Its Not Wha You Got But How You Use It

[jawanza malik]

Some Of The Hottest Music Come From Poor Dudes Like Me.
If Ya Setup Is Under $1100. Get At Me

 

[Vince]

my setup is under $0. go piracy!

 

[KENWOP]

u use two buckets a tape deck a playskool keyboard

 

[Formant024]

Im feelin ya, it how you use it...sometimes i just put the ashtray on the mpc, cuz it more in reach of my big phat you know what.

 

[scandal]

I feel ya so far my setup:

Delta 1010lt-$200
M-audio 49 key midicontroller-$80
Emu Mo'phatt Sound Module-Free
Hella Soundfonts and Vsts-$20 on ebay for over 15gb's worth!

 

[Bobby Ffitch]

first of all, this is probably the most common line on beatmaking forums. all the time, people are like ' i use a pirated version of FL, and i make heat' or ' i make beats on my moms haircare products, im so ghetto.'

its true and all, but enough.

another thing, better producers usually do have more equipment. thats because they have usually been in the game long enough and devoted enough serious time and resources to the profession/passtime that they have accumulated MORE than a pirated $100 computer program.

Understand the culture of it. THis music comes from records, drummachines, and turntables. THAT is real hip hop.

 

[dj360_iNfInItE1]

The only thing I paid for is my PC, midi controller and mic. Under $1100 for sure.

 

[Active-1]

Asr-X Pro Sampler
Yamaha DJ-X Keyboard
US-122 USB Interface
Cubase LE
PC
Play only Turntable
Still gotta way to go on my beats, but this is more than enough for the job.

 

[trebeatz]

i got under 1000 dollars in gear im sure, im young and i dont got a job till summer, but when i get a job outta school imma spend mroe money on equipment, i dont take pride and brag in not using a lot of equipment, there's always things i wish i could have. ONE THING I DO FUCKING HATE however, is when dudes will be like, i wanna make beats, they'll do their research, and then drop like 1,500 on a setup on the internet before they even make one beat, thats just phoney to me

 

[Formant024]

If you have spent 10k during your quest into becoming a producer then you can buy a toy and use it in a pro fashion and sell it. I doesnt have to be as much, but trust me, if its quality you want to gain you will pay, all the cheap stuff, digital stuff is easy, time efficient and has considerable quality but never topnotch. Again, you will learn in time and its nothing you should look up against cuz with a budget comes creativity...hell yall gotta start somewhere.

 

[deStructuralize]

ONE THING I DO FUCKING HATE however, is when dudes will be like, i wanna make beats, they'll do their research, and then drop like 1,500 on a setup on the internet before they even make one beat, thats just phoney to me

On the other side of the coin you have those who want to make beats but simultaneously want to invest as little as they "have to" in equipment..."free" is easily the most popular term in the hip-hop production scene nowadays, second to "cracked software."

Personally, I have a lot more respect for somebody who is willing to put in that opportunity cost - put in that risk - to try out something they are relatively sure they want to pursue. A kid who thinks he might want to start playing the guitar rents, borrows, or buys one. The same thing applies to someone attempting to learn the flute, keyboard, or, hell - turntables - in other words, any musical instrument. Those who make that initial investment when possible and have something to lose show dedication and a seriousness to the craft by necessity.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that your position is that people should build their setup piece by piece, as they acquire the resources to do so. I fully agree; I don't purchase anything until I've earned the money to do so by myself, and my summer job will hopefully facilitate that. I just believe that the opposite extreme of the "impetuous buyer" is a worse option.


With all that being said, I don't on face condemn anybody that uses cracked software...I haven't purchased Acid & Soundforge yet. But that's not something I'm proud of. Legitimate copies of the software I use are just as high on my list of things to buy as other pieces of equipment.


With that being said, I'm lucky because my dad has a lot of old stuff I could use lying around for no particular reason:
$0: Dad's old Yamaha PSR-400 MIDI keyboard
$0: Laptop, for college use but now my DAW
$0: Marantz TT-240, old turntable
$0: 2x Shure Beta SM58 Microphones
$70: Edirol UM-2 MIDI Interface

Investments I'll be making once my income stabilizes, in no particular order: MPD16, turntable cartridges, Behringer DX626, M-Audio MobilePre, ACID 6, Behringer UB1204FX Pro, Vinyl.

Yodel.

 

[Artistix]

Man I haven't paid a dime for my setup and am very proud of it. I have a computer, casio keyboard for midi, and enough software/samples to last a lifetime.

 

[djrekonize]

the only thing i bought it a keyboard which was like $150 , im in the process of buying a sound interface, i got a garage full of records that havent been touched in years also

 

[Bobby Ffitch]

Man I haven't paid a dime for my setup and am very proud of it. I have a computer, casio keyboard for midi, and enough software/samples to last a lifetime.

you reap what you sew bro. music isnt an economic pastime, sometimes you gotta make some sacrafices and pay in order to advance yourself.

Dont get me wrong, i use FL sometimes too, but there is more to hip hop than ******** and soundforge.


What gets me heated is when people download stolen verions onf FL, Pirate music off some p2p thing, never clear samples, and THEN GET MAD WHEN PEOPLE STEAL THEIR BEATS.

Hypocrites.

 

[djrekonize]

you reap what you sew bro. music isnt an economic pastime, sometimes you gotta make some sacrafices and pay in order to advance yourself.

Dont get me wrong, i use FL sometimes too, but there is more to hip hop than ******** and soundforge.


What gets me heated is when people download stolen verions onf FL, Pirate music off some p2p thing, never clear samples, and THEN GET MAD WHEN PEOPLE STEAL THEIR BEATS.

Hypocrites.

I dont think many people would be makin beats here if they had to pay for what they have, and if ppl downloaded my beats i could care less, im gettin promoted for free
i mean if u can afford to buy shit then you should tho

 

[Bobby Ffitch]

Thats a cool attitude. Steal from other people, but then let them steal from you. Just dont expect to make any money off your beats.

and there are plenty of people on here who pay for the equipment they use. not paying for a beatmaking program is like stealing someones kitchen and then trying to hold a bakesale.

Thats like saying you should only have to pay for kicks at the shoestore if you can afford them. FL ISNT THAT EXPENSIVE. Its also not an essential resource for life. GO carry ol ladies' bags at the grocery store for a few days or something.

 

[Formant024]

try before buy... imo, I think its right for a noob to have the option to fully know before he spends money on software. In the early days software was hella expensive and students were dependend on buying software of they had no clue of its content...students dont have a lot of money and onfortunatly software is the way to go. Over time more people have picked up production as technology paved the way and the treshold for people these days has been lowered except that they didnt get richer thus the same problem ( although software has become cheaper ). In a sense its good that anyone starting out in the game with no fundings has the oppertunity to learn but at the point that one becomes aquinted and convinced of the software that he/she is using, then he/she should buy it. All those who crack software added this policy, its not just a saying but a form of fair marketing in regards of the consumer. When you do turn professional you'll have no other option than to use freeware or buy registered software so the whole hating is of no point and those who do this just for fun and not in it for the money wont make money by using the software, therefor will have no need to register. A pro knows better and recognizes the benefits, he will buy because it will grant him other guarantees and warezdude is lacking.

So, by all means leech and learn, then buy it...use you're money wisely.

 

[Bobby Ffitch]

^ so the hundreds of people who work full time jobs all day to bring you FL should only get paid if you get big and sell a lot of beats?

 

[djrekonize]

Thats a cool attitude. Steal from other people, but then let them steal from you. Just dont expect to make any money off your beats.

im not in it for the money so it's ok

 

[Formant024]

hehe, image line aint that big, based in belgium and probably not more than 40 peeps working there, trust me, them are making proper loot the simpel way( they have a good product ).

But basically yeah, not when you're rich or made it big but at the point you turn professional or are convinced that its the thing you want to use, then buy it. Succes has nothing to do with it, I believe you should look at what you spend because you wont runn around buying every budget release of all the platforms around, but if you havent tried them then you obviously wouldnt know the difference between em. Again, spend the money wisely, it will keep it fun I mean, ask around here I bet even some of the other heads will tell you about something they bought they had regretted, its wasted money on your account.

Hardware is different, there's crap etc but when you buy any piece of hardware you will learn about that utility.....just dont buy behringer hehe, not saying budget stuff is crap but most of it is and you're best off saving a bulk of cash and buy decent stuff cuz thats also a lot more fun.