What Is Your Most Important Piece of Music Equipment/Software?

[Hy Bound]

I got bored and decided that it would be fun to find out what everyone's most inspiring/most used piece of hardware/software is. I want to try and lean away from things like "My computer cuz it lets me do my music stuffs." Unless of course the computer does something especially inspirational.

For instance, I would have to say that Reaktor is one of my most inspirational pieces of software I have. I'll start with a blank slate synth and just randomly tweak knobs and play around until I find something. And if it isn't the right type of synthesizer for the sound I'm trying for I'll switch to another, or hell, make one myself (which truthfully doesn't yield many results). Being a tweaker-mad synth man, this piece of software really makes all of the sounds that make me want to finish a song.

Have at 'em.

[Harmony]

Whatever my favorite guitar is at the time; currently it's my Fender DG-20CE. Pretty much every piece of music I've written in the last 5 years has started out as a melody that was played first on guitar then translated to whatever. The fact that I can play it anywhere, without power, makes it tremendously useful. The fact that I can also take the same instrument that I used as a sketchpad and use it in the final mix, makes it invaluable to me.

[SnappleMan]

My main axe, Carvin DC127. I am never without her, I take her on flights, on vacation, to work. <3

Also, being inspired by software seems pretty shitty to me. You gotta have some kind of connection to your music, clicking a mouse on the keyboard graphic under your synth properties window doesn't do shit for me.

[Hy Bound]

My main axe, Carvin DC127. I am never without her, I take her on flights, on vacation, to work. <3

Also, being inspired by software seems pretty shitty to me. You gotta have some kind of connection to your music, clicking a mouse on the keyboard graphic under your synth properties window doesn't do shit for me.

See, I usually completely agree with that. Its just that for the most part, a lot of the music I listen to has some amazing synth line in it that i want to somehow emulate in part and to be able to tweak something to sound almost exactly like it is very inspiring, because I can take a part of a song that I like and mold it into something I tend to be more interested in in some part. It also helps that the interfaces on the synths look a lot like their hardware counterparts.

[zircon]

I'd have to say FL has been pretty much invaluable to me... but since it's my sequencer, I'll say that Stylus RMX is probably my #1 tool, tied with Kontakt 2.

[Yoozer]

My imagination.

Then my ears (but it's a good thing I don't have to wear protection for my imagination!)

Then my monitor speakers.

Then any synthesizer that does the job.

[Fishy]

Addictive drums makes me happy.

More importantly my wundaful Ibanez RG1570 and all my other guitars.

[Tensei]

Amplitube 2 + M-audio Fasttrack + Ibanez RG 2570 is what gets me going. =P

[suzumebachi]

maybe my Ibanez S470.

or maybe my Yamaha MO8.

or maybe my PDP 5 piece drum set.

or maybe FLStudio.

depending on the mood.

[statas]

brain.

try making music without this.

[SnappleMan]

brain.

try making music without this.

That was almost clever. Try again!

[-RK-]

SH-32 + Kontakt 2. That's basically how all of my sounds are made. FL just puts them together.

[OverCoat]

Mine? The internet. If you listen to my songs you understand why. I think it's fair to say that when it comes to music, I treat the internet like an instrument. Countless sampling on my part from random things found on the internet, like those GI Joe PSAs, talking flash advertisements, stupid youtube bloggers... This (http://www.last.fm/music/OverCoat/_/Free+Shit) is usually what happens.

My music is based on stealing free stuff :) most of the time.

[The Pezman]

That was almost clever. Try again!
My hands.

And 10char.

[Vaylos]

I'd have to say my monitors are my most important piece of equipment. It's a joy to actually be able to hear what I'm doing right, and wrong when I work on things, and my production abilities have steadily improved over the last year or so.

On the inspirational side of things... hmm. Oatmeal VST. I love that randomize button, and closely behind it another freebie from KVR, The Element of Surprise. Which...is kinda like oatmeal, but it's only a single button randomizer for the stuff under the hood. Can't really tweak anything, but still good for messing around.

My EMU Xboard61 for my controller. I really do like the key action on this guy, and it's compact enough to fit on my desk.

[Sixto]

My guitarssss(s). Mainly my Angus Young SG.

[Fray]

Roland RD-600 stage piano. I could make do with pretty much anything that had good key action and a good built in piano sound so I don't have to have my computer on to play. Computer on = too much temptation to screw around in the internet :P

[Zephyr]

I'd say that at the moment, it's my home-made distorted piano. I often find my self stopping working on the mix and just playing around with it. It's a mix of my midi keyboard, FL Keys, some EQ, some reverb, some delay, and FL Fast Distortion. I'm kind of surprised actually that I haven't ever heard of anyone using it before... I also have it set up with my mod wheel so that as I turn it it filters in and out the amount of distortion, up is pure piano with reverb and delay, down is mostly all distortion. I even set it up with a low-pass frequency LFO. If anyone wants the *.fst just let me know.

[Hy Bound]

SGX actually does that kinda thing a lot in his songs. Maybe not that exact amount/type of FX, but the results are usually what you described.

[tk]

I would say my Korg Trinity, but I currently don't have enough room to set it up.

Other than that, I don't really have any stunning equipment/software. I just use the bare basics for the most part.

[Harmony]

I would say my Korg Trinity, but I currently don't have enough room to set it up.

Trent Reznor has no space.

http://www.glue.umd.edu/~blbush/ocr_vgl/trentz.jpg

so unless your place looks like that, you need to find a wall or a roomate or or something to tack the Trinity to :wink:

[DDRKirby(ISQ)]

brain.

try making music without this.

According to some of the stuff I've heard, people have tried.

[OverCoat]

According to some of the stuff I've heard, people have tried.

and people [me] have succeeded!

[analoq]

i could go back to making general midi files with just a sequencer and a midi controller. that would be my minimum music making setup.

as for 'secret weapons', any of the analogue effects i've owned: sherman filterbank, metasonix waveshaper, moog delay...

[Fray]

I would say my Korg Trinity, but I currently don't have enough room to set it up.

Do you live in one of those capsule dorms in Japan or something? :P

[tk]

Do you live in one of those capsule dorms in Japan or something? :P

Lol, no. My room is in a bit of a transition phase at the moment so the only place I can put it where it still reaches my computer stops me from being able to actually get out of the room.

[AMT]

The only place I can put it where it still reaches my computer stops me from being able to actually get out of the room.

It'll help you stay focused.

[Nicholestien]

I'm usually inspired by the dynamics of a sound rather than a sequence of notes. Don't know why, whenever I here a certain sound it reminds me of images in my head, other things that inspire music are seeing images than translating those emotions into a sound, then music. I'm writing a peice called the Cheshire Cat once i whatched alice in wonder land with my nephew a few days ago. that thing is bizzarre.

[huggie]

Guru inspires me rhythmically... This drum machine goes deep!

My MPC60 inspires me sonically... 12bit phatness!

Edirol R-9 inspires me to collect sounds and IR's... Fits in my pocket...

Audio Damage plug-ins are constantly giving me ideas and adding interest to mixes..

Hugo

[djpretzel]

Cubase 4, because it's my baby, then Colossus, because I find myself using it rather frequently lately.

Sorry, Motif...

[the_muteKi]

I've been trying to see for a while what I can do with just Anvil Studio, a software sequencer, a bunch of pretty good soundfonts, and a comp to run it all on.