Complete Guide To Setting Up A 2000s Music Machine
Hello!
Do you want to go on a mad side quest and potentially waste all of £20 and many weeks of your life to find the glorious nirvana of music that sounds like the magic of the 2000s?
Recently I have been using old software from the 2000s to make music. I have been making music for over 20 years and have been through the full evolution of the Digital Audio Workstations at some point when Logic Went from being multi platform and being a Mac only software package I noticed a distinct change in the sound of the music I was making and I was not happy but I ignored it thinking that it must be better because it is new.
I had a baby son and in this time I had no way to get into the studio to work on music. I still have not joined the world of M1 through M4 chips on Macs as I just cant justify the cost and I had an old PC laptop laying around so I decided I would try my hand at using old software and try to make music like it used to be made and after 16 weeks I could not go back.
Yes the workflow is a complete nightmare and there is loads of setup of keyboard shortcuts and screen sets and finding the right plugins, some work and some do not and some are complete shit but there are diamonds in the rough. I will go through what I have learned so you can have a head start on making your own 2000s machine.
LAPTOPS
I started off on a really crappy laptop worth £10 nowadays which I still have in a hardware only setup.
I have now moved on to a Workstation Laptop. The HP Elitebook 8740W! This is a laptop which is a complete brick, very heavy and not really portable but very very powerful for the time. It is according to many sources the most powerful Laptop you could buy in 2012 originally £5000 now £85 :)
For the technical minded it is very well worth cleaning the shit out of the new laptop and then taking the whole thing apart and re applying the Thermal Paste on both the CPU and GPU and also getting it maxed out in terms of Ram and HD. I have found these 1TB ssd on Amazon for £50. Its well worth getting a brand name SSD as you need to not be loosing your work due to a HD malfunction.
In terms of the choice of computer there are so many options out there and I recommend doing some deep research on the right one for you. I wanted the most power available in the 2000s.
Operating Systems
I now use Windows 10. I was on Windows Vista. Logic 5.5 would not however work on Vista so I had to use Logic 5.3 on that system. but on Windows 10 I use Logic 5.5 and it runs very well indeed.
After having been a Mac user for many years going back to the PC was a very interesting experience. PCs are actually good now. Windows has many good features out the box that I was surprised to finds like a window manager and other system wide keyboard shortcuts that make so much sense I ported them over to my mac system.
There are many tutorials on how to install an operating system on the PC and so I wont cover everything here but one thing I will say is if you get stuck for a Serial search Windows Activation Scripts and it will take you to a Git Hub and you can get it running very quick in true hacky making music on old software with unsupported software fashion.
Software I am Using
There is so much legacy software out there for the old platforms, I have been down every rabbit hole so you dont have to but you can if you like cause its just the best thing ever. There are so many synths and plugins to try out from small companies that don't exist any more. It has been really interesting going in and learning about all the people involved in the plugins and I will try to elaborate as much as I can about the journey I have taken.
Main DAW E-Magic Logic 5.5
My main DAW of choice is E-magic Logic 5.5 at this point. I have tried to use Steinburg Nuendo 2.0 and it is really good and interesting but the sound of logic in this era is un matched. I find myself reaching for plugins that only logic has.
Keyboard Shortcuts:
I have extensively changed all the keyboard short cuts to make the main functions that I use be on primary keys. for some reason whoever designed the default set of sets did not set any of the functions you would be using all the time as primary keys and buried them in modifiers like shift and Ctrl. Very strange so I spent a couple of nights setting up the daw as I like it. When it came to migrating over to a new machine it appears you cant export your key commands so it was another half day setting up the Shortcuts again, the joys of old software.
Screen Sets:
in logic you can set up a bunch of screen sets on numbers 1-9 in stead of having to open and close windows you just set up a bunch of views and switch between them this is really handy when it comes to workflow and I use it constantly.
No Offline Bounce:
In Logic 5.5 there is no offline bounce at all, This means you have to listen to the whole tune when you bounce out the audio. This is all part of the charm. There are no shortcuts when it comes to this old music making and this is one of the quirks of being old school. Alot of times I get to the second drop or whatever and im like nah that bit is not right and I end up stopping it and fixing it. I think it is good to hear your tunes in the context of a run through listening experience. It definitely drives perfection.
Plugins:
Kontakt 2 - For sampling I have been using Kontakt 2 it really is fantastic with all the layering options and looping options and FX built in. Once you get the hang of it I think its one of the most powerful samplers out there. Wish some neat tricks you can make it sound like an old sampler like when you use the lo fi FX and set them to 12 bit and 30khz sample rate. you get that Roland S760 vibe straight out the box. Since using it though I have found a plugin that is free called Time Machine that does it way better. Search for Tone Boosters Time Machine Free.
It comes in many flavours 32/64bit Win/Mac. well worth checking out for some DAC/ADC Emulation.
Massive V1.12.006 - The main synth of choice for that 2000s sound as far as I am concerned. Quite the powerhouse. I have a website where I sell presets and over the course of a year I made 1000 Massive Presets you can buy now. so I have alot of experience with this synth. There is so much in there to explore and I never get bored of making new sounds on it.
MASSIVE BUG!
There is a bug in Massive if it starts to crash you have to Navigate to:
C:\Users\"username"\AppData\Local\Native Instruments\Massive
and delete the database and Massive will work again... :)
Also don't rely on the external sync as it is buggy. better to set the BPM of sounds within the synth itself. everything will be much tighter.
Z3ta+ - WIth the worst interface ever! but ok when you get to know it Z3ta is the Jump up bass machine you never knew you needed. there is so much in there but it has its quirks. It was developed by a DSP engineer from Venezuela called René G. Ceballos. What a legend! I wish the wave shaping was able to be modulated thats my one gripe. Other than that it is a beast! Mainly I make bass sounds and then record them out and re sample them.
Audio Editor:
Sound Forge 5.0 - I have used Sound Forge for so long it really is the best audio editor in my humble opinion. The original versions are so lean and quick and feel very utilitarian. I feel like I am working at the BBC or some shit when I am using it. I use it for chopping up samples and listening sessions when I have all my tunes open and flick between them to make notes on what needs doing to each one.
History Of Logic
History of Logic (DAW) – From Inception to Today, and Why Version 7 Changed So Much
ORIGINS: C-Lab Notator / Creator (Late 1980s - Early 1990s)
- C-Lab (later Emagic) was a German company making MIDI sequencing software for the Atari ST — namely Creator and Notator.
- These were some of the earliest DAW-like environments, designed to be used with external hardware synths and samplers via MIDI.
- Key Features:
- Graphical piano roll and score editors
- Real-time MIDI effects
- Atari's built-in MIDI ports gave it a huge edge in timing
Emagic Logic: Version 1 to 4 (1993–1999)
- In 1993, C-Lab became Emagic, and "Notator Logic" was born for Mac and PC.
- Built to be modular, with a plugin architecture (Environment), integrated score, audio, and MIDI editing.
- Logic 2–4 added:
- Audio support (Logic Audio)
- VST plugin support
- 32-bit internal processing
Logic 5–6 (2001–2002)
- Logic 5 brought:
- Windows support
- AU (Audio Units) format
- EXS24 Sampler
- Surround, 32-channel mixer, deep automation
- Logic 6 added:
- Freeze tracks
- Improved automation and audio engine stability
Apple Buys Emagic (2002)
- Apple acquired Emagic in July 2002.
- Windows support dropped abruptly.
- Logic became Mac-only from version 6.4 onward.
- Beginning of integration with Core Audio and macOS.
Logic 7 (2004): Deep Architectural Changes
Key Changes:
1. Core Audio Integration Deepened
- Replaced Emagic's internal engine with CoreAudio-optimized systems.
- Tighter latency and CPU handling.
2. New Plug-in Delay Compensation (PDC)
- Full PDC across tracks and busses.
- Required internal audio buffer restructuring.
3. New Instruments/Effects
- Sculpture physical modeling synth
- Enhanced Space Designer reverb
4. GarageBand Integration
- Import GarageBand sessions, Apple Loops
Why the Audio Engine Changed:
- Unified with macOS ecosystem.
- Optimization for Altivec, G4/G5 processors.
- Rewritten engine changed:
- Summing engine behavior
- Timing accuracy
- Plugin latency management
- Changes affected transient feel, stereo imaging, and clarity.
Can we just Appreciate the last line there... Changes affected transient feel, stereo imaging, and clarity.
I thought I was going mad when I thought the sound changed! but it's a thing.
Where Can I Find Software?
Ethics and Dangers of Warez:
Yes it is not ethical to use Warez if you feel bad like me buy the latest versions of the software and then run the warez on the old machine. All the software I use I own legitimately in its latest form for my current machine and on my legacy machine I use the warez because the companies just simply do not support the old systems.
Where to find all the software you could ever need:
https://archive.org/details/h2o-warez
https://archive.org/details/radium-warez
I cant sing the praises of archive.org more there is so much stuff on there and getting creative with your search terms can weald very interesting results.
Sound Cards
Why do I need a sound card? Because ASIO... ASIO is a driver for most of the software you are going to encounter on old systems and in logic for instance it is required to even load plugins and it will only work with an external sound card. USB sound cards seem to be the most reliable as far as I can tell and its a bit of a minefield looking for one that will be compatible with your system. But as with all things legacy you have to hack your way through it. But we like the pain of making music or we would not even be reading this right?!
So I had an old RME Baby Face Pro knocking around here and the thing is built like a tank I dropped it from about 5 foot on to a hard wooden floor and not a scratch but thats by the by. It has been rock solid.
God Bless RME! I have not met an operating system that my RME cards dont work on. Even Linux just about.
For this reason I cant Recommend them more. The Drivers are Rock Solid and just everything about RME feels well balanced and thought through.
There are other sound cards from the era that might also work with an old system. I think though that to get better than RME I would be looking at a LYNX or Prysm and they are so good they hold value and lets face it we are doing this on the cheap :)
Disclaimer
Any information on this page is for research purposes only I accept no responsibility for any of your problems :) Be that Hearing loss, Data loss due to the cornucopia of virus's and malicious software trojened into old Warez. To be safe just air gap the music PC.
I also take no responsibility for the massive success you will discover when people hear the mad music you make on your old system and how much you hate going back to the new software and how it sounds. It really is a thing.
Topics To Cover / Remarks
As with everything on this website this is a fluid document which will change and be updated whenever I feel in a writey mood. In this section I will keep note of topics to cover.
Topics and Things to add:
• List of the Best Laptops that would be compatible with old software
• Logic Pro Foibles - double click editor / sound card setup / Screen sets / Audio window / No Offline Bounce / No bounce in place
• Plugins: The free ones - Links /
• My wish list: A sampler - 32 bit - Legato - all the regular sampler features - AD converter Emulation - no anti aliasing.
if you have any changes suggestions or anything else you need to tell me please send a friendly email to dontplayrecords@gmail.com
The above email is also a Pay Pal address if you are feeling spenny and wanna help me to continue to spread info on things that inspire me.
Latest Update to This Document: 25/4/25