Software vs. Hardware

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SpinDoctor

The Lovable Rogue
ill o.g.
I was just wondering what all of your views are on software based production or hardware based production. I have only used software based and i am thinking of buying some hardware, could you lot give me any tips on what i should get. I have about £600 to spend
 

N.U.G.

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
yo spin, I can understand u asking this cause I think every producer wonders this at some stage.

In simple terms, it all comes down to personal preference. You can make dope beats with Software and you can make dope beast with Hardware (you can also make wack beats with both too!).

My advice is decide what type of producer you want to be, (sampler, synth based etc.), then research and/or trial some of the software and hardware that suits your needs. Once you've done this you'll have a good idea of what is best for you, and which stage you should go for it and then make sure you get the most out of whatever software or hardware you end up decide purchasing.

good luck! :D
 

Muzik

SouthBound
ill o.g.
Spin , i agree with N.U.G. on this one... theres somemany ways you can go about doing it... Hardware is a personal favorite of mine..
Software on the other hand has huge benifits, for example you can take
most the power of hardware equipment (Korg Triton - $3800) ,(Mpc
4000pro-fully blown out- $5400),(Rolands 2480 digital recorder-$3200)
with a burner.. just to name a few and instead of goin broke tryin to buy hardware you can run Reason,Qbase,Acid, and other software and save alot of money.. Either way it goes its all about yourself and where you want to go... just remeber reserch you equipment and software!!!:clap:
 

SpinDoctor

The Lovable Rogue
ill o.g.
cheers peeps, nice advice.
 

sammy beats

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Battle Points: 17
yea, thats the best thing about software, is your not spending thousands for just one piece of equipment. but i use both. i used to use cakewalk, now i use reason, i've got a couple sound banks, and a mixer, and a midi keyboard, and some shit like that. works for me. but i definitely enjoy having all the options offered in software
 

Formant024

Digital Smokerings
ill o.g.
Oke, what does a complete virtual setup cost when talking about software that is worthy of mentioning. Add a dsp farm card to backup the CPU request and your well up in the 5k range at least. Just software ya know, not ***** software. So relativly speakin, hardware is cheaper.
 

Muzik

SouthBound
ill o.g.
Formant... i got ya on tha software part yo.. oh y tha way nice setup !!!!!
ima a hardware freak myself why spend ya damn money a fuckin point a click,mouse and screen type thing yo!! Im into tha feel of keys
mixing cons. effects mods. mix boards.. tha whole nine.. On tha other he was askin a "simple" just getting started , entry level question.....
but i do love software for certain things... !!! mostly mastering mixing
and other things that will save ya on your energy bill .. LOL
 

N.U.G.

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Originally posted by Formant024
Oke, what does a complete virtual setup cost when talking about software that is worthy of mentioning. Add a dsp farm card to backup the CPU request and your well up in the 5k range at least. Just software ya know, not ***** software. So relativly speakin, hardware is cheaper.

umm, not really.

You could make dope beats with very little money at all using software.
 

Muzik

SouthBound
ill o.g.
I agree with N.U.G again ... i tell you what... ima let you hear a Track i Produced about 4 years ago on cakewalk Pro Audio 9 and windows sound recorder and nO mixing on a screwy soundblaster sound card.... thats about 400$ maybe including tha machine... and like i said before its not what ya got its how you use it... These dayz "Most" Comercial mainstream producers have spent thousands and thousands on these Super Facilities
but everything that comes out is BullShit!!! UNLIKE us who have to make
tha best with what we have!!! On ToP of that ive heard stuff on here that
was made on the simplest equipment but is hella better...

not really a Radio Fan here!!! the material these dayz its to spunked up and blinged out.. i dont know what to call it.... But anyway ...

: DarkSide1 http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/daoddessyrukus1music.htm
 
M

Mine

Guest
Originally posted by spindocter
I was just wondering what all of your views are on software based production or hardware based production. I have only used software based and i am thinking of buying some hardware, could you lot give me any tips on what i should get. I have about £600 to spend

You'll find your own way of working, if you're too impatient to find out what works for you feel free to model your process along the lines of someone who has the kind of output you're looking for, but it's not going to be a good match because you are going to have different skillls and resources.

My advice is meet people in your area doing their thing and be there for their process. You'll have something to throw in, you can steal tricks, and sample a lot of different ways of doing things.

Personally, I've always built tracks on the computer and used offboard modules for sounds and processing. I'm in the process of switching over to a completely computer-based setup because I'm personally more productive when I don't have to futz about with hands in 43 plays to get a setup right. There are plenty of people that can outproduce me with their outboard gear tho. You can make either way work, as long as you are making forward progress you'll get there.
 

Formant024

Digital Smokerings
ill o.g.
Originally posted by N.U.G.
umm, not really.

You could make dope beats with very little money at all using software.

Im talking about buying the software and having a quality card, not having the output of the average SB! The registered software is pretty expensive when coming to terms of the "must-have" programs, sample cd's and vst(i)'s. You sum it up and add the parts to upgrade your pc to work with the whole without latency problems of anykind. I know the defition of dope, but I like to deliver some quality too.
 
M

Mine

Guest
Originally posted by Formant024
Im talking about buying the software and having a quality card, not having the output of the average SB! The registered software is pretty expensive when coming to terms of the "must-have" programs, sample cd's and vst(i)'s. You sum it up and add the parts to upgrade your pc to work with the whole without latency problems of anykind. I know the defition of dope, but I like to deliver some quality too.

You have a point, but the entry level is so much more accessible software-wise in some conditions. A lot of people already have the computer lying around, and SB output will do just dine until you're ready (you'll be rocking your beats as mp3s anyway for awhile) to make money with your music. Buy CoolEdit and Fruity, explore the free plugins, and you've got a learning tool I woulda have been drooling over 10 years ago.

That right there is enough to have fun and learn the basics. Skill up enough and you have the capability to sell just off that package probably (don't ask me to cite examples).
 

N.U.G.

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
Originally posted by Mine
You have a point, but the entry level is so much more accessible software-wise in some conditions. A lot of people already have the computer lying around, and SB output will do just dine until you're ready (you'll be rocking your beats as mp3s anyway for awhile) to make money with your music. Buy CoolEdit and Fruity, explore the free plugins, and you've got a learning tool I woulda have been drooling over 10 years ago.

That right there is enough to have fun and learn the basics. Skill up enough and you have the capability to sell just off that package probably (don't ask me to cite examples).

9th Wonder

produced Little Brother - The Listening and "Threat" on "Jay-Z - The Black Album" using FL and Cool Edit on a basic PC.
 

Formant024

Digital Smokerings
ill o.g.
9th Wonder

produced Little Brother - The Listening and "Threat" on "Jay-Z - The Black Album" using FL and Cool Edit on a basic PC.

Trust me, the master didn't come out of Mr. Wonder's SB! live stereo out. Just my point, anything coming out of my DAW is already mastered, remains as is because it should be possible.

I understand the entry level part, but a noob will buy blindly and spend or waste money in the process anyway. It's like the mc303, you figur out how it works and you'll immedtialy know it's limits too, which sucks when you're just getting the hang of it. The mc303 was pretty expensive back then and nowadays nobodies knows how to get rid of em. So dont waste on half steppin, entry level stops where you notice that you understand the utility you're working on, then you should buy it. The comparison I was making should also alternate to a complete hardware setup ( not beginnerskit, which is, like said, a waste of money ) which eventualy is expensive too, with the advantage of easy interfacing with your utilities. The difference on quality can be doubted but hardware so far is still superior to software. Futureprospect on gear; Better hardware becoming cheaper, software becoming more expensive, hardware items integrated on farmcards, software utilities designing hardware for their environments, analogue/digital hybrid studios with digital transport and more embedding of high resolution A/D - D/A. All will get cheaper as technology evolves and the price you pay is defined by your mentality towards making music. Most kids new to the game will buy at random, non-specific when it comes to a sound they're trying to perceive or they are looking for. Vice versa would be to know some more history on the whole subject of synths, samplers, fx and anything that comes to the subject of producing. In that case, knowing the lot, you know what to buy, what it is you need to get the sound you're trying to put down, which mostly takes more a triton can give and costs less than a motif. Finding the right tool for the job gives more value to the effort you put into the music, just go out and compare since there's more than the top5 "most mentioned gear" on illmuzik. Takes more time so have some patience, it'll pay out not sounding like the rest.
 

N.U.G.

ILLIEN
ill o.g.
^^^^^^

I agree with a lot of what your saying and it's obvious that you speak from experience. For beginners a decent PC, a good soundcard and FLStudio or Reason can go a long way in my personal opinion. Props to you though for dropping some very good knowledge.
 

Muzik

SouthBound
ill o.g.
I agree with you on tha fact about mastering, of coarse tha master, But i can tell this you can get pretty damn close!!! even with a SB card !!! do all your pre production like levels and pans compression so on so forth....
then you can dump stereo and finish it out.. Yea it wont be so damn
digitally perfect but it will be close... with all tha shit you got i know you know that much LOL.... But i feel ya on that!!



http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/d...rukus1music.htm
 

Formant024

Digital Smokerings
ill o.g.
Originally posted by Odyessy
I agree with you on tha fact about mastering, of coarse tha master, But i can tell this you can get pretty damn close!!! even with a SB card !!! do all your pre production like levels and pans compression so on so forth....
then you can dump stereo and finish it out.. Yea it wont be so damn
digitally perfect but it will be close... with all tha shit you got i know you know that much LOL.... But i feel ya on that!!

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/d...rukus1music.htm

It's the difference between monitoring from pc/hi-fi speakers and Genelec that'll decide how your master will come out, when monitoring by ear. What you hear can deceive you quite easily, try a reverb for testing, they'll come out to much when monitoring from crappy speakers ( no nearfields ). But things AD/DA conversion to/from a masterlink is also an issue that cant be handled by a SB! card.

I agree with a lot of what your saying and it's obvious that you speak from experience. For beginners a decent PC, a good soundcard and FLStudio or Reason can go a long way in my personal opinion. Props to you though for dropping some very good knowledge.

I hate it when people throw their money away, it's throwing away means for potential and that's a damn shame if a kid's got talent. I also think it's stupid to buy a $2000 + machine because everybody swear it's great because everybody says so. You have a brain and a hopefully a good set of ears which is all you need. Explore, define your preferences, it just helps to establish an original footnote to your productions, you can find means to work with that's a bit more original than to what you hear these days. To give a commonly known example, Neptunes use the 01/w in times of the triton, motif etc and everybody kept thinking where they got their sounds from ???
 
M

mbiafb

Guest
Although I basically agree with Formant, I don't think the mastering issue is that critical. Formant obviously knows his stuff. he pointed out that the mastering did not come out of the pc that 9th Wonder used. But the same is equally true of DR Dre's MPC or Lil John's Triton. mastering on a professional level is rarely done by the artist or producer despite the fact that they have huge studios in their home. Although i would not reccomend a SB card for music production, if that's what your budget calls for, then it is not entirely impossible to create good sound on them. the weakness of sb cards is mostly in their input and output. If you are using programs like Reason or softsynths or pulling samples from other digital sources, that becomes less of a factor; at least in the initial production stages. because of budget restrictions I am stuck using an audigy card . i definietly would nto reccomend it but i remind myswelf that much of the music we sample was created on equipment that was inferior to a basic SB card.
 

Muzik

SouthBound
ill o.g.
Yo Farmant man its all love yo!!! Good point!!! See i like this kinda of thread even though the original qusetion stillnot been givin our complete attention.Ima grow hearin that different views and ways concerning
gettin that Nice sound alot of folks fail to take into concideration !!!!

i dont care if you have that dopest track on tha planet if if it sounds like shit then it wont get that attention that is needed.....

On that SB thing yo ... I know about monitors thats a different subject all together when it comes to mastering ... Also room acoustics play a part it too.. Frequency response - "the whole room needs to be flat"
etc etc all tha experianced heads know what im talkin about so ill leave that alone mb i agree on that!! Most "mainstream"and some under ground producers and artist dont master or even mix there own shit..
but anyway much love to all the input. on software what about hard ware?? let run that and see what we bump heads on peace!!!!!!!
 
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