is Fruity Loops the best product for my needs?

[gordholio]

Man, is this a newbie question or what. Anyway...

What I want to do is add sounds (real basic synthy things, beat-based effects, just assorted stuff to fill in gaps and add depth) to the recordings I'm making of our rock and roll band. I don't have a MIDI controller and I'd prefer not to have to learn all about MIDI if I don't have to. I have had some experience recently using loops (ACID-type stuff), and those are the types of sounds I'm after, but I'd like to construct each passage myself with an on-screen keyboard or other software-based input device. BTW, I'm using ntrack right now but am seriously thinking of switching to either Cool Edit Pro or Sonar for their advanced capabilities.

Would Fruity Loops be my best choice? If not, is there some other similar product that does a better job? And, if Fruity is the way to go (Lord, what a ridiculous name!), would it behoove me to go with Sonar instead of CEP (because both Sonar and Fruity are Cakewalk products)?

I know I should have "searched" this BBS before asking this question, but each search I perform takes something like 15 minutes to complete. This BBS is so slow these days!

Thanks a million, everyone.

[gordholio]

Sorry, I just realized Fruity and Sonar AREN'T both Cakewalk products. It just looked that way to me because the Cakewalk site ahs all sorts of Fruity info. (Ha! "Fruity info" - pretty funny, huh?

[SPINSTERWUN]

You could use Fruity Loops 3, Acid Pro 4, or Reason 2.0.

There is a great VST plug-in made by Native Instruments named Battery.

You might want to use Battery with FLP 3 or Acid Pro 4.



peace.......

[Abyyss]

On the talk of VST. Do you know where I can get any decent VST instruments or plug-ins for free?

[SPINSTERWUN]

http://www.thedirectxfiles.com/

[SPINSTERWUN]

http://www.pspaudioware.com/indexen....ownload1.html;

[SPINSTERWUN]

http://www.hitsquad.com/smm

[SPINSTERWUN]

http://www.bries3.yucom.be

They should have a TON of stuff at their site. however, I think that they are in the process of rebuilding......

[SPINSTERWUN]

http://members.lycos.co.uk/abyssplugs/free_plugins.htm

[KingstonRock]

if cakewalk doesnt make fruityloops, who does?

[gordholio]

A European-based company called Image-Line Software.