Please help What gear should I buy?

[supamonsta]

citizenchris 100%.

and please don't sample justice or daft punk

good luck

[evernaut]

Agreed. You don't need to be able to play the piano to use a keyboard. I'm a guitar player of some 20 years experience ( and can play drums, bass...etc. etc.) but I just suck at keys.

It don't matter though...as long as you have a musical brain you can easily blag it. ( And then edit it to your hearts' content in the midi editor afterwards )

On the subject of hardware though, you may wanna look at the Arturia Analog Factory Experience whilst you're planning your set-up.

http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/pro ... intro.html

It doesn't have Axiom's pads, but it's about the same price and it's a far better keyboard that'll last you a lifetime ( it's made of metal and wood rather than plastic, and comes with a great selection of Arturia's vintage synth software included)

Bon voyage!

[NeoMetric]

Right. Please, please, please don't sample Daft Punk; even though they completely ripped off others. (feel free to 'borrow' a kick, though).

Sample your uncle's 70's vinyl.

[Dexes]

I was originally planning on buying a 25 key M-Audio keyboard, but I do not know how to play the piano, so I thought this might be sort of pointless.

I'd really go for something with keys as a first controler. Not so much for actually "playing keyboard" (25 keys probably wouldn't do well for that anyway) but if you load up a sample/synth patch (or later on make you own synth sounds) it's great to just reach over and play a few notes and see how it sounds, without having to program a new midi clip every time.
Live does give you the option to use your qwerty keyboard for this, but many sounds are programmed so they sound different depending on how hard you hit the keys (velocity) and when using the qwerty, you have to use other keys to change the velocity making it pretty cumbersome to play.

+1 to evernaut's tip on analog factory. Don't have the keyboard, but the software is really nice. Especially if your not yet into programming your sounds from scratch it gives a nice mix of having quick access to nice sounds and giving you control over the most important modulation parametes without flooding you with hundereds of controls.

And btw. sample whatever you want! As long as your not some multimillion-dollar top-40-hit musician (and even then it should be that way) the most important thing is that you have fun when making music. And there's few things that kill creativety more than wanting to make a song and not doing it because you think other people will not think it's cool or original. With time you'll develope your own unique stile, but why deny what inspired you.

[NeroZero]

Good point. I could probably just memorize what key makes what sound. Anyway, what is the difference between what the Launchpad does and what the keyboard would do?

And yeah, I'm not looking to sample Daft Punk, or any popular artist for that matter. They dont go around sampling the Top 10 Charts, and I dont see why anybody but a DJ should. I have plenty of old soul and motown CDs of my parents lying around the house, so I figure I can toss some of them in the blender that is my brain and see what it chops up. It would be sort of weird to sample a song to make a song in that same genre, and after watching "RIP: A Music Manifesto" about Girl Talk's conflicts with copyright laws, Im not too keen on sampling any big names at the moment.
And thanks for the link to that keyboard, I'll be sure to check it out. Keep the great advice coming, Im so thankful for all the help you all have put forth.

[Dexes]

with a keyboard you can play different notes of an instument. Lauchpad's (main) use is to start preprogrammed loopes.
So if you have a kickdrum on track 1, you can program a loop with the kick on 1 / 2.2 / 3 in the first slot, a regular 4/4 kick in the second slot, and a drum roll in the 3rd slot.
Then hitting the top left button will play the first loop, the one below the 4/4 beat, the 3rd fron the top will start playing the drum roll. The same can then be done in the other columns for other instruments.
Its a great tool for performing live, but doesn't replace a keyboard

[NeroZero]

Hmm.. I may end up getting both. The keyboard to make the music, and the Launchpad to experiment with the loops I already have, to see what fits together. And who knows, I may play for some friends or something, it couldnt hurt.

[citizenchris099]

Good point. I could probably just memorize what key makes what sound. Anyway, what is the difference between what the Launchpad does and what the keyboard would do?

if you have to ask this question then their will be problems.
if all you're interested in is making noises and sounds and sampling beats etc.. then sure...you prolly won't need a keyboard.
to answer the above question a musical keyboard will enable you to communicate with the software in a musical way. what does that mean? it means that forming triads, chord voicing, playing scales etc... will be much easier and intuitive on a music keyboard than a button matrix.

[glitchrock-buddha]

I think an APC40 is your best bet for a Live controller. You don't have to worry about any setup, it just works. You've got your track faaders, pans, sends, selected track parameters and can trigger your clips. It's especially useful for all the instrument presets that come with live.

I'd also suggest some kind of midi keyboard even if you don't play keys to input notes (basslines, leads, whatever), you'll use it more and more. Just a little cheap one with 2 octaves would be good.

[ThrowAway]

you should the book "Music theory for the computer musician"

[citizenchris099]

you should the book "Music theory for the computer musician"

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-G ... 0028643771

Michael Miller is an awesome music educator and his "complete idiots" books on theory, composition and soloing are amazing first steps for anyone interested in music.

[quandry]

if you're really beginning in this electronic music world,

I'd advise you just to go for a "cheap" all-in-one solution at first.

==> m-audio axiom 25 or stuff like that, you'll get a decent keyboard (it's a real need), pads, faders, rotaries...

perfect controller to learn further, and in 1 or 2 years you'll see more specific needs arising (wow, I need more faders, or, wow I need a launchpad...)

not everybody needs a launchpad. yes it looks cool, it's the new hype on this forums (the APC40 was at the same place 2 months ago), but it is a specific controller.
you will perhaps never need a 64 pad matrix, all depends on your style of live playing, on your real needs.

saying that launchpad is a controller designed FOR ableton doesn't mean it's designed for YOUR usage of ableton. (I compose and play live since years now, and I still don't need a pad matrix specifically designed for live. I now own 3 midi controllers, and I bought them progressively, when the need for each arose)

for now you may not have any need but the one to have fun and gear that will allow you to learn music composition and ableton live's usage.



so ====> go for a cool generic all-in-one midi controller, it's the best to begin with.
go cheap first, look at second hand sales, evolution UC33, midi keyboards with rotaries...


cheers

exactly, what he said. you are on the right path choosing Ableton, good luck!

[NeroZero]

Well, from what you guys have said, it looks like a good starting package would be-

-M-Audio 25 Key Controller

-Ableton Live 8

-Some type of instructional book.

I've decided to ditch the Launchpad. It doesnt really apply to me, and it may be a fad. I'm not very sure. And if you have any other tips on books, even better if they focus on electronic music, I'd love to hear them. I love reading, and it could probably help a lot.

[citizenchris099]

Well, from what you guys have said, it looks like a good starting package would be-

-M-Audio 25 Key Controller

-Ableton Live 8

-Some type of instructional book.

I've decided to ditch the Launchpad. It doesnt really apply to me, and it may be a fad. I'm not very sure. And if you have any other tips on books, even better if they focus on electronic music, I'd love to hear them. I love reading, and it could probably help a lot.

avoid M-Audio Keyboards. Check out the Akai MPK 25

and clip matrix controllers like the launchpad aren't a fad. If you stick with this Ableton thing I can guarantee you will get something like a launchpad eventually.

[supamonsta]

good news

Live's manual is your bible.

For the rest I don't really know but there are lots of great tutorials anywhere on the web, and browsing this present forum you'll find any answer about anything.

have good times!