question on production equipment

TachyonFresh

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
currently i'm only using acid pro 4.0 and i've learned to use it pretty well but i am looking to get some hardware

i was looking at some top of the line products but i realised i might need some beginner shit to jsut get used to production, so i was wondering if you cats could recommend what are some good recorder, turntables, samplers, keyboards, etc. to start out on

can a midi controller be used with the mpc?


for those cat that sample, i have some really really sick samples from old Bangali music, holla at me on aim: mclikwitflow
 

Chisel

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Yes. You can use a MIDI controller with the MPC. You can also use the MPC as a MIDI controller :) The MPC is great for live recordings. You can literally record an entire song without ever stopping the playback. This is what I love about it.
 

Ozmosis

Sound Tight Productions
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 201
It all depends what your price range is, but I think you would get more out of a sampler like the mpc1k that would hit you for like $879. They also have some Korg samplers for $269 and I dont know anyone who has one so I can tell you how they are. Or maybe check out a keyboard like the yamaha s03 for $500. Those are the cheapest gear out there right now and you can still get some quality music out with them.

"The Oz"
 

Cold Truth

IllMuzik Moderator
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 25
give us your price range and style. will you be sampling mostly? will you be composing your own music? will you be doing both, what are your major needs instrument wise (read:sounds), meaning, do you prefer synth oriented beats, or are acoustic sounds more your style? what are you recording into, as far as an interface/soundcard?

answer these questions and iwe can give you a more definitive answer....

and yes, the mpc can be used with a midi controller.
 

TachyonFresh

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
price range: $1-$2000

I'll be sampling mostly and I hope to learn teh guitar and flute soon so i guess a little composing also

as far as my prefrence towards sounds, i'm still kinda jsut starting out so i really dont seem to prefer any sound over another...acoustic and synth, they both cool

i have no fucking idea waht my soundcard is...i havent done any actual live recording on acid pro though


wtf does it mean when someone "chops" a sample? i usually take different samples and fuck with the pitch and cut em up and do a whole buncha shit so they have an ok-sounding melody when combined....is that what chopping means?

and dont anybody want them samples from bangladesh? it aint none of that wack bollywood shit, but real beautiful acoustic sounds......is it possible to post a mp3 in this thread?
 

classic

I am proud to be southern
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 90
If your getting hardward MPC is perfect for u

hook up a turn table and sample
hook up a MIDI controller and compose
hook up a bounch of sound modules(hardware or software)
u can controll the MPC with other programs
U can controll other programs threw the MPC
Great sequncer!

Basically the MPC can be the foundation of a complete midi studio perfect for your price range

chopping samples is just slang for doing exaclty what u said

Soundcard is the audio interface for your computer. It is where the sound signals are converted from anlage ot digital and digtial to analoguge. Basically its where u hook up your speakers and plug in your cables to hear sounds from the cpu or record to it


class...
 

TachyonFresh

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
thank you to all the cats that have replied so far, appreciate it very much

another newbie question....exactly what is a sound module?
 

classic

I am proud to be southern
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 90
its basically a box that has a whole buch of digtally masterd sounds in it. This sounds can be controlled through MIDI. THink of a sound module as a keyboard without keys. Most modern keyboards(yamha trition etc) make a sound module for people who dont want to waste the extra space or pay the extra money for a keyboard.

So you play the sounds on your sound moudle with any keyboard with a MIDI interface

My set up is a
MPC 2000XL
MOTIF sound module
simple MIDI keyboard

I use the keyboatd to triggre sounds in the soundmoudle and the MPC its a pretty good setup
hope this helps

class
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
TachyonFresh, check out the <a href="https://www.illmuzik.com/articles/index.php">Articles</a> section because you'll be able to find some useful stuff there too, answers to common questions.
 

Chisel

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Classic: Do you record from your Motif to the MPC in MIDI or Audio? And if you use MIDI, do you record the MIDI track as a sample to play back on a pad or do you leave it as a MIDI track? The debate between MIDI/audio formats has been going back-and-forth in my head for awhile now. Thanks.

Peace Out \/
 

Cold Truth

IllMuzik Moderator
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 25
damn... classic broke it down.

basically, get an mpc 2000, which i suggest getting used off ebay for around $7-800 likely fully blown. they sell all the time.

this will allow you to add sound modules and keyobards and other things later- but htis is the heart of it all. i would take a look at a soundcard that includes at LEAST 8 inputs- like this:

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-AAR-Q10.html


this would allow you to mix down all 8 channels from the mpc. i say, go for the best quality you can if you can drop $2000. this gives you cubase, and mpc, and 8 excellent preamps for $2000, which means you can seamlessly integrate your mpc with your audio tracks, using the mpc as your midi sequencer and cubase for the audio. or, you can simply use cubase to sequence your midi (which i do) and save some dough or get a good sound module, like the motif rack. my undertsanding is that cubase is a considerable upgrade from acid (i have nevr used acid so cant say definitively) ,,, (cubase and the preamps, which is vital for recording audio and also eliminates the need for a mixer, all for $800...)... but if you can cop the mpc, have cubase and acid and get the pre amp, i say do it... also, you could get the preamp on payments, take an extra $400 or so and by a sound module. then you would be basically set, needing ionly mics and live instrumenst from that point on.

i hope my little bit of insight helps.
 
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