Help: Need Hardware Advice

[srgfenner]

Hey Guys and Gals,
I am looking to begin my electronic music making experience and am in the middle phases of researching equipment. Let's just say I will be using Ableton Live 8. I want to produce a good amount of sample based music (Novation Launchpad?) but I also need to have control knobs because I also want to make dubstep and am not willing to throw down $500 on a Mashine. I have a very nice Roland keyboard with midi that I plan on using, now here's the big question. Can I tweak my own sounds and instruments, assign them to the pads on the novation launchpad, combine that with my midi keyboard and be well on my way for a beginner producer? (Id also buy the Korg Nanokontroler for this setup) Please let me know your experience with any of these pieces of equipment and if you think they will fit a beginner electronic producer and be able to support the makings of dub step with grimy deep dubs. Thanks all!
I have looked into the korg velocity sensitive pads and am wondering is velocity sensitivity vital to making dubstep? Thanks!

[krushing]

Can I tweak my own sounds and instruments, assign them to the pads on the Novation Launchpad, combine that with my midi keyboard and be well on my way for a beginner producer? (Id also buy the Korg Nanokontroler for this setup) Please let me know your experience with any of these pieces of equipment and if you think they will fit a beginner electronic producer and be able to support the makings of dub step with grimy deep dubs. Thanks all!
I have looked into the korg velocity sensitive pads and am wondering is velocity sensitivity vital to making dubstep? Thanks!

Yes, the Launchpad will work just fine. But it's important to understand that it isn't the same as a drum pad controller - the Launchpad is specifically made - first and foremost - for launching clips in Live, not really for banging out drums in realtime. For drumming, yes, I'd want velocity sensitivity (and pads you can actually hit instead of the small buttons on the LP). That said, I loved the Launchpad for what it is. Unfortunately the secondary functions on it - mixer control and such - are too crude for actual mixing purposes, so I ended up switching to the APC40 (which basically does the same thing but with more controls). But both the Launchpad & the APCs provide a very straightforward way to interface with Live's clip matrix, which is the most important part, imo. You don't really even need to assign anything.

---------- Post added at 07:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:03 AM ----------

Can I tweak my own sounds and instruments, assign them to the pads on the Novation Launchpad, combine that with my midi keyboard and be well on my way for a beginner producer? (Id also buy the Korg Nanokontroler for this setup) Please let me know your experience with any of these pieces of equipment and if you think they will fit a beginner electronic producer and be able to support the makings of dub step with grimy deep dubs. Thanks all!
I have looked into the korg velocity sensitive pads and am wondering is velocity sensitivity vital to making dubstep? Thanks!

Yes, the Launchpad will work just fine. But it's important to understand that it isn't the same as a drum pad controller - the Launchpad is specifically made - first and foremost - for launching clips in Live, not really for banging out drums in realtime. For drumming, yes, I'd want velocity sensitivity (and pads you can actually hit instead of the small buttons on the LP). That said, I loved the Launchpad for what it is. Unfortunately the secondary functions on it - mixer control and such - are too crude for actual mixing purposes, so I ended up switching to the APC40 (which basically does the same thing but with more controls). But both the Launchpad & the APCs provide a very straightforward way to interface with Live's clip matrix, which is the most important part, imo. You don't really even need to assign anything.