EternalWrath

Well, because I tried out the demo of FL, but never tried out Logic, I am already accustomed to the point+delete style of FL, which I find convenient. I never did find out how to edit/move a bunch of notes at a time, though from videos I've seen online it looks like it's done by color-coordinating different notes. Does Logic have a feature like that? Other aspects I wanted to toy with in FL but never figured out how was volume change (for individual instruments, not just the whole song) and tempo change (in the middle of a song). Is Logic any easier/harder to use in these terms? I guess since it has a score format it would be, as I'm much more accustomed to seeing dynamics and tempo in scores... Actually, I think there's just one thing I need to get straightened out: Do both programs create equally good results, but they differ in the manner that one uses the programs? Like, if I had a song in mind, I could make it with either program, but one might be easier or quicker to use than the other? Thanks for all your help, everyone. I hope I don't sound too stupid asking all these questions. >_<

To be honest, I'm not completely clear on what "sequencing" is, though I have a vague sense of it, so I don't know what it means for FL to be more geared towards sequencing or not. I plan to do a variety of music, some of them remixes of video games that I'd like to submit to this site, and others original compositions. My main styles are techno, jazz/blues, and orchestrated, though I might want to branch out to others later on. I plan to do most of my work through the computer itself, either through score writing (which Logic seems to have) or the piano note thing that FL has. Hopefully this information helps some. I've done a few short pieces on Sibelius (which stinks because it can't export to mp3 format and the sound quality is poor) so you can click here if you want to hear a sample of my work. It's a jazzy happy birthday remix I wrote for my sister.

So, last time I was on these forums, I asked about FL Studio, got some various responses, and decided to give it a try. Long story short- I got busy with schoolwork this year and never actually managed to buy it, and now that I'm looking for a new laptop for college I'm considering getting a Mac. Assuming that I don't get one of the programs that lets me run Windows on a Mac, I am looking at Logic. I still haven't decided what computer I will buy yet (all I know is that it will be a laptop) but what music program I want to use will certainly affect my decision. So for those of you familiar with either Logic or FL (or preferably both) give me some feedback on the pros and cons of each.

Wow, thanks, this is good info. Aside from any additional plugins I might want, FL seems to be a solid package. Oh, and btw I like your sig. That notation wouldn't happen to be the hammer theme from the Mario series, would it?

All right, I'm satisfied with the demo version of FL, and I plan to buy the full package and start making songs soon. I just have a few questions to sort out before I finally decide to purchase it. 1) Can you change the tempo in the middle of a song? 2) Can you change the dynamics of an instrument? (without making a new, um... sequence? part? and changing it for the new part). 3) Is there an easy way to do triplets besides manually cutting the notes? 4) Are there any useful plugins that are not provided in the XXL version?

All right, I've done a lot of research during this time (thank you, wikipedia ) and I see that Sibelius is a scorewriter and not a sequencer. In fact, up till now I didn't even know that there was a difference, and I'm still a little foggy as to what the real difference between them is. The only real problem I see with Sibelius now is that it saves music in its own file type (.SIB) and can only translate into .midi files, and I'd prefer mp3... For the moment I'll continue toying with my FL Studio demo and see if I can't make any progress, but I'm also looking at Cubase since it's a sequencer that can write in musical notation. I might end up getting Sibelius anyway, on the side, but I might not get the professional version if it's not worth my money. Thanks again for your opinions and guidance.

The only program I've tried thus far is a trial version of FLStudio, which I've found difficult to use. Everything looks like a bunch of bars and switches, and I can't seem to add any instruments. It could be the fact that it was only a trial version, or that I just haven't found out how to add other instruments yet, or that FLStudio has a limited instrumentation. Acid and Reason, from the screenshots I've seen so far, look very similar to FLStudio, and although I'm sure there are differences, I think writing in notation would be easiest for me since I'm used to reading music that way. Just like how you would write a story in Microsoft Word, instead of writing it by hand, I want to be able to write music out in notation, instead of by hand, but I also want to be able to play the music back so I know how it sounds. The ideal program, in my eyes, would be one that allows me to put notes down for different instruments and then have the program play it so that I know if I made a mistake or not. Of course, the main important thing I'm looking for is a program with a diverse array of instruments and options, so that's my primary concern. I'm sorry if I'm being difficult. Thanks again for all your help.

I don't want to be limited to just one style of music; I plan to have a varied repertoire of music, including classical piano, rock, jazz, techno, and.... well, maybe an orchestrated piece if I feel ambitious enough. Nothing with lyrics, though, I tend to stay away from that.

Yes, yes, people who recognize me will probably notice that I've asked this question before, but it's always good to get second (or third, or fourth) opinions on such matters before I pay good money on a music program. I've been looking at getting Sibelius v4 for a while now, and once I get it I can finally start submitting songs. Yay. Unfortunately, when I was browsing through profile options, I noticed that this name was not listed with the other music programs available, such as FLStudio and Acid. So, before I make a decision that I may regret, I want professional opinions on this matter: Is Sibelius v4 good? If not, which program would be best? Oh, and I did check out the sticky thread about the affiliate zzounds.com, and I did find Sibelius for sale on that site, so I will consider ordering from there regardless of what your suggestions are.