[Wakka]

Alright so i know a bunch of you guys DJ/produce on here, so im looking for advice:

Recommend me a solid midi keyboard:

Price range is right around $300 give or take a few if its worth it.

Personally Im looking at the Akai MPK25.

http://www.pssl.com/Akai-MPK25-USB-Recording-Controller

but not really sure if its good / worth it.

[whip_lash]

I suggest going for a 49 key+ keyboard, im using the m-audio keyrig 49 right now and its doing the job. My freind has the 25 key and now he wants a 49+ one. I just wish mine had some knobs and more functions but what do you expect for $100, but i honestly barely use it cuz im more into producing tech house which is alot of drums and percussion unlike trance which is heavely based on melody and pads..etc.

One word of advice is if you dont already have it is buy some good monitors. Its a worlds difference and if you're gonna produce you need to be able to hear every little detail and sound. I got a pair of Krk rokit 8's RP2's and they're amazing. Which program are you using? im started producing 8 months ago with Ableton and im still learning..

[.:bHd:.]

+1 on the 49 keys. I'm about to buy a midi keyboard as well. My best advice is to go down to your local guitar center and play around to see which ones feel the best. A lot of them have a cheap plastic feel. Also get some decent monitors I'd suggest the KRK 8s or Yamaha HS80M. Another important thing is acoustics, get some foam and make sure the frequencies around bouncing around the room.

What DAW do you plan on using and how are you going to learn it?

[TimZ]

Originally Posted by .:bHd:.

1 on the 49 keys. I'm about to buy a midi keyboard as well. My best advice is to go down to your local guitar center and play around to see which ones feel the best. A lot of them have a cheap plastic feel. Also get some decent monitors I'd suggest the KRK 8s or Yamaha HS80M. Another important thing is acoustics, get some foam and make sure the frequencies around bouncing around the room.

What DAW do you plan on using and how are you going to learn it?

I have the HS80M's for 2.5 years now and have absolutely nothing to complain about them.
I don't have a keyboard, I just mess around with my friends' keyboard whenever I feel like it, but I'm also 1 on the 49 keys like everyone else.
You can listen to our suggestions, but nothing will beat your own ear on things, so go to the local guitar center and test out some monitors and play with their keyboards to get a feel of what you prefer best.
Goodluck, once you start, your gonna want to invest more and more!

[Wakka]

I have had ableton for about a year now. Not very good at it, and havent really put much time into it. I have the keyrig 49 which is an awesome beginner keyboard, but its too big to bring to my dorm room. Sorry i should have mentioned that.

As for studio monitors, nope but i've heard the krk's are the way to go. For now im just lookin for a good small keyboard though. Ill get the speakers next.

Also mind as well ask while i have a thread, Im pretty sure i need to get an audio interface to hook the speakers up to my macbook right? any thoughts on that so i can start researching/budgeting for that?

[.:bHd:.]

Originally Posted by Wakka

I have had ableton for about a year now. Not very good at it, and havent really put much time into it. I have the keyrig 49 which is an awesome beginner keyboard, but its too big to bring to my dorm room. Sorry i should have mentioned that.

As for studio monitors, nope but i've heard the krk's are the way to go. For now im just lookin for a good small keyboard though. Ill get the speakers next.

Also mind as well ask while i have a thread, Im pretty sure i need to get an audio interface to hook the speakers up to my macbook right? any thoughts on that so i can start researching/budgeting for that?

Technically you don't. You can plug a phono cable that splits into two xlr cables from the headphone jack to the speakers. An audio interface is usually for incoming audio. The sound card on a mac pro should be good enough for output for a beginner.

[Wakka]

Originally Posted by .:bHd:.

Technically you don't. You can plug a phono cable that splits into two xlr cables from the headphone jack to the speakers. An audio interface is usually for incoming audio. The sound card on a mac pro should be good enough for output for a beginner.

interesting, but would you really want mono sound for a production set up? Guess it really wouldnt matter for a beginner too much. lol

[yakev724]

Originally Posted by Wakka

interesting, but would you really want mono sound for a production set up? Guess it really wouldnt matter for a beginner too much. lol

Macbook's headphone jack isn't mono. (Which is why the music/movie you listen to has different L/R channels). Actually, the new MacBook Pros have a digital out line in addition to the headphone jack.

This means that with the proper adapter (mini toslink to toslink), you can output an optical cable, which will plug into any audio receiver/amp and give you proper 5.1

As for keyboards, I love my MPK49. Picked it up on CL for $140 before I even knew what I was going to be doing with it and haven't looked back.

[Wakka]

Originally Posted by yakev724

Macbook's headphone jack isn't mono. (Which is why the music/movie you listen to has different L/R channels). Actually, the new MacBook Pros have a digital out line in addition to the headphone jack.

This means that with the proper adapter (mini toslink to toslink), you can output an optical cable, which will plug into any audio receiver/amp and give you proper 5.1

As for keyboards, I love my MPK49. Picked it up on CL for $140 before I even knew what I was going to be doing with it and haven't looked back.

really? I did not know that about the macbook's outputs. Thats pretty awesome! by new pros im guessing you mean when they switched to the unibody design? I picked my 13" mbp up about a year ago. First mac i've ever owned and i really dont know that much about it. So that was some really helpful info thanks man!

As for the keyboard, yea the mpk49 is a great controller from what i've heard but its just too big for carrying around and keeping in my dorm room (I have a full DJ set up which takes up a TON of space already) So im thinking that the mpk25 would be a good addition. besides do you REALLY use all 49 keys (or at least more then 25) for producing some house/tech-house/electro ect. ect?

[whip_lash]

My advice would be to buy some proper monitors first. Whats the point of having a keyboard if you cant hear everything properly. My buddy who also produces was amazed how much more he could hear and how clearer everything was when he played his track at my house (hes using shitty computer speakers), so needless to say he had to do some editing on my speakers lol

[Wakka]

Originally Posted by whip_lash

My advice would be to buy some proper monitors first. Whats the point of having a keyboard if you cant hear everything properly. My buddy who also produces was amazed how much more he could hear and how clearer everything was when he played his track at my house (hes using shitty computer speakers), so needless to say he had to do some editing on my speakers lol

Yeah I believe that, but i just bought some EV ZXA1's, while they arent studio monitors, they sound AH-MAZING. Obviously not the same as a good set of monitors, but i also have a pair of HDJ-2000's which are great headphones. Maybe a little too bassy for producing but i thought that might cover me for now.

You really think the monitors are worth it over what i currently have - for a beginner -? should I get a studio sub as well or will the monitors be enough for now?

[.:bHd:.]

Originally Posted by Wakka

Yeah I believe that, but i just bought some EV ZXA1's, while they arent studio monitors, they sound AH-MAZING. Obviously not the same as a good set of monitors, but i also have a pair of HDJ-2000's which are great headphones. Maybe a little too bassy for producing but i thought that might cover me for now.

You really think the monitors are worth it over what i currently have - for a beginner -? should I get a studio sub as well or will the monitors be enough for now?

I have the same headphones and my logitech computer speakers sound better than them lol They're good for DJing and everyday use but they're not meant for producing.

[whip_lash]

The EV's i think should be fine then.. you could use them until you get really good and start working with labels, then you might want to upgrade a few things.

Another thing you should look into is a good external soundcard. I have the numark dj IO which i bought for djing and now use to connect my krk's with and the one thing that drives me crazy is that it has no volume knob so i gotta control everything through ableton. Getting another card is def next on my list.. and it has to be a good one as well.

[Turbo>NA]

Originally Posted by .:bHd:.

+1 on the 49 keys. I'm about to buy a midi keyboard as well. My best advice is to go down to your local guitar center and play around to see which ones feel the best. A lot of them have a cheap plastic feel. Also get some decent monitors I'd suggest the KRK 8s or Yamaha HS80M. Another important thing is acoustics, get some foam and make sure the frequencies around bouncing around the room.

What DAW do you plan on using and how are you going to learn it?

When am I coming over so we can make afrojack beats?

[.:bHd:.]

Originally Posted by Turbo>NA

When am I coming over so we can make afrojack beats?

whenever i learn how to master it haha

[Wakka]

kinda off topic... but just saw these going for cheap, thought some people could be interested:

http://www.audiomidi.com/cust_search...rs_062711.aspx

gearslutz topic on it:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/low-e...-monitors.html

[.:bHd:.]

man that is a good deal. are you getting em?

[Wakka]

Its a serious debacle in my head right now. With GS seal of approval idk how i can pass them up honestly.

[NYCGP]

Rob... buy your tix for NYE today at 12...

[Uber V8]

Maschine FTW.

[.:bHd:.]

Just bought some instructional videos from sonic academy lets do thissss