Best advice/warning for all newbs and new members

[Derrick Foreal]

Please Understand that while their are some good people who give great advice on this site, their is also a mass majority who dont have a clue what they are talking about and are honestly probably in the same boat as you are just with more posts under their belts. So read at your own risk. So with that being said Ill give you guys/gals some real advice.

1. Have fun- make no since in getting all stressed out and bent out of shape because you think someone is better or because you are afraid you wont make it. Truth is not everyone will make it, but there are also people who live pretty comfortable making music behind the scene. Not everyone will be a RZA, a TIMBALAND, or KAnye WEsT. So just have fun enjoy, get out find vibes from different places i.e The Club, The Park, The mall. Then go home and work on some music. Hip Hop wasnt created in someones room it was created in a park in NY lol.

2. Be Thankful- Dont worry about having the best gear. Be thankful that technology and the age we live in has made it affordable and start with better equiptment then most of the top producers started with. Its not the maschine its the man behind it ( i had to learn this the hard way). I know a guy ( NO LIE! ) who makes dope a$$ beats using an old playstation 1 and the old "mtv music generator" game. You wanna know where producers get there crazy sounds not from all this great equiptment. They use there imaginations, listen to music YOU DONT, watch movies YOU WONT, and get ideas and sample wacky things. EVerything in life is trial and error, from your first baby steps to you first big hit. Shit the Rza used to borrow his friends equiptment and jus rock out with some T. Tables and a sampler that sampled like 8 sec. (Harsh) alot of us would crumble under that kind of pressure lol. So enjoy what you have and learn to make it work in the end when you do get all that money and equiptment, i bet your bread and butter will still be a version of the maschine you started with or something similar.

3. Rome wasnt build in a day - Need i say more everything takes time, learning, technique, experimenting, growth, and understanding. All of those thing take time, so if you dont love it then leave it for someone who does cause you only kidding yourself and wasting your own time and money.

4. Who do you know- Get to know your cities underground scene. Become a face and a name, cuz nowadays its alot about visual and perception. Be knowledgable in your field. Would you hire a lawyer to defend your murder case who didnt know his stuff? No. So have fun reading blogs, hanging out in the scene i.e (parties, shows, school, mall, you name it). ANy where a possible contact might be lurking. Its funny because just saying the right name will sometimes get you in the door. Be professional from you facebook page to you email address. But most of this stuff comes once you have something to market, take the necc. time to perfect you craft. I have a theory that good music is good music and everyone loves good music. But once you have that, who you know will become a factor.

If you have any further questions feel free to post and i will answer what i can with help im sure from other ppl on the site.

P.s - Dont waste your time with ppl who arent serious. It will only hinder you in the end. Link up with good, positive people with similar mindsets and interest and build relationships and remain humble no matter what success you find.

LOVE and most importantly PEACE

[Foggy]

Not a bad post at all Derrick
I think I had one of those samplers !
An Akai S612

[MegaMindBo]

good post. these are gems.

[JohnRoss]

Sound advice. I need a computer. Suggestions? $800 budget. (Guessing a desktop will give me more for money) ANY advice will be much appreciated.

[3ternal]

My only advice and warning is the same thing:

Your only limit is how far you want to push yourself.

[Derrick Foreal]

---------- Post added at 06:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:57 AM ----------

Sound advice. I need a computer. Suggestions? $800 budget. (Guessing a desktop will give me more for money) ANY advice will be much appreciated.

Ok heres the deal you dont need a computer, yes they are helpful but not needed. You inboxed me an said you had a triton, correct? Well i say the most important thing is workflow. Use what ever gives you the best workflow and DO NOT sacrifice your workflow for any piece of equiptment because as you get better you will look back and wanna kick yourself (something i learned the hard way) You can do alot with 800. Use craigslist, wake up early every morning an look for good deal on computers. There are people who do this for a living just to make profits, so you will have to be patient an wake up early a couple mornings to catch a nice fat worm. I just recently brought a damn near brand new 15' macbook PRO from a guy on craigslist for 650 no lie and im loving this thing. i find good deals all the time on there on all sorts of equiptment.

but to answer your question alittle more- i had an imac an got tired of not being portable so i switched to the laptop. I take it everywhere i go just make music more fun to be able to whip my mpd out in a library with a bunch of cds from there media selection and samples a couple things into battery. I also go to my schools music room and use a aux cable from the keyboard right into my mac and take samples from some of there keyboards an throw them into logic as well. IMO having a laptop just allows you to create more freely but boy do i miss my old motif es6 . i used to throw that thing in the car or carry it when ever i went to the studio or to work on music with a friend. I used to enjoy that everyone else whip out a laptop and id whip out a 61 key monster lol them things are diesel. but it was a great workstation with tremendous workflow, connected to an mpc! ... smh all hell would let loose dont be afraid to do things diff. thats how ppl remember you

W.O.B - workflow over b1tchs

[JohnRoss]

I appreciate it Derrick. I actually just checked CL after reading your post and see a mid 2009 MBPro listed for $750 upgraded to 8GbRam still under warranty. In your opinion or anybody else with one who reads this would I be better off with that or a new HP with the specs listed below? (It's a desktop but if it made no difference which do you think would run smoother) Thanks again.

PRODUCT FEATURES

• 2nd Gen Intel® Core™ i5-2320 processor
  Features a 6MB cache and a 3.0GHz processor speed with Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz.
• Intel® Core™ i5 processor
  Features smart 4-way processing performance with a speed boost.
• Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
  Automatically speeds up your processor when your PC needs extra performance. Intel® HD graphics are built into Intel's smart new processors.
• 8GB DDR3 memory
  For multitasking power, expandable to 16GB.
• Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
  Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL media. Also supports DVD-RAM.
• 1TB Serial ATA hard drive
  Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times.
• Intel® HD Graphics 2000
  For lush images. HDMI output for connection to an HDTV.
• Multi-in-1 digital media reader
  Supports CompactFlash I/II, CompactFlash +, Microdrive, MultiMediaCard, HC MultiMediaCard Plus, HC MultiMediaCard mobile, MultiMediaCard Plus, MultiMediaCard mobile and Reduced-Size MultiMediaCard formats.
• Also supports Secure Digital, miniSD, miniSDHC, microSD, SmartMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo formats.
• 2 high-speed USB 3.0 and 10 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
  For fast digital data transfer and easy peripheral connectivity.
• Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
  Connect to the Internet without wires.
• Built-in 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN
  With RJ-45 connector for quick and easy wired Web connection.
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system preinstalled
  Provides a stable platform for word processing, Web navigation, gaming, media storage and more.

[MyComglomerate]

all valid points.
im currently producing as a side hobby, school remains my greatest chase.
nevertheless, i love the go into the Flip It section and hear the vibes people are making and give some honest advice.

but on the real, all that is def true, especially #2.
I'm currently cranking out some beats using my Microsoft keyboard as my MIDI controller!

Imagination > Equipment.

[circab]

Always have fun with it! Yes it will be hard at times but if you keep coming round back to that sweet spot stick with it. You'll get there

Also, a problem we all share on pc or mac based daws. sometimes paying more attention with our eyes rather than ears haha

[KN1]

agreed, nice post. my boy doesn't have any midi controllers and he rips it. he's just stuck with it for a while. it's easy to get addicted to seeing progress and getting where you want to be. If you are stuck at getting to a level you'll never be happy when you get there and if you didnt enjoy the way you got there then what's the point =\. I just threw a show and didnt really get money back from it but it was a hell of a lot of fun and a reminder that I do this because I love some loud ass music that I feel. Don't burn yourself out, take breaks, fill your mind with all kind of influences.

listen and watch what I normally wouldn't still working on that and damn my school's media center i did not think of that! gold!

cheers

chris