SONG WRITING setup!

[SunneyBoy]

hey there

i am looking at setting up a small studio(workstation) for song writing . it is basically to put down some ideas . the qaulity doesnt have to be brilliant but it needs to be good enough to promote the songs to propective publishers and artists.

i was thinking of going mac and perhaps logic.

my budget will probably be about $2300

what do you guys think is the best way to go about it
- what size or model computer
- what software
- mixer
- input controller.
- any additional hardware or software that you think will be required

i will probaly be using alot of sampled instruments.

ps ! i did try sifting through the other threads on this subject didnt find all the info i wanted!

[keb]

If you're going to be using lots of sampled/virtual instruments, definitely get as much RAM and CPU horsepower as you can afford.

[tZer]

I have a personal home studio for song-writing setup. I don't intend to do anything more then personal song development at home, so my setup is a single instrument input into software (no multi-channel/multi-track input ability).

Computer:
1. Dell Dimension 8250 w 2.5Ghz Processor
2. Only 256 meg. Ram - could use at least 512, but it is actuall fine for what I do.
3. 7200rpm Harddrive
4. CD Burner
5. 2nd CD player
6. Creative Labs Soundblaster Live AWE 128 (simple single in, single out sound card with MIDI capabilities)

Software:
1. Sonar 5 Producers Edition by Cakewalk - I love this sequencer software! Sonar is very easy to use and does everything I need and then some!
2. Reason 2.0
3. SoundForge 8
4. Groove Agent (drum software)
5. Huge array of add-ons and plugins.

This setup lets me easily:
1. Plug-in and play
2. Do multi-track projects
3. Generate midi tracks
4. Composite, arrange, construct and reconstruct just about anything song-wise, part-wise, midi-wise... you name it.

I have a friend who has a full-blown, multi-instrument, multi-track homestudio setup that differs from mine in that he has significantly more external hardware (2 - M-audio Delta 1010's giving him 16 track in and out) plus preamps, patch-bays, and so on. I plan to ask him for a detailed listing of his set up to post here.

--tz

[Derakh]

Check into the Presonus Firepod, its an 8 channel interface that has really been taking the low cost recording industry by storm. If you only need 2 chanel ins you can save some cash by getting the firebox instead. Both the firepod and firebox comes with Cubase LE, though for software, Cakewalk Sonar 5 is an extremely easy to use and versitile program and in my opinion a bit more user friendly than Cubase. Plus the LE version is a bit dumbed down.

If you need an external mixer there are plenty of USB ones out there that control the graphic mixer of the program you might use. Though I prefer just to use the graphic mixer and keep my desk clean. Going direct into the firepod kills off any extra chance of noise that could be produced from your standard mixing councel setup. Get some Mogami cables, some nice mics and maybe a BlueTube or Tubepre and you've got yourself a nice setup to go into a brand new mac or compatable pc with firewire port. You can pick up some nice deals on ebay for custom built computers, just do a little research before buying and you'll always come out on top!

Hope this helps...

[jamesblue]

Dell - P4 desktop or laptop
MOTU UltraLite 10x14 firewire w/great software
or
MACKIE Spike $249 with Traction 2 software included (very esay and is what I use)

Studio Projects B3 Mic (149.00)

Senheizer 250 Pro headphones (100)

just some possibilities.