Advice

Gunthers

Hi

Im looking to get a new computer for music production.Have been doing a bit of research and opionions vary a great deal so Ill just throw it out there.
I use Reason and a Dell Laptop at the moment and plan to start using Pro -Tools or Cubase pretty soon.
Any recommendations ? My budget is ~ 700 euro so a mac is out of the question , I also wont be playing any gigs anytime soon:D so a desktop is always an option.

Also what are peoples experinces of doing Music Production Courses ?
Strongly thinking about starting one soon.
Long term goal is basically recording a few acoustic numbers with Reason making abit of noise in the background.
Would buying Reason 6 be a better option than trying to use Pro -Tools.

Loads of questions there but Id appreciate the advice...

Neurojazz

You'll get a better result from a desktop (and a better ability to upgrade)

And it's worth checking out demos for most the DAWs around, I think reason even offers audio capture - not sure on it's current ability - but a known very light app.

Depends on your budget really.

Reason will come with all the instruments you need, other might not.

Ableton offers a good 'live' feel, while other DAWs are a bit more clunky.

Latency is going to be key if recording live, so an external mixer/monitoring a must with a low budget setup.

Then for free... reaper!

There's a lot of options, but pretty much keep doing the homework and stick with whatever you go for and work around the issues you might find.

Gunthers

Cheers

Alot of options when it comes to DAWs , once I get a comp that can handle them Ill probably download a few trials and take it from there.
Just out of Interest what do you use yourself ?

Neurojazz

Gunthers wrote: »

Cheers

Alot of options when it comes to DAWs , once I get a comp that can handle them Ill probably download a few trials and take it from there.
Just out of Interest what do you use yourself ?

I use Ableton at the moment, used to use Cubase/Reason/Cakewalk - but not recording anything live - only sequenced music

kabaal

Get a mac at all costs. Don't waste your time buying a PC. You can get secondhand iMacs on adverts that will be more than able for what you're looking to get into and more for €700. The reason i say get a mac is simply that PCs (even in recent years) don't have the stability that macs have. I went from pulling out my hair with system crashes everyday on a PC to no crashes whatsoever when I bought a mac. That and the way in which PCs suffer system slowdown over time make them a nightmare to use for production. If you can't find anything you want on adverts, get a mac mini and a cheapo screen from somewhere and it will still fall under the €700 mark. Only really heavy processing requires more high end computers so don't feel you have to buy some outrageous PC in anticipation of your first steps in audio recording and production. Any recent mac ie since 2008 should be well able for what you're looking to do and more.

Also forget reason 6, it's not a professional system. Though many people use it, it is no where near as versatile, powerful or efficient as say Logic, Ableton or ProTools. Logic pro is around €150 on the app store reason is €405 for an inferior product. Buy logic pro and you won't need another DAW. Hope this helps.

Neurojazz

kabaal wrote: »

Get a mac at all costs. Don't waste your time buying a PC. You can get secondhand iMacs on adverts that will be more than able for what you're looking to get into and more for €700. The reason i say get a mac is simply that PCs (even in recent years) don't have the stability that macs have. I went from pulling out my hair with system crashes everyday on a PC to no crashes whatsoever when I bought a mac. That and the way in which PCs suffer system slowdown over time make them a nightmare to use for production. If you can't find anything you want on adverts, get a mac mini and a cheapo screen from somewhere and it will still fall under the €700 mark. Only really heavy processing requires more high end computers so don't feel you have to buy some outrageous PC in anticipation of your first steps in audio recording and production. Any recent mac ie since 2008 should be well able for what you're looking to do and more.

Also forget reason 6, it's not a professional system. Though many people use it, it is no where near as versatile, powerful or efficient as say Logic, Ableton or ProTools. Logic pro is around €150 on the app store reason is €405 for an inferior product. Buy logic pro and you won't need another DAW. Hope this helps.

PCs are fine. Have about 7 here. The Mac I have decided to kill itself when I decided to close the lid - they are not all perfect or flawless - they have their fair share of problems / pro & cons. If he was going out live I might have suggested a Mac, but the OPs req is fairly simple - please keep MAC v PC trolling away from here please - The picture you're painting isn't impartial!

Maybe ask the OP exactly what's he's typically going to be doing before starting a PC hate speech - then check things like Lion compatibility with the sort of AU he'd be using or to stick to OSx if there would be problems.

Stability is down to numerous factors - the user, the parts, the software.

kabaal

Neurojazz wrote: »

PCs are fine. Have about 7 here. The Mac I have decided to kill itself when I decided to close the lid - they are not all perfect or flawless - they have their fair share of problems / pro & cons. If he was going out live I might have suggested a Mac, but the OPs req is fairly simple - please keep MAC v PC trolling away from here please - The picture you're painting isn't impartial!

Maybe ask the OP exactly what's he's typically going to be doing before starting a PC hate speech - then check things like Lion compatibility with the sort of AU he'd be using or to stick to OSx if there would be problems.

Stability is down to numerous factors - the user, the parts, the software.

I was not trying to create a PC versus Mac debate. I was merely offering my opinion. I have used both mac and PC systems for years and though both have their pros and cons, on balance and looking at the most relevant issues to audio production in general (such as stability, responsiveness, networking, security and overall UI design) macs have in my experience been far more useful.

Obviously there are compatibility issues with lion as there have been with many previous systems on both the mac and pc sides but these in general are fixed in a matter of days or weeks by both sides. This isn’t a deal breaker issue in choosing Mac or PC as both are guilty of bugs and the issues are typically short-lived.

As regards looking to find out exactly what plugins he'll be using, most professional plugins are cross platform and subsitutes are available if this is not the case. Thus not a real issue in choosing a production system.

If I was recommending a system I would say choose something that will allow you to grow as you develop your skills, without having to repurchase a new system a year down the line. I suggested logic and mac purely because they work extremely well for me and have done since I bought them 3 years ago. This might not be your experience or you may have a perfectly suitable system that completely different to mine (possibly a pc system), but in my experience macs perform better in audio recording / production situations. Apologies for any offence caused.

shayleon

(not entering PC/MAC debate. I have been running my studio on PC for the last 11 years)

My suggestion - Call "Carillon" and consult them. Had one of their machines years ago and it was rock solid, both in stability and in physical strength. Highly recommended and currently not much more expensive than other brands.

Gunthers

Cheers for the advice.
Going to go with a Desktop , safe option .I reckon regarding DAWS , i have a basic to moderate grip on Reason , will probably get Cubase so I can Rewire Reason and start from there.
Might not be the best software but start simple and go from there I hope.
Looking to record some acoustic guitar tracks with some simple beats and a bit of MALSTROM noise.
If I can get this done Ill be happy.
Another question , Would the people on here have invested in music production courses or just taught themselves?
I know there are courses on youtube but its nice to be spoonfed.
Anybody got a myspace/soundcloud so I can have a listen btw

Neurojazz

Gunthers wrote: »

Cheers for the advice.
Going to go with a Desktop , safe option .I reckon regarding DAWS , i have a basic to moderate grip on Reason , will probably get Cubase so I can Rewire Reason and start from there.
Might not be the best software but start simple and go from there I hope.
Looking to record some acoustic guitar tracks with some simple beats and a bit of MALSTROM noise.
If I can get this done Ill be happy.
Another question , Would the people on here have invested in music production courses or just taught themselves?
I know there are courses on youtube but its nice to be spoonfed.
Anybody got a myspace/soundcloud so I can have a listen btw

A lot self taught here and some from courses

Checkout the Soundcloud thread stickied in this forum, masses of people listed in there!

shayleon

Self taught too, but having a spoon might save you a lot of time and give you a nice kickstart. Instead of going for a course, perhaps just find a local guy who can show you whatever it is you need to know.

Neurojazz wrote: »

Checkout the Soundcloud thread stickied in this forum, masses of people listed in there!

Where is the Soundcloud sticky?

cheers

i57dwun4yb1pt8

kabaal wrote: »

Get a mac at all costs. Don't waste your time buying a PC. You can get secondhand iMacs on adverts that will be more than able for what you're looking to get into and more for €700. The reason i say get a mac is simply that PCs (even in recent years) don't have the stability that macs have. I went from pulling out my hair with system crashes everyday on a PC to no crashes whatsoever when I bought a mac. That and the way in which PCs suffer system slowdown over time make them a nightmare to use for production. If you can't find anything you want on adverts, get a mac mini and a cheapo screen from somewhere and it will still fall under the €700 mark. Only really heavy processing requires more high end computers so don't feel you have to buy some outrageous PC in anticipation of your first steps in audio recording and production. Any recent mac ie since 2008 should be well able for what you're looking to do and more.

Also forget reason 6, it's not a professional system. Though many people use it, it is no where near as versatile, powerful or efficient as say Logic, Ableton or ProTools. Logic pro is around €150 on the app store reason is €405 for an inferior product. Buy logic pro and you won't need another DAW. Hope this helps.

your opinion yes, but not with any substance.

PC's are just as good , and are more easily upgraded.

and REAPER is free/ 40 euros and as good as any daw out there.

in any case , pick an interface first , then pick the best OS and daw to suit
keeping in mind future upgrades or requirements

windows 7 64 bit allows access to more than 4 gigs of ram ( for lots of samples , sampled drums , or analog simulation such as NEBULA )

a laptop and reaper and a reasonable interface and youd be up and running in an hour.

the most important thing in the end is skill , this costs either money ( do a course ) or time ( learn by your self )

you should then spend your money on good instruments , room treatment . monitors , interface , preamp, mic , in that order.

the daw should be incidentle and should be what ever your interface likes and what you are comfortable with .

Neurojazz

shayleon wrote: »

Self taught too, but having a spoon might save you a lot of time and give you a nice kickstart. Instead of going for a course, perhaps just find a local guy who can show you whatever it is you need to know.



Where is the Soundcloud sticky?

cheers

HERE

paulo6891

If you really wanted a 'mac', you could always build a 'hackintosh' for less than 700 easily and it would probably be better specced than any PCs that you would be buying for that kind of money. Plus, you can always partition your hard drive so that you can run both lion & whatever windows version is out at the minute.