yeah you should try and determine whether you'll be strictly sampling, strictly composing, or a mix of the two. If you're strictly sampling, any of the MPC's will do you just fine, you can upgrade later when you understand the specs and YOUR specific needs, such as sound coloration from the machine, ease of use, learning curve, features, and etc...Also you'll need a turntable, just about any turntable will do, whether it be belt-driven or motor driven (belt-driven is not for scratching though..), and a DJ mixe. Since you're beginning, any mixer will do, but if you wanna get something that is dependible and solid in the DJ mixer world, I would suggest looking at some of RANE's mixers. Don't forget that you need a source to sample, so stock up on vinyl. You can also sample MP3s, CDs, Tapes, watever!! Don't limit your sources.
Now, if you're gonna be strictly composing, I would look into getting an MPC and a sound module (Triton, Korg, Yamaha watever). You will also need to read up on MIDI time code...this will be very important in your production so that you may use the MPC and your sound module/keyboard together.
If you're gonna do some sampling with a mix of composing, you should probably get a turntable, dj mixer, mpc, AND a sound module.
And last but not least, don't forget about KNOWLEDGE. Knowledge of your gear, that is. If you don't know how to use them, their useless to your production setup. And make sure that you frequent this site and read up on any tips and tricks that you can get your eyes on. You need to learn about EQ'ing, filtering, pitch-shifting, timestretching, drum programming, quantising, equipment setup, MIDI (possibly), tracking, mixing, effects, sampling, bit rates...the list goes on and on and on. I wish you good luck, and make good decisions.
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