Where to begin?

[ShawnMullins]

Hey everyone,

I posted in the Newbie section but I'm hoping I can find some answers I need here.

I'm starting writing in a hip-hop, pop, R&B style genre (Mike Posner, Kid Cudi, John Legend and what not) but I'm kind of stuck. I use to write a lot for Indie rock and really only have live instrument knowledge so Midi controllers and what not is new to me.

Now I have Home Studio XL but i'm thinking of upgrading to FL Studio 9 Producer. Do you think that is a good move? I hear a lot of people are into Reaper here but when I downloaded the demo I wasn't crazy about the interface. I really enjoyed the FL Piano roll feature and the drum sequencer (horrible at drum beats though but offers a lot of playability) plus I also know it's used by many professionals in this genre.

So what do you guys use for creation and how do you go about it? I guess i'm at square one haha. So where to begin and move on

Any help is amazing. Thanks!
Shawn

 

[thehost250]

How much do you plan on spending? I noticed that you have live instrument knowledge so music is not new to you just the midi side of things. You pretty much want to start small and build up from there. It gives you a chance to learn what you have before expanding and adding other things.

You are going to hear a lot of people like a lot of different things but at the end of the day you have to be comfortable with it. Plenty of people like Reaper but if it's not for you work flow wise then walk on by it. I use too many different programs to list here but the ones I use I'm really comfortable with and have taken the time to learn them. I'm not a FL fan but if you like the demo and it's for you then go for it and take the time to really use it.

The good thing about midi is the flexibility. The downside is when you start expanding you run into a learning curve with how it all connects. Once you get the hang of it, you will love it. Check out Reason as well. They have a 30 day trial I believe. Personally, I never use Reason by itself. I always pull it up in Record because it sounds way better than on its own. From there I rewire Record into either Logic, Pro Tools, or Cubase. Just depends on what I'm doing. If you don't know, rewire is a way that you can take the sounds of Reason, FL, etc and patch or wire them into whatever program you record with. It's all done inside the computer from one program to another. If you buy the Record and Reason duo then you will get the benefit of a recording program as well and you won't have to rewire anything since you can pull up Reason inside Record.

Trying not to be confusing but test out various things and go for what works best for you. The interfaces of programs is huge. It can do everything but if you're not comfortable on it then it's useless. Good luck!

 

[ShawnMullins]

Thanks for the response.

You are right on the comfortability. I'm not looking to go crazy at the moment and stay small but have the most bang for your buck you know?

As of now here my list:

AKG Dynamic mic
AKG Condenser mic
Pop Filter
FL Studio 9 (producer)
Cakewalk Home Studio 7xl
M-Audio Axiom 25 key Midi Controller
An older Yamaha Keyboard full sized with Midi in's and outs (forgot the style but it was cheap)
Guitars acoustic and electric
Vox Valvetronics ADT100
Marshall Cab
Lexicon Alpha Audio Interface
Line 6 PODxt plus full footboard
Mbox2 Factory (can't use due to the Dual Core Processor in my PC)

and some other little odds and ends plus cables.

Is there anything I seem to be missing? I feel like i have a good amount and know I do but I'm the stage I just want to make sure I have everything to really get started (besides the program).

I'm looking to create songs like

Kevin Rudolph- I made it
Mike Posner- Bow Chicka Wow Wow/ Halo
Black Eye Peas- Rock your body

And so forth.

Someone mentioned a good place to start is Ableton Live Intro becuase it's a small fee to get workin plus works well as a rewire for FL Studio. I have heard it may be better to wait and save for Reason 5/ Record (as you mentioned) and use that as opposed to Ableton (for the things i'm trying to do).

Thanks again for any help.

 

[Zet]

I suggest you move to FL Studio . Been using it for about a year and i m quite impressed. It's not a toy like everyone says. I don t like the pattern editor either , so i use the playlist, this way i add swing to my beats .

 

[murdoch]

i personally love FL Studio..its versatile. you can do anything on it. you're only limited by your personal ability and if im correct its one of the cheaper options