how long????

[eyes without a face]

after u got your first bits of gear did u guys have music ready which u thought was ready for release? and wot gear did u start out with

im quite confused as to wot i really need to get started to a reasonable degree

im fed up with just software now and i realise that im gonna need some hardware in order to progress

[Basil Rush]

Dunno - started ten years ago, sold most of the outboard (we had three racks full) and now work inside the computer. You need 1 posh reverb as outboard and I'd highly recommend an Access Virus, but apart from that we work entirely inside the computer. Oh and a Studio Electronics SE-1 gets used a bit for bass, but you can get some pretty nice sounds out the virus even for that.

[Basil Rush]

Oh yeah, and got the first release after about 6 years, but I'm told it can be done a bit quicker than that...I was pissing around making all kinds of random electronica. Got another couple of releases this year so far and bloody paul van dyk played the last one can you believe it...!

ps. i seem to be a senior freak now... what's that mean??!

[Adverse]

it means you are slowly being sucked into the dementia that is the forum

;)

[MARKEG]

true, true - it also means you've hit a certain number of posts. major freak is next.

[Nomak]

Basil how old are you now if you dont mind? Did you also start out with people that already had experience of making music or are you self taught?

[Basil Rush]

*laughs* trouble is i've book marked this site on my other computer now and it's so much easier to reply to something like this than actually get any work done.

I'm 26, worked as an engineer in a pro studio for a bit then quit to get a job that paid money and carried on doing it in my spare time. Worked with loads of people over the years on and off. Got grade 1 piano and read a book called 1000 keyboard tips. Spent a year or two not making music in London and hitting a couple of clubs every weekend.

[herman]

i started to get stuff i was happy with and that got released by other people after about a year of making tracks although i would say that after about seven years now im still learning about production and stuff and hopefully my music is still getting better with it.

[DJZeMig_L]

Well It really started with djing... later i got a pc with a soundblaster Pro 8 bits .... It was almost state of the art ... I mean it was 8 Bits and it said PRO on the box!!! lol :)

Later got a Roland RAP 10 cause it had TR808 sounds .... and my first copy of cubase 1.02!!

Later I got asked by this shaddy guy who was dealing dr*** 2 make music with him, i.e. I would hit the machines and he would take E's !! lol ... I knew nothing about machines, beside a little Midi and how 2 use cubase (for a while also Cakewalk cause u could play one Wav along with the MIDI)....

This "joint"-venture didn't last long but I managed 2 make myself learn a little bit about analogs (sh101, tb 303, tr909) and some of the new gear by Novation and Clavia...

Then I bumped into a friend that had a Roland XP 50 with the dance card (the equivalent 2 the JV1080)... he didn't used it so he lent me the machine over xmas... all i did was create new sounds and weird bleeps.. later I got it again 4 2 weeks .... longest 2 weeks of my life ... after that my eyes were like this from not sleeping.... after these 2 weeks I had about 12 tracks, which became my first release (Squeeze 002) and Djax ... with the money from those 3 rec. I bought the XP 50 from that friend... donne 5 more releases with it!!

I read all the mags I could get my hands on and have ever since been seen as a bit of a weirdo and tech head which I'm not!! But bloody hell every1 calls me with questions and I love 2 help.... HELLLLLLP MEEEE :P


Z

[Orange]

I'm yet to finish something I'm happy with and I've been at it for a few years part time while in school. Now I don't even bother saving work, just power off when I can't keep my eyes open anymore.

I've come to a number of conclusions about the creative process:

1) you can't buy it or [k]rack it
2) see 1

For me, anyways, there is something chronic about opening pandora's box of problem solving. Like, give me this drum machine. How's it work? Right. Done. OK, now give me that synth. How's it work? Done. Now add samplers, more drum machines, efx, tie it together with midi, mixer, audio, sequencers: hard, now soft?, right add computer (first unravel the o/s mystery) then software versions of everything again, and then more new sh!t:souncards, scsi, and "read the installation instructions twice experience" , blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.... and finally, make it all work together. Where's the music? Nowhere to be found. It ain't in any of it.

What's my point?

Find one thing that works and work it!

[Basil Rush]

When the creative process don't happen I don't force it, sometimes it takes a couple of weeks out so i sit around making stupid noises and sampling them for future reference.

Might start a little online sample collection somewhere if everyone feels like contributing a bit or something ... got some interesting stuff we've made here that could be shared around a bit

[Jimfish]

Yeah i'd be up for contibuting to somthing like that...Im the same in that when i hit a brick wall with my moozic i sit around knobbin out strange new noises..i actaually enjoy it as much as makin whole tracks

[Basil Rush]

Yeah, cool, I'll figure it out, in the business of trying to sort out our web site at the moment so I'll put something up where specific people can wack up files with comments or some such.

[log:one]

definitely... when the inspirations not coming theres nothing else for it but to kick back, spark one up and start tweaking!

[JACKSTAR]

I had been djing for 12 years then Rush advised me to start producing to forward my DJ bookings etc so I started off with the following - MPC 2000 / Yamaha CS1x Keyboard / Alesis nanocomp / nanoverb / Soundcraft folio F1 14ch mixer / Soundcraft Absolute Zero speaker with Samson 170 amp. NO COMPUTER for about 6 months then after 6 months I managed to get some more cash then spunked it on a PC / cubase VST / Studio Electronics ATC-1 synth module. But after about 8 months of pissing about I had some trax ready for my 1st release which was the Demon EP on Kne'Deep in 98. If you have a good ear and put the time in I think people nowadays can put together a EP in less than a year after starting up.

P.

[MARKEG]

Well we started with a Kurzweil K2000. Then we bought some Alesis Monitor Ones (still use them!). Our first release was out after 2 years on these two bits of equipment. I remember producing the whole track in a tiny LCD screen with the K2000 sequencer.. WOW.. fond memories!

Then came the Atari, a mixing desk and we just built up from there. 6/7 years on, the computer is a powerful tool in our studio now, but I really value those days we used to spend struggling without one - as I'm sure many of you 'old school' heads do!!?!?!!!