what keyboard should i get?

[........]

im going to start making beats but i dont know what keyboard i should get... what is a good keyboard i can get for making beats? and also im going to use fruity loops is that good or is there a better one?

[Young Draztik]

alot of peeps i know use the Roland Fantom X8 or X7 and also the Korg Triton..they all have nice samples...so you should look into those..

[Young Draztik]

oh yea if ur tryna make beats from fruity loops or on a computer...try lookin intoMidi Controllers, not keyboards...midi controllers will save u money

[Opie M.]

^exactly. the M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 is the best piece of gear I own. u can use that to control rack gear like a motif, triton or fantom, or it can control VSTi like Halon and Sampletank.

[Jay Valle]

if u get a midi controler do u need a sound module or can u use the samples in ya computer opey

sry for barjin in just gotta now

[........]

ok so i have to get a new computer too because the one i have now is shi*... so to start making beats is this all i need to get started?
-a new computer
-fl studio
-m audio keystation pro 88
and what else do i need to get? im making hip hop beats if that makes a difference

[TheUnderRated]

well you need a sound module such as the rack mounted pieces or something and those run you about another 1000-2000 dollars so its a major investment and if your getting a sequencing program I would get cubase for your pc instead of FL but its whatever ... do what ya wanna do

[........]

so why is the m audio keystation pro 88 so cheap compared to something like a Korg Triton or a Roland Fantom-X6 ? are thoes better or what? also i want to know a good computer for making beats( how much ram should i get)

[TheUnderRated]

get alot of ram and dual hardrives ... um .. cuz korg is a keyboard ... and M audio is a midi controller.... meaning korg triton can be its own instrument where as you don't get sound out of the M audio it just sends messages that trigger sounds in a sound module through a sequencing program ..

[........]

so the keystation is the same thisg as a keyboard but the sound comes out of the speakersin a computer?

[Opie M.]

aight look... lol

There are Keyboards, and there are Midi Controllers...

Keyboards have built in sounds and cost in the $1000-$4000 price range. You don't need anything extra besides a set of speakers to play music with a keyboard. A keyboard can also be USED as a midi controller.

A midi controller has no internal instruments They are in the $30-$500 price range. You use a midi controller to CONTROL a midi interface that has instruments on it. This interface can be rackmounted equipment that coast between $800-$2000, or it can be software VSTi's and samples which range from $0-$1000.

So...
A Korg TRITON Studio 88-Key Workstation/Sampler costs $3400.
A Yamaha MOTIF ES8 88-Key Music Production Synthesizer costs $2900
A Roland Fantom-X8 88-Key Sampling Workstation costs $3000

That's a total of $9300

But...

You could buy 1 midi controller and the rack versions of these workstations and have the same thing but a LOT cheaper...

M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 MIDI Controller = $500
Roland Fantom-XR Sound Module = $1400
Yamaha Motif Es Rack Module = $1000
Korg TRITON Expandable Rack Module/Sampler = $1300

Total =$4200

That's the exact same setup, but more flexible to work with and more versitile for less than half as much.

[........]

ok im starting to get it ..... lol
so if i buy the stuff you listed for cheaper its better then the more expensive stuff? and is that all i need to make the beats?

[NoN-E]

You're gonna need a software like Cubase, Nuendo, Sonar, etc. to record and save the MIDI data you play.

[Opie M.]

as long as you have a computer with a soundcard. But for every rack you have u need 2 1/4" inputs on your soundcard or you can get a mixer to have all the outputs from the racks or keyboards going to the mixer and the mixer going to the computer. But if u use a mixer u can only play one instrument at a time when recording. That may or may not be a problem for you. I'd be fine with it but I'd rather be able to record each rack into a different track on the computer at the same time. You can only do that if you have a soundcard with enough inputs. But keep in mind, you don't NEED all those racks. Most people only have 1 rack. A lot of people don't even use racks. they use soft synths like Sampletank and Halion. In that case it wouldn't matter what kind of soundcard you have as long as it's of decent quality. So you need to decide which method is better for you and come back to find out what you need.

Personally, I don't even have a rack. I have a keystation pro 88 and I use sampletank 2 and some other plugins and samples. But, I WOULD like to have all 3 of those racks I listed just for variety. It's not needed tho. It's all up to you. I suggest you go to Guitar Center and try some stuff out. Don't let the people there tell you what to get tho lol. they're morons most of the time.

[Young Draztik]

hmm i'm gettin all that soon probably this summer @ the end of the year...gotta get my grades straight...umm opey if i get those racks u talked about..what midi controller do you prefer if i'm workin into a Roland VS? cuz thats what i have now...i'm borrowing it from mah homie and just testing it and seein if i like the setup and might it for myself or the computer setup u preferred...iight holla back