^^^agree.

first get a program...i'd recommend FruityLoops. (That's what most novice producers use.) Reason is good as well but i don't find it as intuitive. You can dload this free of Kazaa, but their are bogus versions so it may take a few tries.

You can run this on any comp, if it's slow then u'll only be able to arrange 5-10 tracks at a time instead of 20-30. Learn the program and only upgrade u'r comp when u find u'r maxing out it's power.

Getting a MIDI Keyboard is an extra....it's not essential to making beats, but it can save a lot off time and allow you to be a bit more creative.

Sum advice, buy a magazine: Electronic Musician, Remix, Computer Music, Future Music, etc. and look at the pictures of a modern day home studio. They all center around a pc. Keyboards and other hardware is involved but basically they are all extra's. The most important piece is the pc, the software, and knowing how to use them.

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