12 replies to this topic

[captain boombatty]

Ok - wasn't sure whether to put this here or in creative stuff!

Anyway - I have used a few music production software suites before and after about a 12 month off period ive decided I would like to have another go at it. I know there are a few people in the fanbase who must know a thing or 2 about whats good and whats not, so I thought i'd ask if anyone has any suggestions. Bear in mind though - I have a very limited budget!!

So what I really want to know is: what do you all use to produce your own tracks? (and what plugins, if any, do you use?)

[Moonlighttrill]

Well, there is ONE program, thats costs a few hundred moolah in america, but i'll mention cuz the internet can be used to **********(thing that can get me band) so what you do you do. "Finale 2009" or Sibelius scorch of yur cheaper (more based on notation). Garageband of you have a mac (has midi, loops and notation possibility). Noteworthy composer is a midi creator for windows, but kinda old (last time i checked).

[Nemoide]

I owned Acid Music 3.0 the version is now obsolete but I thought it was pretty great. It was only $50 or so and could really allow for a lot of editing.
I ended up just making horribly generic techno though T_T

Also I really wish I was still running Windows so that I could get Vocaloid. Someday Hatsune Miku and I shall be united!

[DiGi Valentine]

Hmm. FruityLoops ain't a bad program either. Dunno how much that's selling for nowadays though.

[TRAViS]

I've used Sonic Foundry ACID (now owned by Sony) for the longest time. It's not difficult to use and supports every effect and plugin from here to the other end of the Internet. Don't get the "free" ACID Express of their site; you're limited to ~15 runs before they ask you for money to continue using it. Go for the latest full version, but expect to pay or pirate.

[Zero-Shift]

I've recently started playing around with MTV Music Generator on PS2. On the PC side, there is of course Fruity Loops as already mentioned. I hear Reason is also pretty good.

[Xay]

I've recently started playing around with MTV Music Generator on PS2.

So me and spinningcannon are NOT The only one who use's that on this site. Now i don't feel like a Minority! XD

But yes, that is an incredibly easy-to-use and Brilliant muisic Generator. Even some Professional DJ's still use it, despite it being 8yr's old. Just one thing, because im guessing your American- Be careful, because this title was named Music 2000 in the EU and Australia, so be careful witch copy you want to get ahold of. Also there is a way to get stuff off of the game and into the PC Without using Acoustic Recording, witch is a bonus.
And i think there MIGHT Be a PC Version of it as well, witch is a tad more complicated, but it's basicly the same thing at the core. I know they made a Music 2000 PC Version (because i own it, alongside the PSOne version), but i never found out if Codemasters and Jester Interactive ever bothered with MTV Music Generator.

Other then that, i can only recommend Fruityloops or Reason. Reason requires a Keyboard, though (not to mention it cost's £300, so it's obviously even more in Dollers. I got my copy for free, luckily), and both program's are very complicated. Even I haven't figured them out yet ^^;

[spinningcannon]

I use Noteworthy Composer for MIDI files, MTV Music Generator (Music 2000) for other music creation, and a good old-fashioned piano for everything else. XD

NWC is a great MIDI program IF you know how to read and write sheet music. Many music programs use a "pianoroll" function, but NWC allows you to enter and edit notes right on an actual musical staff. I personally love it.
A word of caution-- being a MIDI program, the songs frequently sound different on different computers!

Music 2000 is incredibly fun and easy to use, using a pianoroll function and pre-loaded riffs for composition. I would definitely recommend it if you have a PlayStation AND a good microphone. Unless you snag a PC version, the only way to get your songs onto a PC is by recording them directly onto one.


About FL Studio (Fruity Loops)... I just shelled out a good amount of money for my copy, so I'll tell you how the darn thing works! XD It's absolutely spectacular so far, though. ^^

[Nyclone]

Does anyone know of one for Linux? I've been stuck with Virtual DJ, and I can barely get tracks on it let alone mix it!.

[Level 99]

Does anyone know of one for Linux? I've been stuck with Virtual DJ, and I can barely get tracks on it let alone mix it!.

Okay, before you go ahead and lock this thread because I'm bumping something "very old", just hear me out, admins!

First, in response to this question, which is asked very often for people who are new to remixing or use Linux, there is a cross-platform DAW called LMMS - Linux MultiMedia Studio. I stumbled onto it a while ago, and it was recently brought back to my attention by people asking what kind of free tools exist for getting feet wet in the remixing area. I've not used it personally myself, but I know of some people who do, so it's at least SOMEWHAT functional, I hope.

Here's the link: http://lmms.sourceforge.net/

Also, since I see quite a few musicians around here, it would be nice to share tips, good recording and performance habits, and any other helpful information!

So for those who I know might be getting into, or back into, the music area, or even just considering it, go ahead and give that a look. It does look a LOT like FLStudio, which many people get started with. I might give it a run myself if I get a spare moment to tinker.

[Zero-Shift]

Hey, thread necros are fine so long as they contribute something and a free equivalent to Fruity Loops is pretty damn cool. I definitely want to give this a try now that I got my laptop back.

[Musashi_HUmar]

I downloaded it recently. Now I just need to figure out how to work it.

[Level 99]

Good, let me know how it goes Musashi_HUmar! I'll also post assorted tidbits about music creation here, and anything else and whatnot. Today, I have to say, I have two things sitting in front of me that I never imagined could exist and actually be useful, but undoubtedly are. On my left, in my Nintendo DS, I have the Korg DS-10 "game", and on my right I have my iPhone with something my buddy Jay showed me over the weekend called Bebot. For those looking for an excuse to just musically mess around, these are both versatile products with potential for just a few giggles or actual musical use. The Korg DS-10 is a little more intimidating but can do a lot more than bebot, as the Korg DS-10 tries to resemble a number of Korg devices and interfaces for making synthetic music. Very steep learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, you can make some crazy stuff. There's some great videos on youtube of music people have made on the DS-10 and some of it sounds better than professional stuff! Bebot, on the otherhand, is just a fun little touch-sensative synth that you can freestyle with similar to a "Chaos pad", which detects both note placement and an intensity setting (I think, wiki probably can explain it better but I'm too lazy to search). I had some fun during lunch messing with some chords since you can use more than one finger at a time, and different settings and actually started jamming out a remix of a Sonic 2 melody before I knew it! Definitely not the only thing one would use to make music, but can at least count as one of the instruments, and really really fun to just tweak and test with.

Fair warning: once you start making music in your life, you won't be able to stop. :-)