Traded in my games for this...

[bobbynewmarkiii]

Thanks for all your comments - I guess it was a bit spammy, but I love how the tin of spam has Jazz hands!

What else are you using for composition and arrangement along with it?

This is the basically the first piece of the puzzle for me (apart from many, many years as a gigging musician). Budget was/is a big issue. My current 1.2Ghz PC isn't powerful enough to run a DAW with sufficient overheads for multiple audio tracks and soft synths etc., so I had to choose between new PC + cheap DAW + no budget for soft synths or anything else, or look for an alternative. This new workstation has 16 midi + 4 audio tracks in a sequencer, as well as it's own synth, a rudimentary sampler, and some effects, so should be sufficient to get me going. Gonna run with this for a while and then work out where to go next - already got an EMU 1616 plugged into my PC, so should be able to use that as a recorder and for basic mastering. I'm also glad that I'll be able to be quite 'hands on' - I never got on with soft synths in other studios - too much choosing from millions of sounds, not enough getting the most from your materials.

I had a little look at hardware sequencers - that's a crazy, crazy world! Some of those things are literally the most sexy pieces of hardware i've ever seen (apart from the afterburner arcade cab!) - Not for me, but very, very cool.

Also OP, we better seem a MySpace full of music for getting rid of a modded Saturn.

You bet!

[lisalover1]

looking forward to being productive with my time...

Productiveness is for pussies. Play some games and snap yourself out of it.

[Niode]

Personally I would have put the money towards buying an iMac and got a decent m-audio MIDI keyboard, something like the keystation pro with the weighted keys. Once you have bought Logic Studio (hell you don't even need to buy it with the abundance of serials that were leaked for this software) you have every kind of sound that you could possibly imagine and one of the best samplers you can't buy separately, bundled with Logic. The ESX24 is seriously that good. Having a decent DAW gives you so much freedom for composition. Logic is easily one of the best, and as far as bang for buck. (if you can find somebody with access to the Higher Education Apple Discount) It's only £110, which is peanuts for a DAW of this magnitude, there is literally absolutely nothing that even comes close.

That lot should cost you no more than £1500 (I'm being generous here) if you don't buy a brand new iMac, and let's face it, you can get a first gen iMac used for around £800 that will do perfectly well for a long time. This is the setup I recommend to all my students who want to get into audio production/computer aided composition. You could even skimp on the Keystation and get an Oxygen 49 for about £50 which will definitely do the job if you aren't bothered about playing action. Which should bring your total down to £1000, (£850 if you don't buy the software )

There is nothing that can compare to Logic Studio on PC's in fact the closest is Pro Tools 8 but you have buy the hardware for it to get the software free.

Hope you enjoy your new purchase there is nothing quite like the joy of buying a new instrument.

Please don't take this as me belittling your purchase, I just want to put this up there to inform others of exactly what's possible with a little bit of cash to put behind taking their hobby to the next level.

[bobbynewmarkiii]

Not at all - they are very good suggestions for a computer based approach. I don't know what it is, but there's something about DAW and softsynths that doesn't do it for me. Having to load up a DAW and set up a track just to play around with a softsynth that doesn't have stand-alone player would really bug me, and having to learn all that complicated software? Nah... step input, real knobs and a good old fashioned keyboard will do for me. I'm not sure if the audio recording will be up to much, but I've got the 1616 to fall back on if needs be, and will be able to send this to the juno-g audio tracks / sampler as required.

Strange thing, despite all of the 'improvements' in current gen games, the only games I think I'm going to miss from the PS3 and 360 are SSFT2HDR and Wipeout HD... (gutted to have to cancel the Demons Souls preorder tho...)

[Mod_Man_Extreme]

Don't forget that you've gotta beat the Wock and Roll keyboard guy first:

[bobbynewmarkiii]

Haha, this guy is my hero - and that's actually the keyboard I just bought!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJlLiU9eFC4

This dude's website http://www.tweakheadz.com was really useful in researching the current tech and studio theory, but even he doesn't recommend basing a studio solely around a keyboard workstation!

[gradualmeltdown]

that video is so sick.

My band used it during a live show a few years back. We were a touring electronic act and for a breakdown mid song during the set we broke out to the video and audio sequenced behind us on a giant screen. People went absolutely nuts and we used his drums and vocals ( manipulated live ) to build back into the song we broke out of. That shit is awesome!

I also believe a DAW is in your future. You've got a great piece to make sounds with now thats for sure. With a powerful enough box and the right computer software synths and DAW's can do so damn much now though. believe me I totally understand the hardware route, and stuck with it even to this day to a point. Just don't let the joy of shiny new toys cloud your judgement on what tools to use. That said its all about whatever makes music fun for you. That is ALL that matters.

[noiseredux]

If you didn't live in England, I'd trade you my Alpha Juno-1 that's been in my attic for the last 5 years. But honestly, the shipping alone would make the deal not worth it.

[Rounin]

I swapped a Zelda Game & Watch for a RM1x a few years ago well worth it as the G&W only cost me £10