General questions,

[Zephyr]

Hey guys, I'm currently not involved with re-mixing but would very much like to get involved. I've been looking at fl studio and it looks like it could be what I'll use to re-mix. I have a few questions about it first and would like some feedback please!

1. Does FL work well (in your opinion) for actually re-mixing songs?

2. How many of you actually use it to remix, and what are some examples of songs you've made with fruityloops?

7. There are a lot of different mixing programs; Cubase, Reason, FL, Logic, Live, Protools, Sonar, what are the main differences between them and what would you recommend?

4. Can you import mp3s and edit a part out of them to use?

5. Does it work well for using and editing pre-made songs (using a portion of a song in the re-mix)?

6. Which version would you recommend getting (cost/product)? Which plug-ins would you recommend for just bare re-mixing (I'm a noob to this by the way)?

Thanks! even if you can't answer all of them all feedback is useful, I hope to be mixing with you guys soon!

[avaris]

1. Yes it does work well. It is a fairly user friendly program. It's FX and mastering plugins are pretty darn good. Although it's instruments it comes with, except Sytrus, are not all that great.

2. I use 3 different programs, FL being one of them, Ableton Live and Reason being the others. I know alot of people around here use FL for various reasons... I have never used the stuff that comes with FL to make an entire song.

7. Well Reason itself is prob the most radically different program from all of the others. Each has their own ways of doing things. You can download demos of all of them except cubase (and maybe logic). My advice is try out all of the demos. And don't just try em for 30 mins, really try to get your hands dirty. To be honest I tried Live two times and hated it, the third was a charm. When you are using the programs whichever one gives you the most creative response and the one you have the most fun with is prob the one you should go with. You can only use Logic on a mac. You can only use FL on windows.

4. You can do this in basically all of the programs. You can't do it in Reason, although you could a free program like audacity and edit the mp3 and then change it into a wav file to import it into reason.

5. Unless you really cut up and rearrange a premade part of the song you'll get instantly rejected. All the programs should be able to do this, except Reason (that's what Recycle is for)

6. Honestly if you want something that isn't gonna leave you wanting more plugins/sounds right off the bat I'd def go with Reason. Also Reason on an academic discount is only $199. Reason is also the friendliest CPU wise bar none. Trust me trying to finish a song with ur cpu at 100% sucks major donkey balls. With Reason you wouldn't need any other plugins bc there are none. Seriously though watch videos and stuff for each program, all of them have their own little quirks. Also I'd recommend checking out Project5, it's another program that's fairly good right out of the box, and you can use vst's with it too.

Some of zircon's and darkesword's early stuff was done entirely with basic stuff in fl I believe. Blue Magic uses basic free stuff in FL. SGX, Sephfire, Fatty Acid, and Malcos are some of the people who use reason in their songs.

Again at the end of the day try out all the programs and pick the one that gives you the best response. Also check around kvraudio.com for more stuff on each program. And check each website for each individual program. Watch the videos they got on their site.

[Fishy]

Avaris covered thing's pretty well but I'd just like to point things out:

5. Actually putting a portion of the original mp3 into a ReMix is frowned upon here, OCR is about reinterpretation as opposed to putting drums over the original. You are encouraged to recreate any sounds you hear from the original instead of just swiping them.

7. In terms of just the program (no added plugings) Reason is unstoppable. It has the best default sample set and it is the only program you mentioned I've been able to just make a mix start to finish with. However, if you have money to spend or a keen eye for free stuff on the internet like Darkesword, then slowly programs like FL take the lead, as they have good VST support and flexible automation (something which reason can sometimes lack). Coupled with the fact that sample packs for reason are ONLY for reason because of file formatting, expading your reason library for free is not easy, I've been trying.

I'd say FL is a fine program to get for a beginner, as it lasts all the way until you get much better at remixing and you probably won't feel too limited by it. It's default effects are fantastic compared to most programs, and anything you don't have in terms of VSTs, you can probably find on the net somewhere.

[DDRKirby(ISQ)]

Hey guys, I'm currently not involved with re-mixing but would very much like to get involved. I've been looking at fl studio and it looks like it could be what I'll use to re-mix. I have a few questions about it first and would like some feedback please!

1. Does FL work well (in your opinion) for actually re-mixing songs?

2. How many of you actually use it to remix, and what are some examples of songs you've made with fruityloops?

7. There are a lot of different mixing programs; Cubase, Reason, FL, Logic, Live, Protools, Sonar, what are the main differences between them and what would you recommend?

4. Can you import mp3s and edit a part out of them to use?

5. Does it work well for using and editing pre-made songs (using a portion of a song in the re-mix)?

6. Which version would you recommend getting (cost/product)? Which plug-ins would you recommend for just bare re-mixing (I'm a noob to this by the way)?

Thanks! even if you can't answer all of them all feedback is useful, I hope to be mixing with you guys soon!

For #1 and #2, I can point out FLMC5, a compo based on using only default samples in FL...

http://www.ocremix.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6584

in fact, I must point out that my mix (warning: shameless plug) was pretty great, especially for being limited to FL's default samples (which suck)

if "remixing" to you means chopping up stuff and actually using the original source mp3, then FL studio =can= do that, although i would think there might be a better alternative. in any case, the mixes at OCR are not remixes in that sense--they're more like "rearrangements" in that they don't actually utilize the source tune--just the melodies/chord progressions/etc.

if you DO go with FL, it's not so important to get FX plugins (called VSTs) as it is to get samples, since (as already mentioned) the default samples in FL are reaaally crappy.

I love 3xOsc though...hehe.

I myself am trying to pick up Reason to see if the different workflow/different synths are any more beneficial to me...the thing about reason is that you probably want a MIDI keyboard, since it really reduces the amount of work you have to do.

On the other hand, FL has an =excellent= piano roll, so you could very conceivably go without a midi keyboard entirely. (also possible in reason, just more troublesome)

[suzumebachi]

1. Does FL work well (in your opinion) for actually re-mixing songs?

Yes.

2. How many of you actually use it to remix, and what are some examples of songs you've made with fruityloops?

Uhh lots of us, actually. All my songs here on OCR were done in FL, with the exception of the Ultima Online song, which was done in Reason.

7. There are a lot of different mixing programs; Cubase, Reason, FL, Logic, Live, Protools, Sonar, what are the main differences between them and what would you recommend?

The main difference between FL, and the other major DAWs (such as Sonar and Cubase) is that those programs are more suited to recording and production, while FL is aimed towards general sequencing (though you can sequence in Sonar and Cubase, and you can record in FL, they just aren't as good at it as their counterparts). Also, different emphasis may be placed on different parts of the production process. And of course, differences in the GUI. Reason, however, is another beast entirely. It almost functions more as a fancy tracker with piano rolls. It's extremely limited in what it can and can't do. Reason is entirely lacking VST/DX support, is not capable of recording, and has a very limited sample set. Another thing to note is that in the past 5 years, Reason has hardly changed at all, while FL and Cubase have vastly improved.

4. Can you import mp3s and edit a part out of them to use?

Short answer: no. This goes for all audio editing software. "Editing out" is something that is not easily accomplished, unless you happen to have access to the original, individual tracks. Which you probably don't unless you happen to be a producer, in which case you wouldn't be here asking questions.

5. Does it work well for using and editing pre-made songs (using a portion of a song in the re-mix)?

See #4. You can cut out a section of something (as in a phrase or loop, NOT individual instruments or vocals) and use it, but that's generally frowned upon as far as remixing goes.

6. Which version would you recommend getting (cost/product)? Which plug-ins would you recommend for just bare re-mixing (I'm a noob to this by the way)?

If you absolutely can't afford it, get the most basic version that comes with the Fruity Soundfont Player (can't recall which version that is at the moment). Otherwise I'd recommend the XXL version. There are thousands of free VST plug-ins available on the web that can do pretty much anything else you need. An excellent place to start is KVR Audio. You can search for free VST instruments and effects there, and even sort them by user ratings etc.

[Kanthos]

if you DO go with FL, it's not so important to get FX plugins (called VSTs) as it is to get samples, since (as already mentioned) the default samples in FL are reaaally crappy.

Technically, VSTs and VSTis are two slightly different things. A VST is an effect like reverb or equalization, while a VSTi is a virtual instrument. VSTis can use samples or can be some type of synthesizer that generates sound on the fly.

However, most sites and users apply the term VST to everything and distinguish between an effect and an instrument based on context. I'm just mentioning this because DDRKirby's comment to not bother with effect plugins makes it sound like you want to avoid VSTs as a whole, but depending on what kind of music you want to produce, you probably want to stick with FL Studio's effects and get other VSTis.

[zircon]

FLStudio rules. 100% of my music is created with it. I do use external tools of course, but FL effects, generators, and samples show up constantly in my work.

I do suggest augmenting it with some free effects like GlaceVerb, the mda series, Ambience, and various others. The compressor in particular is weak.

[Zephyr]

Thanks to all of you, sounds like I'll probably be going with fl, not sure whether to get xxl, producer, or fruity, but I'll probably get either producer or xxl, (if I can scrounge up the cash). Can anyone tell me what the main differences between producer and fruity edition are? And also what's good about the plug-ins that come withh xxl and what makes them worth-while? Here's a list of the included plug-ins:

-DrumSynth Live

-SimSynth Live

-Fruity DX-10

-Fruity soundfont player

-Sytrus

-VideoPlayer

-DirectWave

Thanks again, I'll try out some of the demo's and also watch the video's.

[zircon]

You want Producer, just trust me. Buy FL Soundfont Player separately. Don't get XXL or Fruity edition.

[Fishy]

Sytrus is freaking sexy, I wish I had it. Check out the demos.

[Zephyr]

Allright thanks everyone.

[zircon]

Sytrus is freaking sexy, I wish I had it. Check out the demos.

Sure it sounds great. I bought it during a group buy and it's useful. The problem is that it's almost impossible to program. I hate the interface. Editing envelopes is a huge pain and nothing is laid out like any other synth I've used. Basically, I have to rely on presets and presets only (and many of them have that signature "FL" sound).

[The Instrumental Light]

I use 3 different programs, FL being one of them, Ableton Live and Reason being the others. I know alot of people around here use FL for various reasons... I have never used the stuff that comes with FL to make an entire song.

Well Reason itself is prob the most radically different program from all of the others. Each has their own ways of doing things. You can download demos of all of them except cubase (and maybe logic). When you are using the programs whichever one gives you the most creative response and the one you have the most fun with is prob the one you should go with. You can only use Logic on a mac. You can only use FL on windows.

Ableton Live is pretty awesome,however, i dont know much about Reason. Logic you can NOT download a demo of. what i know most about is in Garageband and Logic Pro(and Express). If you have an Apple computer(and alot of money) then Logic is the way to go. ive done extensive research on Logic, it has some pretty cool abilities! you can edit your instruments and adjust them just where you want them. you can create music that sounds and feels professional(with state-of-the-art loops and creation abilities). from looking at it, its very easy to use(it could be just be me). audio quality thats pristine and purely digital magic. its definitely worth the money if you can afford it. there are many other extraordinary abilities about it but its too long to describe them all. for more information, go to http://www.apple.com/logicpro/. as for Garageband, its very good also, not nearly as awesome as Logic Pro though. for a free music system, its pretty A** kicking. you can create some very professional, quality music if you know how to use it. for more information on Garageband, go to http://apple.com/ilife/garageband/. Live is great too though.