Ma' Setup [Pic Heavy]

[Pedro Sánchez]

You should buy the tools as they are required, when you want to achieve a set result and pros and cons should be weighed up at that point as to what fits your personal needs. If you just swamp yourself with stuff, it will become overwhelming and the dedication required to get maximum results out of each piece won't be given, be it plug-ins or hardware. I'm not saying the OP has done this but I do see multiple things that can achieve the same results give or take slight audible differences.

[cloak and dagger]

Some of the responses in this thread are so ridiculous that they're honestly bordering on self-parody

[GV1]

Threads grown huge. I've been away for a couple days, literally spent 42 hours on the virus and had the Lemur hooked up to control the parameters.

Let me tell you, a $300 PC and a copy of uTorrent does not come close. I had buttons sending parameter changes to the arp to change user defined patters, octave changes, ring modulation, buttons that were controlling 4 parameters at a time so when you press, you get a different variation of the sound etc. 20+ buttons all controlling multiple parameters ... you get the picture. You'd need 4 hands moving at lighting speed to do that live. You could use automation editing, but it's no where near as fun as using your fingers to control the character of the sound. It's spontaneous, fun and often results in original sounds. (waits for the iPad and TouchOSC response before I laugh outloud).

A copy of uTorrent is just dirty. Anyone using tools that aid them, whether it's music, graphic design, web development etc. should purchase those tools.

My setup is combined of gear I use and I feel aids the style of music I produce. The MPC and SP1200 are for my hip hop stuff. I got into old skool Hip Hop production long before Dubstep. Over the 2 years I've been buying gear I've purchased some equipment, and sold some equipment, but what I have now are the tools that work for me.

The turntables and the CDJ's are not for producing. Aside from needing the turntables for sampling old vinyl, I grew up on 2-Step vinyl, which is why I enjoy mixing vinyl on turntables. Do I DJ now? Not at the minute, as I said, business sucked me under. I used to DJ, I used to run a pirate radio station in Birmingham for a couple of years.

Producing music is about being creative. Not loading a video on YouTube asking "How do I do .......". That's why half the Dubstep scene is full of unoriginal content. But, the creative processes is what makes producing fun me, and I get creative by utilizing and combining the gear I have.