Argle

I also recommend the EMU 0404. It's a good cheap soundcard.

Yeah the Keystation is a good choice. Definitely one of the cheapest controllers. I got the 61 key version. No frills at all, like knobs and sliders and pads or any of that stuff, so make sure you don't need those things. I haven't adjusted to the weighted keys yet, but it's more the issue that I'm still used to my old keyboard, than the fault of the Keystation.

Holyshitomg it's good. I just recorded a light, fingerpicked arrangement while construction guys were drilling holes in my walls, and the recording still came out rich and pristine, and with zero background noise. I think it's a safe bet that it will be replacing my Yamaha as the acoustic I'll be using in all my mixes. sw33t Did you record it direct? That would be a major selling point for me. I don't have a good setup for micing, and it's a pain in the ass anyway.

Mine came with the Bass Station, which I thought was a very cool addition.

I just got the Remote LE 25, and initially I thought the joystick would suck, I've actually come to like it more than the usual 2 wheel dealie.

Yeah, I had trouble getting it going when I first got it. Make sure you download the updated drivers from the MAudio website. Then, run that installation program rather than the one with the CD, and make sure the USB end of the product isn't plugged in. Make sure you haven't installed the original drivers too... remove em if you have. Then just follow the instructions the install app gives you and you should be good. Another problem I ran into is that anytime I cracked open my machine to add some hardware, the drivers mysteriously disappeared when I turned it on again, and I had to re-install them. Thank god my new EMU 0404 has it's own midi drivers, and has given me none of these problems. Bye-bye Uno.

i have a 550, and while I don't use it for the sounds anymore, they are surprisingly decent for a newbie board like that. That said tho, the effects section is super limited, as is the general sequencing/mixing capabilities of it, so you'll find that extremely extremely limiting. Unless you absolutely must have a hardware board for your sounds for some reason, you'll probably find a software sample setup to be 13209870x more powerful and flexible, unless you spend thousands for a workstation keyboard like teh Motif.

anvil studio

Future: do something... anything.

RemixPro 3000

Yeah, yer gonna have a harder time at it than a kid would. It's a pretty difficult instrument. But don't let that discourage you if you're serious.

Yay, ordered the QL Pop and Orchestral brass titles the other day. Hope they're good.

I'm just the opposite.

I find keyswitches kind of stupid, personally. I'd much rather have everything on seperate tracks. I dunno, I guess they're good to conserve tracks.

I don't. But I just got a sweet computer job at the local junior college, so I'll be able to start buying samples.

Wowie. Wonder how long this sale's gonna last. I'm a little short on cash at the moment, but that's a damn good sale.

21... I'm 23 now. Geesh, I started so late compared to so many other people. Kinda makes me a bit depressed.

rock drums are pretty easy imo. a basic usable pattern: snare: ....X.......X... kick: X.....X...X..... open hat: X...X...X...X... There are tons of different things you can do w/ the kicks and hats, though. the kick pattern kinda determines the general "feel" for the beat, imo. Play around and get used to the kinda grooves that the diff patterns make. Then you can write a drum groove that fits the music you're writing. Every 4 bars it's cool to do a lil snare fill, you know? Makes things more interesting. You just gotta listen to rock patterns, and you'll pick it up in no time.

i've never successfully collabed, with anyone. ever. I don't think I'm capable of it.

Learn the basics of music theory, and maybe pick up an instrument. It'll be super helpful to you in the long run. Otherwise, you'll be in the dark trying to make music. Then comes the task of learning to create computer-based music. Expect both things to take a long time to learn. If you're new to music there's no quick solution.

Cool. Looks very helpful. I imagine this took quite a bit of time to put together... kudos. I'd disagree with this. For rock and metal styles, that is. I've yet to hear sampled rhythm guitar used in that context that didn't sound completely fake. Lacks the thickness and crunch that you get from doubletracking a real guitar. For electronic styles though, sure.

I'm not sure if you could ever say there's a right way to do compression. Just go for what sounds good in your mix. Rock That Comp! Oh I know. I just wanted to open up the floor for a li'l drum compression discussion. Always like to see any advice on this kinda stuff.

Agreed. I prefer a dry kick. I used to use a lot of verb on the rest of my drums, but lately I've been using it sparingly, and I think I like it better. Makes them stand out more.

Should you compress each element separately? Or the drum line as a whole? I tend to compress each element by itself. Don't know if this is the right way to do things.

Not sure if this is the right forum, but 1. I want rainforest ambience sounds 2. I want them to be free 3. I want them at CD quality resolution lol, is this too much to ask? I've done some research, but not really found any free stuff. I could splash out a few bucks for something, but I like free shit.