Hi, guys.

I am mainly a programmer and a designer, but I would like to start expanding into the areas of pixel art and snes-era music production. I play a little guitar and know a little music theory. Other than that I am really a total newbie. I have been looking at DAWs and FL Studio looks like it would suit my needs, but I would like some input before I spend any money on it.

Does FL Studio have all of the features a beginner would need? Or would you recommend a different DAW entirely?

I will be composing entirely on my computer. So I do not need any live recording capabilities, but I do need the ability to place notes, use different virtual instruments, play around with effects, et cetera. I am not looking to create studio-level stuff; I just want to be able to put my own music into my own games.

Does FL Studio come with a wide range of virtual instruments? Where would I buy more? Are there any plugins you would recommend?

Thanks.

To be completly honest, I don't know if I have the right to say this on a forum but if you do it for the fun and/or you're just starting just crack it to test it and you'll see. If you like it buy it.

I personnally don't like it, I think Pro Tools or Logic are way better. I don't even know if FL studio is a legit DAW, it's more of a pattern/loop kind of thing from what I saw (I didn't use it much).

Hey,

I used to use Fruity Loops but after a few months I started with Cubase and Avid.

There are different DAW options at the moment that are interesting.

If you want to start trying different DAWs, just download the trial version at play with it, Avid Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, Reason and FL Studio.

These DAWs have everything that you need, you can record if you need it or you can use midi to create the tracks and play these tracks with virtual instruments.

But If you prefer why not try Reaper?

It really similar to these DAWs and it is free. You will learn how to set up the soundcard, buffers and more stuff that is basic in every DAW.

Also the handling and workspace are similar.

Reaper doesn't come with virtual instruments but you can always download free instruments and learn how to load them on the DAW. It is something that you will need to do in every DAW if you want use third party instruments.

Just try different options and then choose the one with you feel better.

I hope this info will help you to start.

But If you prefer why not try Reaper?

It really similar to these DAWs and it is free. You will learn how to set up the soundcard, buffers and more stuff that is basic in every DAW.

Also the handling and workspace are similar.

Reaper is NOT free! http://www.reaper.fm/purchase.php But it IS very affordable!

You can find some SNES/NES-like VST instruments that could emulate the sound you're after. This series of instruments/sounds comes to mind: http://tweakbench.com/peach.

I view different DAWs like different brands of cars. Many of them do the same things but the cost, labels and steps to do those things may differ. Take several DAWs out for test drives with their demo/trial periods and watch Youtube tutorials to get a handle on things.

Hope that helps,

Nate

I am sorry for the wrong information I got confused I thought it was free.

For SNES music most people use sound fonts sampled from actual SNES. Search for Seitzers SNES sound font, sleepytimejesse's earthbound font (it's huge) the ff6 , mario kart , and secret of mana an chrono trigger ones are also great. Some sfs aren't as good as others.

I know logic and Cubase can load sf2 files but I don't know about fl studio.

This page might really be helpful: http://www.williamkage.com/snes_soundfonts

That is a good one. I wish he'd finish the Super Metroid one!!

Hey.

A complete forum-noob here, but I've been using FL Studio since version 6, so at least I feel qualified enough to give my input on that matter.

(Though it's been pretty much a month from the last post, I hope there's still something useful in this).

1. Addressing your first question, yes, FL Studio does have everything a beginner would need, though so does pretty much any other DAW.

FL does have a bit of a different learning curve from the others, so I'd just recommend getting the demo (full-featured sans the option to save project files) and seeing how it clicks with you.

2. When it comes to the range of default virtual instruments, it depends on what you're looking for. It comes with a reasonable range of VSTi in terms of synthesis; the native effects plugins are also more than sufficient for the beginner.

3. Expanding your instrument collection isn't difficult per se. Though it can be an overwhelming process at times, since the selection is just enormous.

Again. Depends on what you're looking for.

3.1. First off, there are Image-Line's own VSTi and sample packs available in the IL store.

3.2. Secondly, the internet is full of third-party software, ranging from full-out orchestral instrument libraries to little softsynths designed to make some specific sound, whatnot.

The price ranges from free up to well into thousands of dollars. Though you do get what you pay for.

4. I can't offer a truly objective comparison with other DAWs due to the general lack of in-depth experience with them. But I definitely agree with Nate. Try out a bunch of DAWs and stick with what you feel most comfortable with. Once you get the basic hang of 'what's this knob do,' it's not difficult to branch out to using other DAWs if needed.

(4.1. FL Studio does have a certain pseudo- bad reputation of being a "fun little toy" / "not a legit DAW". The history behind that being that it started out as a small drum machine/sequencer called FruityLoops and is, regretfully, in some cases still regarded as such, despite having evolved into a considerable workstation over the years).

5. Lastly, with soundfonts being mentioned in earlier posts, FL does have a native SF player, though unless you have the Signature Edition, I believe it's necessary to buy it separately to unlock the demo mode. Though for what is worth, I'd recommend Plogue's Sforzando for playing soundfonts. (Free VST).

Hopefully that didn't come off as an 'advertisement' of any sorts.

Though I will say that no DAW is superior in every sense. It really depends on the individual needs of the user. I will stress again, that the most important step in picking out your first DAW is to try out as many different ones as possible and sticking with the one that best suits you. You'll likely stick with it for quite a while.

It's kind of a strange type of relationship actually... (The more analogies that come to mind, the more morbid it gets, so I will not dwell on it any longer.)

Again, hope this post was/will be of any use to anyone, especially the thread starter.

If you're looking to make SNES-like music, you might try a tracker-style DAW like OpenMPT (easily your best bet), Jeskola Buzz, MilkyTracker, or Psycle, all of which are free, or Renoise if you want to pay a little bit. Most trackers are inherently sample-based like the SNES, and were used to create video game music for computers at around the same time as the SNES was popular. The fact most of them are free doesn't hurt.

On the other hand, the interface isn't anything as intuitive as a piano roll. You input notes vertically like a list or spreadsheet. Volume and effects are entered as hexadecimal numbers. That would turn away many people, but since you said you were a programmer, for all I know I just made you more interested.

Either way here are a couple tutorials for extracting samples from .SPC files, which you can get from SNESMusic.org:

• http://dragondeplatino.deviantart.com/art/SNES-Music-Making-Tutorial-381187834
• http://www.vgmusic.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11269

About the software in the tutorials: SPCTool works fine, if a little crash-prone, but OpenSPC won't even start on 64-bit Windows. Lastly, if you want to convert the samples into soundfonts, Viena is a good choice.

Edit: You might also want to check out C700, a VSTi that emulates the sound of the SNES.