Thanks Pete, in fact I do have a Soundblaster Live Value although I don't know what it's capable of compared to the full version (it came with the computer so I don't have any documentation). My PC would work for some things: 400Mhz, 8gb, 192mb of ram running Win98. Eventually I'll get my hands on a professional sound card or a sampler and hard disk recording unit (VS-1880 possible) But to get that stuff right now I'd have to take out a loan or something.

As far as getting dance music right now, I have the DanceKit. Some of the patches are usable but mostly I was unimpressed. The internal waveforms just don't cut it for me and I would mostly be creating my own patches using the Dance board (mainly snare drums). Aside from the loops, are the waveforms usable, tweakable enough to create 'original' drums and other sounds? My music is geared more toward 'musical' techno as opposed to 'noise and sound effects' techno. I like to use elements of funk/disco/rock/orchestra...basically anything goes as long as it's used in a musical context (which can be done with noise if used properly!). I especially like techno that uses real bass sounds as opposed to the electronic stuff. Groovy!

On a side note, has anyone made convincing 'electronic' drums using waveforms from the Bass and Drum board?

Mappy