my friend gave me this, too - is it any good?...what can i do with it.. ? where can i find user's manual..

thank you

regards

claudiu

Claudiu
This is a software or virtual synth application.It is an alternative approach to a physical keyboard. It is all done in the computer and a midi controller. http://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/index.cfm?fuseaction=mainframe

It is a whole different world,and I wouldn't go there at your stage of the game.
Bernie

should i use only fruity loops... ? i'll put this on a CD - ( propellerhead )

I,personally,don't see you having a use for either one. You just got a great synth,and now you want to go in an entirely different direction,only you don't know it yet.

There are two approaches. One is hardware(keyboard). The other is software,using a computer as the OS of a keyboard,operated my a controller keyboard(MIDI).

I have been in this game for forty years and,while I am certainly not 17,I would not tackle this area at your level of expertise.

Keep your software and later on you may decide it is the way to go.

The basic difference is in quality of sounds and being able to upgrade software rather than buying a new synth. The approach could very well be the new genesis of making music,but,initially it can be very expensive and frustrating. Not only that,if you are planning on performing,making changes on the fly is not one of the things you can do yet.

Fruity Loops is a component. It,also, is a fine program for making looping phrases in the software environment.

I don't mean to pour cold water on your enthusiasm,but would like to spare you some grief. Maybe others look at it differently. This is just my opinion.
Good luck
Bernie

Claudiu....I would listen to Bernie on this one, his were well chosen words of advise....Merry Christmas
TR

I disagree. Reason and FL are excellent apps that have the capabilities to do some things that no arranger or workstation can do or do as efficiently.

Putting sequences together and learning how and where drum / bass notes and phrases line up is a good way to get an idea of how music is put together. Even after playing keys for 40 years, I still don't read music as well as I'd like to, but I know entering and seeing the notes, for example, in a grid has helped me advance a bit more when I sit down at a drum set, simply because I understand the timing better and then it all seems to make more sense to me.

I'm not that familiar with Reason, though I've dabbled with it at a friend's studio. I believe it's more of a self contained package, so you need to add it's propietary brand of sounds ( refills I think ? ) in order to expand your sound library. Still, it's quite a popular app that spans more genres than just electronica.

OTOH, while FL is primarily thought of as a loop based app, it has advanced a bit beyond that. I can do almost anything in FL that I can in Sonar. You can record as many bars as you like and edit on a midi channel, just like any other sequencer. FL will also do audio recording, and is excellent for slicing and arranging audio loops. I can also record the audio for an entire song in it, although Sonar and other traditional DAW's work a whole lot better for me in this area.

FL is inexpensive enough, and you can add any VST / DX instrument oreffect that ytou like. You can find quite a few good freeware ones, done by creators like Krakli, Mik Sybrandt, Odo, Tim Conrardy, etc that will work very well for Trance or other modern electronica. If you're interested in this stuff, I would suggest joining and posting at forums like KVR-Audio, the Auditorium, etc. Those sites cater to software synths and a large percentage of the discussion and the information on them is geared toward electronic music.

I agree that a VA76 is probably a wonderful arranger, but for me personally, doing electronic music on any arranger would be an exercise in futility. The sounds and tweakability that I want just aren't going to be there.

AJ

Claudiu, I think AJ just volunteered to help you with your questions..

what am i supposed to do now.. ( cubase sx is on its way.. ) ??? -

thanks

regards,


claudiu

You can use both Claudiu. You can open up FL inside of Cubase as either a Rewire device or a Vsti. Cubase will handle the "finished product" a little better as far as doing the audio recording is concerned.

Even if you aren't good at making patterns, there is plenty of stuff out there to get you started. Listen to midi files that you like, for example, then import the tracks into FL and analyze them. You'll get an idea of what's going on and you can cut and paste the parts you like ( maybe a drum or bass line for example ) and create new songs. You should find this to be much faster than trying to write an arranger style from scratch.

AJ

Claudio,

I, too am one of the old guys on this board. I own a small "Performer's Showcase Cafe/Bar" in northern NJ. Close to 20 musicians a week perform at the place. Two nights ago an old man (probably in his 70s came into the place with a guitar that I probably would have used for firewood if it had been mine. For those of us old enough to remember it was Stella guitar. It was an open mic night and we only had about 3 other performers waiting to play. Being that we normally go in order of coming to the club this old guy was going to be the last to perform for the night. I was anxious to get home to do some last minute shopping but after the other three performers finished playing 3 or 4 songs each, I figured I'll give the old man a chance to do....maybe one song. So I called him up to began, he sat in the high chair that we provide, tapped on the mic once, and started to sing and play. I don't know where the voice came from and I don't know where the guitar sound came from other than from heaven. The man had the voice of an authentic blues singer, from the delta and the guitar sounded like the best Martin, Grodin....you name the guitar, I had ever heard. The other musicians and I just sat there in awe. After about 6 songs, he thanked me for giving him the opportunity to be heard. I invited him to sit down, got him a cup of coffee and started talking to him. Eventually, I said something like, haven't you ever thought of getting a newer/better guitar. His answer was straight to the point. "Why, don't you like the way this one sounds?"

It seems to me to be a lesson for all of us.

Art

Art,

I am not trying to be argumentive here, and btw, that's a very good analogy. I've heard these kinds of stories told before and the musician / player in me tends to agree.

OTOH, Trance is a pretty specific genre in the realm of electronica. A good percentage of what goes into it is based on arpeggiated pieces or loops, that sometimes are not all physically playable by hand.

The other aspect are the sounds themselves.
Sound design in itself is often a major part of what goes into some genres of electronica. Not only modifying existing sounds or crafting new ones, but crafting sounds that fit just right into the mix is considered by many who work in these genres to be a major part of the "art" form. It isn't always as easy as it might sound.

I have a big interest in electronic music myself, as well as sound design, though I'm not very advanced in it compared to the artists / designers who seem to do it pretty well. I know enough about it though to tell you that an arranger is probably not a very good tool for making Trance music.

AJ

anyway - if i connect my keyboard to these two programs - fruity loops and reason propellerhead - and i'll create a song, am i going to be able to play it live from the va to a gig, let's say.. ?

regards,

claudiu

Sure, as long as you use soft synths and / or bring the hardware modules that you used to create the songs in the first place.

You could also make an MP3 of the parts you do not want to play in real time and then play along to it.

AJ

can i play them from my va76? my dad says that the softwares are useless if i can't play them from my va76 - to a gig ..or something..


please gimme details...

regards

claudiu

Yes.

In this situation, your VA76 becomes the midi controller. Midi out from the VA76 into your computer's midi in port. You'll need a midi interface so that your computer can accept external midi signals. They are plentiful and relatively inexpensive.

Claudiu, I strongly suggest tthat you check out some dedicated computer music sites. There is a bit of a learning curve with all this, but nothing very difficult that you can't master if you start reading up on it and then applying it.

AJ




[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 12-25-2005).]

ok anyway...before starting to work with all the programs and stuff...it'll be easier for me to work with all the stuff after i master my va...

regards and many thanks

claudiu

After answering my post in your previous thread counseling patience and practice, you go ahead and shotgun yourself with all this extra software when you can barely operate your VA76!

Confess, claudiu, just exactly HOW old are you?

These constant questions remind me of a little brother who wants to know and do everything NOW, but can't sit still long enough to ever learn anything!

i've told you 100 times..i'm 17 - i said i'll put the softwares on a cd and i'll use them after i master my va...what's the problem ?

and the software was a gift !

You've got too many irons in the fire.

By the time you truly master your VA76, all that software will be out of date!

Concentrate on one thing. You can't learn the piano while you are blowing a trumpet and banging a drum. Give yourself (and us) a break and settle down and CONCENTRATE ON ONE THING for a while!

It would be SO nice if we could just answer your questions (or try to) about the VA76 - especially as this is an ARRANGER forum. Propellorheads have their own forum, as does Cubase, why ask us?

This forum is probably mostly attended by musicians in their more mature years (OK, we're old guys!), with many, many more years experience playing and using technology than you have. Why not just accept what we say?

If not, there's always Ritalin (just kidding...........!)

claudiu, I should learn to master your keyboard before tackling software sequencers and synths. These software packages are totally different to use than any keyboard arranger and judging from the many questions you've asked about the VA76 (they were all good ones by the way so I don't want to sound negative here)you'd end up asking far more questions with the likes of Cubase and Reason than you ever would with the VA76.
Good luck, Merry Christmas to you all