what's better, comp or hardware...peep!

P

PRiZ

Guest
What do you all think is better, A computer or hardware for making beats? Computer is cheaper I presume, but does the sound of it all come out better when using majority of external hardware and a computer? Or Instead a computer and as little external hardware as possible. Obviously it depends somewhat on the quality level, expense of your programs etc. But overall what are the ups and downs of each. I'm really in need of advice and people don't seem to really answer soon enough to kill my eagerness, so please drop some insight on the subject.:confused: THanKs!
 
come on, hook a brotha up!

peeps always seem to look at posts that have replies, so heres a reply, pay some attention.
 
computers

In principle, I'd like to be able to do everything on my PC. I don't see any reason why people should have to get hardware samplers, hardware synths etc.

I do have a few items of hardware myself, most notably a synth module and keyboard - but I see nothing wrong with a decent software synth, as long as you have a bank of 'knobs' to controll it by MIDI.

I also have a few real percussion instruments - bongos, guiro, tik-taks, maracas etc, which are handy for making progressive house. But there are billions of drum machines and samples available so this is far from essential!

P.S. I never look at the number of replies - just the subject line.

Take it easy :)
 
Either or... All you have to do is ask yourself... Hmmmm, what kind of music do I want to create, and what do I need to create it? Then go out and find it. It doesn't matter if it's hardware or software because both give superb results. I tend to use only software because it's much cheaper, but I eventually plan to expand to hardware.
 
i also look at the subject line too!

well, it really depends. i'm also startin out myself and i favor using the computer since it's cheaper as it was already mentioned. but i plan to buy hardware as well like DJ effectors, TT's, and CDJ's to add to my drums, guitars, bass n stuff. it's cool to listen to live sounds recorded but in terms of hardware (drum seq, seq, synths etc.) they're too costly. just make sure you buy a MIDI controller and a keyboard synth.
 
Short & Simple....

I preffer Analogue, ( Hardware)

1. It's the 'FEEL' when you make your music...
2. The quality is somehow different...
3. To much from the cpu monitor will damage your eyes. (It's not comfortable in a way)
4. A few more.....


-That doesn't mean I don't use any software. Quantisizing in Cubase and such. Important of course.

But, I got more hardwares that softs....


Zaid Ambak, @ Akira
-I Do It LIVE-

www.nexdna.com
-(Kuala Lumpur's Electronic Music Scene)
-Check it out for our updates-
 
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thanks!...but why?

but why a midi controller and a keyboard synth?
Are these better to have as external, as compared to internal/software? or are these just the cheapest? These answers cleared up alot, but I really am still not clear about if I need a sampler, well not need, I know I'm going to need to sampler, but was wondering if I can sample straight of of a Turntaple/CD ROM to my computer and have the same quality as if I had an external device like the ones you mentioned, and then brought/ sampled that sound to the computer? Or would I just be spending more money and getting the same effect. I'm going to be producin hiphop, so my whole style is going to be based around sampling sounds, loops etc. So I deffinitely want the best route to take? :)
 
Akira: well, i agree with you definitely. If i had the money, i'd rather go for analogue but since i'm kinda short for it, i went for the pc. i just got a powerful one instead.

PRIZ: well, you need the controller to expand the possibilities and the movement for your software synths inside your pc. for sampling, since i'm kinda new to this too, i don't quite understand fully samplin yet but if you mean like gettin parts of a song or somethin, try soundforge sonic foundry
 
yea I love my hardware. its so much more instant. if you know what I mean. And with it being dedicated to the job - you just turn on and your away. No silly software so arse about with. and theres fcuk all chance of your DX7 getting a virus from the internet. lol.
 
hey cyso, when you said...

"PRIZ: well, you need the controller to expand the possibilities and the movement for your software synths inside your pc." - Did you mean an external controller (midi controller) to expand etc, or did you mean in general? so a midi controlller as a software program would be the same as an external program, or the external program would be needed because it works better than a software program. Sorry, should of mentioned I'm an idiot at understandind this stuff. :D
 
no...

a MIDI CONTROLLER is what you use in THE REAL WORLD (i.e. hardware) to make your computer make the sounds you want.

A keyboard for playing the notes or sometimes external boxes with knobs on for real time control of synth parameters of the soft synths in the computer.
 
UKcoolat,

well said!

Priz, ukcoolat explained it better than i did. i ust couldn't find the words but that was it.
 
I use both- my PC running Cubase with a 24 bit Mia card replaces thousands and thousands of dollars in hardware (although the Mia doesn't have multiple analog outs, but I don't need them- mixdown occurs internally).

I'm still not a huge fan of softsynths, and use a rack of modules controlled by a crappy midi controller.

The real advantages to using the PC is that if I want to run an EQ and compressor on each track, I can do it without buying as many EQs or compressors as I have tracks... the only limit is the CPU. Once everything is digital,it stays digital. Editing and tweaking audio on a PC is easier and more exact than using most hardware. It is easier to backup projects with PC. Mixdown occurs internally without extra D/A conversions. I can save countless remixes of each song without taking up tons of DAT space (by using the same audio pool for each song, I'm just saving the song). Easier to burn to CD, easier to master.

There's quite a learning curve to using a PC, but the same could be said for some hardware.

I actually sold my sampler after switching to PC.

On the other hand, if all you want to do is "make beats" I know people who swear by the MPC2000... but even at that, the audio needs processing.

On the flip side, as a former hardware user, I have to say that using a computer takes some of the spontaneity out of things- I need to plan ahead a bit better, I'm back and forth between the midi controller and the mouse, and there are little computer issues that crop up from time to time- ie. I would NEVER take a computer to a live show!
 
filtersweep said:

I actually sold my sampler after switching to PC.
Click to expand...

Heh.....I actually sold my PC after switching to a sampler/sequencer/synth. I like the hands-on of hardware, and the immediacy of it. Being hands-on allows me to be more creative, changing things in real-time, etc.
 
priz, quite honestly i dont know jack about producing...but my frien dave used to produce hip hop...he had cakewalk on his computer and a piece of crap keyboard that he bought from best buy for like 99 bucks...the beats were phat as hell...
 
"a MIDI CONTROLLER is what you use in THE REAL WORLD (i.e. hardware) to make your computer make the sounds you want. "

Uh, kinda. You can use either your computer or your keyboard as a midi controller. For instance you can load a sample into a keyboard and then use Reason(or whatever) on your PC to controll the keyboard playback, or you can setup your PC to be controlled by a midi device.

In my opinion the best setup is a black-box style midi controller(just a bunch of programmable knobs and faders) you can use to controll your computer.
 
I like both, the software synths become better and better, and lots of excellent simulators are made
(Rebirth, Pro52, ...)

but OF COURSE the use of sliders & knobs is feeling prettier and easier with the hardware synths :
=> when my wife asks why, I always say: if U were a man, what would U prefer: looking at nipples on the screen or touch them by yourself ? :D

Pier ;) is feeling happy today
 
Since we're talking about using PCs for music production, I was curious if anyone has an opinion as to whether Intel chips perform better than AMD chips when using apps such as Reason, Cubase, fruityloops, Reaktor, soundforge etc.? I'm thinking of upgrading and not sure which processor to buy.
 
Anheuser said:
Since we're talking about using PCs for music production, I was curious if anyone has an opinion as to whether Intel chips perform better than AMD chips when using apps such as Reason, Cubase, fruityloops, Reaktor, soundforge etc.?
Click to expand...
I originally bought my PC to use Cubase on. I bought an Intel Pentium II (this was a couple of years ago) because I read that Cubase would run better on Intel chips. Sound playback is reasonably slick, but I use a lot of audio tracks in my tunes, and Cubase runs appalling under these conditions. Slow screen update, slow update after performing edits, gaps in playback when you edit the tune while playing back ... all in all I'm none too impressed by Cubase.

Let's get a couple of things straight - I've got the display on minimum detail (I just display the parts as bars, no waveforms); hardly any realtime effects; I've got a soundcard that can play back 32 channels of audio simultaneously; a separate hard disc for audio files (the other disc has all the programs etc); 128Mb SDRAM (+ I've set up maximum caches for each audio channel). I don't have performance problems with any other programs on my PC.
 
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