i...need...HELP!!!

[Mr_Black]

Hey guys, Im very new to this board(and producing) , and I guess I really got a question which has been asked a billion times over, so Ill keep it short, …I got reason 2.5, and this ableton live sequencing instrument I won at a M Audio Promotion Tour when they stopped by my area. Ive been using reason for a lil while, and im sorta pleased/not pleased with its results, I love the way you can edit the tracks to have a sound fade in and fade out…and it mixes really well problem is it doesn’t sound very hip hop enough..like I listen to some Dr Dre stuff (mostly from Xzbit, songs like Multipy , You don’t know me. Get ur walk on? Timberland, (the jump off-lil kim…Bubba sparks) Neptunes…etc….and I wonder, Why doesn’t my beat sound like that , Now of course im not talking about pulling gold out of the wood work, but just the samples , drums, etc, doesn’t sound as freash, as live, as solid, as the work done by the producers I had mentioned……To me reason sounds more electronic techno…

Anyway most of the boards I look threw on this site, I keep hearing cubase and fruity loops, pro tools, now was that the way to go? It seems that Cubase and Fruity loops seem to be the pretty powerful combo… I guess im looking for something to make beats with and grantend I Havent explored reason far enough to even knock it as a product, But it seems..im looking for answers in terms of ..Should I go ahead and pop another 300 bucks for cubase and another 150 for fruity loops..? what about pro tools? Would I need ableton to record Live audio still or would cubase cover that? Any Reason hip hop producers out there that can share some tips with me on how to tweak my sounds?

I guess im going a million directions with this but Im so confused? I don’t know what to buy I don’t know what to hook up, what goes where *sigh* Anyway If you got any input id appreciate it …thanks Mr Black

 

[afriquedeluxe]

id say stick wit ur reason 4 makin beats n if u plannin 2 records vocals n all den u can consider pro tools n all dem programs.
ddem big time producers proly dont use reason, but reason can hav da same quality, all u gota do is get da right sounds

 

[dacalion]

This isn't truely answering your questions but I'm sure that it'll help you at some point which is why I'm sharing this. Every now and then go and check out the "New Products" section of this site by clicking on the HOME link. I've put some really good hardware and software gear thats not always labeled as "hip-hop gear" but is great for hip hop production there. I put a breif discription and my thoughts on how each listing performs as well as a picture. I'm sure that it will help you in the future when thinking of purchasing new gear and this ish ain't cheap!

On my system, I use Protools, ACID, Fuity Loops and a ton processing hardware which works well for me, but my setup is built more for "remixing" than "production". I've been doing alot of traveling and checking out "professional studios" lately and I've noticed a big trend leaning towards Protools for recording. It seems to be very popular because alot of producers are making beats at home with Protools and then taking them into the "BIG" studio to complete.

good luck,--dacal

 

[cmr3]

It doesn t matter what you use you can use fruity loops or reason and make good quilty beats aslong as you but your own sound in the software cause the sounds there aint that good. Me personaly I use a mpc and I dont mess with fruity or reason and a year ago I would of said you can t make good beats on fruity loops or reason but I av heard some people that made bangas on those softwares with there own sampled drums and instruments thats I cant say that no more.Its all about tweakin the sound to make it sound nice and crisp and live. you can even buy sample cds that u can import in to reason that are already eq, compressed with analog compressers etc. but it gonna cost you u feel me....As far as recording I think protools is the best for audio for recording,editing etc....Anyways I am out OnE

 

[Copenhagen]

I use ProTools for recording vocals and final mixing but it really isn't any good for making beats.

I use Reason to make beats and as with almost any software sequencer etc, the sounds that come with them aren't very good, they are just to get you started. Thinking back to when I used Fruityloops, their standard sounds are even weaker.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, check our thread at the top of The Lab forum called "you need drums sounds" and check out some of the links to sounds mentioned in there. Also, you can "steal" drums, single hits etc from you own collection of music...that's how a lot of us started, some still do so.
Also, you can buy sample CD's with drums and single hits/sounds. Only problem is that usually, the most expensive ones are also the better ones. In Denmark they cost between approx. $100-250.
Also, visit sites like our sponsor BanginBeats.com for drums. They are certainly in the top 3, if not the best, for buying HipHop drums online.

There are several people on here who use Reason to make beats and their beats are good.

Also, check out these beats made in Reason by a keyboardist who e.g. has worked for Em and Dre.
beat 1
beat 2
beat 3
beat 4
beat 5

 

[Mr_Black]

Thanks so much for the replies guys *sigh* im so glad i didnt waste 300 bucks, I may get pro tools for the vocal stuff, but, Yeah im gonna keep reason going, I still like the commentary said about cubase so i may look into getting that, but more then likely ill get a midi keyboard first...I may post some reason only questions on nother thread later on but I apprecate the replies

 

[JPeg]

u dont gotta get pro-tools to record vocals u could try cool edit pro im sure thats cheaper.

or u could of got fl studio which has wave recording ability

 

[Shonsteez]

yo ive been a user of reason for about a year now and i understand your fustrations...
you gotta really dig or go buy something though. Your right - the drums do sound to electronic....thats for my taste too.
the people who created reason are actually a techno group called the propellerheads so that should tell you right there that your gonna hear sounds focused on techno an shit.
the program is no where limited to just making drum n bass or techno though...
like one of the other users said, its all about the way you tweak the drums and add compresion and so forth to really get that live feel...
over time ive obtained a descent amount of refills but really nothing except for vynilistics 3 that i really intended on wanting.
for a while i was reaping the benifits of p2p sharing but i wouldnt suggest that right now especially since people are getting sued left and right at the moment...and thats real shit so if your a big downloader like i was-you should probably chill out for a while cuz tha RIAA is fucking pissed and taking names...
anyway check out a search on google for hiphop refills and your bound to find something.
also got to http://www.e-lab.se
they have some free downloads to get you started and they also have the golden sample cds we all want...
im fin to get my hand on tha XTC Files of Hiphop soon for B day - that shits gonna be so dope!
Anyway good luck and if you got any question go ahead an holler...also one of the best things to do is to really read the op manual or by the tutorial...it will really help...i promise!
Shit theres a grip of stuff i dont even know how to do still on that dam program...

yo peace out homie...and good luck!

 

[God]

I wouldn't suggest Pro Tools to you, since you claim you are new to production. Cool-Edit Pro, for vocals should be an effective alternative (and much cheaper) than Pro Tools. I believe the software was purchased by the Adobe Corporation, but the concepts and programming are still somewhat the same.

Sincerely,
God

 

[MaximeRobin]

you can use ableton live and reason at the same time with rewire.It syncronise the 2 softwares and your reason out are redirected in the live mixer. That way, you can put some fx on your tracks (I know there is some fx in reason but they are not that good, I got reason 2 tho...)
Also you can record your vocal in live if you don't wanna shell out more cash. If you wanna use loops in your beat, live is a very powerfull tool.

 

[Mr_Black]

Yeah I havent even touched the live yet, it just is there, so i have to look into putting the vocals on that since thats what someone told me i can do...