ok and just this if i may add:

i'm gonna be doing productions for a long time to come, so do u think i should just go out and hit the best synths and other equip? coz.. yes its going to stay with me for a long time.

In that case i'm looking for a high end 2nd hand keyboard/synth on ebay... prolly the jp8000 or maybe a virus.

as for soundcards... still clueless.

DJ RANN you mentioned it depends how many inputs i need. what would be an example of other stuff i would plug in that requires those additional inputs? like other instruments...drum machines etc?

how many is feasible if i'm gonna be using this for a long time?

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OK dude, here goes:

the novation remote 25 will send and receive midi information via a USB connection, but to hear the sounds generated by your computer you will still need an audio interface. (yor computer probably has a crappy built in soundcard or a soundblaster now)

the novation x25 has a built in midi and audio interface as well which means you will not need another soundcard and again it connects by USB.

A separate audio interface and midi controller keyboard is going to sound better but will end up costing you more. How many outputs you need depends on what equipment you are going to use in your set up.
The audiophile I use hasd only L/R in and L/R out, which has always been enough for me, but if I were to run a Virus, it has six outputs and I would have to buy a soundcard to cope.

Wether you want to get a hard ware synth (the virus is great for trance productions) comes down to personal preference. I don't use any outboard gear, just softsynths and I get great results. I would say if you are on a budget but still want a decent set up, go for the x25. If you want to spend more, get an M audio sound card and separate midi controller. If you are happy to spend a lot, get a Motu 828, and a virus keyboard/jp8000. Remember to think about how many keys you want your keyboard to have. Novation ones are only 2 octave......but if you are not playing two handed melodies you will be fine........

THANKS DJ RANN! you're a good man =)

that's helped my understanding tremendously.

having said that, was wondering if you(or anyone else) could advice me based on your experience.. which of these would be wiser to get first, based on the fact that I can't get everything at once.

1) synth (jp80xx)
2) "many-in-many-out" soundcard
3) monitors.


I'd wanna get something that i'll be able to utilize first, probably a soundcard or monitors? then finally the synth..

coz i actually have an old Casio keyboard with MIDI-outs sitting around that i can use as a controller temporarily. just need the MIDI to USB cables for it.

So which would u recommend getting first?

I'm still stumped about the soundcards tho.. decided to get a "many-in-many-out" type, but there are too many to choose from. suggestions??

thanks heaps for all the help really appreciate it! If you guys were anywhere closer I'd take you out for coffee=P

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No Problem Rafale. It depends on what you can spend. I would buy the sound card (one with a built in midi interface so you can start using your casio keyboard) and hook it up to your stereo system unitl you can get some monitors. Your stereo is not great for monitoring but at least you will be able to hear what you are playing/making. Then I would buy the monitors as you will need to properly monitor once you can afford it. Then finally I would buy the synth (JP8000) last as you can pick up a lot of soft synths that sound really good for free or very cheap and will not need the JP right away. Make sure you have used one before buying it. Many different synths are good for dance music and each one is different - find one that suits the sounds you like to work with.

If you want me to suggest soundcards/monitors/synths (soft and hard) - you have to give me a budget - as with all things - you get what pay for but some are still better than others........

USD 300 how bout that? Is that a realistic figure? my issue is more with the quality and 'usage life' of what be getting rather than the actual cost of it. Something which can support the Virus (6 in/outs) but yet isn't overkill for my current meagre setup.


I'd want something that won't require upgrading for a long time (till some new technology comes out probably) hehe..

basically.. for use with my basic stuff now, and in lieu of future additions (i.e. Virus, JP80xx etc...)




Update:

can i actually start producing with softsynths now? I'm using a crappy SBLive but if i buy a MIDI-to-USB cable to hook my Casio keyboard to my PC will it actually be able to act as a controller?

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Last edited by rafale on May-08-2005 at 15:20

I would go for the audiophile, but I'm a chapskate who ONLY cares about audio input and output quality (and I wanted one S/PDIF IO port)
So I s'pose it works for me, if you know that you're going to need more than one S/PDIF port then by all means pick a different card, I would go with m-audio because their sound cards have a great reputation for pristine audio quality. (I haven't purchased my audiophile yet due to lack of $$)
about the emu COMPUTER products - every person at every music store that I've been to has discouraged me from buying their products - because creative labs does all of their work for PCI cards)
EMU's non soundcards have been used by depeche mode and many other 90's artists (Check the bios)
also check out www.vintagesynth.com to find out what synths are used by whom.

but an audiophile wouldn't be able to support a Virus (which requires 6 in/outs as mentioned earlier - care to explain why so many??)

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Rafale,On the virus you can assign different sounds (patches) to differnt outputs (LR pairs) which can be played back by your sequencer by assigning different midi channels and data to each track (6 inputs means you will have the virus outputting different sounds on different outputs (using different midi channels to control them) and frankly, I think you are a long time away from getting in to this.
you are going to have problems finding a high quality card with 6 outs for that money and something will have to give - either quality or the number of ins/outs. You could get an M audio firewire audiophile (rrp $349) which will give you 4ins/6outs (not enough for full usage but it is a good interface and lests you use most outs from a virus.) If you can save up more (and maybe check ebay) a Firewire 1814 will do it but it has more ins and outs than most people will ever use so the extra $$ might be wasted. There is a another interface the emagic emi 6/2 (6in 2 out) but it is slightly (not much though) behind m audio in terms of quality.

I used various virus' many times and I think you will be fine for the time being using the FW audiophile.

You can use your soundblaster live (i think...) but does it have a joystick port (9 pin d sub female) on it? if so you can get a lead called a midi to joystick cable (joystick connector to two midi sockets) and use that as your midi interface (you will need to set up the drivers accordingly). bear in mind the latency will be crap but it will let you get going.

Jammer, if you mean sound modules etc by "non soundcards" things like the vintage keys and the mo phatt module etc, they were used by many influential producers and artists but they have really aged and sound very early nineties as well as being quite limiting compared to softsynths and recent hardware. Also don't forget that big name artists get equipment sent to them free so manufacturers can brag about who is using their kit - even if they never use it.

Jammer, if you mean sound modules etc by "non soundcards"

non soundcards yes.


Also don't forget that big name artists get equipment sent to them free so manufacturers can brag about who is using their kit - even if they never use it.

I honestly didn't know that was common practice, thanks for the info