Fruity Loops Studio Tutorial (**New** John Legend remake!)

A Beginner's Guide to Making Beats with FL Studio

I. Intro

haha, at last, it's my long-in-the-making guide to making beats with Fruity Loops (aka FL Studio). The first thing I want to bring up, though, is that the title here is meant to be taken literally - this guide is for BEGINNERS. Like, I made this for the dude who's just downloaded FL right now and has never made a beat before in his life. Future installments of "Intermediate" and "Expert" sections are on there way, but as those sections will be much more expansive, I figured I'd just get a beginner section right out the gate, since it'd be of more use to people now than months from now. Still, even if you've had FL for a minute now and feel pretty confident of your skills, the guide might be worth a look. Here's good lookin' ...

II. Overview of FL Studio

A.Download the Program

One of the great things about Fruity Loops Studio is that, with most step-sequencers out there going for about $300 or more, you can download a fully functional demo of FL (that never expires) for free! The only catch is that you cannot save your creations. However, considering how much of an investment a beat-making program can be, this is a nice way to find out if this is something you'd like to one day put down some money for. (if you really want a free program that will allow you to save your music, Anvil Studio seems to be the most popular, but it doesn't really look that rap-friendly, and the interface is FUGLY). You can download FL Studio here.

IMPORTANT NOTE! I downloaded my FL Studio demo well over a year ago; it's quite likely that a new version has been put up for the demo. It would seem to me that most of the features stay the same with each version of FL, but if there are too many parts of my tutorial that don't correspond with the current version of the FL demo, I'll upgrade to make the tutorial more comprehensive.

B.The Guts of the Program

I think on member of OTB put it best that using FL for the first time can be like trying to fly a plane - if you've never composed music on a step-sequencer before, it can truly be a humbling experience. But don't worry! Even though there are tons of features in FL Studio, there are really just four areas you need to familiarize yourself with right now. So let's take a look at these features by first going to "View" at the top of the screen and making sure the following are checked: "Playlist", "Step Sequencer", and "Browser".

i. Browser

The Browser is where you can find the instruments that come pre-loaded with Fruity Loops - everything from drums to bass to melody instruments. There are a number of directories in the browser, but the only two you really need to concern yourself with are "Packs" and "Plugin Presets". "Packs" are instruments packaged with the software that you pretty much just use as they are; you can't tweak them all that much. "Plugin Presets" includes instruments with their own unique tweaking programs that let you make the instrument sound just how you want it to sound. When you find an instrument, you can left click it and hear it, but this only works with "Packs" instruments (since it's up to you how a "Plugin Preset" instrument should sound. When you find something you want, you can drag and drop it into the step sequencer.

ii. Step Sequencer

The Step Sequencer is where the music is created. Each instrument added to your Step Sequencer is created as an individual "channel". I'm not going to go too in-depth on how this feature works right here, since I think it will be easier to understand if you learn to use it by going through the examples later on in the tutorial.

iii. Playlist

The Playlist is where the pieces of the song get put together. Of course, you can create music in the step-sequencer, but, essentially what you're creating is a PATTERN. A pattern that loops on and on and on forever. Real songs have structures. So what you can do is create a pattern you like in the step sequencer and then click on the pattern selector:

The pattern you had just created was automatically selected as pattern 1. Now click "2" for the second pattern, and now you'll be able to create a whole new pattern, or just slightly alter your first one. In the playlist you can then choose which patterns you want to play when. Finally, to hear your song in it's entirety:

Switch it from "Pattern Mode" to "Song Mode" - now, instead of just hearing an individual Pattern, you hear the song in it's entirety, following the list of patterns in the order you chose. If this sounds a bit confusing; don't worry, we'll be applying it later in the tutorial.

iv. Piano Roll

Creating music simply with the step-sequencer is limited - really, it's ultimately meant to organize the patterns you create in the piano roll (or "sequence your steps", I guess). So either add some instruments to your step sequencer if you don't already have any, or just use the ones you already have, and start by right clicking the instrument channel:

And choose "Piano Roll". This will open up the "Piano Roll":

In the Piano Roll you have complete control over your instrument - you can move it up or down the keyboard to increase or decrease the pitch of the instrument, you can control how the note lasts (hover the mouse above the right or left edge of the note to increase or decrease it), and so on. We'll explore the more advanced features of the piano roll in further tutorials.

III. The Foundations of the Beat

Now you should have a little understanding of the in's and out's of FL Studio, but knowing a program don't mean jack if you don't know how to make music with it. And if you feel lost just trying to make a simple rap beat, don't worry - we've all been there, even if some people try to front. Let's break it down:

A.Tempo

Before you get to putting anything together, you should set the tempo of the song - also known as b.p.m., or beats per minute. Now, let's quick figure out where they're getting these "beats" from:

I know, it's math. This might seem a bit confusing, but really try to get a grasp on this idea, it can be really useful. As you can see on the diagram, 16 notes make up 1 measure. Every 4th note counts as a "beat". Now, think about it - with a tempo of 60 beats per minute, you get one beat every second (and if you don't trust me and are incredibly bored, you can test it out yourself; it works). A beat slow enough you can align your watch with it doesn't sound very exciting, does it? Well, let's take a look at what tempos go with what types of genres:

60-80 bpm: Certain types of R&B, like Usher's "Confessions Pt. 2".
80-90 bpm: Slower rap.
90-100 bpm: The VAST majority of rap. If it gets your head nodding and your foot tapping, chances are it's in this range.
100-130 bpm: Breakbeat stuff, certain eccentric rap beats (I always hear Outkast's "B.O.B." is like 120 bpm but I still need to test that)

By simply hovering your mouse above the tempo button, left clicking and dragging the mouse down, you can bring the tempo to whatever level you want (do NOT make a song at the 140 bpm it starts you out at; those are techno speeds).

Tempo can be a tricky thing, though. It can be easy to be fooled into thinking a song is at a different tempo than it really is; particularily with slower songs. Personally, I always thought The Ying Yang Twin's "Wait (The Whisper Song)" was a kinda slow bpm, but it's actually exactly 100 beats per minute! Making a beat sparse can often make it feel like there's less going on and make the beat feel slower.

B.Drums

i. Kick Drum

The kick drum is also referred to as the "bass drum", which is appropriate since, along with the bass, the kick drum is what provides the song's low end; it's what makes the beat "thump".

ii. Snare Drum

The snare is the high-pitched drum that sounds like the polar opposite of the kick. Thesnare is also sometimes replaced by/combined with a handclap, or, in some cases, finger snaps (think "Wait").

*** for the purposes of this tutorial, put the tempo at 96 and keep it there until I tell you to change it. after that, set it to whatever you like ***

iii. The Back Beat

IMPORTANT! This is probably the most important concept to understand in beat-making. You start by putting kicks on the first and third beat:

If you don't alreay have a kick drum, you can open one by going to the browser and opening "Packs" -> "Hip-Hop" -> any one of the kicks you want. Now you put snares on the second and fourth beats (you can get a snare in a similar fashion to the kick):

And now you have the "back beat". It's the fundamental contrast that makes it so effective - the low pitched kick followed by the high pitched snare. The first and third beats are often referred to as the "down beats" and the second and fourth are often referred to as the "up beats" or "back beats". It's this motion, up and down, back and forth, that keeps heads nodding.

Of course, this is pretty primitive - although it's effective, it's also a little mechanical sounding. What makes an effective drum pattern is breaking the back-beat formula a little bit, but still at least keeping the formula partially in-tact. Try keeping the same snare pattern and move the second kick a little to the right like this:

See how much of an effect such a simple change has! This is what musicians call "syncopation". It's about putting something somewhere different than where the listener expects it - because we had the kick on 1 and the snare on 2, the listener just subconciously expects the next kick will be on the 3. When it ends up somewhere else, it has a profound effect on them, and somehow, it's what makes us dance; it's what makes us move. Of course, not every combination is a good one, but you'll figure that out through trial and error, like any producer does. And it's not always about taking away or moving things, you can always add to it:

Do that with the kick and keep the snares on the 2 and 4, and you have one of the most famous rap beats. Hopefully this will get you going with the back-beat.

iv. percussion

a. Crash Cymbals

When you think of cymbals, the cymbals you're probably thinking of are crash cymbals (find one at packs -> real drumkits -> RD Crash). The problem with these is that is that their sound is just too much to be used on a regular basis in a song - they should really only be used to accent certain parts of a song. For example, if you use the "playlist" feature, put one on first beat of every fourth pattern:

It is EXTREMELY common in rap to hear a crash every fourth or eigth pattern (or every 16 or 32 measures, if you'd prefer to think of it that way). At the very least, nearly every song has a crash at the start of a verse and chorus.

b. Hi-Hats

Another cymbal are called hi-hats, which don't have as forceful of a sound as a Crash Cymbal. Because of this, they can be used throughout the entire song, and they are very often used as the time-keeper of the song. Basically, you have them play every other note - go to "packs" -> "vintage" -> "VT_CHiHat". This is a closed hi-hat (drummers have a pedal which they can use to control whether a hi-hat is open or closed). Play this pattern:

It's a steady pattern that keeps the pace of the beat, and it's used in ... man, I'd say about 90-95% of all rap songs.

And, of course, there are open hi-hats - these have a bright sound like a crash cymbal, but aren't so forceful, so they can be used more often. Reverse Open Hi-Hats have become REALLY popular, especially in southern hip-hop, but I think we'll deal with that in the next tutorial.

Other things can be used in place of hi-hats - ride cymbals were really popular in jazz, and as rappers began to sample jazz, their popularity began to increase. If you're into ATCQ-****rap, ride cymbals are a useful tool.

Also, for a bit more flavor, lots of producers reach for ethnic percussion - stuff like shakers are a great replacement for hi-hats.

v. Tom-Toms

If you look at a real drum-kit, Tom-Toms are the only part we have yet to cover. Tom-Toms are more used in rock music, and are almost never used as part of the main beat to a song (Fabolous's "Breath" is like the only one I can think of), but they can be useful to transition between one part of a song to another (like verse to chorus). I'll see if I can find any examples from songs we all know. They aren't used very often, but they can add a bit of flavor if used right. Here's an example:

Get the tom from Packs -> RealDrumkits -> RD_Tom_3. No other drums should be playing when you do this Tom-Tom pattern, so mute the other drums if you have any others loaded up. The important thing to note here is that we're playing the Tom-Tom at different pitches - all the other parts of the drum-kit we play at one pitch and never move it up or down. With Tom-Tom's, though, there are generally 2 to 4 Tom-Tom's on a drum-kit, each one with it's own pitch. So it's okay to play the Tom's at a couple different pitches.

C.Bass

Like I said earlier, the bass, along with the kick drum, anchor the song and provide the low-end; make the song "thump". For that reason, it's often a good idea to put your bass notes when the kick drum is playing and vice-versa -- though they certainly don't need to always be playing at the same time. The bassline is a very integral part to the song since it provides a procussive sound like the drums (meaning that it adds to the rhythm of the song), yet it can move up and down in pitch like the melody and chords (meaning that it adds to the pitch of the song). In the next tutorial we'll take a closer look at bass line construction. For now, let's just take a look at the bass line to A Tribe Called Quest's "Buggin' Out":

Just a two-bar long loop, but it's effective as hell.

D.Melody

The melody of a song is a phrase (by phrase, I mean that it's only going to be one, two, or four measures long ... anything longer just won't be memorable) of notes that move up and down in pitch. Any instrument that can be played at more than one pitch can be used as a melody instrument - anything from guitars to flutes to computer synths to ethnic instruments like kotos ... the list seems endless. Like the bass instrument, we will look further into the construction of melodies in the next installment of the beat-making tutorial, so for now let's take a look at the melody from the intro to Eminem's "Lose Yourself" (it's very rhythmic, but I'd still call it a melody, and it's sooooooo purdy!):

For this, I used "Dark Piano" (Plugin Presets -> Generators -> FL Keys -> Dark Piano). This is the first three measures of the intro.

---> continued on the next post --->

E.Chords

A Chord is a group of three or more notes being played at the same time. How close they are to each other in terms of pitch is what determines if the chord will sound happy, sad, or anything else. Constructing chords is definetely a more complex matter, so this, too, we will examine in the "intermediate" installation of the tutorial, but for now, don't hesitate to try out different combinations of notes. Here are the chords to Xzibit's "X":

I had to split that into two screen shots; it's four measures long and that's just too big to all fit on my screen. The song might sound kinda weird without the drums, bass, and the synth melody (which only plays on the chorus, if I remember right), but you should still get the idea. And, yes, measure 4 doesn't have any chords, but the song just isn't the same without that little break!

F.Conclusion

Of course, not every song contains every one of these elements. In traditional music, all music should have these elements, but you have to consider that rap started from sampling, and not all the songs people sampled had all these elements in the portions that they sampled. Still, you'll almost always find at least drums and bass.

IV. A Sample Song

Finally, I created an original song just for this tutorial, just so you can get a little better idea how the parts of a song fit together, and how FL Studio can make it all happen. Granted, this won't be a chart-topper any time soon, but given how we're just trying to use the basics of FL Studio, I think it's an alright joint. Let's go:

A. Go to "File" in the top left corner and choose "Templates" and go with "Blank". We'll be starting this from scratch.

B. Set the tempo to 96 beats per minute (you should know how to do this by now).

C. Add the following instruments from the browser to the step sequencer:

a. Hip_Kick_8 (Packs -> Hip Hop -> Hip_Kick_8)
b. Hip_Snare_3 (Packs -> Hip Hop -> Hip_Snare_3)
c. Hip_Bass_2 (Packs -> Hip Hop -> Hip_Bass_2) (there are 2 hip bass 2's ... go for the second one)
d. eFlute (Plugin Presets -> Generators -> Fruity DX10 -> eFlute)
e. FatAss (Plugin Presets -> Generators -> SimSynth -> FatAss)

D. Now, let's do a piano roll for each instrument:

i. Kick Drum

ii. Snare Drum

Okay, now we have a pretty nice beat going on ... love the snare; sounds like it has both a snare and a clap mixed in, and we'll bring out the kick a bit more in the mixing later on. Also, notice the "Velocity" meter at the bottom - this is essentially the volume meter. If it isn't already all the way up, put it all the way up for the drums. This way, all the other instruments you do next will automatically be at max volume. This will be important further on in the song ...

iii. Hip_Bass_2

Important! Please note that when you open up piano roll, you're normally on "C5" (look at the piano keys, you'll see "C5" on there). Notice that we scrolled down a bit and put the bass just a little bit above "C4". That's because, as bass, we want to put it very low in pitch. Also, you may notice that we don't really have a bass "line", just one bass note at the start of the measure. That's fine, in fact, many producers are doing that these days. There will be alot going on in the melody, so we don't want to distract from that. You may not be able to hear the bass yet (depending your speakers), but you will when we mix it.

iv. eFlute

We'll use this flute for the chords. Flutes aren't usually a chord instrument, but this one doesn't sound like a normal flute, either. I like this sound. Once again, not really any chord progression here, just the same chord repeating itself. That's okay, TONS of rap songs just rely on one chord for the whole song. ALSO! Be sure to note that we're putting this up on C6 - this is a high pitched chord. The melody will sit in between the chords and the bass.

v. FatAss

An appropriately titled synth - this thing has a huge sound. Good for some new-school type beats. We're combining this with a rather new-school type melody - a climbing, syncopated one. Now, I know that this melody is two measures long while everything else we've been making one measure long. That's okay; I'd rather not split up the melody, I'd rather you get to see it in it's entirety. We'll work around that.

vi. End of Pattern 1

Okay, that's pattern 1. You can't really listen to it yet because of the measure problems that came from the melody, but we've still got something going. Let's develop it by going into Pattern 2.

E.Pattern 2

By now you should know how to switch between patterns, so let's start Pattern 2. As you'll notice, all our instruments will carry over, but their Piano Roll is empty. That's okay. There is a way of copying and pasting, but this should take to long to go the harder route. You can leave the Fat Ass and Hip Bass channels alone; they won't be doing anything in this pattern. You can make the Kick Drum channel the exact same as you did in Pattern 1.

Now, the changes:

i. Snare

We're just adding one extra snare hit. This will work well with the chord we're about to make.

ii. eFlute

This is sort of a "ghost note" - see how we start every other measure with a eFlute chord? Well, we're putting this here, where it just kinda sneaks up behind the chord, and we're putting it at a little lower volume (MAKE SURE to change the velocity!), so it doesn't steal the main chord's thunder. I see this in a lot of songs.

iii. End of Pattern 2

That's all we're doing for Pattern 2. You can now use the "Playlist" function to start organizing the song:

And your patterns should now look like this:

Pattern 1:

Pattern 2:

F.Pattern 3

Now, switch to Pattern 3, our final pattern, where we'll create a break-down, just to change things up and keep things interesting. You can leave the "Fat Ass" and "Hip Snare" channels alone.

i. Kick

This pattern is gonna bang on all fours. It's kinda the opposite of the "swing" feeling we have going on most of the song; this one just plows right ahead. Also make sure to put the velocity back up if it's still down a bit from the last channel you edited.

ii. Bass

Putting the bass on all fours too ... this is gonna bang ... (make sure to put this above C4)

iii. eFlute

Chords have a very "strong" effect, and since we're just trying to make this pattern hard as hell, we'll put the chord on it, too. Make sure to put this above C6.

iv. End of Pattern 3

Your Pattern 3 should look like this:

Now, go to your "Playlist", and make it look like this:

Yes, we're switching back and forth between the first and second patterns, but every eigth pattern we bring in the break to keep things from getting redundant. So, if you haven't already, switch the mode from "Pat" (Pattern) to "Song", and listen to your creation in it's entirety.

G.Mixing

Now, you have a fully functional beat - it isn't seperated into verses or choruses or anything, but it is by all means a functional beat. But, the problem is, programs like FL Studio come pre-made with techno music creators in mind - so we have to use the mixer to bring out the sounds WE want to hear in a rap song. Press F9 on your keyboard to bring up the mixer.

i. The Equalizer

The Equalizer lets you control the three levels of pitch in your song (from left to right): Low (the bass, kicks), mid (the middle ... in this case, our melody is in the middle), and high (the snares, and in this case, the chords are up pretty high). Press play so you can hear how moving each slider affects your song, and find settings you're happy with. Personally, I almost always have the left slider up the highest (I love bass!), and then the other two I mess around with.

ii. Effects

If you look at the mixer, you'll see there are currently 8 empty drop-down windows. If you left-click its corresponding arrow, you can go to "select" and choose from a variety of effects generators to add to your song. Let's sample some that are often used in rap:

a. Bass Boost

I must've used some new bass when I was creating this; usually bass boost really helps bring out a song's bass, but this time I'm not feeling it so much. Still, try using it; the preset values should be more than enough.

b. Fruity Delay

Delay is used in nearly all rap songs. It helps give the song a more natural, less "computerized" feel. When you first select it, it will make your song sound all trippy, since it's set on a "3 Note" repeat. Try my settings up above.

c. Fruity Reeverb

Reverb is yet another technique used to "humanize" things. The preset values are pretty good, but try moving the reverb and decay values down a little bit.

There you go! A finished song with studio work!

V. Conclusion

Hopefully this guide has helped you get going with making rap beats on FL Studio. I'd be happy to answer any questions (since I'm sure this is far from comprehensive and isn't proof-read at all). "Intermediate" and "Expert" installments are coming in the future; here are some things to look forward to: Tips on developing melody, chords, and basslines; how to make your bass hit hard, 5 drum patterns all producers NEED to know, more real song recreations, the most important instruments for rap producers ... and tons more!

STICKY.

You sir are a God amongst men.

I don't have FL, but if I end up getting it, this will be my bible.

holy crap ITI, i think i love you :oops:

stickyness. NOW!

STICKY.

You sir are a God amongst men.

I don't have FL, but if I end up getting it, this will be my bible.

orangegroveog22

haha. I don't know how I get myself into doing these crazy-ass projects, but when I start them I have to follow through.

But, yeah, I don't know if C5 is still visiting OTB or not, but if he is, that'd be awesome if I could get this thread up there with those other threads linked in our banner. Mainly just because I think this is something that I think alot of people could find useful, and I'm sure we'll only see more and more new beat-makers coming to OTB in the future.

We should also sticky a thread for everyone to post the links to beats they recently made, instead of spamming us with topics of their own.HaSheeSh_basic

ITI, try PMing C5 about this

Cool, nice to see such a positive feedback right off the bat.

Sorry the screen stretches out and sorta makes it a pain to read ... I'll have to see if I can resize that gigantic first picture.

And I still can't help but feel I didn't quite make things simple/clear enough (especially towards the end). But, considering I put this all together in one afternoon (well, obviously I've been planning this for quite some time, but just today I typed the whole thing, did all the screen captures, formatting, etc.), I think it turned out alright.

The "Intermediate" level guide will probably take a bit longer, since then I gotta really come correct with some hot stuff. But it should definetely be worth the wait.

All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.I-Own

Cool, nice to see such a positive feedback right off the bat.

Sorry the screen stretches out and sorta makes it a pain to read ... I'll have to see if I can resize that gigantic first picture.

And I still can't help but feel I didn't quite make things simple/clear enough (especially towards the end). But, considering I put this all together in one afternoon (well, obviously I've been planning this for quite some time, but just today I typed the whole thing, did all the screen captures, formatting, etc.), I think it turned out alright.

The "Intermediate" level guide will probably take a bit longer, since then I gotta really come correct with some hot stuff. But it should definetely be worth the wait.

IsThisIt_basic

All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.I-Own

All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.I-Own

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

[QUOTE="I-Own"]All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.IsThisIt_basic

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

Damn, the ownage in this topic is growing exponentially!

:lol:

We should also sticky a thread for everyone to post the links to beats they recently made, instead of spamming us with topics of their own.HaSheeSh_basic

Yeah, like a year ago I was thinking of making a "beat discussion" thread for posting beats and giving advice on beat-making, but back then the idea seemed like a complete flop; now just a year later everyone is making beats.

I think a beat thread would be a good idea ... I guess it just depends on the person. Like, if someone is gonna be putting out a couple new beats a week, then they should have their own thread. But for people that start a new thread and then only make like one or two beats total, creating a new thread for their own beats is pretty much a waste of space ...

Damn man....my goodness. I need to read this soon, since I struggeld so much with FL.

Nice job man, nice post.

[QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"]

[QUOTE="I-Own"]All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.I-Own

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

I don't see anybody talking about how great your beats are the way they do with WorstGameEver and DaDukies. Hell, barely anyone even replies to your beat threads.

And I don't currently own any beat-making programs, so I can't post anything. (As I've said a number of times) I'm going to be moving and buying a new computer somewhere at the end of summer or beginning of fall, so it doesn't pay for me to put down the money now, but when I do get a new computer I'll be buying some stuff, and I'll post my stuff then.

Besides, I'm not claiming to be that great of a beat-maker. All I'm saying is you do a lot of hating and put down alot of programs when your own beats don't really reflect the same level of quality. Be able to back-up what you say.

Damn, the ownage in this topic is growing exponentially!

:lol:

orangegroveog22

[QUOTE="orangegroveog22"]

Damn, the ownage in this topic is growing exponentially!

:lol:

gtarules42

[QUOTE="orangegroveog22"]

Damn, the ownage in this topic is growing exponentially!

:lol:

gtarules42

[QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"]

[QUOTE="I-Own"]All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.IsThisIt_basic

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

I don't see anybody talking about how great your beats are the way they do with WorstGameEver and DaDukies. Hell, barely anyone even replies to your beat threads.

And I don't currently own any beat-making programs, so I can't post anything. (As I've said a number of times) I'm going to be moving and buying a new computer somewhere at the end of summer or beginning of fall, so it doesn't pay for me to put down the money now, but when I do get a new computer I'll be buying some stuff, and I'll post my stuff then.

Besides, I'm not claiming to be that great of a beat-maker. All I'm saying is you do a lot of hating and put down alot of programs when your own beats don't really reflect the same level of quality. Be able to back-up what you say.

You just said for me to BACK UP what I say, well guess what, WGB USES Reason, and you have no beats to back up your talk. Double ownage.

BTW, here is a few of my beats http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=381075

I don't even put my good stuff in because they are either under license or in the process of being copywritten.

Chill out.

[QUOTE="orangegroveog22"]

Damn, the ownage in this topic is growing exponentially!

:lol:

gtarules42

Hey dumbass, no one was talking to you, and speaking of instigating a flame war, that's exactly what you're doing, you god damned hypocrit.

You suck, no one likes you, leave.

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="orangegroveog22"]

Damn, the ownage in this topic is growing exponentially!

:lol:

orangegroveog22

Hey dumbass, no one was talking to you, and speaking of instigating a flame war, that's exactly what you're doing, you god damned hypocrit.

You suck, no one likes you, leave.

i was not trying to start a flame war, i was just pwning you, so you'd STFU

as for the last sentence... :lol:

Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|I-Own

Yes, I'd like to apologize to ITI.

That kids stupidity is so great that it influences me to immediately flame. It's an effect I call his cone of stupidity.

[QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"]

[QUOTE="I-Own"]All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.I-Own

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

I don't see anybody talking about how great your beats are the way they do with WorstGameEver and DaDukies. Hell, barely anyone even replies to your beat threads.

And I don't currently own any beat-making programs, so I can't post anything. (As I've said a number of times) I'm going to be moving and buying a new computer somewhere at the end of summer or beginning of fall, so it doesn't pay for me to put down the money now, but when I do get a new computer I'll be buying some stuff, and I'll post my stuff then.

Besides, I'm not claiming to be that great of a beat-maker. All I'm saying is you do a lot of hating and put down alot of programs when your own beats don't really reflect the same level of quality. Be able to back-up what you say.

You just said for me to BACK UP what I say, well guess what, WGB USES Reason, and you have no beats to back up your talk. Double ownage.

BTW, here is a few of my beats http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=381075

I don't even put my good stuff in because they are either under license or in the process of being copywritten.

Chill out.

I don't know how I'm owned by the fact that WGE uses Reason. Reason's a great program, as is Cubase, Logic, and all those others. Use them if you can afford them. All I'm trying to say is that you try to come off as being better than an FL user for making beats with Reason. Now, when it's someone who's skilled in beat-making, of course their beats will sound better in Reason. If you know how to make beats, choosing programs is pretty much a matter of which one can get you the best sound for your beat, and as Reason is a more advanced program, of course you'll get a better sound out of it. But, to me, it doesn't really sound like you're a good enough beat-maker that it matters whether you're making them on FL or Reason.

And why shouldn't I make a demo of FL if I only have the demo? I'm not trying to sell people FL or anything. Alot of people here are just curious about beat-making and would like to try their hand at it - and FL is a good, free way for them to do that. Would you rather they went out and spent $1,000 on Apple Logic and found out "hey, I guess beat making isn't really for me"?

[QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|orangegroveog22

Yes, I'd like to apologize to ITI.

That kids stupidity is so great that it influences me to immediately flame. It's an effect I call his cone of stupidity.

Talk about hypocrites

Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|I-Own

[QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|gtarules42

How the **** does a flamewar help someone stop making flamewars?

[QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|gtarules42

You need to learn how to keep the **** where it belongs, retard. Cuz you have beef with me somewhere else doesn't mean bring it here. Your presence is making this board crappier and crappier.

Now I'm done with this, no more flame posts for me, and if the mods feel necessary, delete all my other ones too.

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|Colt45fool

How the **** does a flamewar help someone stop making flamewars?

[QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"]

[QUOTE="I-Own"]All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.IsThisIt_basic

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

I don't see anybody talking about how great your beats are the way they do with WorstGameEver and DaDukies. Hell, barely anyone even replies to your beat threads.

And I don't currently own any beat-making programs, so I can't post anything. (As I've said a number of times) I'm going to be moving and buying a new computer somewhere at the end of summer or beginning of fall, so it doesn't pay for me to put down the money now, but when I do get a new computer I'll be buying some stuff, and I'll post my stuff then.

Besides, I'm not claiming to be that great of a beat-maker. All I'm saying is you do a lot of hating and put down alot of programs when your own beats don't really reflect the same level of quality. Be able to back-up what you say.

You just said for me to BACK UP what I say, well guess what, WGB USES Reason, and you have no beats to back up your talk. Double ownage.

BTW, here is a few of my beats http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=381075

I don't even put my good stuff in because they are either under license or in the process of being copywritten.

Chill out.

I don't know how I'm owned by the fact that WGE uses Reason. Reason's a great program, as is Cubase, Logic, and all those others. Use them if you can afford them. All I'm trying to say is that you try to come off as being better than an FL user for making beats with Reason. Now, when it's someone who's skilled in beat-making, of course their beats will sound better in Reason. If you know how to make beats, choosing programs is pretty much a matter of which one can get you the best sound for your beat, and as Reason is a more advanced program, of course you'll get a better sound out of it. But, to me, it doesn't really sound like you're a good enough beat-maker that it matters whether you're making them on FL or Reason.

And why shouldn't I make a demo of FL if I only have the demo? I'm not trying to sell people FL or anything. Alot of people here are just curious about beat-making and would like to try their hand at it - and FL is a good, free way for them to do that. Would you rather they went out and spent $1,000 on Apple Logic and found out "hey, I guess beat making isn't really for me"?

That's why I don't get it when I see so many talking about using FL for Hip Hop, i've never heard any good Rap beats on FL (i've heard good techno ones though).

Also, I guess I don't get why you made a big thread about it.

But it looks rather comprehensive and informative, so good job.

However FL is NOT a very good music program at all, it is essentially a 100 dollar toy compared to most programs. That's simply a fact. You call this thread "Beginner's Guide" when FL is essentially a beginners music program in itself. I remember pretty much learning the ins and outs, including creating parimeters for my owns sounds, in a day or two, and then after that I quickly realized that I would not be able to achieve the sound I wanted with that program.

FL is also kinda terrible if you use samples.

Oh and WHY THE HELL do you keep saying i'm not a good beatmaker? Unless you have work to show me RIGHT FREAKIN NOW, then STFU.

[QUOTE="Colt45fool"]

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|gtarules42

How the **** does a flamewar help someone stop making flamewars?

[QUOTE="Colt45fool"]

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|gtarules42

How the **** does a flamewar help someone stop making flamewars?

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="Colt45fool"]

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|fat_rob

How the **** does a flamewar help someone stop making flamewars?

[QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"]

[QUOTE="I-Own"]All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.IsThisIt_basic

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

I don't see anybody talking about how great your beats are the way they do with WorstGameEver and DaDukies. Hell, barely anyone even replies to your beat threads.

And I don't currently own any beat-making programs, so I can't post anything. (As I've said a number of times) I'm going to be moving and buying a new computer somewhere at the end of summer or beginning of fall, so it doesn't pay for me to put down the money now, but when I do get a new computer I'll be buying some stuff, and I'll post my stuff then.

Besides, I'm not claiming to be that great of a beat-maker. All I'm saying is you do a lot of hating and put down alot of programs when your own beats don't really reflect the same level of quality. Be able to back-up what you say.

You just said for me to BACK UP what I say, well guess what, WGB USES Reason, and you have no beats to back up your talk. Double ownage.

BTW, here is a few of my beats http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=381075

I don't even put my good stuff in because they are either under license or in the process of being copywritten.

Chill out.

I don't know how I'm owned by the fact that WGE uses Reason. Reason's a great program, as is Cubase, Logic, and all those others. Use them if you can afford them. All I'm trying to say is that you try to come off as being better than an FL user for making beats with Reason. Now, when it's someone who's skilled in beat-making, of course their beats will sound better in Reason. If you know how to make beats, choosing programs is pretty much a matter of which one can get you the best sound for your beat, and as Reason is a more advanced program, of course you'll get a better sound out of it. But, to me, it doesn't really sound like you're a good enough beat-maker that it matters whether you're making them on FL or Reason.

And why shouldn't I make a demo of FL if I only have the demo? I'm not trying to sell people FL or anything. Alot of people here are just curious about beat-making and would like to try their hand at it - and FL is a good, free way for them to do that. Would you rather they went out and spent $1,000 on Apple Logic and found out "hey, I guess beat making isn't really for me"?

[QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"]

[QUOTE="I-Own"]All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.Orlando_Magic

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

I don't see anybody talking about how great your beats are the way they do with WorstGameEver and DaDukies. Hell, barely anyone even replies to your beat threads.

And I don't currently own any beat-making programs, so I can't post anything. (As I've said a number of times) I'm going to be moving and buying a new computer somewhere at the end of summer or beginning of fall, so it doesn't pay for me to put down the money now, but when I do get a new computer I'll be buying some stuff, and I'll post my stuff then.

Besides, I'm not claiming to be that great of a beat-maker. All I'm saying is you do a lot of hating and put down alot of programs when your own beats don't really reflect the same level of quality. Be able to back-up what you say.

You just said for me to BACK UP what I say, well guess what, WGB USES Reason, and you have no beats to back up your talk. Double ownage.

BTW, here is a few of my beats http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=381075

I don't even put my good stuff in because they are either under license or in the process of being copywritten.

Chill out.

I don't know how I'm owned by the fact that WGE uses Reason. Reason's a great program, as is Cubase, Logic, and all those others. Use them if you can afford them. All I'm trying to say is that you try to come off as being better than an FL user for making beats with Reason. Now, when it's someone who's skilled in beat-making, of course their beats will sound better in Reason. If you know how to make beats, choosing programs is pretty much a matter of which one can get you the best sound for your beat, and as Reason is a more advanced program, of course you'll get a better sound out of it. But, to me, it doesn't really sound like you're a good enough beat-maker that it matters whether you're making them on FL or Reason.

And why shouldn't I make a demo of FL if I only have the demo? I'm not trying to sell people FL or anything. Alot of people here are just curious about beat-making and would like to try their hand at it - and FL is a good, free way for them to do that. Would you rather they went out and spent $1,000 on Apple Logic and found out "hey, I guess beat making isn't really for me"?

[QUOTE="fat_rob"][QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="Colt45fool"]

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|gtarules42

How the **** does a flamewar help someone stop making flamewars?

[QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"]

[QUOTE="I-Own"]All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.I-Own

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

I don't see anybody talking about how great your beats are the way they do with WorstGameEver and DaDukies. Hell, barely anyone even replies to your beat threads.

And I don't currently own any beat-making programs, so I can't post anything. (As I've said a number of times) I'm going to be moving and buying a new computer somewhere at the end of summer or beginning of fall, so it doesn't pay for me to put down the money now, but when I do get a new computer I'll be buying some stuff, and I'll post my stuff then.

Besides, I'm not claiming to be that great of a beat-maker. All I'm saying is you do a lot of hating and put down alot of programs when your own beats don't really reflect the same level of quality. Be able to back-up what you say.

You just said for me to BACK UP what I say, well guess what, WGB USES Reason, and you have no beats to back up your talk. Double ownage.

BTW, here is a few of my beats http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=381075

I don't even put my good stuff in because they are either under license or in the process of being copywritten.

Chill out.

I don't know how I'm owned by the fact that WGE uses Reason. Reason's a great program, as is Cubase, Logic, and all those others. Use them if you can afford them. All I'm trying to say is that you try to come off as being better than an FL user for making beats with Reason. Now, when it's someone who's skilled in beat-making, of course their beats will sound better in Reason. If you know how to make beats, choosing programs is pretty much a matter of which one can get you the best sound for your beat, and as Reason is a more advanced program, of course you'll get a better sound out of it. But, to me, it doesn't really sound like you're a good enough beat-maker that it matters whether you're making them on FL or Reason.

And why shouldn't I make a demo of FL if I only have the demo? I'm not trying to sell people FL or anything. Alot of people here are just curious about beat-making and would like to try their hand at it - and FL is a good, free way for them to do that. Would you rather they went out and spent $1,000 on Apple Logic and found out "hey, I guess beat making isn't really for me"?

That's why I don't get it when I see so many talking about using FL for Hip Hop, i've never heard any good Rap beats on FL (i've heard good techno ones though).

Also, I guess I don't get why you made a big thread about it.

But it looks rather comprehensive and informative, so good job.

However FL is NOT a very good music program at all, it is essentially a 100 dollar toy compared to most programs. That's simply a fact. You call this thread "Beginner's Guide" when FL is essentially a beginners music program in itself. I remember pretty much learning the ins and outs, including creating parimeters for my owns sounds, in a day or two, and then after that I quickly realized that I would not be able to achieve the sound I wanted with that program.

FL is also kinda terrible if you use samples.

Oh and WHY THE HELL do you keep saying i'm not a good beatmaker? Unless you have work to show me RIGHT FREAKIN NOW, then STFU.

Hey man, calm down about the beats. I'm not even trying to stress that; it has more to do with the programs; you make it sound as if your beats are better for having been made in Reason, when I don't really hear anything that couldn't have been done in Fruity Loops. It's not about the beats; it's about the programs.

And yes, I'm aware of FL's limitations. I mention it all the time; I'm sure I even mentioned it a couple times in the guide itself. However, the bottom line is that it's free, and you can make good music on it. Isn't that reason enough for people to use it and for information to be written about it?

Besides, while FL may not exactly lend itself to hip-hop creation so much, I'm having a difficult time thinking of just what aspects of beat-making it isn't capable of. It already comes pre-loaded with tons of iconic hip-hop sounds, from the kick drums to recent favorites like steel drums to classics like clavs and moogs ... really, pretty much all the sounds you need are there, and you can always download others. You can come up with tons of different quantinizations and feels, do triplets for southern rap, gate synths, arpeggiate chords ... on and on; it really is capable of just about anything you'd need, and even if it isn't in the most straight-forward fashion, it IS free.

And I don't know how you can say you've never heard good rap beats made with FL Studio; unless you think 9th Wonder is a bad producer :?

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="fat_rob"][QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="Colt45fool"]

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|HaSheeSh_basic

How the **** does a flamewar help someone stop making flamewars?

and also... it's not all me, I-Own and ITI would still be arguing even if i hadn't made the comment i made. :|

[QUOTE="HaSheeSh_basic"][QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="fat_rob"][QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="Colt45fool"]

[QUOTE="gtarules42"][QUOTE="I-Own"]Wow, this thread really took a wrong turn. :|gtarules42

How the **** does a flamewar help someone stop making flamewars?

and also... it's not all me, I-Own and ITI would still be arguing even if i hadn't made the comment i made. :|

[QUOTE="Orlando_Magic"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"][QUOTE="I-Own"][QUOTE="IsThisIt_basic"]

[QUOTE="I-Own"]All that writing and you forgot to mention how much FL SUCKS.I-Own

:lol: Did you ever notice how you usually get like three replies for your beat threads? Man, you need to be able to back up all the %#$@ you talk ... it doesn't matter how expensive of a program you have; if your beats suck, a $500 program isn't going to make them better.

I don't see anybody talking about how great your beats are the way they do with WorstGameEver and DaDukies. Hell, barely anyone even replies to your beat threads.

And I don't currently own any beat-making programs, so I can't post anything. (As I've said a number of times) I'm going to be moving and buying a new computer somewhere at the end of summer or beginning of fall, so it doesn't pay for me to put down the money now, but when I do get a new computer I'll be buying some stuff, and I'll post my stuff then.

Besides, I'm not claiming to be that great of a beat-maker. All I'm saying is you do a lot of hating and put down alot of programs when your own beats don't really reflect the same level of quality. Be able to back-up what you say.

You just said for me to BACK UP what I say, well guess what, WGB USES Reason, and you have no beats to back up your talk. Double ownage.

BTW, here is a few of my beats http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=381075

I don't even put my good stuff in because they are either under license or in the process of being copywritten.

Chill out.

I don't know how I'm owned by the fact that WGE uses Reason. Reason's a great program, as is Cubase, Logic, and all those others. Use them if you can afford them. All I'm trying to say is that you try to come off as being better than an FL user for making beats with Reason. Now, when it's someone who's skilled in beat-making, of course their beats will sound better in Reason. If you know how to make beats, choosing programs is pretty much a matter of which one can get you the best sound for your beat, and as Reason is a more advanced program, of course you'll get a better sound out of it. But, to me, it doesn't really sound like you're a good enough beat-maker that it matters whether you're making them on FL or Reason.

And why shouldn't I make a demo of FL if I only have the demo? I'm not trying to sell people FL or anything. Alot of people here are just curious about beat-making and would like to try their hand at it - and FL is a good, free way for them to do that. Would you rather they went out and spent $1,000 on Apple Logic and found out "hey, I guess beat making isn't really for me"?

Well, he must not need that much help if his group landed a major label contract and he's got to producer beats for major-label artists like Jay-Z and Destiny's Child.