Hey, you’ve probably seen my past threads asking which midi controller/keyboard to buy and might be thinking that these are one of those threads. But thankfully this isnt the case.
I’ve decided that instead of wasting my money getting a piece of hardware that I probably dont need yet wouldnt help me at all if I dont learn the software yet so I’ve opted out of getting any type of controller until I’m more confident in the software and can figure out what I will need to help my work flow.
I’ve already decided that I’m going to buy Ableton Live 9 Suite as my DAW of choice however the rest of the things I get are up in the air as to the order in which I should purchase them. I do not have the money to get them all at once and would each most likely need a months time before purchasing the next thing. This is where I need your help on which things would be most necessary/useful for me to produce with.
Ableton Live 9 Suite
?. KRK Rokit 6 G2 (2 of them)
?. A new desk to use for my workspace (my current one is rather tiny and only about 24 inches long)
?. NI Massive
?. Soundcard (I dont know anything about soundcards nor do I know what do they do or which one to get, help?)
?. Upgrade my laptop to a MacBook Pro
After Ableton, what order do you think I should get the rest of the stuff? Also I need help on the soundcard as I stated earlier in this post. Thanks
mackie MR8 and MR5 are way better than KRK rockit and are in the same price bracket, they produce a much cleaner flatter response than the KRK which are more a mid way between monitors and dj speakers that drive the sound harder to my ears. Try them out in the shop and you will hear the difference
I would prioritise speakers & soundcard first. The ‘M-audio fast track pro’ is decent enough and cheap. You will need a new desk to hold your speakers so your probably up for $800 so far “not including ableton”..
Upgrade to a MacBook Pro later, but max out your RAM on your current computer until that happens.
On the topic of new desk, I currently have my monitors on my desk and am looking into making stands that’ll sit next to my desk to free up a lot of space on my desk for some new toys (technics 1200 and other devices). So I found this thread from a very renown DJTT member…
and it’s a great read (and also, anything tarakith writes is generally a good read).
On the Monitor subject, I read up for ages on which one’s to get and went into my local store and heard a bunch of them, in the end the best piece of advice I heard/read was that no matter which monitors you by, all that matters is that you know and understand the sound they make, inside out. Flux Pavillon uses KRK Rokits and he’s stated that, although their may be superior monitors out there, he has come to learn the sound that the Rokits make.
For this reason I ended up getting Samson A5s at $160 for a pair (essentially brand new) and have been extremely pleased with them since.
I’d go for speakers and soundcard too ! Both are complementary i think !
For the desk, i’m shure you can manage something temporary, even if it’s not very clean, don’t spend your money in that too quickly !!
Another thing you could do, is buy a very good pair of studio headphones that are very comfy, something you can work with for hours ! It will be much cheaper at first than speakers and you always need some headphones ! Money saved can get you a sound card faster i guess !
Ableton Suite is MORE THAN ENOUGH for a starter producer. Trust me. Massive is, well, MASSIVE! There is a LOT to learn within massive, which could disract you from learning the basics of arranging and mixing.
If you get a nice desk, make sure you get a really nice, comfy, adjustable chair. A great chair makes a huge difference!
You don’t absolutely have to get a MBP, either.
But in all truth - as long as you get Ableton Suite, everything else is supplimentary for a long while. You can learn to produce on the laptop you already have, with a mouse and a nice pair of headphones.
Too much gear can distract you from the task at hand, which is Arranging and Mixing - and that can ALL be done with a lappy with headphones!
(Edit: P.S - if you ever are looking for a one-stop-production keyboard, check this out:
Look around and see how little producers actually use the “popular” stuff in their studio’s. Photographers like getting the shots with a glowing apple close to the guy’s face, but if you look at pictures/vids of studio’s, you’ll find pieces of unhyped kit mor often than the latest apple/NI gizmo’s
There are little reasons to buy a mac for production, except for midi synchronisation (which you don’t really plan on).
If you’d ever consider Massive, save up for one month more and buy a piece of popular kit that many pro’s do use: A Maschine. It has the most hands on and expressive production value for the buck (after a good keyboard offcourse). AND it holds up well live too.
So you suggest I simply stick with Ableton Live 9 Suite for a while and get monitors/better desk and learn the software before buying plugins and stuff?
I know about the Maschine however put it into my plan because I dont know what my workflow will be yet! Perhaps once I start to understand Ableton and everything it may be something I need but if not then Massive is always an option, know what I mean?
I understand what all you guys have been saying about the MacBook Pro, but I also thought it would be a good upgrade to my current laptop as well as a strong laptop for me to use with school and everything. However I understand not rushing into buying one
Massive is JUST a software synth. Yes, it woks very well, but there are more. Ableton allready has lots too.
Massive is very tightly integrated with maschine. (Maschine packs contain lots of massive sounds). If you decide Maschine will be your synth of choice, Maschine is a very nice controller for it.
So, just gonna throw this out there for you.. I would suggest getting a larger desk and keeping the monitors on th desk. You will most likely get terrible sound moving them onto a stand. Unless you have a serious studio then the sound will be terrible.
Upgrade the Computer
DAW
Soundcard
Monitors
Soft Synths
25 Key Midi controller
Maschine - last only because you are new to producing.. if you knew what you were doig I would place the Maschine above the VSTs
If you don’t already have them I would also suggest a decent pair of cans. Most home studio folks I know arent able to properly condition the studio area and being able to fall back to headphones for details can be really helpful. The order you buy things depends on your priorities. If you’re just learning the software and don’t mind creating a few dozen throw away tracks go for software first and just listen on whatever you have and play around. When youre trying to mix down a final track is when you absolutely need proper monitors.
Why would you spend $1500 on a laptop that doesn’t really offer anything you can’t do on windows when that money could buy you a studio and you could start producing… you can still get the laptop later
For a while I didn’t have one. And I plugged my monitors straight into my MBP. That is bad thing to do. You 'll get a lof static and stuff.
A soundcard provides a quality connection for your monitors and volume control on the hardware. Having inputs is also nice if you want to record a DJ mix, a singer, plug in your guitar, sample a record,…
Additionally to what MyUsername said above, a SoundCard (a.k.a. your interface) will also allow you to connect external instruments and mics to record straight into your DAW (in your case Ableton).
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