How would you prioritize these?

[tpantano]

Just a few things I'm looking to purchase, IDK what to get first

Problems you need to fill:
1. You can't sing, but want your vocals in your music
2. You want more realistic instruments and some premade patches to complement your setup
3. Your speakers are $10 logitech crap
4. You have no studio headphones

Solutions:
1. Purchase of auto-tune or melodyne
2. Buying a MicroX/X50
3. Buying pro studio monitors like audiophile series
4. Buying a pro headset

In what order would you prioritize those solutions? IRDK what I want... I'm not producing music well with my current keyboard, which leads me to want to get 2 first so that I can have full songs done before adding vocals. However, lyrics are essential to my music and my songs wouldn't be complete without me singing, so that leads me to 1... yet, my current speakers aren't the best so I can't mix properly (especially with bass) so that makes me think 3+4... idk

[X-Trade]

2, 3, 4, 1.

If you can't sing, get someone else to! or take lessons. Don't expect autotune to do wonders for your voice. It can be used to great artistic effect but so can your vocoder is you learn to play it in that particular way.

Logitec speakers may be cheap but as long as they're good enough to give a decent range of playing.. It depends on whether you're planning to produce any completely finished top-grade tracks or not I suppose. I've actually found some headphones I really like mixing on now, which is unusual because headphones aren't usually great for mixing. Anyway, thing is they cost £20! Sometimes you can get lucky...

What I mean about the speakers is, unless they are really tinny or you really think you can get a better production using them (and you're recording in a high-quality professional manner to begin with), you won't desperately need to upgrade the monitors.

Getting extra sounds or synth functionality has always been my top priority personally.

[Ozz]

Hi

As usual, I agree with X-Trade, but I wanna add one more thing.
If you don't have a good mic forget about recording your own vocals.

Also, I work with a lot of singers from that classic hard rock voice to opera sopranos, and I'm a singer (bass) and I've learned one thing, if you can't sing does not matter if you use melodyne or other thing, you can't sing. You will loose a lot of time tuning and trying to give expression and even modifying your timbre with software and would be a lot easier and faster to ask a friend with good vocals to sing.

And other thing, as keyboardist you've a great advantage over the songwriter that plays guitar or other no-digital instrument or only do vocals. make an audio mock up on your PC and also a midi sequence (track by track) with the final shot and rent a little studio. look at the advantages.

1.- error free recording (becoz you've all sequenced)
2.- high quality audio and mastering
3.- good mics if you wanna add vocals

Regards.
Alvaro.

[tpantano]

If you don't have a good mic forget about recording your own vocals.

no, I've got a pretty pro one

[Daz]

1. You can't sing, but want your vocals in your music

Stop thinking you can't I didn't think I could, but then got over that and recorded myself and kept practicing and learning what range I could best sing in and it worked out okay. You can play an instrument (or more) which you couldn't play before you learned to play it. Singing is the same. Melodyne or AT aren't shortcuts

[tpantano]

1. You can't sing, but want your vocals in your music

Stop thinking you can't I didn't think I could, but then got over that and recorded myself and kept practicing and learning what range I could best sing in and it worked out okay. You can play an instrument (or more) which you couldn't play before you learned to play it. Singing is the same. Melodyne or AT aren't shortcuts

lol I used to be able to sing... trust me, I've tried singing in front of a PC and the results aren't pretty

besides, the music I intend to make would have the hard attack auto-tune sound as an effect anyways