Tips for a young producer

T

thesoloist1914

Paradom Beats
Hey all I actually had a huge question to ask. Looking through the forums here I've seen a lot of people who I would consider professionals in the field of music. I'm trying to become one of these professionals therefore I know I need the proper equipment to do so. I just started producing about 8 to 16 months ago (it wasn't one of my main goals until about 4 months ago.) I have a few tracks out but I really feel like they are missing something and that they are not my best work and I feel like I can do more. Recently I made the decision that I want to create my own studio but I'm not exactly sure of all the equipment I will need and what equipment is good for my budget. I know I want a keyboard/synthesizer (primarily for the sounds and maybe to help workflow) and I know I need an interface for recording as well as a mic and a filter. (I also play bass guitar and I hope to record live as well.) After that I really don't know exactly what I'm looking for. My budget isn't very big especially since I'm in my junior year of college and during the school year I really don't have the ability to work a job because of all of the hours I'm taking among performing and greek activities. So over the summer I'm hoping to raise $1500 to at least start building my studio and I was hoping that I can get some advice on some equipment. Thanks in advanced. And actually I was wondering about what order I should necessarily get them in because I also am thinking about getting into composition as well.
 
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Hey you should get
Komplete 9 (Acoustic sounds/synths/effect ((pretty much every sound imaginable))) -$500 Might sound high $ but you wont need new sounds for a longggg time (the pros use this)
Maschine Mikro (sampler/drums/Komplete 9 Host)- $299
Midi Controller of your Choice (to play keyboard/ KOMPLETE 9 SOUNDS)- $220-$350
SOUNDCARD/audio interface (presonus firestudio(usb) firebox if u have firewire)(to connect speakers/inputs/guitar/microphones/computer - i believe $250
Krk rokit 5 (pair) - $300
Comes out to around 1650 but this is a great great setus and its all u ill need for a long time(pretty much until u decide to go pro pro and dedicate ur whole life to it)

slowly add on additional things u may need. Microphone/ headphones/ etc

Hope this provides some insight

u dont really need Maschine at first. I just have one and love so its a necessity for me.

In terms of order:
u really need the midi controller/ sounds (komplete)/ soundcard/ speakers(monitors) at the same time. everything has to be connected to work properly

ohh and by the way you need a DAW. Fruity loops is great, its cheap ($99 and some famous producers still use it)
 
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I actually already use FL Studio 10 as my DAW but I was looking at some others. I was looking for something that would do well for composition besides Finale and maybe a good DAW for recording since for my FL studio isn't the best but maybe that's just my computer (laptop) being slow. In fact I also wanted to try Pro Tools but even the free trial requires you to buy a device and until I start working over the summer I can't afford it. I heard I'm gonna have to update my rig as far as computers go and from all of what I've seen I'm going to have to either buy a pretty expensive laptop or build my own pc which I've never done before. I heard Komplete was a pretty good software to get and I'm using software similar to it. Currently I'm using Massive (which I believe is apart of the Komplete 9 program), Tal Bassline, and Tal Ueno they have some pretty decent sounds and presets. I'm pretty new so are there any tutorials that would help me use the Maschine Mikro since I've never used hardware like that before. Also you stated I would need a new soundcard/interface. Now would that be hardware that needs to be installed into my computer or are these external devices. Sorry about all of these questions I just want to make sure I have everything covered.
 
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I used Fl studio 9 for years until FL 10 came out and I used that for about 8 months before switching to Reason, and I only have Reason 5. I have never looked back since then...the ease of using hardware with Reason makes it win out over Fl for me 100x over. If you are serious about composition and really pushing that keyboard and your bass to their limits I highly recommend Reason as the DAW of choice, but of course that is my opinion and biased towards my workflow in the studio. You can do absolutely anything you want with pretty much any DAW.
 
I might have to try reason. Are there other DAW's that are good for composition. I heard pro tools was good and pretty much an industry standard but I'm not entirely sure.
 
Pro Tools is cool, and very user friendly if you want to record lyrics, voice overs, hooks, or vocal noises. There are so many good DAWS man.. try as many as you can get your hands on without spending too much cash.

Cubase, Reaper, Acid, Logic, Ableton, Traktion, Orion, Mixcraft....just experiment and have fun. Find what fits your style best, for me it's Reason hands down.
 
Hmmmm true good point. I'll do some trials and see what I like. It's hard to get my hands on Pro tools though. I don't even know how to try it out without buying the software. Also I have another question. The laptop I'm currently using is getting old and has a lot of wear and tear on it. I was wondering if it was better to build my own rig (pc) or would it just be beneficial to get a new laptop. In which case what kinds of specs am I looking for? Granted a laptop would probably be a little more beneficial since I am a student in school and I won't be graduating for another year or two.
 
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