Off-Topic > Off-Topic

How to make music

(1/3) > >>

Argentum:
I am starting to compose music.  What's some good software?  I don't want to buy and install a bunch of bullshit and find out its useless.

Enny:
Like Fede said, FL-Studio is one option. It's pretty widely used, and recommended, especially among internet musicians, as well as beginners. Very capable DAW, though I'd recommend trying a couple out.

Me, personally, I fiddled with FL-Studio for a little over a year, and eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn't for me. For some people, it's everything they could want, but personally, I wasn't feeling it. Looking back, the reasons were that it felt too cluttered, especially after I'd get a lot of different instruments and VST's loaded up, and that everything was laid out so.. Hmm. Nontraditionally, I guess?

You have your more "professionally"/traditionally laid out DAWs, the ones you'll see in studios like Pro-tools, Cubase, Sonar, Logic (Favorite of Mac users) and Studio One to name a few, which are as great as any other DAW, depending on how you personally understand them. Then some that have a mix of traditional layout, with their own quirks, like Ableton, Bitwig (One of the only major DAWs with native Linux support), and Reason. Lastly, are the ones that are pretty odd, being.. FL, and something else, probably. FL is the only one I've ever looked at that's so different, but there are probably others.

OS support is probably important to you as well.

The only DAWs that have native support on Windows, Mac, and Linux devices, are Bitwig, and LMMS (An open-source, kinda watered down DAW), to my knowledge. Don't quote me on that, though.

Windows and Mac are Ableton, Pro-tools, Cubase, and jeez idunno what else.

Strictly Windows is FL Studio (At the moment, they're working on OSX support), Sonar, and maaaybe Studio One?

Mac-only is Garage Band, which comes free with your computer, and Logic.


There are probably more in each category, but that's what I know of.

My personal recommendation is Ableton. I find it cleaner and with less windows than FL, as well as a million other things, but preferences, you might completely disagree. (Edit: I can also actually link you to tutorials for understanding Ableton if you wanna try it out, can't remember what I used for FL back in the day. SeamlessR is good if you go with FL)

Lastly, what are you looking to compose? Electronic? Orchestral? Wanna plug in a guitar and track? Let us know, and I'm sure either Fede and I could recommend some libraries, VST's, or other things.

Argentum:

--- Quote from: Enny on April 02, 2015, 04:47:36 PM ---Like Fede said, FL-Studio is one option. It's pretty widely used, and recommended, especially among internet musicians, as well as beginners. Very capable DAW, though I'd recommend trying a couple out.

Me, personally, I fiddled with FL-Studio for a little over a year, and eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn't for me. For some people, it's everything they could want, but personally, I wasn't feeling it. Looking back, the reasons were that it felt too cluttered, especially after I'd get a lot of different instruments and VST's loaded up, and that everything was laid out so.. Hmm. Nontraditionally, I guess?

You have your more "professionally"/traditionally laid out DAWs, the ones you'll see in studios like Pro-tools, Cubase, Sonar, Logic (Favorite of Mac users) and Studio One to name a few, which are as great as any other DAW, depending on how you personally understand them. Then some that have a mix of traditional layout, with their own quirks, like Ableton, Bitwig (One of the only major DAWs with native Linux support), and Reason. Lastly, are the ones that are pretty odd, being.. FL, and something else, probably. FL is the only one I've ever looked at that's so different, but there are probably others.

OS support is probably important to you as well.

The only DAWs that have native support on Windows, Mac, and Linux devices, are Bitwig, and LMMS (An open-source, kinda watered down DAW), to my knowledge. Don't quote me on that, though.

Windows and Mac are Ableton, Pro-tools, Cubase, and jeez idunno what else.

Strictly Windows is FL Studio (At the moment, they're working on OSX support), Sonar, and maaaybe Studio One?

Mac-only is Garage Band, which comes free with your computer, and Logic.


There are probably more in each category, but that's what I know of.

My personal recommendation is Ableton. I find it cleaner and with less windows than FL, as well as a million other things, but preferences, you might completely disagree. (Edit: I can also actually link you to tutorials for understanding Ableton if you wanna try it out, can't remember what I used for FL back in the day. SeamlessR is good if you go with FL)

Lastly, what are you looking to compose? Electronic? Orchestral? Wanna plug in a guitar and track? Let us know, and I'm sure either Fede and I could recommend some libraries, VST's, or other things.

--- End quote ---

The biggest concern is being able to make good sounding orchestral music, but on limited computing power, as my computer is ancient.  I am trying REAPER now on the suggestion of another digital composer but I am willing to try less expensive shit.

The OS is important, it must be able to run (decently) on Windows XP. 

Ableton stuff would be great, as price isn't a concern right now.

Like I said, I want to compose orchestral music.  Something in the futurist style most likely.  I am on the lookout for a good free libraries for common orchestra instruments.  I only have a cello library right now and I need some more before I can really sandbox. 


--- Quote from: Fede on April 03, 2015, 02:06:09 AM ---In my opinion, the choice of program comes down to how capable it is of producing one's desired result the quickest way possible – regardless of the gajillion different features the program might have. And in terms of composition, only advice I have there is that it comes down to having good samples. But it's even cooler to record one's own or use existing audio sources to create new samples, like the experimental musicians Metrosound or James Blake. And don't hesitate to play with the effects in order to create different auditory atmospheres, like an orchestra; just takes a good feel of how the settings should be in order to sound realistic or pleasant.
--- End quote ---

I need to get a microphone before I can record sounds.  What are some good sample libraries that I can get legally?  I am looking for something like "Piano Libary" for example, with all the piano notes recorded so I can simulate a piano.  I thought about using MuseScore to make music but hearing the samples, MuseScore is not cut out for that. 

Enny:
With Orchestral, something that'll help you is having a decent amount of RAM on a 64bit OS. A lot of those really big orchestral sample libraries will be apt to kick the shit out of your rig, otherwise. I'd say eight gigs, if you can, but if not, I suppose you can always freeze and flatten until then.. 2gbRAM base, 2.0ghz or so multicore processer are also recommended as a minimum with most stuff, so if you're at least over that, I think you'll manage either way.

I don't know much about reaper, other than that it's considered cheap compared to other DAWs. Should be fine if you're liking it, though. Ableton's suite version does come with like, 4gigs of strings, brass, mallets, and woodwinds each, which are alright enough if you're just getting into it, kinda shit by professional standards, but seeing as you're wanting to go free stuff, and the suite is like, eight-hundred dollars, stay awaaayyy.

Don't know of anything else, personally, especially not free stuff. Libraries like LA Scoring Strings, and Cinebrass are what you're eventually aiming for, but can be pricy. If you're feeling adventurous and piratey though, they plug into Kontakt, so grab that first.

Argentum:

--- Quote from: Enny on April 03, 2015, 04:36:37 PM ---With Orchestral, something that'll help you is having a decent amount of RAM on a 64bit OS. A lot of those really big orchestral sample libraries will be apt to kick the shit out of your rig, otherwise. I'd say eight gigs, if you can, but if not, I suppose you can always freeze and flatten until then.. 2gbRAM base, 2.0ghz or so multicore processer are also recommended as a minimum with most stuff, so if you're at least over that, I think you'll manage either way.

I don't know much about reaper, other than that it's considered cheap compared to other DAWs. Should be fine if you're liking it, though. Ableton's suite version does come with like, 4gigs of strings, brass, mallets, and woodwinds each, which are alright enough if you're just getting into it, kinda shit by professional standards, but seeing as you're wanting to go free stuff, and the suite is like, eight-hundred dollars, stay awaaayyy.

Don't know of anything else, personally, especially not free stuff. Libraries like LA Scoring Strings, and Cinebrass are what you're eventually aiming for, but can be pricy. If you're feeling adventurous and piratey though, they plug into Kontakt, so grab that first.

--- End quote ---

I don't even meet those requirements, am I fucked?

The selling point with the musician who recommended it also said one of its biggest perks was that it was cheap.  Hopefully that's meant in an endearing way rather than a "wow this is shit" cheap.

Thanks for the library suggestions, I will check those out. 

Since you know so much about this shit where's your music?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page