Why does no1 ever recommend cubase to start on lol. i know alot of people say its hard to use but it really aint...
all u gotta do to get started is create a project, insert a midi track, link it to ur vst and your away.
i personally think fruity is alot more confusing than cubase. Ive found cubase alot easier to get my head around than fruity????
A midi controller is good to have but its not needed. it jus makes tings a bit easier when you want to come up with a bassline or melody.
as ur using a laptop for production, itll be ok for basic recordings and producing but if you want to take things a step higher youll most likely need a usb or firewire audio interface as im guessing your soundcard only supports 41,000.
Youll also want a set of monitors if you want to get your mixing down right. (monitors are speakers that let you hear a bigger range of frequencies than normal speakers)
If you really wana get into the producing i would suggest getting a desktop computer for it. they would suit you needs better than a laptop. Also if you go for a desktop it would save buying an expensive audio interface as you would only need to buy a pci interface which you can pick up for like £50 instead of the £300 an interface will cost you.
Youll Get better sound quality from your tunes with a higher samplerate.
The setup i got and it suits me just fine is...
2.8 g ht p4
2 gig ram
M-Audio Axiom 49 Midi Controller (really nice bit of kit)
M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (excellent pci-Audio interface)
2 Monitor Screens (good to sometimes have one prog on one screen and one on the other(saves switching windows all the time)
M-Audio Monitors yet to come.
Here are some links if you interested in buying some production gear.
Axiom 49 midi keyboard/controller
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Axiom49.html
Other good Midi keyboards/controllers
http://www.smarter.com/midi-keyboards-controllers/pl--ch-33--ca-568.html
Audiophile pci interfaces
http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Audiophile2496.html
A firewire/usb audio interface
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.family&ID=recording
Get a look at some of that and if your willing to spend a few quid to make ur shit better then there ya go.
Ive recommended alot of m-audio stuff as im a user of them and i think thier gear is really nice (looks good, good quality) Also the customer support with m-audio is second to none. Theyve been about for quite sum time aswell. People may know them as MIDIMAN.
Hope dis helps m8
Daps