Members Lofti Posted April 20, 2004 Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 Alright on my time away from school I got a nice paying job for myself so I want to move my setup towards the level I'm trying to be at. What I really need is SOUNDS. They only keyboard I have is a Yamaha DJX and they are just not doing it for me. The question I have is, should I be looking for a keyboard/workstation or some type of software synth?? I am running a 2.4 ghz pc with 512mb ram, 80 gb harddrive. It is not a dedicated music computer but if necessary I would scale it back to just the bare bones (word processing, school stuff). I use Cakewalk Home Studio, Sound Forge, and I have an Echo MIA to record with. I am also planning on picking up a small pre-amp to record vocals, and a drum machine (I think drums will suit me better as a physical machine and not a soft synth). Basically I'm wondering do I need the features (beyond quality sounds) of a nice keyboard or can I save myself some money/get more for my buck by going with a soft synth. I am focused on making beats for hiphop as of now, but obviously room for expansion is good. I know this is pretty vague but any input or thoughts are appreciated. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members powerpop Posted April 20, 2004 Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 Well, your PC would probably have enough horsepower to run most any softsynth. You will need to get some kind of VST host software, however. Most people here suggest Cubase SX although there are others. As to your questions "should I get a softsynth of a keyboard", only you can answer that. Both have advantages and disadvantages. If price is an issue for you and you don't plan on doing much (or any) live playing, the softsynth option could be the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Pro Posted April 20, 2004 Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 Sounds like you are an ideal candidate for Reason - a softsynth studio. You'll need a good soundcard/midi IO preferably with ASIO drivers such as the M-Audio Delta series, or you could get a small controller with a built-in audio interface like the M-Audio Ozone or Edirol PCR-1. Download a free demo of Reason and see if you like it: http://www.propellerheads.se/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lofti Posted April 20, 2004 Author Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 Thanks for the info. I have a VST host program, forget the name but it came with Home Studio. I am using a cheapo MIDI connector through my gaming port to hook up the DJX. Why would I need a different soundcard with MIDI support? What will it do for me and how necessary is it? I think I can refine my search by admitting that I really don't know what a powerful workstation can do besides provide high quality sounds. I know it does some sequencing, but I can take care of that with software, is it an issue of on board effects? Basically what is there to a workstation besides just the sound? I feel like the controls for manipulating and working with the MIDI and sounds are already there in my software. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zone_ahead Posted April 20, 2004 Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 i think the pro missed that you have an echo mia. you are good on the soundcard. you actually have pretty much what you would need to make music w/ software. what version of homestudio are you using? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Synthoid Posted April 20, 2004 Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 Before you run headlong into the world of softsynths, consider the downside. Latency issues, crashes and other headaches. Not conducive to making music. There are plenty of good keyboards out there. Where do you want to go with your music and what's your budget? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lofti Posted April 20, 2004 Author Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 uh... 2000? That might be a shot in the dark, I bought it in like June of 2002 new if that's any help. I'm at work, all that stuff is at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lofti Posted April 20, 2004 Author Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 Sorry 2000 is not related to the budget question. I had originally envisioned a budget of just under $2000, but my interest in a drum machine and mounting car costs are making low cost alternatives much more enticing. My musical direction for now is to work on instrumental pieces. I am most involved with hip hop, so that would be making beats, but I also make music as it comes, I guess an example would be video game music, you know ambient type pieces. Obviously this is ambitious and the failed dream of many musicians, but I see myself using this influx of cash to upgrade my equipment to like a semi professional status - finished songs that don't sound like old casio compositions. If I could find a market for the music I could use the money there to really flesh out my final goal, but for now I'm just looking at getting a respectable, commercial quality (not of the highest caliber, but sufficient) sound out of my music. EDIT: Sorry, I never even put out a number. I could spend $1000-$1200 if it was going to be a true investment, something that would last, or something that I could recoup some cash on when I outgrew it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Pro Posted April 20, 2004 Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 Originally posted by zone_ahead i think the pro missed that you have an echo mia. you are good on the soundcard. Quite right - I did miss that. Agreed - the MIA has ASIO drivers so you're good to go. Go back to my final suggestion and download a demo of Reason. It may be all you need to produce "respectable, commercial quality sound" and it's not very expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zone_ahead Posted April 20, 2004 Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 a couple ideas: like i said, you really are close to having what you need for a software setup, so i don't think it would be a bad idea to look at the option, in part. Like synthoid said, there are some headaches w/ software, but at the same time there are some definitive advantages (visual aspect, cost, availability, etc...). Most people seem to end up using a mix of both hard and soft. You are probably going to want to either upgrade homestudio to the latest version and buy a VST to DirectX adaptor, or perhaps look at getting a new host all together that supports VST. If your version of home studio supports any types of software synths, it's going to be DirectX. Which there is a lot less of. Tracktion is dirt cheap and gets A LOT of praise. I haven't used it though. This will open you up to the world of software synths. There are several hundred software synths that are completely free and many of them are high quality. when you get around to it, http://www.kvr-vst.com is the place to go for free synths. This will only set you back a couple hundred AT MOST. This leaves you with some flexibility as to what else you would like to do. You could still invest in hardware, - get your drum machine, a midi controller, monitors, additional software like reason or a hardware synth or a couple of those and still be within your budget. There really are a lot of options. That is just my opinion. Definitely do as the Pro mentioned and download some demo's. Definitely don't rush into buying anything until you are sure about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SirGarrote Posted April 20, 2004 Members Share Posted April 20, 2004 i give another vote to Reason 2.5. its' a great place to start, and it will also serve as a great foundation for the future if you keep at it. definitely well under your budget too. -G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lofti Posted April 21, 2004 Author Members Share Posted April 21, 2004 Word, thanks everyone, this is a great start. I am gonna try out the Reason demo and see how it is. I certainly don't want to cut corners but I never really associated saving money on a softsynth with having more money to invest in other stuff I could use - zone made some very interesting suggestions that have got me craving to get back and make more music... Unfortunately my car is going to get a new engine first and foremost ($2300) so this stuff might get back burnered for awhile but hopefully I can recoup that and somethin extra if I sell it in a few months. This is really great stuff, I am excited to push into that frontier I've wanted to be at for awhile but was too lazy just to come here and get a little guidance. Thanks again for the help, if someone has more suggestions please drop it on me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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