a. Sequencer
The sequencer will be the main production tool in your arsenal; so needless to say, it’s important to choose one that you’re most comfortable with and increases your productivity. In essence, the sequencer is the platform you will use to make your own beats on; from laying down your patterns to creating the foundation of your track. Two of the more popular loop-based software sequencers out there that hip-hop beat makers may use are Propellerhead’s Reason and Image-Line’s FL Studio (previously known as Fruityloops). This free online guide will focus on using FL Studio. FL Studio comes in three different flavors: the Producer Edition, the Fruity Edition, and the Express Edition. The Producer Edition is one of the more expensive editions at $149 and evidently has the most features, while the other two are $99 and $49 respectively. The Producer Edition is more of a pattern-based Digital Audio Workstation (or DAW) in the sense that it’s more than just a sequencer, but a “do-it-all” program and can be the standalone, centerpiece of your entire studio. For the sake of this free guide, you should have at least the Fruity Edition as the Express Edition cannot be used as a standalone sequencer and requires other software programs to control it. For more information on the different type’s available visit FL Studio’s software page.In my own opinion, FL Studio is the best value, as it’s only $149 for the Producer Edition compared to Reason’s $499 price tag and comes with a lifetime of free updates. That means whenever a newer version comes out, you can upgrade absolutely free! If you would like to try the software before buying it, trial versions are available for download at the Image-Line website. Here is a quick look at the features of FL Studio:
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The next software program you may benefit from is a sound editor.