Araelius Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Just as the topic states, I am interested in remixing and playing the keyboard. I am new to the whole thing and I really don't have much experiance with playing, but I was hoping to get some good product recommedations to get set up. Any help is greatly appreciated. Also, if you can find anything on the Guitar Center site, http://www.guitarcenter.com, it would be easy for me to get since there is one a mile from my house. My budget is around $600-$700 but cheaper is always better. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vagrance Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 First off, you'll need a sequencer. You have MANY options to go through but I reccomend you look at the following: - Image-Line FLStudio (The cheapest of all of them but the effects are sub-par, it doesn't come with any amazing synths [the only one you'll probably end up using is 3xOsc if even that], and the audio support is awful. Basically, get this only if you don't plan to use audio and you don't plan on doing this for a really long time. I'm not saying its a bad sequencer, I use it myself, but its lacking in a lot of ways and it uses its own format that won't transfer over to another sequencer, in other words, if you switch to something better you'll just have to re-learn a lot of stuff) - Mackie Tracktion (I don't know much about this but apparently its a great sequencer for audio. The MIDI support isn't amazing but the layout and the audio support are. Its definately worth checking out) - Propellerheads Reason (Basically, its an all-in-one virtual studio. It works fine stand-alone but the fact that you can only use built-in synths will really hold you back. It works best when ReWired into another sequencer. Its a nice package but you'll find its limitations fairly quickly and want to upgrade, but on the other hand it has the nicest workflow of any sequencer I've used. Its worth checking out.) - Cakewalk Sonar (Now we're getting into professional grade stuff. This isn't the most top-of-the-line sequencer out there but it will get you far. The Audio and MIDI support is nice, and the Producer edition comes with some nice synths for you to use along with some great additional plug-ins. Windows only) - Steinberg Cubase (Basically neck and neck with Sonar and Logic for the best electronic sequencers. Once again, audio support is very nice along with MIDI support. The only thing is, along with Sonar and Logic, its hard to learn and it'll take a while to get the hang of it, but once you do the possibilities are endless) - Apple Logic (Preferred by a HUGE amount of electronic artists, this is pretty much the highest point of sequencing. Great synths, great samples, great layout, you can't really go wrong with this [except for its large price tag]. The biggest problems are its expensive, and Mac only) Before you choose though, keep in mind as to what you're going to be working with the most, MIDI or Audio. If you plan on doing all MIDI (in other words, mostly electronic stuff inside of your computer) then I would reccomend you get one of the following set-ups: 1. Propellerheads Reason: $400 MIDI Controller (bascally a piano that hooks into your PC) of choice: $130-500 2. FLStudio: ($100 version) MIDI Controller: $130-500 Z3ta+ Softsynth: $200 Native-Instruments Absynth: $150 3. FLStudio ($100 version) Native-Instruments Komplete: $600 If you plan on doing a lot of audio stuff (recording yourself playing something then sending that into your sequencer) then I'm not sure I can help you, as I'm struggling to set one up on my own. I'm sure someone who is experienced with it will help you out though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navi Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 FL might be a bit clunky when it comes to recording audio in (it's possible but a bit complicated) but as far as arranging, mixing and mastering audio files, with a bit of practice it's just as good as any multitrack audio program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dafydd Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 I think we should have a stickie that gives advice to those of us who have no idea where to begin. Zircon's guide is awesome, but it's aimed at those who have some (but not lots of) experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkeSword Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Just as the topic states, I am interested in remixing and playing the keyboard. I am new to the whole thing and I really don't have much experiance with playing, but I was hoping to get some good product recommedations to get set up. Any help is greatly appreciated. Don't even worry about your "setup" at this point. If you're going to play, get some experience playing first. Get a cheap keyboard or something so you can learn to play. Don't try to jump into "ReMixing OMG." You should learn some fundamentals of music first, like really basic theory (major/minor keys, chords, harmony, meter, that kind of stuff), and learn about what it takes to write a song. Try writing some original piece first, and get practice with how parts work together. At the age you are, composing and producing music is not as intuitive as drawing a picture or writing a story. You need some foundation before you can "remix." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navi Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 Darkesword = Age Psychic?????1111:roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darangen Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Remixing is a black hole. Once you get sucked in, there is no turning back.... never... ever..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splunkle Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Darkesword has it right. Learn the theory, then the mixing. Just the very basics is okay, provided you are prepared to learn more. And by prepared, I mean ready to lurk, jump on all the links that can increase your knowledge, activly seek out tutorials, and so forth. There is a huge amount of info in these intarwebs. You just have to find it. Now I'm going to go against what many other say and say that you don't have to learn an instrument. But it helps. Learing to play builds your ear, your ryhthm, and all sorts of things that are musically useful. So if you have the cash, go forth and get an instrument, and learn that. Pay for teacher if you can. Now onto the inevitable crap about programs: Most people find something they are happy with and stick with it. So just demo as much stuff as you can, and see what you like. Many demos are free, so grab them. You probably want some musical experience under your belt before doing this, though - no point in demoing the arpeggiator function of FL if you don't know what an arpeggio is, for example. Keep in mind this is going to take months, at best, to get good. I took about two years, but I wasn't really passionate about it until I started getting good results last year. But its a fun hobby, so as long as you have fun, you'll be fine. Just keep learning, k? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Araelius Posted August 6, 2006 Author Share Posted August 6, 2006 Thanks for all the great replies, I truly appreciate it. I have decided that I will not be learning how to play an instrument, but I WILL strive to learn music theory. I have become very interested in computer music creation and I look forward to learning all that I can. Wish me luck on my journey and who knows, maybe I will be joining you remixers soon. BTW, is there a specific MIDI Controller you would recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vagrance Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 I personally have an M-Audio Oxygen 49 and I love it but those Novation ones still make me drool. I would dig the MicroKontrol but the keys are too damn small for me so unless you dig mini-keys or you go for the Kontrol 49 I'd reccomend M-Audio for prise, and Novation for quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Splunkle Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 Most people would probably disagree with me, but I say don't get a keyboard to start with - use your mouse. This teaches you all the tips and tricks of the piano roll, or whatever your sequencer uses. If you find it too frustrating, yeah, get a keyboard. But start without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerrax Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 Most people would probably disagree with me, but I say don't get a keyboard to start with - use your mouse. This teaches you all the tips and tricks of the piano roll, or whatever your sequencer uses. If you find it too frustrating, yeah, get a keyboard. But start without one. I halfway agree, don't get an expensive keyboard until you know what you are doing. Learn the sequencer first, then go buy a really nice keyboard. But you should have something to just try little things on. I have a shitty old Casio from 1982 and I don't use it at all for my mixes, but usually either playing things on that keyboard or on my guitar gives me ideas and/or gives me an idea how it sounds before I spend a lot of time puttin g the whole thing into my sequencer. It really hard to pull melodies out of thin air without hearing at least a slight idea of how they sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dafydd Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 I learned the basics on a keyboard that we got second-hand for around $2,000. It has a built-in sequencer, a floppy disk drive, etc. You seriously don't need any of that. Any old piece of keyboard instrument (such as a piano) will do to start with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darangen Posted August 7, 2006 Share Posted August 7, 2006 I use a crappy and ancient Casio CTK-650 as my midi controller. It sucks, but it gets the job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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