a few more questions, need help seeing my way around Options

[edea]

ive been looking into sound apps lately and trying to use demos dl'ing manuals and what not and had a couple of questions as i am now ready to spend a little bit of money.

first off, reason seems a little easier then the rest to use but it also looks as though it may be an inferior product to some of the others. basically what would be a good package of software for me to get to get going. i am looking into making idm/breakbeats/mostly electronic, maybe some voiceovers everyonce in awhile but strictly electronic music. im thinking more into logic or digital performer as ive heard good things (protools looks a little tough to me) but im not exactly sure what they are in the broad scheme of things (as you see i need help) logic seems like it is a favorite among people that arent into protools, but i could be wrong.

second, i want to buy a keyboard. i am not so concerned with with the sounds that may come on it but i also have NO knowledge of keyboards at all. i was looking at usb keyboards from midiman but those seem like they could be huge pieces of crap. what is the best under 500 dollar way to go to get a keyboard into my computer with good sound quality.

those are basically my only questions right now, but there is one more thing. it is important to me that i get something decent even if it costs a little more than i expect. granted i am just learning but how do i expect to be happy with progress if i hear a bunch of hissing and static. plus im not really into going into things buying a bunch of shit. so please give me a hand. im not looking into becoming a professional but i would like to have something that sounds good.

thank you.

[Synthetic]

First, Reason is excellent app that if run on fast cpu will do almost everything you want for electronic music production. It does have some limitations but as a beginner, you may be happy with just that one app.

Second, I use ProTools and have tried Logic as well as Cubase and didn't like the interface of those apps. ProTools to me just makes more sense but I have heard some people complain about the lack of midi features but I myself have never had any problem with using midi in PT as well. Plus, all the new features I keep seeing in these apps have been in ProTools already for at least 2 years such as the automation and graphical editing of the automation lines.

Third, the keyboards you are looking at from midiman are simply controllers I think and will not output anything but midi which you could use to play in Reason or another software synth but alone will produce no audio. So, are you looking for a keyboard just to control other synths such as Reason or did you want something that you can use even if not hooked up to your computer? I suggest looking at some keyboards that have built in sound modules with midi inputs and outputs and some even have USB to allow communication with a computer without special interface. A really good sounding keyboard may costs anywhere from $500 to $2500 depending on what features you want and what type of sound you want.

My setup: I use a Yamaha CS6x synth keyboard ($1400) that has sweet sounds plus it has midi in and out and is 16 part multi-timberal which lets you setup a preset with up to 16 voices that can be played back from a midi sequencer at same time such as ProTools or Logic. I can also use it to control Reason and play the drum machine with keys or play the synth module in realtime and record the midi info directly in Reason. I use PT as I said before and sometimes I program all of a song in midi and record the audio output of the synth back into ProTools for adding finishing touches etc. Hope that helps you a little even if you aren't going with ProTools.