From: bsanders@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu (Barry Sanders)
Subject: Re: Making Music, was Re: Mixing Music
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 02:31:25 GMT

rej@sal.wisc.edu (Randy Jones) writes:

[I omitted most of Randy's very well written follow-up for bandwidth's sake]

>jna@silver.lcs.mit.edu (if you love your art, die for it) writes:

>>I've been creating my own techno, and have realized it's going to 
>>cost me over $8000 to actually get the proper equiptment to create 
>>what I want to. I've already spent $6000 and I still don't own what 
>>I want. I need Analog Synths, and Samplers, and DAT machines to 
>>make the wonderful bleepy dreams in my head a reality. Realize what 
>>you're getting yourself into if you're serious. 

Here are some more suggestions for a relatively cheap Techno system:

        ITEM                   PRICE                  COMMENTS
Ensoniq EPS Sampler/Sequencer  $850     My main rig. Everything but FX in 1 box.
Yamaha REX-50 Stereo MultiFX   $150     'Verbs, Phlange, Delay, Distort = WOW!
Yamaha MT-100II 4trk. Recorder $275     Has crucial GRAPHIC EQ built-in!
Moog Prodigy Mono Analog Synth $ 75	Moog sound for low bucks. Fun! No MIDI.
10-30 Band Graphic Equalizer   $15-350  You can't live without one of these.

      ALTERNATE ITEMS          PRICE                  COMMENTS
Ensoniq EPS/16+ SampleStation  $1600    EVERYTHING in one box.  Full-On Cool.
Tascam Porta01 4trk Recorder   $275     BATTERIES! Can use as sample-getter too.
Sequential Circuits Multi-Trak $300     Analog w/ MIDI. 6-voice poly or FAT mono
Ensoniq Mirage Sampler         $300     Loads samples from disk via MIDI cmd (!)
Ensoniq ESQ-1 Synth/Sequencer  $375     Broad palette of synth sounds. Powerful.
Oberheim Matrix-1000 (or 6R)   $275     Rack-mount analog. Oberheim in a box.
Moog Source                    $300     Another inexpensive Moog.  No MIDI.
ARP 2600                       $400     A 70's classic analog synth. No MIDI.

Of course, there are myriad other good choices.  Here are some tips:
- A sampler alone can do techno, but you may need a synth for Orb-like ambience.
- I've had better results in less time with drum loops than with drum machines.
- A 4-track is not necessary if you sequence everything.  Just mix to DAT direct
- If your analog is MIDI-less, sample it!  Or try playing it live at mix-down(!)
- Don't use headphones for mixing, or your track will sound best on a Walkman.
- Sampling with EQ and FX can be a powerful technique for budget studios.
- Too many 'time smearing' FX (reverb, delay, etc) can muddle-up a good mix.  Of
  course, if you're trying to get thick layers of muddy noise, it's great.
- There is no such thing as 'too much bass'.  Use EQ liberally. :-) :-) :-)
- Your graphic EQ should look like this:
  +12db  30    60    120    240    480    1k    2k    4k    8k    16k
  +8db   XXX                                                      XXX
  +4db         XXX                                          XXX
   0db               XXX                              XXX
  -4db                      XXX                 XXX
  -8db                             XXX    XXX
  -12db


>five grand. And I'd rather dance to a raw, innovative track (Aphex Twin) 
>than a polished, homogenized one (Lords of Acid) any night of the week.

Here here!  It's creativity - not megabucks production -  that makes me dance
until 6am!


Barry
bsanders@mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu