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Advice – DJ’ing/Keyboard/Recording/Synth


Musicman20
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Hi all. You may remember my recent posts about trying out Synth’s and branching out a little.

I’ve realised what I really need is a good laptop to allow me to do the following:

DJ – myself and a friend run a DIY free entry DJ Night back home, and its just had its 5[sup]th[/sup] anniversary. I don’t plan on giving this up as we only do it once or twice a year, and we are looking at spreading our wings to Newcastle. I’d like a laptop that can run the DJ programs and possibly allow some new mixes to be put in.

Keyboards – I figured if I want to play Synth, what I could do is get a good keyboard plug in for the laptop and just go from there. That way I can use other programs with it to, for instance, create my own music, create tracks for basslines to be put over, and general have more flexibility.

Synths – See above. Can a ‘plug in’ keyboard used with a good laptop be used for synth work as well? Go easy on me if that is blindingly obvious!

Recording – Use programs to plug my bass into the laptop to allow recording, (I’d need an interface unit, which is fine).

What do I really need to get to allow all of this?

I’m guessing:

Half decent laptop
Correct cables
Keyboard plug in
Programs (DJ program, recording program, etc)
USB Interface for bass and guitar input

Can anyone recommend if this is a good route to take? I was going to just buy a Microsynth XL, but I figured what I am proposing will allow a lot more flexibility.

Thanks!

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[quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1343063019' post='1744616']
Are you wanting a controller for the DJ software or are you happy with a mouse & keyboard.
[/quote]

Thanks, yeah Mouse and Keyboard are enough for me. We are a mixture of electro/rock/punk so a lot of the time its quite 'basic' in terms of our skills needed. Its more about the right songs at the right time with what we do.

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[quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1343065674' post='1744686']
I'd have a look at something like the M-Audio Keystudio 49i for a 'budget' all in one solution.

[url="http://www.dv247.com/computer-hardware/m-audio-keystudio-49i-keyboard-based-music-production-system--47632"]http://www.dv247.com...n-system--47632[/url]

61 keys, Instrument line in, mic line in, stereo AUX in & then stereo out.

That would act as your interface & keyboard needs, you'd just need to find the software you like.

My favourite keyboard controller is the M-audio Axiom series, was the easiest i've used for programming and has plenty of bells & whistles to control the soft synth. WIth this route yo'd have to buy a separate audio interface.
[/quote]

Thanks! Do you use an Apple or PC for your music? See, we are due for a new iMac, but we were steering away from a Macbook. Now I want something portable, so would it be a good idea to get a good quality PC laptop or spend more on a Macbook?

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Jake seems to have it covered, but I couldn't get the link to land on the Keystudio i49, (btw surely it would have 49 keys)

You have it spot on MM20 but the only thing I would say is make sure your audio interface (whether in a keyboard or separate) has outputs to send to the desk. Usually your DJ software will then let you cue/audition from the headphone out of the laptop.

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[quote name='Commando Jack' timestamp='1343316625' post='1748879']
Jake seems to have it covered, but I couldn't get the link to land on the Keystudio i49, (btw surely it would have 49 keys)

You have it spot on MM20 but the only thing I would say is make sure your audio interface (whether in a keyboard or separate) has outputs to send to the desk. Usually your DJ software will then let you cue/audition from the headphone out of the laptop.
[/quote]

Thanks!

Had a good long think this weekend about which direction to go in, and as the bass I was going to buy brand new has come up second hand for a great price, Im going to start buying these DJ/recording bits and pieces in September when my new job and higher salary kick in.

No time like the present!

I'll keep updating this thread.

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