best software for making drum and bass style music?
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Posted on Jan 14, 2007 11:03 pm
matas
Member Since: Jan 14, 2007
is there such thing?
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Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 15, 2007 08:37 pm Hey welcome to HRC.
D and B, there are a few good ones out there. For a very complete type software workstation that can act as a synth workstation and either a ReWire host or slave I use Cakewalk Project 5 version 2.
It comes with a few good drum synths and samplers as well as a few very good software sytnhs that are easy to use. And the best part is there is a huge supply of free DXi and VSTi synths and samplers out there that will run in Project 5 to give you a very large palette of sounds. You can take a look at it here. www.project5.com
The best part is the gap free editing you can do while it is running live. I have used it running live in a DJ type set up and it works flawless.
(edit
I should also mention it will record and mix audio as well, and really is a full on DAW with a truckload of FX and features.
The site loads a trailer which give a pretty good demo of only a few of the features. Its worth the wait to let the trailer load.
matasMember
Since: Jan 14, 2007
Jan 18, 2007 09:19 pm where can i buy it online? Is it easy software to use for a begginer?
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Jan 19, 2007 12:05 pm Reason is also available, though I would say Project 5 gives you a fair amount more versatility. I think Reason might be slightly easier to use though. P5 has presets that sound better out of the box though. P5 was a little more difficult to get a hang of than Reason for me, but I think anyone can learn it if they spend some time with it.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 19, 2007 07:57 pm Yes you can buy it online. And if you got to their website or the direct Cakewalk website they have a truckload of tutorial's that will walk you through from beggining stuff to deep stuff. As well there will be a free update in April to version 2.5 which is adding enough stuff to bring the audio portion up to the level of Sonar 6. And they are also adding a couple more pluggins in the update.
And indeed Reason is pretty easy to get into. But the drawback is the automation and depth you can get into with P5 is not there in Reason. The manual for P5 as well has a very good getting started tutorial read through that is good. As well in the help files I believe there are some tutorial files as well.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 19, 2007 09:32 pm OH ya, not dissing Reason by the way either. It is an alternative that is pretty fair in quality. But as coolo stated as well it is not quite as versatile.
matasMember
Since: Jan 14, 2007
Jan 20, 2007 02:09 pm whos the reason made by?what about sonar 6?
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Jan 20, 2007 02:18 pm reason is made by propellerhead, and sonar by cakewalk.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 20, 2007 10:50 pm Project 5 is by Cakewalk as well. Here is a link to view Reason as well. I am not sure it can record audio thought. It only uses loops and software synths. www.propellerheads.se/
Jan 20, 2007 10:58 pm dont mean to jack the post but didnt want to start a new one over a simple question noize can probably answer, whats the diff between sonar producer editor and project 5? im jsut in the market and need a simmple quick answer
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 20, 2007 11:40 pm Sonar 6 PE is a full on DAW with tools now that are mastering quality as well. It has a much deeper editing foundation as well as notation and some state of the art routing ability. It can basically be set up like any full on large format mixing desk in their mixer view and the new track configuration is huge. You can actually keep as many track and their automation views all in one track folder and close it up and out of the way for viewing other tracks and such with a minimum of screen space without scrolling constantly. As well the ability to get at all editing functions is right there in the track view, so that means less moving through multiple menus and the like. It is a huge app, they have enen improved the ability to run video for scoring right in the application, although it has always been there it just wasn't as easy to use.
Project 5 v2 is more of a synth work station, but still has the ability to record and edit audio and good deal of feature found in a lot of other DAW apps. But as I stated it is streamlined for workflo. It also is a bit more direct to work out loops and such as well. It as well is very well suited for live use. I have done many DJ set's with it for guys playing live and it runs flawlessly with no gapping while running. Meaning you can edit on the fly in real time while it is running and playing live. It also has a huge set up called the groove pain in which I use it when arranging DJ sets. Again you can drag and drop bits and piece in on the fly to change things up while it is runnig without any dropouts or gapping.
Just so you know it is going to have a free update that will set it far ahead of anything else in its field, such as Ableton Live. The update will improve its audio editing, provide a couple new synths and a bunch of other goodies.
Hope that helps a little bit. Go have a look here www.project5.com to see what P5 is all about. Let the flash load and give it a watch and listen. They barely touch the surface of what P5 can really do.
matasMember
Since: Jan 14, 2007
Jan 21, 2007 07:19 pm is there any online tutorial for projecct5?
Jan 22, 2007 01:12 am I find Fruity Loops a pretty decent program despite the weird name, its has a demo version where you can do everything and try all the features you just can't save, its pretty simple to use.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 23, 2007 09:13 pm Yes they do on the P5 site as well as on the Cakewalk site.
Here is the P5 link to the learn page. www.project5.com/learn/Default.asp
There are several tutorials for different parts of the application such as the synths and so on.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Jan 24, 2007 01:46 pm Yeah, I may need to do some more research, but I have several pet peeves with P5, that makes it more difficult to work with, even though I like the ability to work with additional vstis, and record audio into the app. When i have a new idea for a beat, i still generally go to reason, only to p5 if I need something specific that only it can do.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Jan 24, 2007 02:05 pm yah, i'd say fruity is worth a look too. Now called FL studio, i think.
Get some decent sample of drums, and you're on your way.
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
Jan 24, 2007 03:12 pm yeah FL is good, and what I use generally, but it takes some effort to make your loops sound less sterile
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 25, 2007 10:09 pm I've worked in Reason and FL and Ableton and I honestly can't see any thing easy about the work flow in any of them. I do everything right in one window, or well now two screens with the dual monitor's. But I never have to switch a view and most everything is one click away. And I don't have to worry about exporting or any of that, its all right there. I create a beat or loop and either drop it in a track or in the Groove Pane and then just keep working things out.
Coolo, are you trying to create a beat while looping? Its easy as hell in P5. If I need Reason I just ReWire it into P5 and use it as another synth or whatever.
cooloFrisco's Most UnderratedMember
Since: Jan 28, 2003
Jan 26, 2007 02:20 pm Pet peeve #1:
Everytime you try and move a note in the sequencer window it plays the note.
Pet peeve #2:
You can't draw a note in the sequencer longer than the selected length with one click. You have create the note with one click, and then lengthen the note with another click.
Pet peeve #3:
Creating drum patterns is just not as easy in P5 as in Reason. It takes more concentration when you're looking at the sequencer window. All the drum events are all bunched together, and sometimes it's hard to tell which event is which drum (i usually have lots of drums going on).
Pet peeve #4: You have to stop the song if you want to change tempo, otherwise it records the tempo change midway through your loop, and you end up with a loop that plays at two different tempos.
Pet peeve #5: When running throug drum samples in Velocity, to choose which ones you want, each time you select one, the auto play is SUPER LOUD! I have to turn down the speakers, but then I can't hear the beat that's playing in the background so it's hard to tell if the drum sample fits the feel of the song.
I think there's something about the quantize function that bothers me too, but I can't remember off the top of my head. If I come up with any more, I'll drop 'em in this post...
Noize, I generally create beats one 4 bar loop at a time. Start with a drum loop, add some instruments/synths while the loop is playing, then start another loop.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 28, 2007 07:05 pm coolo, you just need to adjust and change a few settings to get it to do what you want. When I get a little time this week I'll go through your list and find the changes to make to fit your work flow.
The tempo change thing is easy for #4, simply turn off the record automation function. It is set up by default to do that for live performance purposes.
Oh ya, #3 you simply need to zoom in in the sequencer window. It can zoom both vertical and horizontal.
