Hard vs Soft

G

Gio

Guest
Sorry to bring up this debate again, but...

I've got no more than £UK 1,200 to spend and I want to buy a combination of hardware and software from the following list. What combination can anyone recommend?

Nord Lead 2/Rack
Nova Desktop
MIDI Keyboard (If none on synth)
Native Instruments Reaktor
Propellorheads Reason
Roland JP-8000/8080
Steinberg Halion

+Anything else similar

I am into creating interesting sounds rather than specific genres, but usually my tracks are classifiable as progressive house / breakbeat / electro.

My current setup is:
>750mhz Duron PC, 128MB RAM, 20GB HDD, SB Live! Platinum
>Cubasis VST
>Rebirth RB-338 v2.01
>Korg EA-1 Electribe
>Zoom SampleTrak ST-224
>Behringer MX2004A Mixer (Plenty of spare channels)

As you can tell my biggest problem is an absence of polyphony, other than the SB Live, when creating pads etc...

Hope someone can help!
 
I would pick up a copy of Reason along with
a nice polyphonic synth, probably would spend the rest on a decent digital eight track and some f/x,
maybe a looper of two....
 
Why spend money on an 8-track when he's got Cubasis? I'd say go for the Nord Lead rack, a controller keyboard and a phatboy or some sort of knobby/slider midi controller for your softsynths. Another program you should check out is VAZ Modular-- it's shockingly low latency for a pure software modular synth and has a tonne of options. Cheap too, $299us is list price.
-mj-
 
get yourself either a VIRUS B or a SUPERNOVA for yoru synth stuff, a good soundcard (midiman or echo), Steinberg HALion (superb VST sampler), and Native Instruments BATTERY (EXCELLENT VST drumbox)...

... just compose everything in cubase, and record everything in cubase as well.. you'll be fine!

good luck
 
I'd say:

Nord Lead 2/Rack
MIDI Keyboard

and

At least have a listen to the Waldorf Micro-Q.
I personally think it's extremely affordable for what you get out of it, and the the OS upgrades always add a lot of value to it.

All three should fit nicely into your budget.
 
Thanks guys. I'm a student next year so I can't really afford to screw this up. It's good to talk it through with like-minded people instead of some guy in a shop trying to sell you something:)
 
i have a load of hardware synths and drummers and have used a borrowed nord a few times. i am just away to pick one up after my next release as it really is something else. it is totally outstanding and certainly makes you try to push your other synths further just to try and keep up. it raises the standard so much that you start to demand more from your others. thats just my personal opinion though but i know loads more who think the same. try to get into a shop and give it a spin though along with other stuff and see what suits you.
since you are on a tight budget though, you should seriously consider a hardware sampler. these can compensate for a multitude of equipment as they can be drum machines, synths etc etc all in one and all at once. look at the EMU stuff as i swear by it, they all have synth engines inside with all the sampling. this means that you have the most amazing control over sounds just like in a synth with filters etc. their stuff blows akai etc away. IMHO anyway.
for 1200 quid you could prob get some nice second hand stuff, def go this way on a tight budget, look at readers ads in www.sospubs.co.uk. you will get more for your £ than buying new.
i would personally get some hardware, you should be able to get a nord, a sampler and a nice little drum machine for £1200 i would think which would give you plenty of possibilities and so much scope. you can sequence from cubasis with midi and use the nord as a master keyboard too.make sure you dont get a rack one though :)
 
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