is there anyone here who DOESN'T use ANY HARDWARE 'BEAT MACHINE' at all to compose??

greenleaf2001

New member
....cuz i don't....and i'm not tryin to sound arrogant, but i think i got some hot ass beats....i've never used an mpc, korg, or any piece of actual hardware, except for my cheap ass synthesizer....and i wanted to know if i'm the only person around who's from this 'new skool' of beat production....cuz, quite frankly, i'd like to hear some of the 'pro's of using hardware, versus software, cuz all my beats sound pretty damn good, and i have all the effects, and capabilities, if not more, than an mpc3000, or whatever....what i use is this....(now don't laugh right off, hear me out first....) i use Fruityloops 3.0 for sequencing....now here's what makes a TREMENDOUS difference....i don't really use any of the integrated samples that come with it.....i've sampled and collected single notes, kicks, snares, stabs, hits, strings, etc....all in 16 bit 44100 wave files, and i sequence them using FL3, to make my riff, pattern, or loop, and then sequence the 'song.' so if i have an 808 kick sample, its about 1/4 second long, just of that one bass hit, i'll sequence my own bass line in FL3 from it, just like if i was using a hardware seq.....and i do that with every sample, always single notes....always highest quality....i can't see what i possibly would need a hardware unit for, i can sequence a f*kin orchestra with my string samples, i have 1 sample on C1, one sample on C2, and so on....now once i sequence all that, i'll throw it into cool edit pro or something, and use the ME Compressor on it to the desired effect....(ME comp from steinberg mastering edition)....and i result in a bomb ass beat....sometimes i'll play with acid, or cubase, or reason, but i've never had to use an actual beat box, cuz, think about it....if you have all the samples from a beat machine, each note being its own wave file, its own sample, and you can seq them, with infinite send effects, and tweak the sample to sound however you want, why would i need a beat machine....hell, my PC is my beat machine....does anyone else make their beats that way??

:o)~~
 
I do the same

I do the same, I sequence on Cubase, but I also have an MPC--
there really is no difference, in what you do and the MPC does
but to each his own--- I only have the MPC incase some artist have their tracks recorded on it. that's it --- I'm contemplating selling it --- oh well!


(APPLAUDING) stick to what's best suited for you, hey! if it works, and your beats are hot --- dont cool down and change up
keep it HOT
 
If you want to blow people minds try using the modular softsynth reaktor as a vsti in fruity loops. It can do all kinds of synth sounds, and it can process samples in incredibly unique ways.
www.native-instruments.de

they also have a drum sampler called "battery"
 
I use only a paper and a pen, most of the time. :D
But on the other hand I'm composing for solo-piano, so it would be kinda stupid to use a drummachine. :D
 
I use 100% software for my recordings. Maybe it's because I'm used to it, maybe it's because I only afford soft. Maybe my stuff doesn't sound professional, on the other hand maybe I don't (at moment) need to sound pro. Soft got alot of potential and it's great for learning by playin around and experimenting.
 
Oh yeah, for time scaling I use Prosoniq EZtimeStretch. It's slow, but the sound quality is outstanding. The time stretch algorithms in Sound Forge and Acid sound like shit compared to Prosoniq.

First I work out the piece in Acid. Then, when I'm ready to record, I try to scale the loops as much as I can in EZtimeStretch so Acid does the minimum amount of time stretching. It's a lot more work, but the mix is so much better. Helps keep everything from sounding so "Acidized".

barefoot
 
drums are real easy on fl especially if you are a registered user and you get all the samples they offer. my keyboard is a piece of junk but it serves it's purpose, i have a casio ctk-573 i got it off ebay for 25.00 lol
 
I think it's all preference and price range. I prefer hardware just because I very rarely use midi, I'm probably gonna catch hell for this but I think the MPC's are overrated. I never had the desire to use one even after playing with my boys MPC for a few days. But to each his own. There's nothing wrong with software, I also have Reason 3.0 and use it every now and then. A lot of people say "I don't use software because everyone with Reason has the same sounds..." That's true! But so does everyone who has a Triton! It's all about how you manipulate sounds and find new samples to use.
 
I use software and hardware. I like the fruity loops software because of the huge amount of channels you can have. As far as hardware, i use a keyboard thru midi to operate FL. I also record the keyboard output(such as a piano sound) along with some beats i produce in FL so i can get a better feel sometimes. I'm a piano player so i gotta get into the beat like that sometimes. Other hardware i use is real instruments, and fake instruments(pots, pans, "salt" shaker). I really need to go buy some real maracas and stuff but i'm diy right now! I record/mix on acid pro and i edit/master with adobe audition. I would like to have an Mpc not really just because of studio use. I would like to have one so i could make beats anywhere! I really don't wanna lug around my pc everywhere i go. I also would like to have the mpc for live sequencing in our band at church.
 
tone_aot said:
I use software and hardware. I like the fruity loops software because of the huge amount of channels you can have. As far as hardware, i use a keyboard thru midi to operate FL. I also record the keyboard output(such as a piano sound) along with some beats i produce in FL so i can get a better feel sometimes. I'm a piano player so i gotta get into the beat like that sometimes. Other hardware i use is real instruments, and fake instruments(pots, pans, "salt" shaker). I really need to go buy some real maracas and stuff but i'm diy right now! I record/mix on acid pro and i edit/master with adobe audition. I would like to have an Mpc not really just because of studio use. I would like to have one so i could make beats anywhere! I really don't wanna lug around my pc everywhere i go. I also would like to have the mpc for live sequencing in our band at church.
once you go mpc you will never go back...usualy the ones who do are searching for the holy grail..some mystical powers to make them a beatmaker..but if you can make beats and learn its functions,you will remain an mpc user...yeah home made percusion..aint nothing wrong..get a lil pan and throw a lil rice on the bottom and it makes a nice shaker sound..
 
If an mpc has the same drum programming capabilities as FL or better, i will definetifly be gettin it. Sometimes, the computer screen can get tiring. I like to be able to use my own drum sounds so i can get the sound i want. I have a triton Le but i think it falls short in the drum department, maybe i need the expansion kit. I LOVE the synth and instrument sounds tho.
 
I have the motif as my synth and the drums are very weak on it, but the sounds are amazing.
 
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I pretty much use fruity loops throught cubase vst for all my beat productions. It's really not a new thing.
 
I LOVE HARDWARE!!! Sometime I turn everything on just to watch the lights flicker.

There's lots of terrific VSTi's available. Battery 2 and Trilogy can be used on every single beat you ever make and will never get old. But i gotta say there something about having nice gear.

IMHO I think most "no hardware" hip hop setups are no hardware becuz of budget issues. I'm sure most beatmakers have some piece of gear that they want but dont necessarily need.

Making tracks all software isn't by any mean a rare thing. Amost all of the beatmakers i associate offline are all software and always jump at invitations to use my lab.

With hardware wear and software, i feel like i have the best of both worlds.
 
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