Peter Presta

How did you get involved with music?

Back in the 70's and 80's, my family owned and operated The Funhouse and Electric Circus. Two legendary New York nightclubs where many artists including Madonna, Run DMC, and Jellybean Benitez started out. I was so inspired by the club scene that even at such a young age, I knew that this is all I wanted to do with my life. This was back at the beginning of Djing, graffiti, and break dancing which I was a big part of!

Who (& which albums) did you work with so far ?

Over the years (and about 400 record releases later), I have had the privelege of working with almost every major and independent label around the world. My discography is comprised with the likes of Duran Duran, The Backstreet Boys, Anastacia, Sade, 98 Degrees, Darren Hayes of Savage Garden, and David Hasselhoff to name a few!

Recent releases I'm most proud of:

My mixes of Duran Duran and Darren Hayes both went to number 1 in the UK :)

Dj Peter Presta featuring David Hasslhoff's - "You're Not Guilty" is currently climbing up the UK pop chart.

I also produced the theme song to Showtime's hit tv show "Queer As Folk" which played in the final scene of the last episode ever. It is called "Proud" by Heather Smalls. And just recently, I was honored to find out that the song was selected to be used as the anthem song for the 2012 Olympics which will be held in London.

How did you end up using FL Studio ?

xxHaving been in the music industry for so long, you're continuously buying different pieces of gear and programs to keep evolving with the times with what sounds new and fresh.  A friend of mine introduced me to FL Studio and I instantly fell in love with the sounds you could create as they ALL sounded so BIG. I was Totally Hooked on FL Studio from there!

What does FL Studio mean in your current setup ?

It means a lot to me as my productions sound more full and complete to my ears. I am a club guy who likes big sounding productions that shake a dance floor. That is the way I produce and FL Studio definitely completes my package!

What are the advantages & disadvantages of using hardware & software ?

There are a lot of disadvantages with using hardware as it will cost thousands & thousands of dollars just to get you started and each piece of gear is limited to what it can do. But the advantages of using software such as FL Studio is that it will only cost you a fraction of that price, and you will be doing full productions that will keep you saying to yourself, "I cannot believe that I am doing all this on just a computer." Trust me, I say it to myself all the time :)

Put it this way, "I had a $100,000 studio full of gear that I have sold over the years because I knew that using software was the future!"

Any FL Studio loop (flp+samples) you would care to donate so our users can listen to/learn from your skills ?

I will definitely send some stuff for the FL users! I constantly have people contacting me who are always asking what kind of studio gear/programs I use. People can not believe that my studio setup is as small as a shoe box when my productions sound so big, and this is the God's honest truth! And just a quick comment to those inquiring about FL Studio or those just getting into music production...It is amazing what can be done on this program! No other program sounds BIGGER than FL Studio and I've tried and tested everything on the market from Reason to Cubase etc. Fruity Loops is the software of the future and as long as I am producing and remixing, "Everything of mine will have FL Studio all over it" :)

Find out more about Peter here :
 

www.peterpresta.com