The Beginning Of The End, Advice on first Mac Music setup appreciated! Options

[digead]

Dear all,

This is my first ever post so please be gentle with me

I've been making music with synths (going through amps; recorded onto tape!) for a few years now, but I'm now taking my first tentative steps into the world of computers.

I'm planning to buy a new 2Gig MacBook (£130 extra for colour black - why??!!) and Reason 3.0 to get me kicked off. I'll be using my trusty Microkorg as a MIDI controller.

My question is this: has anyone got any opinions on my selection? Will this initial setup (plus monitors etc.) be enough to get me making tunes straight out of the box?

Your help and advice is gratefully received

[gdoubleyou]

Reason is just a big synth module it doesn't record audio, so if you want vocals or add any non-internal sounds it's not the app.

Play around with Garage Band for a while, you will probably conclude that you don't need Reason.

The Garage Band Instruments are based on the instruments contained in Logic Pro, and in my opinion Reason's instruments sounds thin when compared side by side.

For serious work I'd look at Logic or Digital Performer.



This post has been edited by gdoubleyou: Mon 5 Jun 2006, 19:25

[Vadim Chaly]

I may be wrong, but I think MacBook doesn't have an audio input (and even if it does, it isn't very good). I would buy an audio+MIDI USB/Firewire interface with some bundled software. M-Audio, Alesis, Digidesign - they all make those boxes/keyboards.

If I may suggest, take a look at Mbox2 (btw, there's a review here on MacMusic): quality audio, MIDI interface, comes with shortened versions of Reason and Live - and with Pro Tools LE, indeed. Reason and Live are easily upgradable to full versions. Of course, keep the microKorg - IMHO it sounds better than Reason's synths (not to mention the fun factor), so you're likely to use it not only as a MIDI controller.

Good luck!

This post has been edited by Vadim Chaly: Mon 5 Jun 2006, 21:53

[digead]

Thanks Vadim and gdoubleyou - as I expected, I have a lot to learn!

Your answers are very helpful and have given me plenty of new research to get on with

[gdoubleyou]

Actually all of the new macs have 24bit audio with optical SPDIF I/O, some people just connect a preamp
over SPDIF, works fine for one man composer set up.