashes alot and it's not "built like a tank" like it's brothers of that series.

But in general the mpc series are indeed no toys.. they are extremely professional pieces. When ever you get one, Eat sleep and shit Mpc until youve literally mastered all of the functions you use from it.

Another opinion of mine, the korg triton isnt the best way to go as far as overall user friendlyness and features as appose to say a Roland JV series Module.. with the JV modules you can expand and edit and you get more sounds right out of the box. They even have cards you can install to add more sounds. And they are cheaper than the triton. But hey, go to your local dealer and play around with both of them and see how you like them. All of my opinions are based on experience with the gear i mention and some of the peices i own.

Powerful setup = MPC + Roland JV5080

and about the mixer, yeah youll need a mixer... digital mixing is always better, but it's really up to you..

just focus on learning your pieces to the fullest and you'll slowly realize what you want to purchase to follow your gear..


Peace
 
Hmmmmmm

Dont focus too much on "sounds for rap" just think of the best sounds for the style you inherit. I personally dont produce hip hop tracks that much anymore. I do more industrial type stuff but there really is no such thing as specifically a set of sounds for a specific genre. Just experiment with as much as you can and define your sound with whatever works for you.
 
RancidOne,

You will probably need a mixer for your setup. Especially if you are going to ever record vocals down the line. I suggest a Mackie mixer. I cannot see you needing something like the Mackie 1604 for a couple of modules. I suggest the Mackie 1202 or 1402. Even without considering the computer, you will need a mixer to have all of the modules/drum machines/keyboards plugged into the same source. That way you could listen to them over monitors or with headphones. I would also go with some of the advice that you got earlier.... Take it slow and get one piece at a time. At your stage, I would just get 1 keyboard or drum machine. Maybe start off with the MPC and then 6 months later get a keyboard and a mixer to go with that. I like the Roland soundset, but Korg makes a decent product too. But the main thing is to hold off until you master the basics. As tempting as it is, I would not suggest getting another piece for 6 months. This will give you plenty of time to get your act together on the first piece that you bought.

Rev E
 
Liquid,

To each their own, but I disagree heavily with you on two things (halfly on one).

One, I own a MPC2000, and personally know about six guys with one, and only one of them has had any kind of problem with one (it froze him). I've had mine for almost four years, since it first came out, and have only had problems with a certain brand of floppy. Also, no MPC was ever said to have any kind of sampler in it. You're better off getting a rack for true sampling, or use the one in a Triton or such. It's purely for drum and percussion sampling.

Two, the Triton is expandable with cards, and because it's a sampler, with anything you can fill it with. The JV/XVs are great sounding boxes, but newbies are usually confused by Roland gear. I've been using them since I started with MIDI 16 years ago, so I've never had a problem with mine, but EVERYONE I know that's new to this kind of gear is frustrated and put off by it. The Triton (Korg period) represent a shorter learning curve. But since sound is subjective, you may deal with the interface if you like the sounds more. And you'll need to buy a MIDI board anywayz with your setup.

I recommend (depending on budget, but lets go low and high, still making it reasonable):
high-MPC2000XL, Tascam 788 w/CDR788, Korg Trinity/Triton, Mackie 1202, Powered Monitors

low-Korg ES-1, Tascam , Roland XP-30, Mackie 1202, computer MIDI audio program of choice, good sound card, monitors

I don't think that it makes you any more serious if you use a computer to make music with, I've gotten great results without using a computer (though I'm no slouch at it, smile). If you are a computer hound at heart, go cheap as possible at first and get ACID Pro, and a great sound card.

All answers are just opinions. Go to the stores and screw around with what everyone's recommended, you'll get the drift what you like, and don't like.
 
HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHAW

The reason i mentioned the word "serious" when talking about computers is because it would be alot cheaper to get more Audio tracks out of a computer hard disk system then i would to buy a hardware "VS" system and get the same amount of tracks and equal functionality. And about the MPC2000, Everyone ive known with the original 2000 model eventually sold theirs and got the XL or 3000LE because their 2000's were totally unstable so that is what my knowledge of that piece.. Later :)
 
Ya know what Liquid? You actually reminded me of a product to recommend on the computer end.

Buy Reason. I've heard enough good stuff about it, have a demo of it, and read glowing reviews. This is just the sort of thing to use for someone looking to get tracks done cheap without hardware.

But make no mistake, I steer people towards hardware because nothing beats a "physical" machine. Besides, you can't take your desktop to the local pub to record a show. (But some software CANNOT be overlooked for it's coolness)

Peace
 
hey alein... what exactly do you mean by.."nothing beats a "physical" machine"..?

Thats a pretty bold statement to throw out there without any backup... and I'd hate to see the new kids get misled if you dont know what you're talking about.

so where are you coming from with that? Cuz I'd say a fat protools or Nuendo setup beats a modular DAW, like a vs166x or anything like that... most any day of the week.. Sure its not as portable. But a VS isnt as portable as a walkman... and I still wouldn't recommend you cut your next album on your old Sony Sports, you know?

Anyway
xoxo
 
Hey Camn,

No need to sling your words around. You're a recording genius, so you should know what I mean. And, hey, I don't need to back anything up. I just speak as I, and many others know. But here goes anyway...

What is more productive: mousing around to make simultaneous level changes, or pulling/pushing a fader? Oh, I'm sorry you can't do simultaneous (varying) level changes with a mouse :-) Silly, dumb me. I don't know what I'm talking about.

I think a "fat" Pro Tools setup is "all that". The plug-in scenario/options blow the doors off of the hardware versions. You need only buy one, and it works for as many tracks as your system can handle. But it's counter productive to mouse around with all those "soft" knobs.

Add a Mackie HUI or ProControl, etc. and it totally changes things, and puts it squarely at what I'm referring to. Nobody with the money doesn't have at least a HUI. Except for all the problems that the US-428 reportedly has, it is ideal for a start up set-up. I was going there, but decided against it.

If mousing floats your boat, then go for it. But for what he's looking for, NOTHING beats something like an MPC for functionality. No software can compete with bangin' out drum tracks on the MPCs pads. For rhythm programming, nothing is as tight. If I'm wrong, then ask 90% of successful/hitmaking/good Hip Hop/R&B/Pop/Dance producers if they used an MPC/ASR/SP1200 or something on their PC.

It's just MY opinion. A guy just starting out wants to make phat beats. I give him my opinion, you give him yours. He makes the choice.

The bottom line is, it doesn't matter what you use, it's your results. I know people that have cut indie albums with minidisc multitracks, that, because they knew what they were doing, sounded every bit as good in the end, than guys using DP or ADAT. So don't say what you can, or can't, make an album with.

...and it's a-l-i-e-n, buddy!
:-)-)
 
*Laughing like hell*

For a second.. i forgot what this thread was about lol :)
Anyways.. thought i'd post this pic.. i make digital Hardcore with this nice little setup. Roland Sp808 and Yamaha RM1X, Midi controller. Later all :)
 
woooops lol

sorry yall.. forgot to attach the damm pic. Here it is :)
 

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hmmm.

Now I really am confused.

I THOUGHT you were reccomending the Tascam 788 w/CDR788 for recording.. but now Im reading "... for what he's looking for, NOTHING beats something like an MPC for functionality..." Are you suggesting he try and RECORD on MPC??? Somehow I doubt you're saying that.

Just to be clear, I have no problem with that sampler. In fact, I like it. Im talking about the classic "Computer vs standalone" discussion. why spend a grand on that when you can do five times as much for $1500 in the computer world..?

anyway. take a chill pill, little guy.

xoox
 
Apparently, BIG GUY, you don't understand what he's looking for or what I'm saying. You're so far into your own world that you're not listening to what anyone is saying. For the final time (I'm through with you, though it has been fun, let's do it again on another topic). He wants a setup to make his tracks with, from creation to recording. I do recommend the 788, and I recommend the MPC. You can't record on an MPC (though there are major artists like DJ Shadow who did the WHOLE record with an MPC). A computer setup is nice, but you gotta have (again) a system that can handle it. And by the time you can do that, a standalone has run by you. And if you got the money, get Logic Audio with a great interface a MIDI keyboard, and a module. But 'til then...get unconfused.
 
hmmmm,
Id have to sort of agree with camn in some respects here. I think its more flexable working with a computer and software than a portastudio. Personally the way I work, I take lots of time mixing with my mouse using automation and such to make things just perfect. But thats part of the idiom as I see it. I could see your point if you were saying software vs. an ssl to 2 in. tape. But, with the options of flexability regarding different sofware tools and mixing using plug ins and automation a pc and some cool software is my reccomendation. This is just me though, it all really depends on how somebody wants to work. If your gonna upgrade your computer and get cakewalk might as well use that to record as well.

Also, instead of a mixer Id get a control surface like the cm motormix, or whatever else is out there. Then Id get a soundcard with a lot of inputs for synths, and a patchbay so I dont loose my mind in chord jumbles. Also, even a cheap standalone pre is better than a mixers pre.

dont get some crappy tape deck thingy for analog. When people rave about analog theyre talking about 2 in. tape. You probably cant afford that, Id say unless you have a paid staff to worry about that shit to avoid analog and tape. If you want to mix to tape take your tracks into a real studio and have a paid professional assist.

The things you can do with software and plug ins are very attractive. With pro tools(its just the 001) I am able to use things like bombfactories modeled la 2a and 1176 as well as these cool as mcdsp filterbank eq's. This shit is so fucking cool to play with that I get a fucking boner everytime I boot up.

What I like about portastudios is how they fit into my life(I dont own one though). Sometimes its easy to just go in the corner of your bedroom with a little unit and close your eyes and make music. Still, when choosing one or the other Ill take a decent cpu with a soundcard and software. Price wise you can get going for as much or less . And with a PC youll be able to use things like fruity loops, reason, reaktor, and gigastudio.

Really though it all depends on how you want to work. period! A professional will get it done either way. How good your moniters are is really important for this shit beyond daw a vs daw b. a/d/a conversion is also as important, as are synths and mics. Most important though is talent and dedication.

I will add too that you DONT need an mpc or triton. You should blaze your own trail, use your mind AND heart to figure this all out. The mpc has a nice sequencer, but its sampler sucks. The tritons sampler is also quite weak. You could just as easily use software to sequence and get an akai s5000, then get a cool keyboard like a nord lead 2 to trigger the shit off and for its sounds. Then add to that another module like an emu mo' phatt or xtreme lead for some more sounds and your fuckin' smokin'. Thats what I would do. yamaha's motif workstation looks pretty hot as well.

Also if your considering reason also consider orion, its much cheaper.
www.sonic-syndicate.com

And for a 1st piece of gear maybe get a synth workstation BEFORE an mpc. Id just think it would be more rewarding at first to have some keys and synth sounds right off the bat(the mpc's keys dont count;)). If you get the triton, also get the moss expansion for those analog sounds.
 
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