How good are these for the common shmoe to make music with? I''m no Beethoven, and have no rythm to speak of, but would at least like to do some place holder music to tide things over. Is it worth the $40 to purchase one of these DJ''s in a box solutions? I know Acid Pro received some GDC award of the year. I''m not at the music state yet, but I like to learn stuff before I need to use it.

If I may quote some of my Tracker friends: IT SUCKS BIGTIME!

And if you ask me: Its good to mix a few large samples...so in other words...you''ll not be making new music, just mixing other peoples stuff! Not very respectable thing to do in the music world if you ask me! (unless you''re a dj)

Most software audio stuff like that (MTV Whatever, Virtual DJ, etc.) isn't that great, but Acid is pretty decent. Although I don't really use it, I was impressed the few times I've messed with it.

IMHO, trackers are horrid programs with bad interface design and limited functionality. Get real outboard gear if you're serious. Also, FruityLoops and ReBirth are great soft-drum machines, but no software can match real hardware.

You could look into getting a simple controller keyboard (probably around $200-$300 bucks, maybe less), and getting a softsynth like Reality or Reaktor (or even Dreamstation, but I'm not a big fan of it =P). Gigasampler is a cool softsampler -- you can get, say, a $400 drum-machine like a Korg ER1, and run in through a MIDI Flyer, map some MIDI commands, and have a sampling drum machine.

As far as audio recording goes, Cubase is king. I'd recommend Pro Tools, but it's oriented (pricewise, at least =P) for professionals, not general consumers/hobbyists.

Edited by - revolver on May 23, 2000 3:19:12 PM

Wow, revolver, you seem to know your stuff. I just need something to toss a bit of cheesy music(remixed sounds or not) into a program as a place holder. I might pick up a copy of Acid then in the next few months (I have to budget Diablo II into the mix - might not like it - not a lot of new games have kept me entertained.)

I know I can go to Best Buy and score a full size (probably not a full set) MIDI Yamaha keyboard for around $200. If it comes down to it, I''ve got some crappy 80''s mini keyboards .