So I have my basic studio up and running, here's the equipment thus far:
Sempron Laptop
Firebox
SM57
KRK Rokit6's
My future needs are:
An additional 4 preamps
Physical controls for mixing
Mics, mics, and more mics
Midi controller (I think, and the purpose of this post)
The preamps and mics would be for recording drums. I am not a drummer, and this is a large investment and so it goes to the bottom of the list.
Physical controls would be great, but with a limited budget, getting a dedicated controller seems wasteful consider it *can* be done within cubase.
Midi controller- heavily leaning towards the CME UF6 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Keyboards/Midi/MIDI/Controllers?sku=709512
help me out here, I might be wrong on the purpose of this equipment. I mostly want this to lay down bass and drum tracks. I play mainly rock/blues, but like to experiment with a huge range of music (dance, jazz, whatever). I've been reading about this, but would like some comments specifically to my situation. My friend uses a fantom x8, which has some killer sounds in it. Neither of us knows how to use midi though, he just uses it as a keyboard for realtime playing. I want a controller so I can learn midi, but also because I don't have enough access to the fantom to use it for writing music on my own.
If I used the UF6 to program a drum and bass track, can I just bring my laptop over to his place and use the sounds from his fantom to replace what I was using at home? (since midi is only data)
Also, the UF6 has no sounds of its own best I can tell. Is there a good faq around where I can learn about using sounds for this? Like the difference between softsynths, vst's and all that.
If I *am* on the right track, what would you suggest I couple this with for realistic drums and bass? (programs I'm assuming, or do I need an additional piece of hardware?)
I'm favoring the CME UF6 for several reasons:
61 keys is a nice balance between size and playability
It has transport functions for cubase (play, rewind, etc)
It has knobs and faders (can be used for mixing and synth control)
Its semiweighted
I hear good things about this line from this board and others.
It's cheap for what it is (just a bit more expensive than I'd like, which means if its a quality product I'll splurge on the budget a bit)
I have an actual piano, so this doesn't need to serve that purpose
Anyway, its obvious I have many questions on this, so if there's a really good guide on the internet that explains all of this to a newbie like me, it'd be great.
Thanks
Edit: From what I've been able to figure out since posting, I'd need a sound module, which is not at all cheap. I'm assuming soft synth packages are the other choice instead of a piece of hardware. I'd also guess there's free/cheaper sounds out there since its not a physical piece of equipment. Perhaps a package like this would get me started http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Recording/Computer/Software?sku=703616
Sempron Laptop
Firebox
SM57
KRK Rokit6's
My future needs are:
An additional 4 preamps
Physical controls for mixing
Mics, mics, and more mics
Midi controller (I think, and the purpose of this post)
The preamps and mics would be for recording drums. I am not a drummer, and this is a large investment and so it goes to the bottom of the list.
Physical controls would be great, but with a limited budget, getting a dedicated controller seems wasteful consider it *can* be done within cubase.
Midi controller- heavily leaning towards the CME UF6 http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Keyboards/Midi/MIDI/Controllers?sku=709512
help me out here, I might be wrong on the purpose of this equipment. I mostly want this to lay down bass and drum tracks. I play mainly rock/blues, but like to experiment with a huge range of music (dance, jazz, whatever). I've been reading about this, but would like some comments specifically to my situation. My friend uses a fantom x8, which has some killer sounds in it. Neither of us knows how to use midi though, he just uses it as a keyboard for realtime playing. I want a controller so I can learn midi, but also because I don't have enough access to the fantom to use it for writing music on my own.
If I used the UF6 to program a drum and bass track, can I just bring my laptop over to his place and use the sounds from his fantom to replace what I was using at home? (since midi is only data)
Also, the UF6 has no sounds of its own best I can tell. Is there a good faq around where I can learn about using sounds for this? Like the difference between softsynths, vst's and all that.
If I *am* on the right track, what would you suggest I couple this with for realistic drums and bass? (programs I'm assuming, or do I need an additional piece of hardware?)
I'm favoring the CME UF6 for several reasons:
61 keys is a nice balance between size and playability
It has transport functions for cubase (play, rewind, etc)
It has knobs and faders (can be used for mixing and synth control)
Its semiweighted
I hear good things about this line from this board and others.
It's cheap for what it is (just a bit more expensive than I'd like, which means if its a quality product I'll splurge on the budget a bit)
I have an actual piano, so this doesn't need to serve that purpose
Anyway, its obvious I have many questions on this, so if there's a really good guide on the internet that explains all of this to a newbie like me, it'd be great.
Thanks
Edit: From what I've been able to figure out since posting, I'd need a sound module, which is not at all cheap. I'm assuming soft synth packages are the other choice instead of a piece of hardware. I'd also guess there's free/cheaper sounds out there since its not a physical piece of equipment. Perhaps a package like this would get me started http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Recording/Computer/Software?sku=703616
Last edited:
