Dubstepforum.com

this is my first post here although i've been lurking for a while. there are some really interesting topics that sometimes crop up here in regards to production software.

i primarily use hardware but have recently decided to mess around with software when creating my tracks. i usually kind of make wonky (ugh ) hip-hop beats using MPC, some synths (micron and microkorg) and some FX units.

i've never really done any producing on the computer before but i've been getting more into it as of late.

i have been messing around with the demos of both fruity loops and reason and i've been confused as shit. i can make loops and stuff but i cannot make whole songs as i can't seem to work the sequencer.



obviously the sounds, fx and synths that come with fl studio aren't the best but i would be hoping to add to that myself.

now i've been messing around with the demos and rewiring (the reason demo sucks as it's only 15 mins before it closes) and it seems pretty straight forward. i'm assuming though that all my sequencing after i rewire has to be done in flstudio and not in reason? what i'm talking about here is the redrum, matrix and arp from reason. there seems to be no way i can use those patterns in flstudio properly. i don't really know the technical limitations of rewire as i am kind of new to it.


what i was thinking was i could get both flstudio and reason and use reason as my "sound module", ie. use the synths within reason and sequence everything in flstudio. i am not very experienced in softsynths but there seems to be quite a lot of routing options available for the synths in reason and that alone means that they can be used to create some interesting sounds.

but would i be better off just getting some stand-alone synths, would they be better value for money? i am currently leaning towards reason because of it's CPU friendliness. my computer is crap, hopefully i am getting a new one when i return to college, and there is no way i could be running programs like massive or anything like that. i can run reason absolutely fine and i can run reason within fruity fine.

i was thinking that set-up would be ok and then i could add freeware synths. there was a thread here by future untold where he has a pack of a freeware music studio. so obviously there are a lot of good free VSTs out there to be used.

do freeware VSTs tend to be less CPU intensive? because that would be great.

one final question.
i've been obsessed with hardware for a while and have bought and sold a machinedrum, a jomox and some other crap over the past couple of years. i haven't been paying much attention to the software world.

the last time i checked in on it it seemed that reason was more professional that flstudio but after reading some posts here it seems that the opposite is true now? how is this the case? what has happened? i've also heard somewhere that fl studio isn't the best for complex/tight sequencing and editing. i don't know how much of this is true because i never payed much attention when reading it. i know the sequencer in reason is more "complicated" to use (read cumbersome), but is that purely by design, or is it more cumbersome because you can get more complex?

ableton live.

I too am an Ableton lover, but if you have an older computer that isnt very powerful, look into a used copy of an older program.

While it's great to have all the features of a new program, it may be better to have an older program w/ slightly less features that puts less strain on your CPU.

It's not what you use, it's how you use it.

I bet you could make some ill sh_t w/ the MPC and the ION...

there is no supreme daw software
in the end it comes down to what you feel comfortable working with and what you can get your ideas down in quickest
the only disadvantage i will say with reason is no vst support

don't get bogged down by downloading a bunch of vsts either since you more than likely will know just a little about each one as opposed to sticking to a few and learning them in and out

also upgrading your soundcard and/or installing the asio4all drivers should take some of that strain off of your cpu

good luck

I hate to say this but
ABLETON LIVE!!!!!!!!!
Fruity and Reason have got nothing on Ableton.. I have had all three programs.. Scrap together them bills and get dialed into the future:)

i've had the demo downloaded before but i couldn't get into it. it seems to be the most popular software out there now though.

Deadly Habit wrote:don't get bogged down by downloading a bunch of vsts either since you more than likely will know just a little about each one as opposed to sticking to a few and learning them in and out

also upgrading your soundcard and/or installing the asio4all drivers should take some of that strain off of your cpu

good luck

i know exactly what you mean there. i've only been thinking about going the software route for a couple of weeks now and have spent the last week researching every single plug-in on the market. i love my gear but i never want to become more obsessed with the tools than with the music. i think that happens a lot and producers are especially prone to it.

i just keep downloading free synths and fx and i'm only using the fruity demo.

sometimes it's better to work in a simplified environment i find. i'm not looking for a magic plug-in or anything that will give me "that sound" i'm after. i guess the thing i'm interested in is the difference between the sequencing engine in fl studio and reason and the difference between the synth engines in reason when compared to other softsynths on the market like albino, massive, predator, sylength, etc..

Deadly Habit wrote:there is no supreme daw software
in the end it comes down to what you feel comfortable working with and what you can get your ideas down in quickest
the only disadvantage i will say with reason is no vst support

don't get bogged down by downloading a bunch of vsts either since you more than likely will know just a little about each one as opposed to sticking to a few and learning them in and out

also upgrading your soundcard and/or installing the asio4all drivers should take some of that strain off of your cpu

good luck

I disagree. and I know you have good tracks out.. Can reason record audio yet?? Can fruity time stretch and change the tempo of the accapella without changing the pitch??

double post.. Ableton is the supreme daw..

could try reaper, its a free, non limited demo. prob cpu light as well, its tiny.

not sued it myself tho but heard many good things.

why does everyone love off ableton?

Paradigm X wrote:could try reaper, its a free, non limited demo. prob cpu light as well, its tiny.

not sued it myself tho but heard many good things.

Download the portable freeware studio linked in my sig.

this is based on Reaper and a few other freeware vst plugins. All the effects bases are covered, and you'll be able to run the thing from a usb stick without having to install anything.

For more info about it, visit this link ---> http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... highlight=

Whilst I was in Paris, I had to rely on this set up as I only really had access to computers in internet cafes. Trust me, it works, it's free and it's easy to use!

Peace

yellowhighlighter wrote:what i was thinking was i could get both flstudio and reason and use reason as my "sound module"

That's what rewiring is essentially. Just using the sounds etc in reason but using FL / Cubase to sequence and arrange

FlashHarry wrote:why does everyone love off ableton?

ive used ableton, i loved it, much better sound when i rewired to reason, laid out really well, built in tutorials which really help get you stuck into the program straight off

ableton is quality, i could go on, not gonna tho

notch wrote:

Deadly Habit wrote:there is no supreme daw software
in the end it comes down to what you feel comfortable working with and what you can get your ideas down in quickest
the only disadvantage i will say with reason is no vst support

don't get bogged down by downloading a bunch of vsts either since you more than likely will know just a little about each one as opposed to sticking to a few and learning them in and out

also upgrading your soundcard and/or installing the asio4all drivers should take some of that strain off of your cpu

good luck

I disagree. and I know you have good tracks out.. Can reason record audio yet?? Can fruity time stretch and change the tempo of the accapella without changing the pitch??

i dunno as i haven't used fl in ages and know they keep adding to it, reason i don't like for it's lack of audio and vsts in the first place. ableton the last time i used it (god probably version 4 or something) wasn't suited for me, but i guarantee i could get that same effect out of fl if i still used it.
personally my combo of cubase and renoise covers all my bases

What are your computer specs?

3GB ram and 1.83GHz. whutever that means. i'm terrible with computers.

futures_untold wrote:

Paradigm X wrote:could try reaper, its a free, non limited demo. prob cpu light as well, its tiny.

not sued it myself tho but heard many good things.

Download the portable freeware studio linked in my sig.

this is based on Reaper and a few other freeware vst plugins. All the effects bases are covered, and you'll be able to run the thing from a usb stick without having to install anything.

For more info about it, visit this link ---> http://dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?t ... highlight=

Whilst I was in Paris, I had to rely on this set up as I only really had access to computers in internet cafes. Trust me, it works, it's free and it's easy to use!

Peace

i know man i've already downloaded that pack which was a great help. it's cool to know there are some quality free vsts out there, even if there is a lot of garbage to wade through.

oneliam wrote:

yellowhighlighter wrote:what i was thinking was i could get both flstudio and reason and use reason as my "sound module"

That's what rewiring is essentially. Just using the sounds etc in reason but using FL / Cubase to sequence and arrange

can you only use the sounds though? i know it sounds stupid but i've just been messing around with the demos and maybe some features are disabled but is there a way of running a pattern from reason in fruity loops. not just using sounds but using stuff from the matrix pattern sequencer or the arp.

hayze99 wrote:Just to go against the grain here: I can't stand ableton. It just seems completely directed for people who want to play live, and if you're not into that your workflow is messed up. I use Reason right now, and I think it's amazing. Everything that you need is already there, but you can't record audio and the graphical interface starts to get a bit daunting after a while. That's my 2c.

thats what i thought till i got to grips with it
i moved from reason 4 to ableton as i felt i couldnt get motivated enough with the same shizzle i been using for 4 years

at 1st i fealt the same as you but then i worked out arangement mode and session mode properly and its just a slight tweek on what i did in reason.

now im make things in stages. i build up all my stuff how i want it with basic effects and automation in session view as its quick and care free.
then when its done i copy and past the stuff i want and arrange it in arrangement view making more indepth tweeks to the effects and automation.
the arrangement view is very much like the sequencer in reason
sesion view automation is almost the same as reasons automation lanes also

That's pretty similar to how I work.

Session view makes it so easy to create variations, experiment, etc. I view it as a big scratch pad for ideas.

When I get something I like, I start building out the arrangement in Arrange view.

fruity loops does is better then ableton.