want to start making beats

[shaolin disciple]

good idea matt but don't got the money for that but im probably going to buy 1 or 2 beats off of him like I said in another thread wish I knew how to use this sp 404 looks like you can do some dope things with it peace

[Headphones]

Making music isn't for everybody. Unfortunately, it costs money to chase this dream. Equipment, cables, software/hardware, soundcards, etc all cost a premium, and even what you spot used they still try to milk whatever it is and whatever they can get for it. I personally think you have given up before you started, but it's your choice.

[shaolin disciple]

peace headphones well I have a real passion for music so I think am going to give it a try in the last post when I stated on not going to try it out was probably because I was watching a whole bunch of youtube videos of producers making beats and was just not understanding what they where doing but am going to give it a try any way

if any one finds the sp-404 at a good price used or new let me know thanks again for all the advice peace

[MattCoops]

A Zoom SampleTrak 224 is another option for samplers that cost half as much as am SP and have their own lofi benefits.

[shaolin disciple]

matt I will definitely look into that thanks

[timfromtexas]

shaolin where are you at location wise?

[shaolin disciple]

whats up bro am located in new jersey

[timfromtexas]

more curious if you were in the us.. I have an sp-606 i would let go for pretty cheap and some korg volcas i would probably sell too.. i have the bass and beats...

email me if youre interested.. [email protected]

[shaolin disciple]

let me do some research on the sp-606 and I will hit you up on your email in a lil while

[Headphones]

Korg Volca Keys/Beats/Bass/Sample are excellent boxes to get started with. They're each about $150. But they are limited. However, they are cheap, and if you chain 2-4 of them together, you'd have a small pocket arsenal of sounds. Just keep in mind, they're mostly mono, the sampler requires you load samples with a iPad/iPhone, and you will need a cheap 4 track(more channels would be great if you have the budget for a bigger mixer), and you might get bored of some of their sounds down the road. But you can't expect everything for that price either. They shine as you chain more than 1 together for sure.

You mentioned the SP404. Excellent choice. Loads of sample time, fx, and a decent sequencer. If you spot a good deal on a SP202, SP303, SP505, SP808, SP555 or even SP606, they're great choices as well. The SP202 is the most basic, but is pretty simple to figure out. Memory cards are hard to locate, but they have a great lo fi crunchy sound. I won't get too much in describing the rest. Just read some posts here, and you'll have a idea of what their strength/weaknesses are. If you want, watch YouTube vids on them. Manuals are a good read as well, and your web browser will find them if you type the model in.

Don't give up, keep asking questions, and if you can try before you buy. Check out all the pawn shops you spot. They take layaways if you don't have the cash all at once on you. They probably don't know much about what they sell, so don't expect much knowledge out of their mouths. So just make sure it works, sounds good, and is in your budget.

[shaolin disciple]

thanks again headphones for the advice you mention the sp-202 is basic and the easies to use man I really want the sp-404 but saw the sp-202 for a good price on ebay or I might just save up for the sp-404 i know this is going to burn a whole thru my pocket but you cant put a price on your dreams man I know its going to take some time but cant wait to make the first beat and rhyme on it WISH ME LUCK PEOPLE peace thanks for all the good advice

[Headphones]

I'd probably stick with a SP303 or SP404 starting out. But a SP202 is cool. You can build around it as you acquire more money for gear. There is a DR202 which is a drum machine, and has some bass sounds, fx, and a decent sequencer. With a midi cable, you can hook up a SP202 to it and trigger the SP202's sample pads from the sequencer of the DR202. You can probably do that to a SP303/SP404 as well, but I can't say entirely for sure. Just keep in mind it's easier to find memory for anything BUT the SP202. It's because when it came out about 97 or whatever, the memory cards were 5.5 volt of 2mb or 4mb. Now it's all these years later, and they are rare finds on eBay. So if possible, don't buy your SP202 unless they include one. Oh yeah, I already warned you to make sure to avoid buying from Japan. They charge a lot on shipping. But, you get it shipped to you much cheaper buying from USA/Canada.

[shaolin disciple]

thanks for all the help bro then am going with the 404 am still doing this not really knowing what am doing but am going to try my best and take a serious shot at it so any info would help because every thing is new to me

thanks peace

[Eksotik]

I guess since you rap you have an idea what is a bar, a beat, a time signature, etc.. If not so much I think it would be a good idea to familiarise yourself with that. Listen to music and listen to what it consists of specifically, how it´s built..

BTW, do you beatbox?

[hseiken]

I'm late to this discussion, but to answer OP:

There's free ways to 'get into' making beats. I would explore these so you know more or less what you like/don't like about production side of things before spending money. If you already have a computer or iPhone/iPod/iPad, you have 90% of what you need, you're just missing software and time.

Also, learning lingo will help a lot as well, when it comes to the tech side of stuff. Sample rates, bit depths, channels, panning, volume, pitch, compressor, limiter, chorus, reverb, etc. It's a process and you don't need to know these things to make a beat, but it definitely helps when trying to get assistance and advice from others since you can communicate more effectively your goals or specific issues with your setup.

Nothing is impossible and some people develop really unique original sounds from just 'figuring everything out for themselves' vs. formal instruction. But from my point of view (and my economic situation), I'd go with trying out software (free and trial) before spending ANY money. Test the waters, go to local music shops and see if a salesperson can give you a hands on demo of equipment you are wanting to check out, etc.

There's no wrong way to eat a reeces peanut butter cup.