Don't laugh (too hard)

[fragments]

isnt FL Studio free upgrades for life?

so if its a paid FL Studio 3, isnt it free to upgrade to 10??

Not necessarily? The free upgrades for life only come with the digital version, not the boxed. I had a boxed FL 7 and had to purchase the life time free upgrades for like 35 bucks. Also, dunno if they've had that deal since v. 3

[ridethecliche]

Reaper doesn't come with a step sequencer that I'm aware of. It has piano roll, use CTRL + Hold Right Click and Drag to create a midi sequence. Dbl Click the midi sequencer = piano roll.

Screw the step sequencer...load drum samples into mixer channels in Reaper, get off the grid, write beat, bounce ;p

But seriously, I'm looking into step sequencers to use in Reaper.

I'm just looking for stuff for free right now till I figure out what I want/need.

So if I understand this correctly...

FL comes with a ton of the 'instruments' (synths). So you can just plug and go.

Whereas with reaper, I need to get samples and configure those samples to controllers or get VST's to get started right?

I think I'm going to grab that akai thing for a bit too and play with it. I know this will change in time, but I was a bit disappointed when reaper came preloaded with none of that stuff where as FL had synths and drum machine setups right in your face. Time to learn

[fragments]

Short answer, yea, FL Studio has more going for it "out of the box" probably. But I wouldn't discount Reaper just because you have to find some freebies and install them...you should learn how to install VSTs anyway (if you can't figure that one out you probably have no business using a computer to make music IMO).

Besides you should snare on synth you like and just learn that one, learn it inside and out.

Also, depends on which "edition" FL Studio you get whether it has "tons" or not. The only full version synth the producer edition came w/ worth your time (IMO), in version 7, was 3xOSC.

[ridethecliche]

Cool. I've been searching for VST's and found a couple of them for drums.

I'll start assembling the toolkit. Got a few sites I need to check out and more things to read and watch. Thanks.

Here. I'll contribute by chipping in this gem.

[nowaysj]

Fruity has always been free lifetime updates, I don't even know if they had a boxed version at 3.

[fragments]

Fruity has always been free lifetime updates, I don't even know if they had a boxed version at 3.

That's badass, I've only been around since v. 7 . Imagine Line is pretty awesome IMHO.


I'd recommend Synth 1 or Atlantis you can do a lot with those and learn the basics. Also the TAL Audio Line. You can pretty much get yourself sorted on effects VSTs there, plus they've got some good instruments. All that stuff is free. If you check the "Guide to Making Dubstep" sticky there is a great listing of free sample links.

[ridethecliche]

Can I use FL3 as a VST in reaper?

[nowaysj]

.

[psychedelicatessen]

every daw i know has a piano roll!

I was using Ardour on Linux for a few months because I have no money to buy an OS and I'd lost my job around the time I started producing.

No piano roll, no way to record MIDI, and loading VST's into it was a bitch and a half.


Music production ruined Linux for me, but I aint even mad.

[jrisreal]

Get a newer version of FL or just go with Reaper. FL 3 is FAR too old bro.

[ridethecliche]

Yeah, I'll get over this as I look for and play with a few more VST's and actually get a virtual studio setup. As of right now, I don't really have anything on reaper.

Can't wait till the weekend

[ridethecliche]

Was looking into getting the MPKmini, but have been looking for deals on used MPK25's. Think one is within budget. Hopefully I'll be able to nab something within the next week or so.

Or is the 25 overkill and the mini a better option? i.e. can mod/pitch wheel functions be assigned to knobs?

[nowaysj]

personally would get a used mpk25 over the mini. That's just me though.

[ridethecliche]

Thanks for the advice, I'm looking into that.

Hopefully I'll get one that comes with ableton live lite. That should be a great starting out point.

If not, I'm hoping someone here has an extra copy of the disc or such and is willing to share!



As a total aside, what would be the drawback of getting something like a cheaper behringer midi keyboard with sliders/modulators and getting an MPD controller with 24 or 26 pads and knobs? Is just going to be a pain since it's not as portable or convenient?

[fragments]

I think the answer to that question is that a keyboard is going to be a melody/chord/harmony oriented device while the MPD is going to be a groove/beat oriented device. I'm not saying you can't use either of those devices for both purposes...just saying each has their specialties. Personally, I find I use knobs and pads more than keyboards, but that is just me.

You might consider an Akai MPK Pro Mini or something like that. Kind of the best of both worlds.

[ridethecliche]

I think the answer to that question is that a keyboard is going to be a melody/chord/harmony oriented device while the MPD is going to be a groove/beat oriented device. I'm not saying you can't use either of those devices for both purposes...just saying each has their specialties. Personally, I find I use knobs and pads more than keyboards, but that is just me.

You might consider an Akai MPK Pro Mini or something like that. Kind of the best of both worlds.

Sorry, I guess I mis-spoke.

I was asking about the merits of having say a mpk25 (which I'm trying to score on ebay) vs having a midi keyboard with modulator/pitch wheel and sliders (i.e. a cheaper behringer) and also getting an MPD sort of device. The MPK25 doesn't have sliders. I was just wondering if there were any obvious disadvantages to a setup like this other than needing 2 usb drives and space.

I'm pretty set on the MPK25. The 49 would be sweet and I could spend the $$$ on it used, but unfortunately, it would take up most of my workspace and I don't have the space to move it around all the time. I'm guessing I can add on something eventually that has sliders, but that function can be done with a mouse too though so I'll figure it out.

[fragments]

I think you answered your own question. The merit would that you have the modulator/pitch wheel and the sliders. FYI--pretty sure you can use knobs to control virtual sliders. The MPK25 looks like it would probably be a good choice versatility and size wise.

[Crow Steppa]

isnt FL Studio free upgrades for life?

so if its a paid FL Studio 3, isnt it free to upgrade to 10??

WINNER WINNER CHICKS WITH DINNER!

Fl Studio is powerful and very easy to use and with free lifetime upgrades, it's an unbelivable deal. Since you have a paid version, get Fl Studio 10 for free and use that 50 bucks to get a quality synth like Massive or Virus.

[ridethecliche]

I got it back in high school. No idea what the code etc are.

Any idea how to get those retroactively? I don't even have a disc.

Just won an auction for the mpk25. Yipeee!

[nowaysj]

I too lost my reg info way back when. It was a piece of cake, I just emailed them, and whammo, they had all my dets, and I was up and running on a brand new daw for free.