Absolute beginner requesting help with MIDI device and DAW

P

PSV

New member
Hello

I am very, very new to music production and I am (think) I am about to sign up with a music foundations class. I am currently deciding which DAW to go with as well as which MIDI device. I would like a device that is good for beginners but also will be able to grow with me and handle a few more complicated tasks later. I have a budget of around $300.00 - $400.00 (really pushing it there) for the device. I found these two and wondered if anyone experienced could give advice on which they would go with and why...

"Novation Impulse 49 key USB midi controller" (on Amazon, could not post link)

"Akai Professional MPK249 49 key USB midi controller" (also on Amazon, could not post link)

Also, the same with DAWs, which are good for the beginner to learn on as well as grow into later? I'm really into movie scores (like Hans Zimmer), movie trailer music (like 2WEI and All Good Things), remixes and fantasy orchestral in general. I'm looking into Ableton 10 the most right now, but I have seen there are many out there so I hoped someone could guide me toward the most intuitive and best all round DAW.

Thank you!
 
I've been using FL for years and I have no complaints. I thought the layout was very intuitive and easy to work with. The new editions have track mode which really simplifies keeping things organized if you're a mess like me.
 
parallel loners said:
I've been using FL for years and I have no complaints. I thought the layout was very intuitive and easy to work with. The new editions have track mode which really simplifies keeping things organized if you're a mess like me.
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Thanks :) Any thoughts on the MIDI devices? (and I am a mess XD )
 
PSV said:
Thanks :) Any thoughts on the MIDI devices? (and I am a mess XD )
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No worries! I just use my laptop keyboard. By now I'm kind of used to it but there are definitely benefits to using an actual mini-keyboard (like learning to actually play an instrument). I'll let someone more experienced answer that question. Do you have decent headphones? If not, I'd invest in that before anything else. Take care of your ears!
 
parallel loners said:
No worries! I just use my laptop keyboard. By now I'm kind of used to it but there are definitely benefits to using an actual mini-keyboard (like learning to actually play an instrument). I'll let someone more experienced answer that question. Do you have decent headphones? If not, I'd invest in that before anything else. Take care of your ears!
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I do, I got a pair of Sennheiser "HD 280 Pro" when I started learning Davinci. Not the fanciest but I think they sound very nice :)
 
Of the two you listed I would suggest the Novation Impulse 49. Novation has always had good reviews and the controller mappings seem to be more easily read in the different programs and plug-ins.

On the DAW, man this is always a hard question. I use Reason and what I love about it is is has so many built in devices and patches already. For orchestral film scoring, any DAW you feel comfortable with would be good but you need to narrow down the sounds / samples you're going to want to create with. For what you want to do NI's KONTAKT might be an advanced thing that would be too monstrous initially but pay off exponentially very quickly.

Play with the demos of the DAWs and decide.
 
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