go to XinJieKou,
which is you go to JiShuiTan subway station, and then walk south, and you are at XinJieKou street
on the east side of the street, you will start to see some music stores,
some with electronics, some with guitars, violins, traditional stuff, etc. etc.
i think you can keep going for about 2 major intersections and after that there aren't as many music stores
you could also take a longish walk up from XiDan, I think after crossing 2 main intersections you'll start to see some music shops

there are also a few on the stretch of street where Mao Live House is Gulou Dongdajie, between JiaoDaoKou (an intersection) and GuLou,
this is the stretch that lodgerly means, the north end of nanluo guxiang meets the middle of that street,
but most of these are just guitars...

Xinjiekou doesnt have much.....you can forget about zhongguancun unless there is stuff there I havent seen

Lodgerlys suggestion of nan luo gu xiang is your best bet....I used to go there all the time to pick up ps2 games.....lots of instrument shops.

Its just North of Houhai.....it intersects the middle of Jiaodaokou, check it out.

Your computer maybe? Software wise you can use something like Reaper, it's freeware/shareware but still very capable sequencer.

You will still need a sound card to get sound in and out, and to hook up your midi keyboard.

If you had no luck at xinjiekou, try Tom Lee near Hongqiao, or upstairs in the market on super bar street off nuren jie. Plenty to see there.

Alterntively still, for cheap mics try going to the 797 Audio offices near Dashanzi.

At Ping An Li and Xinjie kou on the south east side is 797 audio. They are commissioned to make the Rode and Studio Projects mics for sale in the USA. This is the best mic place in all of China. they have a factory next to the 798 Art District... so you can figure out how this company got their name....

Beware of Shure sm57's and Sm58's here in beijing - lots of fakes... I bought two and took them home and then tested them and they were fakes....the insides were filled with a cement glue to give them the proper wieght and the sound was crap.

Also, go to Liang Ma Qiao and go east of the lufthansa centre. At the intersection where Maizidian turns in to Tianzi street, go North (left) ... go down the lane at Super Bar street (at the O'Mart sign on the east side of the street and then into the market just past the new Tibmed Spa. There is a large market of cell phones, audio stuff etc... and computer stuff real cheap.... on the second floor there are a couple of booths here selling midi, synthesizers etc...

But beware of the mics here.... many fakes...

I met the guy at booth c2-237 he has midi controllers, synths and few good higher quality mics....

Let us know how it works out... oh...check http://www.797audio.com

Mark

This thread is probably dead already, but what about software synthesizers? If xbox games and computer software is so cheap here, what about software synth programs, such as Kontakt? Anybody know where to find a Kontakt 3 knockoff?