In the process of putting together the gear I need.

HellaRad · Post by **HellaRad** » Fri May 20, 2011 5:13 am

I am in the process of building my own little "studio" I guess you could call it. I am trying to put together something that I can use to create and market an electronica based music with a nod towards trance and techno genres. Once I put together everything I plan on composing a c.d. and then putting it on itunes for sale and perhaps coding my own little website to help me promote it as well as future projects.

Here is where I'm at so far: I own a Roland XP80 with the orchestral 1,Vintage, and SFX expansions. I also own a Roland Fantom XA, A pair of JBL 2328P studio monitors, and a Rane SM82S Stereo Line Mixer.

Here are links for simple looks at my equipment.

http://www.rane.com/sm82s.html
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR2328P/
http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/xp80.php
http://www.rolandus.com/products/produc ... ductId=649

I also have plans for future purchases, and some of them I would like to get would be an Elektron Machinedrum, a Korg Radius, and a Quasimidi Polymorph, to name a few.

They can be seen through the following links.

http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/machinedrum.php
http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/polymorph.php
http://www.vintagesynth.com/korg/radias.php

This gives you an idea of where I'm at. However, what I really need some help with is figuring out what route I'm going to go in terms of actually recording and producing a finished product. Should I learn how to use some software like everyone else? Should I go with a Tascam 2488 neo? I'm a bit new to some of these aspects and could use the wisdom of people who have been there and done that. I'm looking for that sweet spot where budget meets quality with simplicity in mind. Sage advice is appreciated.

This is the Tascam 2488 neo I mentioned above.
http://tascam.com/product/2488neo/

(EDIT: Also, what do you think of something like this BR-1600 CD, this BR-1200CD, or this DP-03?

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BR1600CD/
http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetai ... ductId=738
http://tascam.com/product/dp-03/

end EDIT)

Thanks!

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Fri May 20, 2011 5:53 am

I would probably get a good audio interface and DAW software if I were you, you can do a lot of post-production of your sounds in software which adds a lot. Those standalone multitrackers tend to be aimed more at guitarists and others who are afraid of technology, if you're using sequencers and synths you should be fine to use a DAW.

That said some people don't like to have a computer in their studio at all, if you're one of them then go with a multitracker, just be aware that you'll be coming up against a lot more limitations than you would with a DAW.

The other option you could go towards would be having all your gear setup live and sequenced together so that you're just recording a stereo mixdown in real time, that suits some people better than multitracking and tweaking the mix endlessly. You might want a mixing board with EQs and insert points for dynamics etc in that case though.

HellaRad · Post by **HellaRad** » Fri May 20, 2011 6:44 am

@ Stab Frenzy.

Okay well I sort of had a feeling that I should go that route. Unfortunately I'm pretty naive when it comes to that stuff. I have a laptop with a very basic sound card, I imagine I would need to buy something with an awesome sound card? I don't know but maybe you could point me in the right direction for the DAW stuff? Recording and production is my biggest blind spot when it comes to technology. In the meantime I'll do some research of my own.

Thanks.

Post by **Stab Frenzy** » Fri May 20, 2011 8:16 am

You probably don't need a whole new computer, you can get an interface which connects to your existing one with USB or Firewire.

Re: DAWs it's a personal preference kind of thing, I use Pro Tools and Ableton Live, I'd highly recommend Live as it's great, easy to use, comes with all the effects and instruments you need and has lessons built in to help you learn how to use it. When you're looking at interfaces see if you can get one which comes with a free version of Live which you can use for a bit and then upgrade to the full version for cheaper than the normal price. Another good cheap DAW is Reaper, google either of them to get more info.

HellaRad · Post by **HellaRad** » Fri May 20, 2011 2:46 pm

Thanks for the advice!

tekkentool · Post by **tekkentool** » Sat May 21, 2011 2:24 am

Reaper is a great one to start off with, plus it's only about a 4 mb download and has a never expiring trial license for when you want to give it a go

. Then if you don't like it later you can move on, but it has a particularly easy to use interface so it should be good. The only thing I wish was a little smoother was automation envelopes (I miss the cubic/points options from renoise). Great DAW though.

ninja6485 · Post by **ninja6485** » Sat May 21, 2011 8:16 am

i know i keep lobbying for this recently, but if you buy a cheap rack sampler, you can multitrack with that (more or less if you go for older models) and they have filters and eq's and what not. then you can use your computer as a sequencer and you get the added character of the sampler as a bonus. a lot of old trance / drum and bass songs from the 90's were all done on samplers. it solves a lot of issues with cpu performance and the like, especially if you have an old laptop or something that you want to use that may not like handling a great deal of digital audio files. it's also extremely cost effective considering the going rate of rack samplers! my most expensive one was $190, and my other two were under $100. it's cool too because if you want to trigger stuff live, you just hook up a keyboard and hit the key that the given audio recording is assigned to and trigger the song live yourself. want to do a remix? just start a new midi sequence on the computer. ambient mix, or combine different audio files that are in different bpms? - timestretch. now of course i don't mean to suggest this is neccisarily the idea configuration in all cases, but merely that it's another way of approaching audio sequencing that hasn't been mentioned yet, and can be fairly cheap yet effective comparitively. it is of course also heavily biased againsts heavy plug in users.

HellaRad · Post by **HellaRad** » Sun May 22, 2011 7:18 pm

Did I waste my money on the Rane rackmount mixer if I am going to be buying an audio interface with enough inputs for all of my gear? If I go that route is it safe to turn around and sell my Rane mixer that I just bought?

ned-ryarson · Post by **ned-ryarson** » Wed May 25, 2011 2:22 pm

Probably.. I bought a mixer when i started out and it's never used. Just sits there and looks good!

you want a usb interface, that allows you to record and control your hardware gear with Midi..

however, to get started, get yourself a decent DAW - Logic, Ableton.... and start learing how to build up a track, with whatever sound sources you can get - a software synth will be fine. Midi allows you to pencil in notes and chords and allows you to adjust their length and velocity etc etc .. If youre starting out, you need to get your head around using a DAW, which doesn't take long. Buying a pile of hardware isn't the best way to get started IMO..

You could consider Reason, which is a full virtual studio and has everything you need, including some really nice instruments/synths/drum machine/sampler/fx

When you've learned this, you'l want to learn how synthesisers work, so you can manipulate sound how you like

In the process of putting together the gear I need.

In the process of putting together the gear I need.

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Re: In the process of putting together the gear I need.

Re: In the process of putting together the gear I need.

Re: In the process of putting together the gear I need.

Re: In the process of putting together the gear I need.

Re: In the process of putting together the gear I need.

Re: In the process of putting together the gear I need.