I have mouths to feed here........

[munook]

I am an artist/songwriter who is turning slowly from guitar, bass, drums, & vocals to the strange and facinating world of machines making music....(which in the pompass world of live musicians is considered to be the dark side by & by) So, given my musical background...creating a good song won't be a problem once I learn how to master these machines....my problem however is this...would some kind and knowledgable soul please tell me what gear (preferably hardware...but I'll go either way...) I need to use (including mixers and speakers) to get the best, most professional sound possible....because I want my live shows packed out and my albums to sound top-notch....I need to make some serious cash...I have mouths to feed here.......oh yeah....I have currently in my possesion an E-MU MP-7, a Roland CDX-1 Disclab, a completely naked PC ( please tell me how to properly dress...),and several random live insruments (8-track recorder...congas, mics, guitars bass...etc). My idea is to combine live music with electronica for a kind of industrial feel....please help.

 

[Guenon]

Just an idea: it might turn out to be very fruitful if you collaborated with someone in your area who is already experienced in the field of electronic music and engineering but in turn can't do live instrumentation. Look around and spread the word. As you have a solid background in playing live instruments and songwriting, there can very well be someone near you who has had the same kind of overall sound in mind and would seriously like to combine creative forces with you. Chances are that you will both learn a lot and can start exploring the combined acoustic/electronic territory sooner

Good luck!

 

[blakkshel]

What I would reccomend is to visit your local music store and "play around with some gear' to see what fits your needs. There are many ways that you could go from the point where you are right now. I have been around many producers, and the one constant I find is that there is no 1 set standard of gear. I have seen people that swear by the typical "Motif ES, MPC 2000,XL, mixer, turntable" set-up. I have also seen people make masterpeices with just a laptop, Reason, some refills, and sound drum samples. Me personally, I use a Roland MV-8000, a Korg Triton Classic, Roland VS2480 recorder, Reason 3.0, and Sonic Synth 2. I have had a few different setups and this work for me. I would hate to say "go get this or get that" and then you get it ,and it does not meet your needs. But you are ahead of the game being that you can actually play instruments.

 

[jonmixwell]

true that

you are definitely ahead of the game if you can play an instrument - no music program can teach you that.. but sometimes like you say its better to have the instrument play itself. If you are looking to make electronica your going to have to have some sort of MIDI device for your computer - most audio cards come standard with MIDI now. You already have the MP-7 which is a great start I currently have the XL7 (for electronic music) but your going to want to hook it up to your computer via MIDI. MIDI is where its at for automation and just straight up playing the keyboard.. Its great that you can play guitar so dont sell any of your current equipment just be smart about what you buy next. Also your going to need a sequencing program to run all these MIDI signals and your going to realize that your going to need more than just a 1X1 MIDI (1 out and 1 in) Cubase is the best I dont care what anybody says I've used them all and sx3 is lightyears ahead of everyone. By far the most user friendly and the VST format is rock solid. I have pro tools equipment to use with it so I've spend the extra doe to have a super dooper setup (DIGI002R) It works great and I dont need anything more. dont be fooled into thinking you need to have moving faders or a mpc with the drumpads the drumpads & knobs on your MP7 will do everything in your wildest dreams... I would say go buy SX3 and some sort of professional device like the DIGI or ProjectMix and BUY RACK EQUIPMENT IT SAVES TONS OF SPACE!!! heh hence the DIGI Rack and my AKAI S3000XL, screw the mpc hook up that old zip drive for removable storage onto your sampler for an endless harddrive like I said you've already got the drumpads...