Production on the Cheap

[Evil G]

don't get me wrong, i'm not anti-software. i'm just realistic about how much it costs. in the scheme of things, synths are relatively cheap, but mastering tools are relatively expensive, and this is true for both hardware and software.

[dirty_bass]

now if we are talking mastering I`ll take hardware over software any day

[borisXHL]

thats a great thread, iam thinkin about upgradin my pc or just savin some money to buy new one which will allow me to produce some stuff but my budget is kind of low so please experts tell me whats the recent pc setup i mean cpu, memory and stuff like that.. thanks.. ;)

[omen_owen]

Lots of suggestions which is always good ;)
Don't really have a set budget...however much i can cobble together really.£200-300. i already have a decent pc (not that briliant sound card but thats easily fixable) and i should be able to get logic for free. would it be better to get a drum machine and use vst's for basslines, acid noises e.t.c or to get a 303 copy type thing and use vst's for the beats??

[fatcollective]

if you got a decent PC, use that money to get a decent sound card...i know theres a big war bewtween hardware and software, but beleive me, you can make decent music with software...like i said earlier, using a PC is the best way of learning how to make a track, it will learn you how to sequence, how to make patterns, riffs, basslines, whatever you want...when you get to this point, you will be able to decide yourself whether you want to get some hardware, and the likely is that you will.....we started off years ago using an amiga...yes thats shite, but we learnt how to make a kick and a bassline....things progressed to using Reason and then Cubase and then getting a mixing desk and monitors...then a synth and some outboard fx's & compression...things just develop slowly and along the way you have learnt how to make a proper dance music! i just think in this day and age we are lucky that Pc/macs and good enough to be able to do all this, if you go back a few years ago there was no other option other than hardware....anyway, the decision is yours....GOOD LUCK either way ;)

[omen_owen]

i intend on getting a decent sound card but i want to be able to make stuff in ways other than sitting and staring at the screen. It just seems more fun if u have a box to play around with as well.

[xfive]

Snag a cheap midi controller like an Evolution UC33e or something... There are others if you want actual keys too...
This will give you some hands on and flexibility, as you can point the device at pretty much any parameter you can imagine.

[The Overfiend]

It's not the hard or the soft ware
It's the user.
people used to make the illest off atari software,
and red was mastered off a cassette.
bitches

[massplanck]

i intend on getting a decent sound card but i want to be able to make stuff in ways other than sitting and staring at the screen. It just seems more fun if u have a box to play around with as well.

:clap:

[dirty_bass]

Well, you can get a spankingly cheap pro card
The M-Audio 2496
for 70 quid all in!!
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_g...2496-main.html

You should be able to pick up a good second hand hardware 303 clone such as the Freeform Analogue Technologies (FAT) FB383
For about 80 - 150 quid

You could then do with some cheap overdrive and chorus stomp boxes - go to your nearest cash converters for cheap as chips prices, fo rthe 303 to get a proper fat sound.

You can get some nice mini mixers for under a ton like this
http://www.turnkey.co.uk/tkweb/stock...mp;context=WEB

The new logics won`t work on a PC, but fruity studio or sonar or the many other soft studio`s will set you back about a 100 squid too, or you can be naughty.

A good set of studio monitors should be high on your priorities if and when you get serious. Check the production forum for advice on this.

And midi controllers can be had in all shapes and sizes for a variety of budgets
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=...diocontrollers
http://www.turnkey.co.uk/tkweb/stock...mp;context=WEB

[tocsin]

i intend on getting a decent sound card but i want to be able to make stuff in ways other than sitting and staring at the screen. It just seems more fun if u have a box to play around with as well.

You will be staring at a screen there as well. It's just smaller.

[jonnyspeed]

Fruity Loops, Cubase or Reason is a good place to start.

You can blag various VSTi for using in Fruity and Cubase - Reason is packed full off its own goodies.

If you go the VSTi route theres a good tb-303 synth called Audio Realism Baseline. Microtonic, Ohmboys and Vanguard are a good start too. you can knock up something pretty decent with this lot.

good luck and use the force, luke.

[jonnyspeed]

The maximum hardware you really need is a cheap dumb midi keyboard or atleast a little midi-controller.

My vote is, if you get someything written using blagged software you can always spend your time thinking about what hardware you want, if any.

Good music comes from talent not whether you use hardware or software - so develop the talent before you start soending lots of money you don't have at the moment. And as a student, software is easy to carry around and replace if you get robbed - and doesn't fill your room up.

peace.

[jonnyspeed]

[jonnyspeed]

OR if you fancy using Reason from Propellerheads









[/img]

[crime]

Bullshit advice from people who don't have a clue..

the "hardware is so expensive" excuse is such a copout...

I remember a time when you couldn't make music just on a computer, you had to get equipment together to make music, but it meant that you had to have a certain level of dedication to making music.. I managed it whilst I was homeless with no money so there's no excuse, this is why I say the "I Havn't got money for hardware" excuse is such a copout.. I bet you've got money for clothes, beer drugs and records.. some of us missed out on those things just to make tunes cos we were so passionate about it, we saved every penny just to buy kit.. now it's so easy to download a bit of software but not have a ****ing clue how to use it.. this it why there's so much fodder in the racks, cos everyone gets a copy of reason and thinks they're a producer...

[eyes without a face]

Bullshit advice from people who don't have a clue..

easy mate, that's a pretty elitist comment from someone such as yourself.... people have to learn somewhere and this is meant to be one of those places. Some people, including myself, literaly cant afford hardware, so its not bullshit, its practical advice and advice for someone who really wants to make music whilst not being able to make it by the means they wish too

[g]

Bullshit advice from people who don't have a clue..

the "hardware is so expensive" excuse is such a copout...

I remember a time when you couldn't make music just on a computer, you had to get equipment together to make music, but it meant that you had to have a certain level of dedication to making music.. I managed it whilst I was homeless with no money so there's no excuse, this is why I say the "I Havn't got money for hardware" excuse is such a copout.. I bet you've got money for clothes, beer drugs and records.. some of us missed out on those things just to make tunes cos we were so passionate about it, we saved every penny just to buy kit.. now it's so easy to download a bit of software but not have a **** clue how to use it.. this it why there's so much fodder in the racks, cos everyone gets a copy of reason and thinks they're a producer...

while i agree with your last sentence, there are many people out there who worked with hardware for many years and then later decided that they strongly prefer software. blanket statements about who has a clue really only clue the reader into you.

be that as it may, a software-based studio IS cheaper than hardware. especially when you consider that the person who started this topic already has a computer or obviously has access to one. when you consider all the ancillary non-instrument crap needed to make a hardware-based studio effective (outboard processing, mixer, cables, etc) "hardware is so expensive" is not a bullshit copout, it's an accurate statement.

[dirty_bass]

Bullshit advice from people who don't have a clue..

the "hardware is so expensive" excuse is such a copout...

I remember a time when you couldn't make music just on a computer, you had to get equipment together to make music, but it meant that you had to have a certain level of dedication to making music.. I managed it whilst I was homeless with no money so there's no excuse, this is why I say the "I Havn't got money for hardware" excuse is such a copout.. I bet you've got money for clothes, beer drugs and records.. some of us missed out on those things just to make tunes cos we were so passionate about it, we saved every penny just to buy kit.. now it's so easy to download a bit of software but not have a **** clue how to use it.. this it why there's so much fodder in the racks, cos everyone gets a copy of reason and thinks they're a producer...

ok, calm down

part of what your saying is true.
yes anyone can get cracked software etc
But not everyone can make a good tune.

Your comment is more based on the "I did it the hard way, so you must too, mentality". That sounds a little bitter.

Believe me mate, I did the same as you, scrimped and saved to get the hardware, borrowed time in studios etc
Took years to accumulate the kit, and then learn how to use it etc

Now some kid who does a music tech course for 2 years, and gets a high power pc for a grand, can be producing pro stuff in a couple of years, maybe 3 years.

THATS JUST NOT RIGHT, THEY NEED TO SUFFER FOR THEIR ART

So what?
If I could have used a PC back when I was learning I would have.
And I would have gotten a lot further a lot quicker too.
All you are doing is learning how to manipulate soundwaves in a way that ifluences human emotions.
Who cares how it is done.

The fact is, you can do it cheaper, and just as well with software.
If you are genuinly talented, then it will shine through. If you are a talentless gimp, then you will be able to make well produced stuff relatively easily and cheaply with a pc. but it will still be shit.

There is a certain subset of musicians who for reasons unknown adhere to the false premise that digitaly made or "computer" music or the tools involved imply a lack of creativity of inspired performance.
Technology in the hands of creative, intelligent individuals is a tool for art, not a hinderance. Being a member of the current millenia, I embrace this technology.

[g]

There is a certain subset of musicians who for reasons unknown adhere to the false premise that digitaly made or "computer" music or the tools involved imply a lack of creativity or inspired performance.

too true. and yet i suspect those same people would never accuse, say, Autechre for example, of lacking creativity or inspiration. ironic.