Yea true I guess I'm speaking more to the beginners mindset. When everyone starts to make beats there is this moment where it's like, "Oh, I need an MPC, or I need this, I need that." All you need is a DAW really and that keeps things as cheap as possible because you can get a DAW for free. You can use your computer keyboard when your just getting started. So for him as a beginner I feel it's an unnecessary piece of equipment but if he chooses the hardware route I ain't knocking the equipment. That $250 for a mint conditioned Studio would be a decent pick up.
Otherwise choose your platform FL Studio, Reason, Logic.. etc. and just start learning the ins and outs before you start worrying about copping hardware. The gist of what I was trying to get at.
Technically wouldn't the software be a DAW. It does come with vsts on it though which most DAWs do.
here's the thing that alot of ppl don't always acknowledge.
100% software "producing" gets BORING. to me half the fun of making beats and music itself is actually MAKING the beats. Banging on the pads, playing hte keys, getting OUT of my seat and just getting IN to the music.
I would ALWAYS recommend to someone that is SERIOUS about getting in to making beats is to purchase(invest) in to some kind of hardware. an MPC studio is perfect, a Maschine is perfect. because both of those can be copped relatively cheap and will allow you to get HANDS on with making your music.
A midi keyboard can also be copped relatively cheap nowadays.
both of those would GREATLY improve your beat making, just by getting you IN to the music.
not to mention those pieces of "hardware" come with software. So you are getting a tangible piece of equipment to work on, yet still getting in to the world of DAWs and VSTs,etc.....for free.
Maschine comes with Komplete(select) which is like 10 or so dope free VSTs like massive(one of the best synth vsts in the world) and the Gentlemen(a piano vst), among others.
Maschine/MPC studio are not really DAWs. They can do some similar things to a DAW but will not give you a full DAW capability.
those are both just instruments/workstations that...although they can use VSTs....are made for just making the beats. They are also great for using live.
For example.
I make my beats 90% in maschine. but when I want to make it a song I open up maschine with my beat in to a DAW(I use ableton) as a vst.
in Ableton I can then complete the song. Record vocals, add some scratches, add effects and layers. something that is 'somewhat' possible in Maschine but not nearly as intuitive as it is inside Ableton(or Logicc or Protools,etc)
