Stupid question(s) about samples and interfaces

[DooWahDiddy]

Thank you, guys! Especially Megeath, for the links!

[Kolstad]

The daw is the recording machine that handles all of the incoming audio, virtual (midi) instruments and the plug-ins (effects).
While it's true it's not the daw, some daws come with a great deal of virtual instruments and plug-ins, that can get you a long way.
Samples are either prerecorded loops, chords or single sounds, the latter is used in virtual instruments triggered by midi signals.

Virtual instruments are very specialized depending on what genres you work with, so what to look for depends a great deal on what type of music you are looking to do.

If you are looking to produce your own music coming from a songwriters path, you will probably need to invest in decent monitors so you can hear what you are doing, some mics if you record real instruments and vocals, a decendt interface, and a solid midi setup with a keyboard, some virtual instruments that suits your genres, and perhaps a few extra plugins down the line. But most of all, you'll need to give yourself a fair time to learn the nuts and bolts. It might take 2-3 years of experiments to know if it's for you.

Most of all, you will need to educate yourself on how to do it. There are some great online resources, but perhaps start with a video or two from Groove 3 or Ask Audio.
https://www.groove3.com
https://ask.audio

So investments will be needed. Music is not the cheapest hobby, but if you are used to shell out for studio demos, it's worth a shot. For the money you would pay for two or three demos, you can get a very good home setup. Anyone can learn it, but not all have the patience, selfconfidence and the stamina to keep at it.

[Danny]

Your DAW isn't responsible for the sound but it merely finds sounds that you recorded on your hard drive and arranges them in the sequencer.

You don't have to spend a lot of money but should learn how to use new equipment. The nice folks on this forum and places like Harmony Central forums give you a wealth of knowledge.

After all, Bono from U2 likes to use a Sure SM58 in the studio. It retails for about $99.00. I'm sure the same studio has Nuemanns worth over 25 grand each.

Jimmy Page was known to record with a small tube practice like amp in the studio. It was the way it was miced and processed that gave it a kicking sound.

As far as orchestral samples go. It took me some time to save up dough to get the right library. People may disagree with me here but I know of no "Budget sound library" that is going to get you convincing sounding tunes.

The way you work your mod wheel and use your velocity lanes on a sequencer will dramatically affect the dynamics of your samples.