new to the game

[dj killa kut]

wat up yall
i love hip-hop and recently got into djing
but i would love to make my own beats
i was reading some of the "begginer"
posts but they havent clarified shit
so anywayz my questions are
what equipment should i get to start with?
any good books to learn all these terms u guys use and the basics?
and finaly how u guys got started?

holla back :help:

 

[afriquedeluxe]

i got started wit software n am still wit it. B4 u get hardware which i kno can b really pricey, try out software like fruity loops, its very popular. i ma self use reason n hav dun so since i started makin beatz. if u wana record live instruments dnt matta if u got a crap mic, ull end up gettin a dirty kinda lo-fi sound n dat can sound sik at times, make it sound like sampled ish. hey wat u hav u got at da moment?

 

[Loose Cannon]

Id tell you to get into djing more before you start makin beats. It WILL be a lot easier if you can do some mixing and scratching.(Producers that dj before they produced: dj clue, just blaze, dr. dre, a lot more, but im not in the mood)

But after you can do some of that, id save up and get the mpc 1000. I know computers are easier, but its better to know your hardware before software.

also, just to learn some things, subscribe to catalogs. At first your gonna be looking through em saying "What the hell is a 16-Track Sequencer?!" But after a while youll start to learn more and more.
so heres a list of places to subscribe to catalogs:
www.pssl.com
www.samash.com
www.musiciansfriend.com
www.americanmusicsupply.com

i hope that gets you goin.

1 more thing though, stay wit this site and keep asking questions. allota people on this site that can help you.

 

[Loose Cannon]

oops, i forgot.

I got started:

Me and my friends always freestyled and beatboxed after school, and i bought turntables after a while and taught myself to scratch, then mix. Then i started going to music stores and jammin on the beat machines til they got mad and kicked me out. Then i started making beats on a computer. And now i switch between hardware and software for my beats.
Theres a lot more to it but i hate typin. so


PEACE

 

[dj killa kut]

right now i only got the fruityloops demo
and im just trying to figure shit out.
lol

 

[mod1]

Fruity loops is A good program I was making beats on my playstation when I started three years ago,and i'm now 14.Check out my music to see how I mastered fruity loops.www.soundclick.com/ahmad
I have been using that program for awhile and plan on to continue using it.One thing I don't usually do and which is not my style is sample.I leave that to most of the up North producers.I just don't like to sample but,I heard A song I did like that vision-entertainment produced and,that was that song ''Maria'' that bitch tight.

Holla!!!

 

[Guevara]

yeah It doesnt take long to get the hang of fruityloops, im speaking from a samplers point of view, if u know how to spot a sample and chop it up youll progress quickly with enough hard work and time, i havent even been makin beats for a whole year yet and i have a lot of people feelin me because ive put two years worth of time sittin in front of this computer and im only into my 11th month.
as far as books go...i cant remember many off hand, i know a few industry/business books but i dont know any production books, theres one im reading now its called "the art of music production" by richard james burgess...theres another thread on here about that so u should check that out.peace

TELL EM CiTY SENT YA!!!

 

[Formant024]

Well, if youre serious Id suggest you look into buying a descent mixing console and monitors. Wether Its gonna be software or hardware, theyll be the most important ones. Spend whatever you can afford on those items in your initial budget. Which brings us to the usual question, what is your budget?

 

[dj killa kut]

my budget right now is between 3000 to 5000$

 

[afriquedeluxe]

whoaaa!!! dats alot of do man. if i had dat kinda do, id spend roun $1000 on a top range pc, $200 on sum nice studio monitors, $1299 on a korg keyboard n finally a good sequencin program like cubase or audio logic. yo u got nuff cash 2 get a really good setup, do sum research tho b4 u start makin ne purchases.

 

[light]

Yo Killa... nice to see another BC bred man jumpin into the game. holla if you need some connects out this way.

learn fruityloops. it helped me lots.

Read this article: https://www.illmuzik.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3066

have fruity loops open and follow along. you wont be able to do things like "swing" in fruity loops, but yah follow that. if you think your getting lost read it again. learn that shit. ask here for any help if your too lost. people here are alwayz willing to help you work your way thru anything.
fruity loops will help you learn the basics of drum programing and placing samples.

with that sorta money... id buy a comp with a digidesign m-box http://www.digidesign.com/products/mbox/
or an MPC 1000

do you have any musical background?

If you really want (i dont want to personnaly advertise on this site) i run hip hop production lessons.. private message me. im in van all the time.

hmm yah i gotta get back to my "real job" so dont hesitate to ask anything... peaceout

 

[DJFANTOM]

Originally posted by mod1
I was making beats on my playstation when I started three years ago

Werd I remember back in the day doing beats wit MTV music generator on the playstation.
And recording wit a tascam 414 cassete based 4 track, and a cheap mic. Lol.
Those were the days.

Now its reason2.5, logic platinum 5,
A midi controler. And a decent condensor mic (samson co1) ( and other stuff but those are the main coponents).

 

[Formant024]

Allen&Heath Mixwizard 16/2 @ $455 current bid. Basicly a 16 chnl console but with track-out on all 16 chnls, 4 auxes and british eq with sweeps. Superb sound and the 16 track outs enables multitracking purposes for use with multi I/O cards.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2575767754&category=23785#ebayphotohosting

Brings me to the next item.

RME Hammerfall 9652 current bid @ $295, 52 mono chnls @ 0% latency, Asio hardware embedded. Full adaption to practicly all output-formats. This bid also includes the AEB8-I optional board enabling 8 chnls of analogue input ( 8 chnls of A/D converting basicly, pretty good ones too ). Though this also implies you will need an extra AEBI-8 and the 2x AEBO-8 giving a total of 16 I/O 24bit A/D - D/A converting, encompassing on using the multitrack utilities from the mixwizard. An extra AEB8-I costs $239, same for the AEB8-O (x2) coming to a total of $1012 for a 16 Chnl HD recording system with quality A/D - D/A converting.

http://bayviewproaudio.com/rme_audio.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2575384895&category=41784#ebayphotohosting

Next best thing, why not use the right nearfiels right away.
Genelec 1031a, active nearfield. A million engineers cant be wrong and for $1600 a pair ( current bid ), definitly tops the setup of above ( and assuming you already have a pc ). http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2576811439&category=47093

Current total spending, $3067

Buy logic 5.0, dunno the price, but youll have money left for it. Lets say 300.

Emu Planet Phat module @ $265 current bid, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2576777016&category=38071

Korg TR rack current bid @ $398. No comment needed I guess, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2576779119&category=38071

Roland JD800 ( for use as masterboard ). Very good analogue digital hybrid synth, just your average wobbly basses and freaky noises, pads, keys etc. The next of kin series from Roland released after the JD800 was the JP8000/8080. Current bid @ $550
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2575522518&category=38090

Give your drums some dynamics.
DBX-166XL Dual Compressor/Limiter/Gate current bid @ $189 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2575430346&category=23793

Fairly good dual fx unit, the lexicon mpx100 ( and midi ) current bid @ $100
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2575595131&category=38070

have another one! Current bid @ $89
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2575794587&category=23790

Done

You have left

$45 for cables on a budget of $5000 ( also excluding shipment etc )

The equipment can be accounted for good budget material, a DAW with 16 digital I/O @ 24bit up to 96 kHz @ 0% latency ( were using a P2 266 for 24chnls with a Hammerfall 9652, no probs ) and superb A/D - D/A converting. Some basic but very usefull synths and the option to choose from 32 midi chnls I/O. A 16 chnls mixer with good eq. cq. quility, warm analog blending. 2x24bit fx unit with digital I/O and midi ( for sync delays etc ). A nice punchy compressor from drum tracks, or basses whatever suites you, I use for the drums only. And last but not least, it would be safe to say that youre monitoring through the best nearfields in the industry. Pretty much a complete pro 16chnls setup analog/digital ( whatever you want ) just under or above ( its ebay ) $5000. Maybe a ruff estamation when looking throgh E-bay only but its defintly achievable getting the models and makes around the prices that I found them. No denying the quality here.

PS I assume you have a pc already and that youre not bothered with recording vocals, if you would want to records mics than you can get Pre Amps for the rme hammerfall in various outfits, check the specs, again good engineering work, prices are oke but affordable.

 

[shadeed]

Bro, buy a MPC 2000xl, and a Roland JV 2080. The Roland JV 2080 has so many sounds on it, you'll never get to use them all (trust me).

Continue to learn Fruity and you'll be straight!