Would you try something new?

I've used FLStudio since I started doing some music.

I can do anything, but the thing that I usually enjoy more its fuckering beats. I actually feel quite comfortable when programming those. My method its mainly based on the FSlicer. I write everying on the Roll, then, I'll add effects using VSTi's in a way that doesn't feel like lazy Glitch ramdonmness, but something used in a creative, enjoyable manner.

I need to be on control of every single thing happening, here is when FLStudio automation thing comes in handy. I'll usually "draw" how a certain knob will react at a certain time, just like the "edit events" thing. While I find this handy, it doesn't stop being a really tedious work to maybe, acomplish 30 secs of acceptable beat drillness in large periods of time. On the other hand, I find this very unprecise, specially if you want to program that kind of beats.

The question here its about knowing alternative ways of doing it. Im not really talking about alternative ways of doing it with FLStudio (while anyway, if anyone uses it, ill like to know your process), but knowing different software that I never tried. The ones that come into my mind right now are Reaktor and Renoise, no idea about what they do or how they work. I'll really like to know about alternative software specially focused on the whole "beat fuckery" part, since what always stoped me from moving to FLStudio to anything else its the idea that nothing will be better than the "slicer + midi (Piano Roll)".

Im basically searching for the best way to put what's going on your head into the output, and since there is no cable that plugs into your brain, I ask watmm

I hope you get what im talking about.

square envelopes that snap to beat are good for automation. if thats what your asking

hit record button

twiddle nobs

  LUDD said:

hit record button

twiddle nobs

FL has this really cool X-Y function thingy that sort of works like a kaoss pad. Just link the knobs you want to the X and Y variables, and you're set. I use these alot when doing alot of live remixing and generall improvisational stuff.

Just asking: whats the difference between Reaktor and Reason?

  stolemb said:

Just asking: whats the difference between Reaktor and Reason?

a lot

Reaktor is a modular software environment that can be extremely powerful. you can design complete soft syths from scratch with it and also design your own effects, sequencers, mixers etc. There are also preset instruments and effects if making your own is too much or you just can't be arsed. Reaktor is not really like FLoops at all - you design (or load in) a synth, hook that up to a sequencer, run that through effects and a mixer etc and you may get it to make some kind of riff. It may make no sound at all however due to your bespoke design synth having the envelope generator plugged into the wrong thing or something like that....it can be almost infinite in possibilities and you can also use it as quite a good live tool for playing back samples or whole tracks and mixing them together as a set.

Reason is more simple. It is based around the idea of a hardware studio rack setup. So you load in a mixer, load in some effects, load in a synth etc and sequence everything on the machine itself or in the master sequencer thing. You cannot build your own synths in Reason and it is also not VST compatible, so you have to use things specially desined for Reason. There is some scope for doing really original things with reason as you can flip the whole virtual rack around so you are seeing the back of all the machines and all the wires connected to various inputs. You can reconnect all these wires (MIDI and CV triggers and gates, audio outs etc) in pretty much and way you like, so you can get some quite interesting and unique setups. I actually like Reason and used to use it a lot. I just use FLoops now though...

As to your original question - I would say the best programs for messing about with beats in an intuitive and easy fashion are as follows: FL Studio 7, Reason 3, ACID Pro 6 and Renoise (although this is a tracker so very different from the rest).

You could try making a beat in FL Studio, exporting it as a .wav and just fucking about with it in an audio editor (Sound Forge, Cool Edit etc) then re-sequencing the edited .wav in ACID Pro or something similar... bit of a different way of doing things...

notepad

you can actually use notepad.

Hardware, fuckin expensive.

Its really worth it?

  stolemb said:

Hardware, fuckin expensive.

Its really worth it?

depends

from the sound of it you might enjoy this http://illformed.org/glitch/?page=docs

or this http://mdsp.smartelectronix.com/2005/07/livecut.php

  Jimbob said:

from the sound of it you might enjoy this http://illformed.org/glitch/?page=docs

 

or this http://mdsp.smartelectronix.com/2005/07/livecut.php

Old plugins are ooold

true true

but the man seemed to want new methods of beat fuckery so i thought i might contribute.

Not my fault i'm a newbie

*sobs

  stolemb said:

Hardware, fuckin expensive.

Its really worth it?

So worth it.

  stolemb said:

Hardware, fuckin expensive.

Its really worth it?

yes.

but i dont think we should start that argument now...

EDIT - and yes, i think you should try something new, there are allot of good ideas posted already, but i'd also add cubase or logic, they are both great programs.

they have a different and slightly steeper learning curve to most of the others posted here (apart from reaktor, but that another, very good mind, story :) )

cubase (my personal choice) is great for the beat fckery kind of things, both in its way that it deals with rex's and in its powerful automation which can cause even an lm7 beat to make babies tearful.

but renoise is great too, and can really twist tings around once you get used to the hex based system.

  stolemb said:

I've used FLStudio since I started doing some music.

I can do anything, but the thing that I usually enjoy more its fuckering beats. I actually feel quite comfortable when programming those. My method its mainly based on the FSlicer. I write everying on the Roll, then, I'll add effects using VSTi's in a way that doesn't feel like lazy Glitch ramdonmness, but something used in a creative, enjoyable manner.

 

I need to be on control of every single thing happening, here is when FLStudio automation thing comes in handy. I'll usually "draw" how a certain knob will react at a certain time, just like the "edit events" thing. While I find this handy, it doesn't stop being a really tedious work to maybe, acomplish 30 secs of acceptable beat drillness in large periods of time. On the other hand, I find this very unprecise, specially if you want to program that kind of beats.

 

The question here its about knowing alternative ways of doing it. Im not really talking about alternative ways of doing it with FLStudio (while anyway, if anyone uses it, ill like to know your process), but knowing different software that I never tried. The ones that come into my mind right now are Reaktor and Renoise, no idea about what they do or how they work. I'll really like to know about alternative software specially focused on the whole "beat fuckery" part, since what always stoped me from moving to FLStudio to anything else its the idea that nothing will be better than the "slicer + midi (Piano Roll)".

Im basically searching for the best way to put what's going on your head into the output, and since there is no cable that plugs into your brain, I ask watmm

 

I hope you get what im talking about.

Mess with the quantization features and the chopping in FL, more stuff to be found there. Use the formula controller to do generative synthesis on the knobfuckery.

try trackers. that ought to be fun.

  GORDO said:

try trackers. that ought to be fun.

or really short lived.

i use trackers some-times now-a-days

it only took me 30 minutes to lern the basics

i really did a lots of different tests to find out the best way to have the FLslicer and a good automation + stable vsts

for me it works out this way: i create beats in FLslicer and then i bounce serveral versions of the whole arranged beattrack before creating the melodies and effects into live. there i create the automation and add melodies as i made the experience that live is much more stable when it comes to vst support. i continue to chopp the track in live and make it fit until everything merges perfectly