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Thread Starting beat production as a beginner - what equipment will I need in addition to computer

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1 Starting beat production as a beginner - what equipment will I need in addition to computer

Hey everyone, new to the forums and new to beat making in general.

I'm looking to get started into making rap/hip-hop genre styled beats. I just purchased a brand new mac book pro 15" and am most likely going to either purchase logic or use FL Studio as my main production program. But what I was mainly wondering is what other sorts of equipment I will need or find extremely useful in the process. I also have an old Roland XP-80 that i thought would be helpful in the whole thing but didn't know if it was possible to hook it up to my computer or not. Again, new to the whole thing so cut me some slack if I'm asking dumb questions. Also, if anyone has used or could refer me to some useful guides or assistance that would be fantastic.

Any sort of advice or help is much appreciated, thanks in advance!

2

Hey wgbarnow...There are certainly a lot of things you could add to your set up!  It depends on what exactly you're going to be doing.  I'd definitely recommend getting some sort of MIDI controller.  I don't know anything about the Roland synth that you mentioned, but if it's old it won't have a USB output.  If it has MIDI connections you can hook it up to your computer, but you need a MIDI interface.  You could also opt to buy a USB based MIDI controller, which allows you to plug the keyboard directly into your computer rather than going through an interface.  A keyboard with trigger pads, like the M-Audio Axiom series have, wouldn't be a bad idea as well if you want to make beats by using something like a drum machine.  The software and controller are good places to start, and over time you can add to your virtual instruments collection and other software.  Hope this helps!