ok, so im getting an imac, expanding it to 3gb, getting logic 8
i have speakers and studio headphones
next i guess i get an audio interface

what i want to know is, what is a good interface to get that i wont feel i will need to replace
as i learn more
im thinking a motu 828mk2 or m audio nrv10(which includes a mixer)

what would you choose.

considering i dont want to add guitars, or vocals to my music

then what??

what do you guys add as time goes on to improve your capabilities

keyboard, mixer, ...?

i want to be able to have eventually some great tools in order to make electronic/industrial style music

also(a strange question)
is there anything out there to recreate the sound of anvils, machinery, vaccuum hisses, clicks and clunks etc etc


what do you have in your studios that enhances what you can do outside of whats in logic

i forgot to mention the external harddrive, (firewire or usb?)

ill need something to put it all on too, any reccomeneds for a desk and where to get one from

oops, one question at a time, else it gets way too confusing.

I'll start for the desk:

- easy: if you have Ikea near you, have a look
- expensive: there's lots of professional desk available… and expensive.
- cheap: make it yourself or if you know someone who can do it. (that's the way I'd go after ikea)

For the concerte sounds, there's sampled sounds banks, especially for the cinema out there. I'd look into this direction at sample shops. (I don't know them enough to give you a precise collection you can buy in confidence)

Hard drive: have a look in the hard drive forum, but firewire!

aldrahn.... Starting Out - what to add next?

{what do you guys add as time goes on to improve your capabilities}

Take Music Lessons. Take MID/Mixing/Mastering/Audio Course.

of course, but my thinking at the moment what is the best hardware to get that wont need replacing as i get better over time

im a bit clueless as to the different types of hardware i need other than interface/mixer/keyboard

[quote name='aldrahn' date='Fri 16 May 2008, 18:48' post='274758']


what i want to know is, what is a good interface to get that i wont feel i will need to replace
as i learn more
im thinking a motu 828mk2 or m audio nrv10(which includes a mixer)

Go the MOTU 828mk2 over the nrv-10 motu have great converters and pre-amps and are very stable on the mac, as they only make gear for the mac. I might get flamed for bagging m-audio its just that i personally think they are a proverbial bucket of shit. Not great converters in their stuff and I found their drivers to be pretty unstable (but thats just me) If the MOTU is in your price range I would get it or check out the TC-ELECTRONICS KONNEKT series ... the 24D and its smaller siblings are great bits of hardware. TC makes some of the most high end and million$ Hardware and software for music creation bar none. and the KONNEKT's come bundled with the industry standard WAVES production Plugs which IMHO are the best mastering plugs available on the market... so you won't be wanting or needing to do away with them in a hurry.

As for adding a mixer what do you want it for? do you want the pre-amps or just a tactile interface for controlling youre DAW software? if its the latter NOVATION makes some great Midi controller keyboards (Novation reMOTE) that also have lots of useful sliders and knobs that will enable you to control your software synths and the logic mixer. they also have an Automap feature that allows you to just click on a copntrol and twiddle a knob instantly configuring the midi for you. as well as having templates for many of the most popular softsynths already installed (a real time-saver) especially for a newbie configuring midi control maps is a painful and slow process even for experienced users.

what would you choose.

considering i dont want to add guitars, or vocals to my music

then what??

what do you guys add as time goes on to improve your capabilities

keyboard, mixer, ...?

i want to be able to have eventually some great tools in order to make electronic/industrial style music



also(a strange question)
is there anything out there to recreate the sound of anvils, machinery, vaccuum hisses, clicks and clunks etc etc

FM synthesis can do an ok job at recreating these sounds but jsut buy a sample cd and perhaps a plugin like Native instruments KONTAKT which is a very powerful software sampler (not too cheap though) you can find cheaper ones and logic comes with a decent one anyway. I will say though that a good microphone (RODE or AKG) or even a passable one will allow you to go out in the field and get all the clunking noises you want you can get mikes that plug into an IPOD or similar harddisk music recorder. Industrial music is very sample driven so a mike would be a good investment.


what do you have in your studios that enhances what you can do outside of whats in logic

Recycle is a great loop and sample editor that produces REX files which are able to be speed up or slowed down without a change in pitch
there are many great softsyths and AUDIO UNIT effects plugs too many to name here but there are other threads that will give you more than enough info. Native instruments and ARTURIA are a couple of good companies to have a look at.
When you can afford it, get yourself a great quality channel strip plug or a hardware unit to add some warmth to your tunes and samples.

Buy monitors before you blow money on that stuff though.


i forgot to mention the external harddrive, (firewire or usb?)

FIREWIRE ALL THE WAY

I agree with MacDaddy, enroll in a course or get some online course material and manuals, Don't get too far ahead of yourself Buy yourself GREAT gear a piece at a time and steer away from bargain all in one solutions, they are usually crap and full of hype. At least buying it a piece at a time you don't end up with a whole heap of creeping featurism going on, it just serves to overwhelm you and distract from the goal here.... making great music.

GOOD LUCK
get the Mac, LOGIC and a decent external drive (from MAXTOR or another reputable mac drive supplier), and take it from there. Make sure you drop us a line before making the final decision on interfaces... after you play around with what you got and have a good think about what it is you actually need to buy next. Make sure you use the external drive to record to and store samples on rather than putting applications on it.

Peace out

phew!, what an answer, thanks for spending so much time and consideration, valuable for people like me for getting started, maybe one day ill be giving new members tips;)

really appreciate it

no problem, glad to help. just have some fun and try not to get too caught up in the process of buying kit. research and buy. then learn with what you have. don't keep throwing money at a problem to try and fill a creative void, that never works as music comes from within.

also glad to hear you aspiring to give new members tips, thats a great attitude, after all thats why i'm here, these guys here helped me a lot, there's a wealth of knowledge here. When you get to a point where you think you can chime inand help a newbie, don't hesitate, if you are less than correct in your answer, someone is sure to correct it; and thats cool too it's all learning afterall.

MAC-ON BrothA

In the spirit of constructive criticism, I would steer away from M-audio firewire 410. My personal experience is that they took forever to come up with a leopard driver.. which seems unstable.. it loses connect to my system requiring restarts... I didn't upgrade to Leopard for a year or there abouts because of the lack of driver and find it doesn't fit with my system in a reliable way. When I boot up Final Cut, there is an audible pop and problems.
I have no recommendation other than be wary of that unit.
My assessment of equipment is like that of restaurants.. I want it to be consistent.. not great one time than lousy the next...
regards and good luck