Basic Equipment for Electronic Music Production

Hi Everyone,
This would be my first question here so please be warned of my inexperience. I just would like to get some advice on what kind of gear is recommended for electronic music production. By that I mean:
Do I need an audio interphase if I wont be connecting any hardware?
What plugins should I look at that would work with my MBP and Logic Pro 7.2?
Which learning tools should a newbie get?
I currently have the last two items mentioned as well as M-Audio BX8s with a SBX sub, M-Audio O2 as a controller, and that's pretty much it. Your advice is much appreciated.
Thanks,
JV

Absolutley get at least 1GB RAM. Good Monitors/Interface. As far as Plugins go, the dynamics are the ones IMO which need the most upgrading. You get EXS24 and a large Library to go with it, as well as many synths. Logic comes with a huge soundset. You should be the judge as to what your tracks are missing. Logic's plugs alone will be able to do amazing tracks. If you are new to this, learning how the synths work (programming them well) and getting your mixing and arranging in place is the priority. Logic's sounds should keep you happy for at least 1/2 year, by then you'll have a good idea as to what you are looking for. Ask alot of questions, theere's alot to learn. Another place Logic doesn't really get far into is Synthesis which requires a good understanding of math (FM, Additive, etc)- the advanced types of these synthesizers are not so common today. FM was very popular but it is more than many people care to get in to. I use FM all the time though.
J

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i have had quite a bit of experience in this area. with logic you have enormous flexibility when it comes to this sort of thing.
i have a large orchestral template up on logicprohelp.com that you might find interesting as a starting point in using logic. the way i have evrything set up, i have my score appearing as a tradional score (i notate almost exclusively with step time) and making articulation switches from within 1 esx instrument. i have 1 large instrument for say violin1 with all the articualtions saved to it, and switched by cc1 (actually i convert program changes i insert in the score). using my method you can mix and match your orchestral libraries either within the esx instrument, or from within the environment.
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If you like a post, or want to say thanks for a helpful answer, please click on the Ratings star on the left-hand side of the post.
If someone answers your question correctly please let other members know by clicking on ’Mark as Accepted Solution’.

Hi Christopher,
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Someone Solved Your Question?
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Message was edited by: Nielshak

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Which is better for music production: macbook air or pro?

Which is better for music production: macbook air or pro?

The MacBook Pro has higher specifications, depending
on the model, and then CTO additional upgrades.
The Air does not have a Retina display, but has lesser
specs, so that may make a difference. They still offer a
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I am seeking suggestions here from fellow music artists/ DJs and tech wizards to help me make the "right" decision in where to invest my money.
I don't know wether to buy the base model MBPr 15inch with 2.0Ghz Quad Core i7, 8gb ram and 256 flash drive. I am a musician and this laptop will solve two purposes
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THEREFORE, now I am second guessing my purchase on two aspects -->
1) Is the 8GB enough to run, say a typical setup of Ableton along with 2-3 vsts softwares, would these specs on the MBPr last about 3-5 years?
2) Is the 256 GB SSD going to be an issue with file sizes? I mean like I can always transfer stuff to an external drive and keep creating space but then its almost like having a McLaren SLR and running it constantly on EMPTY and getting gas filled in it every 2 miles. Idk....
Any advise, nudge in the right direction, suggestions, recommendations would be much appreciated. . Is 8gb of ram enough? I am more on the 8gb ram side because of money issue also the place I am buying is offering 10% discount (cannot configure with the specs) I want to be happy with my purchase, but I don't want to be 2 years down the road kicking myself for not having gone with the 16GB and bigger SSD.
Which is a notable problem with the rMBPs and their lack of upgradability.

Hi whopkins85
Well I ended up going with the 16GB Retina MBP. For the simple reason that the 8GB would've seen me constantly second guess my decision. Plus I wanted to "future proof" myself as best as I could knowing that these babies cannot be 'upgraded' with additional ram at a later date due the whole soldered RAM issue. So yeah I shelled out some extra money, bought my rMBP from B&H in NYC through their webstore and saved a ton on not having to pay sales tax since I am not a resident of NY state.
Another thing I'd like to recommend to you is that if you plan on running a number of VSTs or AUs with your DAW especially of the nature of heavy sound libraries such as Spectrasonics Omnisphere or KOMPLETE then I would highly highly recommend purchasing a Lacie 2 or 3TB 7200 RPM external drive. I wish I had known this earlier but an incredibly efficient (and correct) way to run DAW with sound libraries to load your VSTs on an external drive which is either a fast SSD or at least a 7200 RPM. This way your system drive doesn't get overloaded reading and writing at the same time between multiple programs running in parallel. Once your system drive runs the DAW and the system accesses the sound libraries through and external drive, it makes for a much more efficiently managed read/write process.
I hope this helps. My mantra for technology is, when in doubt go with max specs on a machine.
Thanks for your post

Best Mac for music production

So i decided to get a Mac finally,
but i'm not sure which one...
i will use it only for DJ'ing (using Traktor / Abelton) and producing electronic music (using Cubase)
i suppose i need at least 8GB for this,and a SSD flash drive,
but i'm not sure which processor i need..
what do you think?
and would you recommend upgrading immediately to 16BG ?
thanks for the help

It is always recommended that you max out your RAM if you can afford it. Purchasing RAM from Apple is expensive. It's best to purchase from a 3rd party vendor that has lifetime warranties on their RAM.
As for your other concerns, go to your local AS and play around w/the Macs you are interested in. Bug the sales staff w/all of your questions & concerns. They will be more than happy to assist you.

Which Mac Pro to buy for Music Production

Hi All
Hope you can help.
Currently I have a macbook pro ( 2.66Ghz + 4GB ).
Im planning to buy a mac pro for music production, which is better
4 Core 2.66Ghz Nehalem CPU + 3x2GB or
8 Core 2.26 Ghz Nehalem CPU + 6x2GB
Im heavy on VST/AU's, use a fair bit of audio samples and also will be using a load of ROMpler style sampler instruments.
Im also looking to future proof the system but if the 8 core system is unnecssary for using logic studio id rather get the 4 core option as its easier on my budget.
Im also planning to run 3 x 1tb HDD's ( 1 x OS / 1 x Samples / 1 x Music )
Hope you can advise as itching to buy one with my commission money
Cheers
Andrew

JG99 wrote:
I've heard from a few Logic users and read on other forums that there is currently little difference in performance between the 8-core and 4-core Mac Pro's when running Logic 8. This may change in the future...?
Really? The benchmarks seem to indicate that the 8 x 2.26 is 30-40 % more powerful than the 4 x 2.66, a significant difference...
Personally, I'd get a quad core and spend the difference on ram (from crucial.com) as this will make more of a difference when running power hungry plug-ins.
JG
But the 4 core has a max RAM of 8 GB where the 8 core maxes to 32 GB. Might be worth considering.

Basic Equipment for Electronic Music Production

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