1.) Drum Machine
With a drum machine, you compose your drum beats. You pick an instrument (Bass Drum for example) and put notes on a timeline.. and listen to it while you compose it. It's step by step pattern programming. You can install the demo of Rebirth or of Reason to experience a bit what a drumbox is (these programs have other features but drumbox is one of them).
2.) Sampler
Several ways to use a sampler. It is NOT just for looping someone else's music you sample.. It can be used also to play realistic piano or strings.. basically you record or load instruments form CDROMs and play on the keyboard controller those sounds. It's like a synthesizer, but the basis of your sound is a short recording, a sample.
3.) 4-track tape recorder
Well.. I would recommend to get a DAT recorder, a normal one.. and a 12 or 16 tracks mixer, to plug all the instruments on the mixer, and the DAT to record what comes out of the mixer (your music!).
4.) Keyboard
Well... a keyboard can be used to control the other instruments, anything in yoru studio.. you press the keys and send MIDI NOTES to your sequencer or to your modules to compose melodies and trigger those samples.
5.) Anything else
Synthesizers:
These are instruments you CREATE sounds from a vibration, generally a sinus or a square, a sawtooth... those are generating an audible vibration. Then you apply an enveloppe on the sound, filters, etc... It's how peopel create those electronic sounds.
Sequencer:
The sequencer is what you use to write all the notes of your music.. it can be a machine (
Yamaha RM1X,
Yamaha SU700,
AKAI MPC2000...), or a software (cubase VST 5, Cakewalk 9, Logic...).
HOPE THIS HELP!!!!
I think we are going to add a MUSIC GLOSSARY on this site soon!
