my 12 year old nephew is getting into beat making and basic music production. He has a bit of experience playing keyboard.
He wants both FL Studio and Ableton before he decides later on which one he will stick with, ( most likely it seems that he'll be using both ) .
he needs:
- 1ch input audio interface ( to record vocals )
- pad controller
- 61key or 49key midi controller
he doesn't want all-in-one midi controller with both keyboard and pads. he wants them to be separate.
cheaper hardware that comes bundles with FL Studio and Ableton Live
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- KVRAF
- 2784 posts since 18 Apr, 2001
I have a Korg PadKontrol that came with Ableton Live Lite. Not sure if that is still the case, though.
CrimsonWarlock aka TechnoGremlin, Moved to Reason and Rack Extensions exclusively (from Reaper and VSTs) several years ago.
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- KVRian
- 1099 posts since 9 Aug, 2018
Strongly recommend not bothering with both those DAWs, as they’re very similar in their primary purpose and marketing (etc.), yet significantly different in UI and UX.
Anyway, for the keys and pads devices, I’d go with whatever cheap ones can be found*. Plenty of brands to choose from there. As for interfaces, the typical starting choice is Scarlett (Solo in this case, I guess), but that’s still 2 inputs I believe. And if that’s a bit expensive in this case, maybe something like the Behringer U-Phoria UM-2 would suit…? Or there’s the U-Phoria Studio bundle, which also has a mic and headphones, in case they’re needed.
* Some come with Ableton Lite too. I’ve not seen any that come with FL Studio (except one that does offer a “trial” version).
My advice, in addition to what I started this comment with, would be to pick Ableton. It’s generally considered a lot more intuitive, easier to work with, etc. But hey, to each their own. Some people click with FL, right? That or they just put with it, haha. :p
Anyway, for the keys and pads devices, I’d go with whatever cheap ones can be found*. Plenty of brands to choose from there. As for interfaces, the typical starting choice is Scarlett (Solo in this case, I guess), but that’s still 2 inputs I believe. And if that’s a bit expensive in this case, maybe something like the Behringer U-Phoria UM-2 would suit…? Or there’s the U-Phoria Studio bundle, which also has a mic and headphones, in case they’re needed.
* Some come with Ableton Lite too. I’ve not seen any that come with FL Studio (except one that does offer a “trial” version).
My advice, in addition to what I started this comment with, would be to pick Ableton. It’s generally considered a lot more intuitive, easier to work with, etc. But hey, to each their own. Some people click with FL, right? That or they just put with it, haha. :p
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- KVRian
- Topic Starter
- 1078 posts since 24 Apr, 2008 from USA
yea I totally agree with you about those DAWs, but this new generation that's 30 years younger than me sees things differently and makes different music.. it is what it is I guess.kvotchin wrote: Mon Jun 30, 2025 9:48 am Strongly recommend not bothering with both those DAWs, as they’re very similar in their primary purpose and marketing (etc.), yet significantly different in UI and UX.
Anyway, for the keys and pads devices, I’d go with whatever cheap ones can be found*. Plenty of brands to choose from there. As for interfaces, the typical starting choice is Scarlett (Solo in this case, I guess), but that’s still 2 inputs I believe. And if that’s a bit expensive in this case, maybe something like the Behringer U-Phoria UM-2 would suit…? Or there’s the U-Phoria Studio bundle, which also has a mic and headphones, in case they’re needed.
* Some come with Ableton Lite too. I’ve not seen any that come with FL Studio (except one that does offer a “trial” version).
My advice, in addition to what I started this comment with, would be to pick Ableton. It’s generally considered a lot more intuitive, easier to work with, etc. But hey, to each their own. Some people click with FL, right? That or they just put with it, haha. :p
Main Computer Specs: MacBook M1 Max, 32GB, 4TB, Cubase 13.
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- KVRAF
- 3148 posts since 28 Mar, 2008 from a Galaxy S7 far far away
Try MuLab DAW. Cheap easy to use and learn and very fast. Don't be fooled by it's simple looks, it's very powerful and has a great many features.
I bought an Akai mini plus keyboard comes with Akai software though. Excellent keyboard and pads.
But I also have an Arturia BeatStep Pro, which comes with their software. This has to be the best pad controller there is, unless you're hell bent on Ableton and need 64 pads. Personally, I'll never touch Ableton. Tried it in 2006, hated how clunky it was. Also tried FLStudio and found that impossible to get into.
One thing to also note, many here won't mention this or care about it, but using portable software is an absolute must for me. It makes backups easy and if your system dies,or you get a new one, you just copy and paste the apps to it. Many will argue about backing up the hard drive, or system partition, but that's a huge backup and backs up everything on it. I don't want a windows backup, it's overkill.
Inevitably, your son will upgrade his system and want to move his software, honestly, tell him to look into portable software, itmakes life so much easier. For VST that aren't portable, I use Symlinks and place their folders on D drive.
Sounds complex, but actually simple once you understand how.
Reaper is also another good fully functional DAW well worth considering, also portable.
People often think you need to spend hundreds to get decent software, truth is, it's mostly a big con! For someone starting out, there's no need to go overboard like that. Start simple and build up.
I bought an Akai mini plus keyboard comes with Akai software though. Excellent keyboard and pads.
But I also have an Arturia BeatStep Pro, which comes with their software. This has to be the best pad controller there is, unless you're hell bent on Ableton and need 64 pads. Personally, I'll never touch Ableton. Tried it in 2006, hated how clunky it was. Also tried FLStudio and found that impossible to get into.
One thing to also note, many here won't mention this or care about it, but using portable software is an absolute must for me. It makes backups easy and if your system dies,or you get a new one, you just copy and paste the apps to it. Many will argue about backing up the hard drive, or system partition, but that's a huge backup and backs up everything on it. I don't want a windows backup, it's overkill.
Inevitably, your son will upgrade his system and want to move his software, honestly, tell him to look into portable software, itmakes life so much easier. For VST that aren't portable, I use Symlinks and place their folders on D drive.
Sounds complex, but actually simple once you understand how.
Reaper is also another good fully functional DAW well worth considering, also portable.
People often think you need to spend hundreds to get decent software, truth is, it's mostly a big con! For someone starting out, there's no need to go overboard like that. Start simple and build up.
?
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- KVRist
- 412 posts since 18 May, 2020
Bruh that came out in 2006.crimsonwarlock wrote: Mon Jun 30, 2025 8:15 amI have a Korg PadKontrol that came with Ableton Live Lite. Not sure if that is still the case, though.
How is that useful info?
REAPER + Davinci Resolve Pro on Manjaro KDE. Neve 88m. Focusrite 18i20 2nd gen. Neumann NDH30 headphones. Mics: Telefunken TF39, AT4050, Miktek C7e, EV RE-15. VSTs: u-he Hive 2, F'em, Renoise Redux, Apisonic Speedrum 2.
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- KVRer
- 1 posts since 7 Jan, 2026
Are you still giving out free ableton licenses?agharta wrote: Tue Jul 22, 2025 9:33 pm If anyone wants a free license for Ableton Live Lite, reply to this message or send me a PM.
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- KVRAF
- 2414 posts since 10 Jan, 2018
Yes, send me a PM.AwakenedOne wrote: Wed Jan 07, 2026 6:54 amAre you still giving out free ableton licenses?agharta wrote: Tue Jul 22, 2025 9:33 pm If anyone wants a free license for Ableton Live Lite, reply to this message or send me a PM.
Note. Check the forum rules as you need to have made about 3 posts before you can send PMs.