Fl Studio is a all-in-one DAW that has a strong appeal for sample based beat makers and composed style beat makers. FL Studio was formerly called Fruity Loops but because of the negative connotation of the term "fruity" it was renamed.
FL studio has been used in commercial recordings from artist such as Jay-Z, Destiny's Child and Mary J. Blige. FL Studio has a very strong following on the rap and techno genres.
The current version as of this writing is version 8.
The Good
FL Studio is extremely powerful. Creatively FL Studio can deliver just about anything you can think up. It has a very strong support for sample manipulation. This is one reason why sample based beat makers are find it so useful. I would say it has the best sample editing capabilities (recording, chopping, slicing, tuning, etc..) of any DAW on the market. Truth is it blows hardware like the AKAI MPC out of the water when it comes to manipulating samples.
FL is relatively easy to use from the start as it starts you off in a sample based pattern editor. Point and click beat making at it's finest.
FL Studio audio processing is among the best out there and has shown consistent top marks in comparison testing.
MIDI support is also included.
The relatively low price ($199) and the lifetime updates are two very strong reasons why newbies to the beat making game go for it. When I originally purchased it it was $99 and I have had updates ever since. Many new features are added with each release and new major releases tend to come out about once a year.
FL Studio has the ability to use VSTs for both effects and instruments which makes getting new sounds from it, easy and affordable. The sheer amount of free VSTs out there make it especially appealing to the beat maker on a budget.
The Bad
FL Studio has a bad rap because of the stock sounds that come with it. They are not as polished as something like Reason and there is some confusion as to how to load the various sounds from the library. This can be easily overcome however because of the number of free and commercial plug-ins and drum kits that FL can use.
Most notably for the beatmaker is the absence of top notch drum kits. Again, this can be corrected by supplementing the library with other sources.
Some advanced functions can be difficult to use. There are advanced things like automation controllers that can be driven by mathmatical functions. Don't be scared by this however. I like to think of it as more bang that I can use if I need it, but is not neccesarry. There are many video tutorials on the FL Studio site that can help and one of my favorite FL Studio tutorial sites, Warbeats.Com is another excellent resource.
The Ugly
Some people say the interface is a sore spot for the program and it can be. Many of the controls are tiny when viewed on high resolution displays. This can be a source of frustration when trying to dial in that knob to just the right place.
FL has a primarily dark color theme which some people find not as easy to view for long periods of time when compared to light based themes.
Conclusion
Whether you are a sample based beat maker or prefer to compose your own beats from scratch, FL has all the toold you will need. Be sure to get familiar with plugin sites like KVRAudio.com and tutorial sites like Warbeats for maximum enjoyment. The lifetime updates insures that 10 years from now you will still be on the latest and greatest.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Beat Making Software - Reason
Reason is a popular software for making beats for some very good "reasons". The current version as of this post is version 4. One of the most famous Reason created beats is T.I.'s "What You Know Bout That".
The Good:
First, Reason has a great sound to it. Part of making beats sound good is the quality of instruments and effects processing. Reason does not disappoint, this is a quality program.
Second, it comes loaded with enough sounds and a great variety of sounds it will keep all you beat makers inspired for a long time.
Compared to other DAWs, Reasons sequencer is very similar as is the main mixing console.
The Bad:
Reason does not offer extensive sampling / recording tools. This might be a minus to sample based beat makers. But if your needs are simple, it shouldn't be a big hurdle to overcome.
Third-party support comes inthe form of instruments and patches for existing Reason intruments. The common VSTs type instrument or effect is not supported.
The Ugly:
As with all beat making programs, there are some minor issues in my opinion. The biggest one is that in an effort to make all the sound generators and effects look like real hardware rack equipment, it makes a very poor use of the screen. I also found that routing instruments and effects was confusing at times.
This is a minor gripe though. Many people are making beats with Reason and love the fact that it makes them feel like they are using real hardware.
Conclusion
If you are NOT primarily a sample based beat maker the Reason is a good option. If you really like to tweak samples and manuipulate audio look elsewhere for your fix. The great sounds mean you can get a nice start on your beat making but the lack of support for the VST standard will leave you out in the cold as your non-Reason buddies all brag about the new plug-ins they can use.
The Good:
First, Reason has a great sound to it. Part of making beats sound good is the quality of instruments and effects processing. Reason does not disappoint, this is a quality program.
Second, it comes loaded with enough sounds and a great variety of sounds it will keep all you beat makers inspired for a long time.
Compared to other DAWs, Reasons sequencer is very similar as is the main mixing console.
The Bad:
Reason does not offer extensive sampling / recording tools. This might be a minus to sample based beat makers. But if your needs are simple, it shouldn't be a big hurdle to overcome.
Third-party support comes inthe form of instruments and patches for existing Reason intruments. The common VSTs type instrument or effect is not supported.
The Ugly:
As with all beat making programs, there are some minor issues in my opinion. The biggest one is that in an effort to make all the sound generators and effects look like real hardware rack equipment, it makes a very poor use of the screen. I also found that routing instruments and effects was confusing at times.
This is a minor gripe though. Many people are making beats with Reason and love the fact that it makes them feel like they are using real hardware.
Conclusion
If you are NOT primarily a sample based beat maker the Reason is a good option. If you really like to tweak samples and manuipulate audio look elsewhere for your fix. The great sounds mean you can get a nice start on your beat making but the lack of support for the VST standard will leave you out in the cold as your non-Reason buddies all brag about the new plug-ins they can use.
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