OFFICIAL BEATMAKING / PRODUCTION THREAD Vol. New NT

446
331
Joined
Jul 26, 2011
It remember on the old version of NT it was stickied - I tried searching, but nothing came up - what happened to it?

If this gets a fair amount of responses, I figure I'll change the title and we'll get it going again.
 
Last edited:
whats a good turntable out right now or a used one that yall would recomment i used to have a vestax pdx 2000 or something like that paid over 6 bills for it sold it to some dude who was a buddy of my friends and he ended up diasppearing, anywho atm i have this really crappy ion i got for under 50..what do yall recommend for maybe 150-250 range..in an ideal world id cop a technics or a vestax but ya know...thanks.

something with a pitch slider too and reverse preferably..direct drive of course.
 
@GatzbyGordon - I'm sure that Vestax was quite official, but I think it boils down to what you're going to be using it for. For the purposes of production, i.e. sampling or recording in sounds off of vinyl (and unless you need to scratch or cut something up), I think most tables will do. Still, that being said, I still say go with a direct drive.

I recommend a used Stanton STR8-100 - I've had one for about ten years and it's yet to let me down, solid workhorse; my boy, who's a DJ and does blend and scratch, also opted for these as a cheaper alternative to Techs, and he swears by them as an alternative to his Pioneer CDJs. No reverse, but you can reverse easily in your DAW.

I'm not sure how well the new Stantons do since they've changed the look, and possibly, the build quality, but you can cop an older one off of the 'Bay for cheap.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=stanton+str8+&_sacat=0&_from=R40

Top result ends in 10 hours, $30 + 25 shipping.
 
Any software, FTW.

Fruity Loops, Logic, Pro Tools, etc. - as long as you know what you're doing with it and you're using the right sounds, you can create a masterpiece (and conversely, if you DON'T, you can embarrass yourself with thousands of dollars worth of gear).

Myself, I'm still using Sony Acid Pro after 12 years. I've played with, and even owned, many other DAWs on other platforms, but this is just what I know, so I love it - a pretty intuitive sequencer combined with great looping/chopping capabilities and solid VST hosting = great results, in my opinion.

My boy Hasan Insane (http://music.hasaninsane.com/), also a producer, clowned me this past week that I still use it; like I said though, if it works and people are feeling what you're doing with it, why change?

Power to the producers.
 
For a beginner, what do you guys recommend starting out. Ableton or Logic Pro for Mac? Thanks
 
From what I understand (and having tried a demo of it), Ableton Live is a loop-based production tool, similar to Acid Pro, and has a lot of features that make beat-matching and sampling simple.

Everyone who talks to me about Logic always says that it has a very steep learning curve, but is ridiculously-full featured. I'd say in terms of simplicity, Ableton is moreso, but Logic will allow you room for growth as you develop your skills and knowledge of production. Plus, Logic Pro is a good second step after GarageBand, given that they're both compatible as Apple-developed programs.

Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of the above, since I don't use either - this is just what I've heard from people who actually use these programs.

Edit: As a new producer, since we're talking software, I say start with something free, i.e. Garageband if you're already using a Mac, or Reaper if you're on Windows. Save your money until you know what it is that you're looking for and what you want it to do - a lot of us started out on demo versions and things like that before we built out our setups.
 
Last edited:
Peace...

It's dope to see some fellow producers/musicians on here.

@ J A M E S, you are absolutely right about Logic.  The reason for its learning curve is all of the features. I mess with Logic and it's great and all, but it can be cumbersome. (IMO)

I've stopped messing with DAWs for ITB mixing completely and decided to mess around with outboard summing.
 
Last edited:
thanks james that looks like a solid turntable, and i use it for sampling into my mpc 2500 le..

im trying to figure out how to make a complete song it would take forever imo, to sit there and do it all in the mpc..i always make a 4 bar loop then i end up switching records and just starting all over, i started out on an sp 404 then the mpc 1000 then the sp 505 then this bad boy, i have a mac with garageband in it but dont have a audio interface to go into the computer to record..ppl dont even know i mess with the music cuz im not one of those yo i make beats dawg type of cats just wanna perfect my craft..
 
From what I understand (and having tried a demo of it), Ableton Live is a loop-based production tool, similar to Acid Pro, and has a lot of features that make beat-matching and sampling simple.
Everyone who talks to me about Logic always says that it has a very steep learning curve, but is ridiculously-full featured. I'd say in terms of simplicity, Ableton is moreso, but Logic will allow you room for growth as you develop your skills and knowledge of production. Plus, Logic Pro is a good second step after GarageBand, given that they're both compatible as Apple-developed programs.
Please correct me if I'm wrong about any of the above, since I don't use either - this is just what I've heard from people who actually use these programs.
Edit: As a new producer, since we're talking software, I say start with something free, i.e. Garageband if you're already using a Mac, or Reaper if you're on Windows. Save your money until you know what it is that you're looking for and what you want it to do - a lot of us started out on demo versions and things like that before we built out our setups.
Your completely correct on your analysis. Ableton is a great DAW, a lot of VST's you can add for it also. It's great with live production such as playing a song on a piano and looping and chopping it up.

Logic Pro for me is a long learning curve. Mostly because I started with Reason for about 3 months then took the jump into Logic because of the options it has. I'm still learning about all the features but there's just so many to really Master a track. I'm only a couple months into Logic and I still haven't gotten everything. 

For a starting step James is right, garageband for Mac is a great starting point, simple learning curve to just get your feet wet. My only problem I had was the percussion was lacking variety for me. For windows I'm not that knowledged on a simple DAW but I'd trust James with using Reaper.
 
thanks james that looks like a solid turntable, and i use it for sampling into my mpc 2500 le..

im trying to figure out how to make a complete song it would take forever imo, to sit there and do it all in the mpc..i always make a 4 bar loop then i end up switching records and just starting all over, i started out on an sp 404 then the mpc 1000 then the sp 505 then this bad boy, i have a mac with garageband in it but dont have a audio interface to go into the computer to record..ppl dont even know i mess with the music cuz im not one of those yo i make beats dawg type of cats just wanna perfect my craft..

You're welcome, fam. I say start with chopping up samples first - before you get to sequencing or programming, just snatch as many loops as you can. Having all of those parts right there in front of you might help, as opposed to trying to program to one loop, and then starting over for the next. I do everything in steps - sampling, then drum parts, then playing over, so I can concentrate on one part at a time. Let us know how it goes....

As for the Stanton, I think that'd be a great unit for you to use - well built, reliable, cheap...for sampling it'll do what you need.

I use it.

I'm trying to rely less on FL Studio, and more on things like MPC's and Keyboards.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Meek, why do you want to switch up? Any reason you're thinking about going to hardware route? I say if you're making good music with FL, stick with it.
 
I use it.

I'm trying to rely less on FL Studio, and more on things like MPC's and Keyboards.

Can someone point me in the right direction?
Peace...

It really depends on what you're into. Take a look at http://www.vintagesynth.com/  .

MPCs have awsome sequencers and solid MTC, so you can sync them with just about  any daw.

There are so many options out there. ASRs, MPCs, EPSs , Akai rack samplers....the down side to some of these romplers is file storage and management. Example: My SP takes forever to load  songs, but to me, the sound quality makes up for everything.
 
I feel like hardware is awesome, but at this stage in the game, it doesn't do anything that can't be replicated via great software and a solid controller. My advice would be to just put that hardware money towards a beast computer, robust software and a good controller (or controllers) with weighted keys & pads.

That way, you're upgrade-proof, because updating a DAW or a VST is SO much more cost effective than buying a new keyboard workstation or a new drum machine.

Then again, this is just my $0.02. It's all a matter of preference.

Edit: If feel like, if you're new to hardware, go the used/vintage route. Spend the LEAST amount of money possible going in the door.
 
Last edited:
midi + software......why people still buy physical equipment outside of professionals is beyond me.
 
midi + software......why people still buy physical equipment outside of professionals is beyond me.

Again, I think it's just a preference thing. If you've been making beats since the 90s, you're going to go with what you know to keep your workflow intuitive. Plus, a lot of professionals are going the "totally ITB" route too for its ease and affordability. Hardware, maybe with the exception of different Tube amps, mic preamps or mixing consoles, isn't going to give you anything a DAW won't.

Anyway, enough talking for the moment - I figured since I started this thread I'll be the first to post an embed. This is my latest song (I rhyme as well), self produced - it's off of my upcoming EP, being released on DJBooth.net 11/1/12

I wanted to drop the instrumental only, but since we can't embed Soundcloud tracks yet, this YouTube will have to do - apparently someone swiped the track from a blog and decided to upload it - not mad at all either. :smokin


Samples Used:




I played various instruments on top of the Willie Hutch chop using Native Instruments Kore (Free Version) sounds and a $100 midi controller: electric guitar, strings, organ...add the classic Mountain samples and a great vocal from my friend Navegante, and there you have it. All of this was made in Sony Acid Pro, by the way.

Hope you guys enjoy, let me know what you think.
 
Last edited:
Im on the Abelton and Axiom 25 for windows but its only the Lite version anyone can recommend something that will let me do more for little to no price tag
 
Back
Top Bottom