equipment needed

[volsball]

I know absolutely nothing about musical merchandise, but I am need of some equipment for my son. He is interested in rap and hip-hop. He keeps saying he needs some type of "beat machine" . He thinks that since we like different types of music, that we would not support his choice, but I would like to surprise him and get him some equipment for him to use in creating his music. Does anyone know about any of this type of merchandise or have anything like this for sale?

[TAlderson]

What he's looking for is a machine that will generate a beat so he can rap/sing over it. These can range anywhere from $100 to $1000. I'd say to go to your local music store and talk to someone there. He'd be far more knowledgable than I, and could point out a few that would fit what your son is looking for. Or, you could do some research on your own on the web. Try Musicians Friend. Here's a link to their electronic drum/drum machine section:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/...=100001+304725

Scroll down a little, and you'll see some rhythm/drum machines. That's what he's talking about.

At a glance, it looks like Boss has a few sets for $500 and under. Boss is a pretty reputable company. I'd check those out. Many of them have reviews of the different machines, so you can get an idea of what's good and what's not.

Hope that helps.

-Tyler

[brandondrury]

Depending on the application, I'd recommend Reason. It's a piece of software that allows you to make about any rap thing you could think of.

Brandon

[DogpitStudios]

The real question I ask is does he want software or hardware. From your description it looks like he is looking for some kind of drum machine. But since this is a recording forum I think I should go with brandon on this one and go to say get him some DAW software, this way he is a step closer to not only creating his music, but also to recording it and putting it out to the public on various mp3 hosting websites. I've never used reason but I'm sure its great for this, just about any good software would be.

Ben

[volsball]

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I think he was looking for a drum machine, but the software sounds like a good idea too. I will probably go ahead and get both. Thanks again!