New Producer bedroom setup

[yourmajesty]

Hello slutz. You can all me majesty. I am an 18 year old aspiring hip-hop producer. I have loved music all my life but over the year have become inspired to start making music myself. I have so many cool ideas for song concepts and sounds. I plan to start a little bedroom studio for home producing.

I am in no way rich, but over the past year i have started a little online business where i am able to get anywhere from $500-$1000 a month (on a good month :D). I go to community college at the moment so you could say i have a lot of spare time on my hands to work. I have had a cheap casio keyboard in my room for a few years so im kinda sorta experienced with the keyboard. I have so many ideas for samples and music i just want to get started asap.

So, if you make a donation of $200 it would... just kidding

Anyways, so my plan is to buy a new desktop computer, dell xps 8300 spec'ed out and add a firewire pcie card and get to work (because i hear firewire is the best for music). I have been playing around with FL Studio for the past couple of weeks getting the hand of it. Not using any of my own samples or sounds just making crappy beats to get the hang of it (and not saving them). Even though I plan to use FL, trust me it won't sound like the crap you hear on youtube. When FL comes out for the mac, i might just ditch the pc and go for the mac then mix on pro tools.

Any straight to the point this is the equipment i have narrowed it down to based on looking at many videos, reviews, and searches. Even though im on somewhat of a budget, I still want quality:

Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 DSP for my interface
Yamaha HS80 (pair)
I'm still deciding on a midi controller to use with softsynths. I am looking for a compact one no more than 49 keys.
Once i get some more money, the Roland Gaia was looking good for a hardsyth. And maybe a maschine in the future for sampling. But ill stick to the keyboard for sampling now..

Then after a couple months, I want to get a mic to record, I've started writing what i think are some pretty clever lyrics if i do say so myself. I was looking at:
neumann tlm 103
and the SE Reflexion Filter. I want to do Hip-Hop vocals and some singing.

Well, any tips, suggestions, or just anything i should know would be appreciated. As well as some suggestions for a good keyboard for softsynths and sampling

Thank you all

[OPERATOR]

How about an MPC, a Mac, Logic express and a basic controller. I think after a while Fruity loops will be constraining. I'm not a hip hop producer though. I use all analog (ok mainly analog.

[yourmajesty]

thanks for your response
ehh, the thing about macs is if i'm going to get one, i want to spec it out. When i do get one it'll either be a macbook pro or a imac and since you can't really upgrade too much inside i want to wait till i have enough money to spec it out, plus i want to use fruityloops. About it being constraining.. uhh ill see about that :D

The thing about MPC's apart from them being expensive, is i really want to go new age when it comes to equipment and idk, the maschine just looks like its what im looking for in terms of that.

Do you have any suggestions on a controller?

[grawk]

If you can wait a couple of months, get the arturia minibrute for a combination controller/analog synth. That will get you the giant fat bass sounds, plus a controller for your soft synths.

[yourmajesty]

Originally Posted by grawk

If you can wait a couple of months, get the arturia minibrute for a combination controller/analog synth. That will get you the giant fat bass sounds, plus a controller for your soft synths.

thanks, im really liking that synth. Sorry im a newb at this, but you can you a synth as a controller too?

[benherron.rrr]

Originally Posted by grawk

If you can wait a couple of months, get the arturia minibrute for a combination controller/analog synth. That will get you the giant fat bass sounds, plus a controller for your soft synths.

+1 for that. I don't really use synths apart from the odd pad and arpeggio, but that looks amazing especially at the price point.

I would stay away from the mac at the moment IMO, rig out an imac/mac pro to what you need and the compare the price to the XPS 8300 and then think about what you could do with the money you'd save by not buying brushed aluminium. I am using an XPS 8100 and it hasn't failed me yet, I use it all day every day on some fairly intensive projects and I'm only ever restricted by Pro Tools's resource limitations.

For what you want to do I'd recommend Reason for software, it's decent for that kind of production.

[yourmajesty]

Originally Posted by benherron.rrr

+1 for that. I don't really use synths apart from the odd pad and arpeggio, but that looks amazing especially at the price point.

I would stay away from the mac at the moment IMO, rig out an imac/mac pro to what you need and the compare the price to the XPS 8300 and then think about what you could do with the money you'd save by not buying brushed aluminium. I am using an XPS 8100 and it hasn't failed me yet, I use it all day every day on some fairly intensive projects and I'm only ever restricted by Pro Tools's resource limitations.

For what you want to do I'd recommend Reason for software, it's decent for that kind of production.

yup, im trying to stay away from them right now and only get one in the future when i need it. I've heard good things about Reason.. ill check it out
Thanks for reassuring me on my Dell lol. What interface do you use?

[benherron.rrr]

Originally Posted by yourmajesty

yup, im trying to stay away from them right now and only get one in the future when i need it. I've heard good things about Reason.. ill check it out
Thanks for reassuring me on my Dell lol. What interface do you use?

I'm using an Avid Mbox Pro, bought it a month before Pro Tools was set free from it's hardware prison :( all said and done they are very very decent interfaces.

I haven't really used reason that much but it has some good stock soft synths, and is decent for sampling, and you can record in it now. Plus I think it's cool how it operates like a rack.

[grawk]

Yes, it looks like you can use the synth as a controller. It's got midi in and out, and usb mini in/out. For $500 it seems like a freaking steal. I'm seriously considering selling both my Axiom 25 and Roland Juno 6 and just getting one of those bad boys.

[yourmajesty]

So no issues with any of the equipment, or nothing wrong with compatibility?