Nabeel Ansari

Tracks =/= patterns. Patterns are clips or "sections" of MIDI data. Think clips in Ableton Live. This is a "track" to me. Looks pretty similar to one in Reason (or everything else) http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15510436/File%20Sharing/tracks.png In FL Studio, it is possible to put patterns that have (different, editable sets of) MIDI data for any number of instruments or automation data you want in a track. In Reason, you are limited to one instrument for a track. You can put a Combinator and have multiple lanes, as you have said before, but does that not mean they all get controlled by the parameters on the Combinator? What if I don't want all of my synthesizers to be controlled simultaneously the same way? I am only asking for clarification.

Yeah. Asked for an FL Studio example, well the thing is I like FL Studio because you don't need any sort of device to combine things into one track at all. What I'm asking is, since the combinator has a limited number of things that it can send to, how does the translate to an "unlimited" number of instruments that can be on that track? Like what if I want to write an entire song in one track with 32 instruments because I am obsessed with ghost notes? Can the combinator accommodate that much, or is there a way to expand it? Also, doesn't that mean all of those instruments will get the same effects?

I meant, can you route combinators to a combinator? Unless I'm wrong, the combinator has a limited number of channels, does it not?

I apologize that I favor a more transparent solution than one that requires some fancy routing. "I know, I'm a jerk because I'm definitely attacking you because you like Reason. I hate Reason users, they can go die because they don't use FL Studio." ^^^ Is that what you want me to say? Stop attacking people. This thread is about DAW's. I will admit I knew nothing of the combinator. But if I hadn't brought that issue up, you wouldn't have told me otherwise. You now changed my mind (a small bit) about Reason, so I don't think this conversation is totally as pointless as you say it is. Who knows? There could've been others that shared my opinion and also knew nothing of the combinator. You should look at it through other perspectives than just your own "he likes FL Studio and I like Reason so I have to call him an idiot because he's not a Reason expert". (by the way, I'm not a Reason hater. I'm actually planning on getting it for ReWire. So no, I'm not biased.) Back on topic, are you allowed to route combinators to a combinator and have that combinator on the MIDI/instrument track? (combiception)

In Reason, you can only have one.

FL Studio can have an unlimited number of synths/samplers/audio clips/automation data/what have you in a pattern. You can not in what I have tried, which is Cubase, Pro Tools and Reason. You can select your tracks and display the ghost notes manually, but it's not quite the same thing. It is an excellent feature when composing very complex parts with multiple instruments.

I'm not talking about any of that, so no, I'm not incorrect.

Reason 6 now includes audio recording. (They're also nuking the Record brand) Also, if you're into recording a lot, don't use FL Studio. It's not a crappy recording system like Cubase/Pro Tools fanboys say it is, but there are more straightforward methods found in other DAW's. FL's recording system is different, if you're used to some other DAW's recording system it'll be a crappy transition.

You can't compare this to DAW's that don't know what it is to have two channels in one track.

You must purchase a license if you want to sell your music. There is no inclination otherwise since they don't explicitly make it so you can't use it any more after your 30 day trial is up.

You're misinformed. The 30 day trial never actually times out.

I've developed a productivity template for people just like you. http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=36970 Basically this will eliminate a 10% of your workflow that's a bit tedious and let's you get right to making music with a bit of structure. If you don't have TLs and SPAN (as described on the thread I linked), get them. Amazing plug ins for absolutely ZERO DOLLARS. Kontakt 4, however, is not. Just ignore that part of the template if you don't have any specific sampler you want to plug in there instead. All of the "hit" "slicex" and "synth" channels are empty for a reason. So you can plug what you want into them.

If this is worth anything: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?p=810305#post810305 I've developed a productivity template for FL Studio. This has all the channel routing and grouping done right out of the box for an all-purpose MIDI musician. Has 11 percussion channels, 10 synth channels, 8 sampler channels. Every mixer track has an EQ on it, with a specialized track that has a TLs limiter (free, go download it now) that has all percussion routed to it and the master which has a limiter, and Voxengo SPAN. If you went with FL Studio with a knowledge of how it worked and used this template, you would make music about 2 seconds after you hit "FL.exe" or the equivalent action that launches the program. This is not really meant to say "go fl studio", i'm just sort of getting some exposure for it for feedback (aka I'm marketing it ). Since we're on the topic of FL workflow vs. reason workflow, it's semi relevant.

I decided I'm going to be developing a productivity template for FL Studio 10. This is designed so that a computer musician who does a lot of MIDI sequencing and beat programming can just open FL Studio and start making music without worrying about mixer routing and all of that tedious nonsense (yes, even with Kontakt I have it pre-routed here) Here are the key features right now. The development is "done" right now, but as you guys comment and ask for specific things I'll keep updating to make this the best damn productivity template on the web for FL Studio. UPDATE: I'm adding a "beefs" list. Beefs: -There's a possibility some people might get pissed off that there aren't two rhythm guitar mixer tracks for double tracking purposes. I'll squeeze that in there if it's a problem for anyone. Updates: v0.7: Added WaveCandy view, colored playlist tracks and electric guitar mixer tracks. You don't have to use these but you can if you want electric guitars. There are three: one for left rhythm, one for right rhythm, and one for leads. v0.8: Added color coding for everything and mixer tracks for audio clips. Changed electric guitar tracks to fit FL style recording. The first track is for your amp sims and stuff, the second is for your rendered rhythm guitar wavs, the third is for your rendered lead guitar wavs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ v0.1: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15510436/File%20Sharing/Neblix%20Productivity%20v0.1.zip Drop the FOLDER in the zip file into a category folder in your "?:\...\Image-Line\FL Studio 10\Data\Projects\Templates" directory. v0.7: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15510436/File%20Sharing/Neblix%20Productivity%20Template%20v0.7.zip Drop the FOLDER in the zip file into a category folder in your "?:\...\Image-Line\FL Studio 10\Data\Projects\Templates" directory. v0.8: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15510436/File%20Sharing/Neblix%20Productivity%20Template%20v0.8.zip Drop the FOLDER in the zip file into a category folder in your "?:\...\Image-Line\FL Studio 10\Data\Projects\Templates" directory. -8 Sampler Channels and 3 Slicex Channels for some extensive beat making and layering. For some of you, 8 might not be enough. If you cry hard enough, I'll do a 16 one. Or better yet, try it yourself. These channels are named and routed to mixer tracks with my own routing, which has all percussive elements go to a single mixer track, which then goes to the master. -10 Blank Synthesizer channels. (They're sampler channels, but they're named and routed as Synths.) Just drag and drop (or select from Channel menu) your favorite Synths into here. -Kontakt 4 16out with 8 MIDI Outs, all MIDI routing and mixer track routing of Kontakt is already done. If you don't own Kontakt, don't sweat the error when FL doesn't find it. Learn how to route whatever your favorite sampler is, drop it in to the channel where Kontakt should be. The mixer tracks are not named for this sampler section. There are 8 mixer tracks for the first 8 instruments you use. -3 Guitar Mixer Tracks. The first track is for your amp sims and stuff, the second is for your rendered rhythm guitar wavs, the third is for your rendered lead guitar wavs. -6 Audio Clip slots. -39 mixer tracks total with Parametric EQ 2 on them. The All Percussion track has a TLs Pocket Limiter on it as well. The Master has TLs Pocket Limiter and SPAN VST's and a Parametric EQ 2 for monitering/mastering. Recommended Free VST's for maximum benefit: TLs Pocket Limiter Very good limiter! SPAN Very good spectrum analyzer! I use it for mastering on all my tracks now. Required: FL Studio 10 RECOMMENDED WINDOW LAYOUT FOR SINGLE MONITOR: Exactly as shown. The piano roll is exactly where the arrangement window is, called by F7. (and F5 for vice versa). I highly endorse keeping your step sequencer there at all times, never covered by the arrangement window or piano roll. The reason being is when you have it there, it's easy to switch between parts and such in a single pattern by clicking on them. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15510436/File%20Sharing/arrangement.png

Here you go: Don't get a 17.3" inch if you're concerned about portability. It's really big. Don't get a Dell either. The amount of bloatware they put on their computers is... well... bloaty.

If you want to use VST's, then not Reason. Nope, and according to the Propellerhead representative at IMSTA FESTA yesterday that I saw, they never will.

I'm extending an easy opportunity for you to troll me. And you're failing.

Do you not know there are 12 inches in a foot?

I'm going to hit you if you don't convert that. Either use the stupid American measurements properly or don't use them at all.

Your minecraft is broken. I can look at one from across the screen and he teleports over.

By reading the product description, it looks like half of that book is about real orchestration. The next half is about setting up project templates and setting up your computer. From the product description, it looks like "MIDI orchestration" (note entry to sound realistic) is only about 5% of the book. You want to learn how to write realistic instruments, yeah? It's not something you can get a guide on. And that's NOT because of the "you should learn real orchestration" bs that everyone keeps giving you. They're right, but they're not answering your question. The real reason is that each sample library is different. You can't ask how to MIDI orchestrate or expect there to be a good book on it, because a big part of that is learning your samples, and a book that covered how to use every sample library would be GINORMOUS. Now, if you asked questions like "how do I get realistic chordal strings using EWQLSO Gold?", you'd be getting a lot more help, because that's what people have experience with.

But I like not having to deal with them attacking me if I'm not looking at em. :3

I like Endermen. I can just walk up to em and say "hey whasup dudes" and they'll just be chillin and walking around with their blocks.

Indeed, sad for you how she is in the top 20 and you're in 199th place.

If you want them to sound professional, it's not really FL-specific. (This is coming from a guy who is crazy obsessive about helping people with FL Studio.) What you want to learn is things like mixing and mastering, which is the same for all DAW's in many areas except for how to implement them. If you consider yourself an expert on mixing and mastering and just want to learn how FL's mixer works, the manual (press F1 in FL Studio) should help you. If you're not, read this guide: http://ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3784&highlight=zircon. Do stuff in FL Studio WHILE you're reading it, so you can better understand what zircon is talking about. He also uses FL Studio, so it's not entirely from a foreign perspective. Once you get the gist of what he's saying, it's time to PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Find more guides, watch tutorials, and take all of your songs and post them in the workshop section here. There are a lot of people who won't really help you ("omg cool song dude i love it") but there are also lots of intelligent people who will give very in depth and specific feedback regarding how to help with your production values. They won't sound like they like your song very much if you're new to the whole thing, but remember that you can either ignore them and not benefit at all or you can listen to them and your music gets better. And sometimes their advice is subjective, so you don't have to listen to it and you won't be missing out on anything. Also, if you want to learn basic and complex FL Studio workflow things, you can watch things like Warbeat tutorials and FL Studio Guru videos for great tips.