Ableton Forum

So let's say you have your Live on a PC you like, it's working well, you have a MIDI/Audio iface that's doing OK for you, you have some real instruments and software instruments that are ok. You've got some headphones, they are ok, some monitors that you are making do with until you have a fair amount more $$. Everything could use improvement, but mostly everything is OK. Right now, you have $200 to spend. What do you get next? (Live 5 is a given, so not menitoned, btw ).

Trigger Finger

Don't have it yet. so i don't know if it's worth it.
But thats where my money went.

I might also get a PowerWave audio device. Because they are cheap as hell. (100$)

A powermate is also pretty useful in Live (50$)

Or you could get 500Gb of extra storage.....

I also would suggest a FaderFox module. But figuring you're a US resident....

Have fun spending

the next piece of kit that i pick up is either going to be

a frostwave resonator
http://www.frostwave.com/theresonator/index.html

or an fmr really nice compressor
http://fmraudio.com/RNC1773.htm

As you describe in your kitlist "not enough time to do it all justice"

Therefore don't spend $200 on anything. More gear is unnecessary.

What is it that is preventing you from producing your masterpiece at the moment? I bet it is not lack of technology ... don't fall into the gearlust trap, you'll just be stepping further and further away from writing anything original.

Keep it simple.

exactly. don't buy anything. save up for those monitors.

anonymouse wrote: As you describe in your kitlist "not enough time to do it all justice"

Therefore don't spend $200 on anything. More gear is unnecessary.

ah, yeh... i am hoist by my own petard:) right you are, and I've updated my sig accordingly.

i feel one way of doing your gear justice is by getting more gear to control the gear you already have.
---that's what I do, anyway - trigger finger is in the mail here, too

seriously though, a computer has some serious bottlenecks wrt music-making. One way of overcoming them is by buying inexpensive interfaces. You get more out of your sizable pc investment that way.

drush wrote:exactly. don't buy anything. save up for those monitors.

I agree 100%. Second rate monitors suck... It doesn't matter if you have a $20,000 studio with high end DAW / Audio Interface and dozens of pieces of outboard gear, the dude with a notebook, Echo Indigo card and a pair of kickin monitors will make better sounding music, (talent being equal).

Save the money and upgrade the monitors when you can.

If you already have kickin monitors, then pay a pro to come and acoustically treat your room. Two hundred bucks should get a solid assessment, and then you can take your own home grown measures to achieve a flat, non-reactive listening environment, be they equalization, hanging curtains here n' there, or even as simple as moving furniture.

I think it really depends if you have any weak links in your system. Identify those and act accordingly. I would go with a good mic myself because that's my weak link.

If you don't have any glaring holes in your studio setup, I'd agree with other and just save your money. Though I do know how hard that is to do.

add that 200 duckits into the monitor savings acount!!

Weekend in Tijuana...

What's so nice about getting better moniters? Really I don't know.

more RAM !

Buy a guitar, learn to play it and youl get much more satisfaction than any plugin.

Or save up and buy some really nice outboard box like a Distressor. Youll love that thing guaranteed.

Captain Screwbarb wrote:What's so nice about getting better moniters? Really I don't know.

well there was a mention of needing better monitors but not haveing the cash flow


BTW have you ever upgraded your monitors? going from not so good to good gave me a big