Any of you guys can give me some information?

D

DJ Koen

Guest
Hi there!
I'm into club/hardclub/trance and I'm DJing now for a couple of years and I want to get into producing.
I've been using programs like Scream Tracker, Fast Tracker, Impulse Tracker. For the past weeks, i've been practicing with 'synthesizer programs' like Simsynth, Stomper and other small ones. I bought Magix Music Maker 6, but I guess these are not very well...
Can anyone tell me if MM6 is good for producing?
And if I want to make good, professional-sounding tunes, which software and/or hardware should I buy?
As I said, I'm pretty new to this, so I would also like to know about connecting the synths/sequencers and stuff to each other.
Thanks in advance, much appreciated!
 
welcome to FutureProducers Koen! :)

where should I start?... mmhh let's see

If you are just starting out, how about trying the demo of REASON? Maybe you will like it. If you like it it's just a few hundred dollars and you are in business.

If you want directly to jump to the next level, then you should consider getting a MIDI sequencer such as CUBASE or LOGIC, and a decent MIDI interface (i always recommend MIDIMAN USB SPORT 4x4), as well as a MIDI keyboard controller (if you are not a pianist you will be fine with a $100 FATAR MK149).

All of the above is fine but it doesnt "make sounds". Its to write your music (Sequencer), communicate with your midi equipment (midi interface) and control everything with keys (midi keyboard).

so.. we need sound now.

You will want to get a sampler (rack), a synthesizer (one with no keyboard is fine if you have the midi controller). Post new threads for questions about what sampler/synthesizers to get to get more precise help on these vast topics.

then you need other stuff such as maybe a mixer (analog: MACKIE 12 tracks, or if you want digital: Yamaha 01V).

to record your tunes, you can either record on the computer each track separately, or you can get a DAT recorder and simply "tape" your sessions.


Using REASON is very possible, and in theory (if you have a good computer) it will replace most of the above. Since you are starting, you wont have much limitations with this program. You can read the review of it in the "full reviews" section of this site for more info.


This is an introduction, but I am sure it will help you a lot for now. Remember people are here to listen to you and discuss with you on any problem or question you may have, so dont hesitate to post.

take care and good luck with your projectS! It is a vast and exciting world to produce music.

I hope to see you around soon,
Sincerely

-mano

:)
 
[edited by Administrator: OUPS i made a mistake, I've edited your post instead of quoting what you said to reply to it! sorry!]

[koen asked how things were connected together]

:(
 
befor i give you any advice, please understand that if mano says something diffrent to me, then he is the one thats right!:)
Firstly, midi isn't software. It's a means of connecting diffrent pieces of hardware (and sofatware) together. From a physical point of view, it's pluging lots of wires (special midi ones) into ports into the back of midi compatible harware (eg, computer ports, samplers, keyboards, etc). It works kind of like the food chain (i'm not to good at anallergys), you have to have a big main fish, to tell all the others what to do (this would probably be the computer). Then you get it's son, in my case, my midi keboard. This acts as the contoller device for all my other midi equipment. It relays the stuff from all the little fish, to the big main one (the computer). You might neeed to get someone who knows what they're doing to set it all up, and to explain it without all the fish, but once you've got it all set up, it's pretty simple. For a better definition, there's probably one in the "music glossary" section of this site. By the way, incase i forgot to mention, the big fish (the computer) is the "midi interface". For your other question about where all the effects stuff goes, you need to plug it into a midi port, which depending on your setup, will either go into the midi controller (keboard), or staight into the computer. I hope i got most of it right, and i'm sure mano will correct the bits i got wrong.
p.s, sorry if i just ended up confusing you even more with all that fish stuff:D
 
argg.. why did i edit you post? i think it's because of the new buttons, i messed up.

ok.. you asked how to connect everything together:


sequencer:
program on your computer. you write your notes on tracks and control external MIDI devices, or internal ones (software synthesizers)


midi interface:
i recommend a dedicated one (MIDIMAN USB 2x2 is great and rock stable). It is basically a box connected to your computer, with midi connectors on it. you can find internal ones too (a card in your computer).

midi controller:
it is a piano keyboard you plug to your midi interface. it looks like a synthesizer but it doesnt make any sound. it's just to send note datas to the computer.

sampler:
connect to the midi interfce (2 midi cables). connect to the mixer with audio cables

synthesizer:
connect to the midi interface (2 midi cables). connect to the mixer with audio cables


mixer:
mixer routes all the signals together. it has effects plugged to the AUX connectors on it. you can add effects to any track on the mixer itself. Plug the line out to an amplifier, and speakers to the amplifier. Use another set of output (L and R) to plug to the DAT recorder. Mixer doesnt need to be plugged to the computer unless you want to record/sample what you do from your computer. There are several ways to plug all this together.


DAT:
mixer output (L and R) connected to the DAT inputs.
 
do you need a midi interface? cant you connect the midi in on your computer to the sample, midi out on the sampler to the synth yada yada yada....
 
Thanks!

Thanks people, for your reactions! 't's alot clearer to me! Much appreciated!

Greetings
DJ Koen :cool:
 
did my earlyer post on this thread work? I tryed to find it after i did it and it wasn't there! Dont worrie if you cant see it, it was lame anyway, all about fish.:D
 
Hi,
Every small piece of advice is helpfull! And after all, I liked the story 'bout the fish and stuff. How about a new nickname for yourself, like 'The Fisherman' :D.
But another thing I would like to know is, if Magix Music Maker is a good program for using in a studio.
I'm considering bying Reason or starting building a hardware-studio. I guess I should go for the cheapest way...Reason.
 
i havn't used magix mix, but reason and cubase are by far the best. However, you SHOULD NOT consider either as being a substitute for hardware. They are intended for use to be COMBINED WITH HARDWARE. They should be used (in my opinion) to enhance the possibiliyts of hardware equipment.:)
 
Hey DJ Stretch,
I know what you mean by using the hardware and software together. When I'm really going to get into producing as well as spinning, then I'll do that for sure!
But what I meant actually is that, for the start, I think I go for the cheapest way. And buying good hardware is pretty expencive so I think my choice will be Reason.
By the way, I'm going to get Cubase from a friend...hopefully I'll be able to afford Reason these days. The Demo was very impressive to me!
Would you name Magix Music Maker a sequencer or something else?

Greetings
DJ Koen
 
As i said, i havn't used magix mix, but from what iv'e heard, yes it is. If your asking so that you can find out what a sequencer is, then i find that the "music glossary" section of the site (the fourth link in the list of forums), is really useful. They've all been either writen by mano (the god of all knowledge), or he has taken them from other people who know their stuff, so you can be sure that it's all acurate. As for getting cubase.......mmmmmmmm. I see that you only want to get into producing at this stage, BUT before you can do that, you need something to produce. Cubase doesnt make sounds, it just changes them, edidts them, and arranges them.:rolleyes:
 
Yeah, I know what you mean. But It's a nice start for building a hardware-studio...But before a buy all sorts of synths and samplers and other devices, I start with Reason, to see if I can make my musical ideas come true. Playing is still my priority...
 
But if I'm going for the hardware-side, why should I take a MIDIMAN 4x4? So I can attache more devices to the interface?
Can't I attache a mixer to the interface and then connect a device to each fader?

And If I connect the devices as Mano has said, how do I add the effects to the sound? Is it like
synth - effectmachine - mixer INPUT? Or something else like synth (or controller - synth) - mixer and then add the effects later? I think it differs from attaching turntables to a mixer right?

Hopefully someone can tell me, it's pretty interesting!
Greetings,
DJ Koen
 
nono.. the mixer is not polugged to the interface.. you have to remember MID is not audio, these are 2 different things in your studio.

ok

AUDIO
instruments > mixer
mixer > DAT recorder (or your computer via audio if you want to capture sound

MIDI
instruments > interface
interface > instruments
interface > computer (USB works fine)

EFFECTS
this is a bit more difficult to understand, but if you know how to use Reason it works the same way: on the mixer you have AUXs and AUX SENDs. An effect (a reverb rack for example) is plugged to both AUX and AUX SEND. Basically you add or remove wetness (effect) to a track by increasing the AUX level of this effect on the track strip.

Hope it makes sense.
 
Thanks Mano, you're the real number One! With a capital O :)
I kept thinking MIDI is some sort of audio, but your right...I should forget about that. It's beause I keep messing it up with usual connections of audiodevices like turntables and huge soundsystems...
But thanks, your help is very usefull!
I now know the way of connection and I keep on surfing and reading stuff about hardware which are mentioned alot at this forum.
I've been thinking and I really don't how to start. I would like to start a little studio, but I need to choose between Reason and hardware...Reasen is probably the cheapest way to start. And I guess it can also be used in a hardware studio. Is the Reason sequencer also useable with hardware? But if I choose for hardware, is a computer necessary then? Or will it be much more expensive without one?
Again alot questions :D. Sorry mate, it's just that I want to get into it a little before I buy anything.
Anyway, your help is much appreciated!

Greetings,
DJ Koen
 
. reason is a GREAT choice if you are starting. you will learn how to use hardware by playing with reason

. read carefully the review of reason I wrote, in the "full reviews" section of this site

. if you want hardware later, reason's sequencer won't work.. unless they do an update (you cant control external MIDI with it yet)

. if you want hardware later, you will need a sequencer program such as Cubase VST 5 or Logic, or cakewalk (cake is cheap and easy to use). For this you will need a computer yes

. it is POSSIBLE to use hardware only (no computer) but then you should buy a machine with a good hardware sequencer on it, such as Akai MPC2000 or something else (vast subject they make new machines every month eheh)


hope this helps!!!! :D:D:D
 
Yeah, it helps alot! Thanks!

I'm going to get Cubase VST, so that is also very nice. But the problem is, I can't start connecting hardware to a PC because this one's my dads PC. I need to buy one myself if I want to start that. So I wondered if I could without a PC, but that will be alot more expensive I guess...
By the way, for making trance and club, is it better to go digital or combine it with analoge stuff? For a mixer, a version of the newer Yamaha ones seems very neat to me...

Greetings!
DJ Koen
 
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