DDRKirby(ISQ)

Sounds like a good idea--that way, if you have time you can work with both files, and if not you can just pick one of them. It all depends on how much time you've got around on your hands--I think ORC does weekly competitions, but CMC does closer to 2 weeks. Whereas, FLMC was really dwindling so even with a deadline closer to one month, it didn't really get much.

If I could have Reason with FL's piano roll i would be a lot more inspired to try it out more. (I haven't tried sequencing stuff in FL and then exporting to midi to import into Reason. methinks maybe it's a bit too much trouble and doesn't really fit the workflow)

dragor's website at http://www.freewebs.com/dragor/ has some tutorials about achieving a "full" sound that might possibly help. they won't give you a magic pro sound instantly, but there's some concepts and tricks in there that are definitely some good ideas to experiment with and try out.

keep in mind, IIRC Reason exports with 3dB of headroom, so you're gonna have to use something else to process it after that (even if it's just normalization).

actually, no. your own vote gave you 4 points and xela 1 point EPD's vote gave you 1 point and xela 2 points. that gives you 5 points and xela 3 points. adding -- oh shit. (edits results) you know what, it was late, i was tired...

well, lets get this over with. Bundeslang's Vote 1st place - Bundeslang I need the points hard and don't want to lose with the lowest possible score. I vote myself up to not make my own defeat. Hopefully I don't win it this way. 2nd place - El Pollo Diablo The song has good samples, I thing some parts are mixed a bit wrong, but the song is strong and good. 3rd place - UserformerlyknowsasXela I like the song and I really like the fact the song is real Power Plant related. A weak point is the noisy thingy in the beginning. El Pollo Diablo's Vote Hey, Before I start, I just want to state that I'm a complete noob at critiquing songs. That said, I'll get started. Number one: ~El Pollo Diablo - NoobMusic 2~ Because I'm biased like that. Seriously though, this one turned out wayyyyyyyyy better than NoobMusic 1. Pros: -Neat little 303. The automation on the highpass later on is pretty cool too. -Breakdown and buildup aren't bad. -Mastering is much better than in NoobMusic 1. Cons: -Terrible, terrible, TERRIBLE arp synth. lolfruitynoob. -No real melody. -Mastering still isn't as good as it could be. Number two: ~UserFormerlyKnownAsXela - Welcome to the Power Plant (all your brain are belong to us)~ Interesting song. Fits right in with the theme of the contest. Pros: -Synths are quite appropriate to the theme. -Neat drum processing. -Nice drumfill at bar 48. Cons: -White noise on the synths gets to be a bit much at times. -Ending is a bit abrupt. Number 3: ~Bundeslang - Power Alarm~ Not bad, you've come a ways since the last FLMC. By now, you can probably start messing with effects. Pros: -Steel drum melody is pretty good. -You didn't use a reverb-drenched kick drum this time (though I'm hardly one to talk ). Cons: -Percussion is a bit weird. Usually you put the snare (or in this case, the clap) on the second and fourth beats, not all four. -You used the alarm sample as part of the melody? It's a bit awkward sounding. kbye, EPD ==================== Gollgagh's vote was private. The results? 1st place: El Pollo Dialbo 2nd place: Bundeslang 3rd place: UserFormerlyKnownAsXela (whoops.) Thank you and good night.

The first "insert" menu and the channels>add one menu use a "favorites" system to decide what to display. FL keeps two "favorites" lists--one for inserting new channels and another one for mixer FX--so the solution is to favoritize all your generators in the dialog for inserting channels and favoritize all your effects in the dialog for mixer FX. If you're talking about the Channels>add one>MORE... window, then well, FL has no real way to determine what a VST does, so it just organizes it alphabetically. You can try what Overcoat suggested, though.

It's harder to compare final results than to compare workflow style and capability, since that's where the main difference lies. People can and have made good stuff with FL, and people can and have made good stuff with Reason. However, each goes about things in drastically different ways. In terms of things you can or can't do with each program, there's a bunch--here's a few: -No audio recording in Reason (only FL) -Reason has no VST support whereas FL does -FL can't do "true compressor sidechaining" but it can get a comparable result through a different method -Reason can't automate tempo changes, IIRC and a bunch of other stuff. But really, the final result is always possible...

don't forget to REFRESH your plugins list.

at this point it's essentially a matter of semantics, methinks. The important thing is that while FL shares -some- similar aspects to other "DAWs", the capabilities, and moreover the workflow, is very different (just like Reason is vastly different from other programs). Hence the need to find out whether it really is what you're looking for, or whether it's just going to end up being complete crap to you.

Snapple's saying that if you do end up wanting to move on to bigger and better programs then you'll find that FL has crippled you by teaching and training you in the "wrong" way to do things. It seems like a great majority end up sticking to whatever program they end up diving into first, just because they get used to it and because making the switch to something else feels weird after being accustomed to that (not to mention you gotta buy more). Which makes sense...hence the importance of making an informed decision when you first start out (i didn't). and yes, FL is not a "real DAW" but i dont know what the heck else to call it.

A whopping two. uhhhhhhh edit: three now.

Different sequencers for different people. There's lots of info on where to start, as well as "What are the advantages/disadvantages of so-and-so DAW", if you know where to look. Use google, use the search function, visit forums, read guides, look at example projects, etc. Lots of people will recommend you try out the demos of various DAWs as well. You can download free demos of major sequencers such as Cubase, Reason, FL, Ableton, etc. and play around with it to see what each one is like. It will take time to actually get the hang of each one, but if you're trying to decide between DAWs then that's probably the best thing you can do, as your own experience is infinitely more valuable than other people's recommendations. If you really want to get into this, then do your research, find a way (doesn't have to be "the best way") to get started and keep trying at it. you can't really go wrong if you're smart about it.

try this one.

I'm going to guess that Xela considered having "a sense of what sounds good" as having "a degree of musical knowledge". Whatever. Sometimes the easiest thing to do is just muck around. I do it on my piano all the time. Eventually you learn what tends to work and what doesn't work so you're not just slamming random notes. Knowing theory can -help- that process.

*bumpity-bump*

Voting Stage This time around we have 3 entries: Bundeslang - Power Alarm UserFormerlyKnownAsXela - Welcome to the Power Plant: all your brain are belong to us El Pollo Diablo - NoobMusic2 For my (and your) convenience I've packed all the projects (plus a bonus WIP I worked on) into a zip file that you can download at one of the following URLs: http://ddrkirby.googlepages.com/FLMC6projects.zip http://download.yousendit.com/D7B293E75F2524D5 The mp3 versions can be downloaded here: http://download.yousendit.com/F104CB4F183E8095 Voting starts now and ends officially on May 26th. Choose one entry for each of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. 1st place votes will receive 4 points, 2nd place 2 points, and 3rd place 1 point. You can vote for yourself. PM all your votes to me, DDRKirby(ISQ). Your message should look something like this: ===== 1st place - Vicks -OMGWTF THIS mix pwnzor't l33t h4x w/teh UNST UNST UNST! 2nd place - Wedge -RLY GOOD KTHX but not quite as awesome as 1st place because the bass was too loud and it didn't have the UNST UNST UNST! 3rd place - Biggs -Ya good try should do better next time too much high-end. ===== Please note that unless you direct me otherwise, I will post the entirety of your PM in this thread for feedback purposes. ...got it?

asked a professional yet?

I've got perfect pitch (albeit unrefined) and I've still got trouble transcribing stuff. Granted, some of the stuff I try to listen to and pick out is virtually impossible to get at anyways. We're talking 5-note chords and whatnot. man I =hate= transcriptions that are incorrect though.

about 10 mins. I think the question you are looking for has more to do with the =quality= of the song, though...in which case...eh, a long time (though not ridiculously long) IIRC, You can go ahead and use it as long as you give credit. However, it's still a good idea just to try and let the creator know what you're doing with their work. it can't hurt, right?

No, I don't have Cutman Sonata (though I bet you I could transcribe it pretty easily if i tried...just not now while I'm busy with other stuff). Uploaded FF4 Tale in Piano pdf is here: (keep in mind it DOES have errors, watch out for them) http://download.yousendit.com/1F73A527316A67AE

eh, it was more of an experiment by me, just to see how things would turn out. I'm going to be out tomorrow night, but i think after I come back I'll update and hopefully be able to post/update everything. So far I have entries from Bundeslang, UserFormerlyKnownAsXela, and El Pollo Diablo. I guess I can post my own WIP too but I don't think you'll be allowed to vote on it. lol, it's only a WIP anyways.

I'm surprised the 600 AD music is still up, as kLuTz's site has been down for awhile... I have the Tale in Piano pdf, and I could send it to someone to host (just shoot me a PM) but be aware that both the 600 AD transcription and the tale in piano transcription DO have noticeable errors...if you have a good ear like me you can pick them out by comparing to the mp3 (though figuring out chords and lots of pedal 16ths by ear can be a -pain-) =p. I guess sometime I should make revised transcriptions of some of kLuTz's works--right now I'm using "modified" versions of other people's transcriptions (modified meaning I used a pencil to cross out and write in notes).

soundfonts are great, but not really useful for one-shot samples that you're just going to use at one pitch (i.e. most drum sounds). so yes, most of your kicks/snares/hi-hats/crashes/claps/etc. will most likely be in .wav format.

QFE. I've run into this problem wayyy too often for my own good. If you're working with FL Studio, you could start by toying with the 3xOsc (synth included in FL). There's certainly more powerful stuff out there, but IMHO it's a fairly simple yet powerful synth that can really work well to teach you the basics. "Techno-ish" drums...the "Vengeance Essential Club Sounds" is the name of a sample pack that's thrown around quite frequently for that--but if you're looking for something free, well... http://www.vipzone-samples.com/ has a bunch of free samples--probably not the greatest, but it'll start you off at least. I'd also give the Kjaerhus Classic Series another thumbs up--definitely a great collection to have, especially since Fruity's effect plugins aren't always the best (though they can be useful). If you're googling resources and info on synthesis, you probably want to start with "subtractive synthesis" since that's really common and it's probably the "basic" type of synthesis. Take a peek around the demo songs that come with FL--you'd be surprised at what you can pick up from learning how things are done in them. Most of all, just keep experimenting. leave no knob unturned... === if you want some of my .flp files i'd be happy to share--just gimme a PM.