Before I get into any details, let me answer this question for you. There is no “best” piece of software for making beats. The final product of your music depends not as much on the computer program you use, but moreso on the person in front of the computer.

I’ve heard producers create professional sounding music on every piece of music production software. Just because Fruity Loops costs 1/4 of what Reason costs doesn’t mean it that it lacks potential to make professional sounding music.

Though all software has its potential to make great music with the right producer at its helm, there are some major differences in each. Let me briefly explain the major differences in the “Big 3:”

Reason: Reason is my platform of choice for producing music. Out of the box, I’d say it has the best quality and largest library of stock sounds out of the three programs. The program was originally geared toward producing trance, techno, and drum’n'bass music, but has expanded since its release and is now ideal for just about any kind of music. The Reason interface is set up to look like a rack of different sound modules. You can even wire these modules to each other, to a mixer, and to effects just as you would in real life. This is a useful feature, but it contributes to the program having a very slow learning curve. If you decide to choose Reason to make beats, understand that it will take a lot of time and patience to adapt to the program. One final notable downfall of the program is that you cannot record vocals or instruments directly into this program. You must record them in another program first, and then import them into Reason.

Fruity Loops: Fruity Loops is probably the most used software program for making hip-hop beats. It is very affordable and has a lot of expandability. Fruity Loops does not come with a great library of sounds out of the box. However, it has the ability to connect with different “Virtual Instruments” (VSTs) which contain huge libraries of high-quality sounds, something that Reason cannot currently do. These VSTs give Fruity Loops great expandability, keeping it updated with the newest and freshest sounds. Fruity Loops has a much quicker learning curve than Reason. Within a few days or so, you should be able to grasp a lot of the basics and will be on your way to making beats. Though it offers a lot of plusses, the interface is a bit lacking compared to Reason. It is not as comprehensive (especially the effects modules) and the overall look is a lot more amateur. Overall though, a great program.

Cubase: Cubase does not come with many stock sounds out of the box. Like Fruity Loops, it relies on VSTs for its sound libraries (the same VSTs that can be used for one program can be used for the other). The main difference with Cubase is that it offers a sophisticated recording interface. It allows you to record your vocals or instruments, add effects, and mix and master everything within the program. The programming sequencer is not as smooth as Reason’s, but it gets the job done. Another cool feature of Cubase is that you can “Rewire” the program with Reason, Fruity Loops, and other programs, allowing you to combine the two and use them together. This means you can take advantage of Reason’s rich sounds or Fruity Loops’ famous sequencer while controlling the mixing aspects in Cubase. So overall, Cubase may not necessarily have to be a competitive choice with the other 2 programs, but rather an addition to them to get the most out of everything.

So, please do not continue to think that one piece of beat-making software is superior to another. Each offers its own advantages and disadvantages, and when it comes down to it, it is the producer who has most control over how the track sounds.