Music Software

[Tulac]

Well the art section has it's list of graphic software, so why shouldn't this forum have one of music software?

OK I'll start: Reason - http://www.propellerheads.se/index.cfm (499$) - older versions are cheaper! This is a high quality, almost professional sampler.
FL Studio - http://www.fruityloops.com/ (149$) - A sampler/sequencer. Wow this is already version 5! I've been using it since around 2.7, it's improving in every version, the price is of producer edition, there are other (cheaper) editions too.
Adobe Audition aka Cool edit -http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/main.html (299$) - this piece of software is used for audio editing.
Sound Forge - http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/Prod...uct.asp?PID=961 (http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/Products/ShowProduct.asp?PID=961) (299.96$) - Much like Adibe audition...
Guitar Pro - http://www.guitar-pro.com/ (59$) - this is a guitar tabbing program, and a midi editor, it has a huge database of tabs on http://www.mysongbook.com
Please continue the list, this is just the list of a few programs that popped in my head first, if you have any other good links please post them in here, both commercial and non-commercial.

[Strobe]

(great thread....pinned!)


cubase - top music creation environment w/ vst support - [link] (http://www.steinberg.net/Steinberg/default.asp?Langue_ID=7)

t-racks24 - easy to use and powerful mastering software - [link] (http://www.t-racks.com/)

wavelab - top audio recording and editig software /w vst support - [link] (http://www.steinberg.net/)

[xoopx]

i could post some commercial recommendations, but ill leave that to other people..
behold the good free ones!

modplug tracker -a great free tracker program
here (http://www.modplug.com/modplug/index.php3)

audacity - free and good audio editing
here (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/)

[Tulac]

A huge number of VST plugins can be found here(many of them are free):
http://www.kvraudio.com/

[NoMaD SouL]

:) Can anyone remember ReBirth?I wait to hear BAD comments about it....but believe me...for me is still the best and i will tell you why.I once owned Mugg prodigy synth.I was having a good time with this 16bit and 8 memory banked sequencer.I was playing at parties and recorded additional samples.I got broke once...so i sold it for nickles and dimmes.Now if you say the phrase MuGG Prodigy to a musisian he stares at you like a fool and he gets 3000$ out of his pocket and begs you to buy it.Anyway.I had a future with those traditional sequencers such as Mugg and tr 303 but they are nearly extinct and of course the remaining stock is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo expensive.In 1998 one friend of mine brought me ReBirth Rb 338.I was SOO amazed.I couldnt change it for the feeling of the burned trimmers between your fingers but it is so great.Many ppl believe that you cant write a whole pattern with your melodies and drums but its a mistake.You can erase all these sissy style default melodies and make real music..such as house,industrial,tribal,goa,acid and noone can say to you "Hey Bro!!! You stole a sample from.........ex.X "Everything you create its YOURS....A unique child of YOUR mind (i hate monkey-tiesto-bussiness such as the rotten recipe of mixing ridicullous and unmatched samples).... and with the traditional 1-16 bits per memory recipe.I use all the other you refered guys and i think that are much more intergrated but the good ol' sequencer its the GOOD OL' SEQUENCER.The bad think is that when you make music with reason and Fl(6 is out man....) every single retard can understand that "WOW THIS GUY MADE IT WITH A PROGRAmmmm......"(for instance the unspeakably awful "always outnumbered never outgunned" from prodigy,it was compleatlly done with Reason.......I prefer to refer to it as TREASON.....)but ReBirth is the real original and believe me dudz there are no limits in it .... :max:

[N17R0]

I personally use FLStudio 4 and Sound Forge. I love em. :D

[Mad-E-Fact]

Originally posted by NoMaD SouL@Mar 17 2005, 09:02 PM
:) Can anyone remember ReBirth?
Yea, I have Rebirth, and I love the sounds you can produce with it, if it just wasn't so damn hard to use. It's cool to write a pattern and then export it as a sample to further process it, but that's also a hassle and you miss out on some effects. I just can't see me making a whole song with Rebirth only. Also some of the custom mods available for it are so badly designed, you can't read what the buttons say and basically have to try-and-error over and over again until you get the particular sound you want.

[Tulac]

Yes, but don't modern programs have VST-s that act same as rebirth, but they have much more possibilites?

[WolverineDK]

the moog prodigy was one of the synths Depeche Mode used at the first album they made (Speak And Spell) so i know the moog synth and love the tunes from it :)

[ReamusLQ]

I used Cakewalk for awhile, but I'm on Finale 2005 right now. I like it

[Nyerguds]

Audacity
Overall sound editor & recorder, with loads of filters and such. Not really music software, but an amazingly good program.
http://audacity.sf.net (Open source project == 100% free ;))

[Lil One]

A nice and affordable music program with an interesting ability to sing (called Virtual Singer) is Melody/Harmony Assistant made by Myriad (http://www.myriad-online.com/). I like it anyway, makes things easier for me. :ok:

:ot: :unsure: If anyone played ever played the old game Sapiens, well, these are the guys who created that game... :D

[Reup]

Found this one just now, whilst browsing:

Rosegarden (http://www.rosegardenmusic.com/). It's kinda like Cubase for Linux. It's also very open-source...

I haven't tried it yet, but it looks impressive and I'm anxious to try it out !

And a little Linux sound repository (http://linuxsound.atnet.at/)...

[PrejudiceSucks]

I also recommend pretty much all of the eJay programs, they are very good once you get to be good with them and are also stunningly easy to learn.

[hanut]

Sound Forge is THE BEST! I used audacity but never liked it as much as SF. It is quite similar but SF is much easier to use. Thats just me though. Many ppl swear by Audacity. Both are good. SF is just a little better.

[Tulac]

If by Audacity you mean Audition(ex Cool Edit), it certainly has numerous advantages on Sound Forge...

[omg]

i always liked wavelab more jus for its effect routing options, also i notice no1 has mentioned acid pro ... it rocks!

[cheesegrater]

Jeskola Buzz - it's free!

http://www.buzzmachines.com

[Spoonman]

I began playing with Scream Tracker (http://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=13351) (DOS), followed by Impulse Tracker (http://www.lim.com.au/ImpulseTracker/) (DOS, aka Fast Tracker 2), and then there was ModPlug Tracker (http://www.modplug.com/) (WIN).

Then -in my life- came Rebirth (http://www.propellerheads.se/products/rebirth/) and the freeware program Hammerhead (http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/) (which is very good, check it out!). After that I switched to Jeskola Buzz (http://www.buzzmachines.com/) for a while, before I *stumbled upon* Reason (http://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/). Now it's reason all the way, baby :) Not that I'm really good at it, but there's some potential and it's fun to use anyway.

I've tried some Ableton Live (http://www.ableton.com/index.php?main=live) as well, but that's still too confusing for me.

[Scarface]

Power Tabs (Freeware) is a great guitar tabbing program. You can download many many songs for free... It's a must for every guitar player :ok:

Power Tabs (http://www.powertabs.net/)

[Reup]

On Newsforge there a nice little article containing a couple of links to decent Linux sound programs (http://software.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/08/04/2014227&tid=75)!

[Nyerguds]

Hmmm... that's interesting. I REALLY gotta reinstall Linux :P

[JimmyJ]

bump:

any free MIDI programs out there?

[wendymaree]

I can guarantee that there are heaps. Sorry I can't name names off-hand. Google for the sites that offer freeware music programs for download. Also there's a free newsletter that gives lots of info about everything to do with the music-making scene. It's written by Scott Garrigus who's written all the Sonar Power and SoundForge Power books.

http://www.digifreq.com/digifreq/


Top Fifty Free Downloads:

http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/top50/?nl43

[JimmyJ]

yes, but are there any that are particularly good?

[wendymaree]

Well, the free programs I've experimented with in the past I've always found to be lacking. But I tend to want as many bells and whistles as possible. I can't remember the names of programs I've tried, but they'd be outdated now, anyway.
What about trying the demo versions of full programs like Fruity Loops Producer Edition and Sonar? Or check out the freeware download sites.

Sorry can't be more specific here. Perhaps someone else has something more concrete to offer.

[JimmyJ]

Cuz DEMO (shudder) versions are just that, DEMOS, you don't get all the features :angry:

[heLL0]

I like Nuendo 2, Aduacity, Sound Forge and Cool Edit. I think Nuendo is one of the best.

[Playbahnosh]

I stay with eJays and the best of all FL Studio foreva :D BTW check out my songs at AcidPlay :ok:

Klicky here for my thread (http://www.abandonia.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5959&st=60#)

[chickenman]

mmm I just download FL studio 6 :)
quite hard to use I must say.

[Himmler]

cool edit pro is the best..for me..

[Mighty Midget]

CakeWalk 9 Pro. For audio recording and editing, it's very user friendly once you get the basics right. Tons of directx effects available on the Internet makes it very fun to work with. Drawback: The drum sounds like anything but drums, handclap sounds pretty much like an Oric-1 (was that right?) sfx. That is not a good thing. But for scetching a new song, it's great to work with. Also, it can co-work with Sound Forge.

[troop18546]

I could say:
E-Jay,
Virtual DJ3.
Combine that with Audacity and I think it's decent.

[E-Magination]

My gear is:
Audacity + cheap mic
Buzz
Modplug Tracker
I had hydrogen too, but it was too unstable. Very nice program tough.

Geuss what? Everything is free (except the mic) and Open source! (cept Buzz and the mic)

[Cloudy]

I use Adobe Audition to record all my stuff. I play guitar, bass, and sing on the songs. And I also use drum programming and some electronic effects from a program called Computer Muzys, which is a decent sequencer program that comes free with Computer Music magazine.


Now.. all I need to do is learn to play better and sing better! :P

[Nigga]

As far as I'm concerned the best guess for a half-amateur (before he gets enough money to become a REAL professional :) ) is the following:

1. ImageLine FL Studio Producer Edition (at least fifth version)
2. SonicFoundry Sound Forge
3. SonicFoundry Acid
4. A good mic (not very expensive but not very cheap) with a long wire (or radio-mic).
5. A good sound-isolated room.
6. THE MAIN THING - GOOD BRAINS (meaning they're not too lazy and quite smart ;) ).

Also, depending on your wishes, you should have a friend who plays a guitar, a flute, a xylophone, and so on :)
That's in case you want to add some REALLY acoustic samples to your music.

That's even over than enough to create music tracks of a very high quality which can be used as demos (before a good producer notices you and throws you up into the starry sky ;) )!

...oh! And of course your computer must be equipped with good-enough HARDWARE in order to give you proper abilities to achieve proper results! ;)

[Cloudy]

Stuff I'm working with just now:

OS: Ubuntu (http://www.ubuntu.com/) (Linux)

Recording: Ardour (http://ardour.org/)

Midi Sequencing: Rosegarden (http://www.rosegardenmusic.com/)

Drum Machine: Hydrogen (http://www.hydrogen-music.org/)

That's my main stuff, It gets all linked together using JACK Audio Connection Kit (http://jackaudio.org/).



I still don't have a great soundcard or guitar or anything though, haha.

[Himmler]

i also have cubase sx3 but didn't find time to learn what it can do

[Nigga]

:guitar: :music:
He-he! I guess that lack of time is the main problem of many people like us (I mean who doesn't earn money for their music and hence has to earn them in some other way and hence doesn't have much spare time) ;)

At least for me... that freakin' lack of time just KILLS me! :wallbash: :crybaby: :ranting:

[Cloudy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Shadowlord Shearer @ Oct 31 2006, 04:01 PM) 264602</div>
:guitar: :music:
He-he! I guess that lack of time is the main problem of many people like us (I mean who doesn't earn money for their music and hence has to earn them in some other way and hence doesn't have much spare time) ;)

At least for me... that freakin' lack of time just KILLS me! :wallbash: :crybaby: :ranting:
[/b]

Yeah, that's my main problem. I'm a university student so I have almost no spare time just now. Other than coming on here for 5 minute spells when I get sick of writing essays, etc.

[Nigga]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cloudy @ Oct 31 2006, 09:16 PM) 264653</div>
Yeah, that's my main problem. I'm a university student so I have almost no spare time just now. Other than coming on here for 5 minute spells when I get sick of writing essays, etc.
[/b]

:D

Yeah, I understand you SO much!
I'm a university student too, and also I'm working literally ALMOST EVERYDAY (that comes to something about 26 days/month)! If only we could stop the time, heh? ;) :rolleyes:

[Playbahnosh]

I'm with the guy above me! Well said! :ok:

My gear is FL Studio 6 and...um...just that. I don't use anything else... oh yeh, I use Nero's (yeah, the CD/DVD burning app) Wave Editor to record and cut samples, but that's all. Everything else is in FL Studion ^_^

[Nigga]

:) Thanks, playbannosh!

Yes, sometimes I think that FL Studio can be used to do almost anything, the only thing needed is experience (and patience ;) )!

But the fact is that many things are quite easier to be made using other programs (like Acid), and so less efforts are required in order to make them which leads to higher quality! :ok:

And of course recording sounds leads to sound processing and refinement, which is impossible (meaning impossibly difficult) in FL Studio.

[Playbahnosh]

Granted. That's why I use Nero's wave editor. Other than that, FL Studio is the best all around music composing studio there is, at leat it's my opinion. I got some pretty cool DXi and VSTi plugins, such as Slayer2, EWQL Symphonic Orchestra, Vanguard, V-Station and some others, and I say, once you get the hang of it, FL Studio is UNSTOPPABLE ^_^

I agree, this program has a steep learning curve, but a LOT of documentation and tutorial is avalible, so it's not big deal. I had a harder time with, say, Sonic Foundry, or Re-Birth for instance (when the program started I was like YIKES!!! That thing had more knobs and buttons than a space shuttle fo Gods sake).

[Nigga]

:D
Yeah, I fully agree.

I know so many people who just ADORE all those eJays and stuff like that. Then I tell 'em "Hey, man! Try FL Studio ;) "
Then after a week they say "What the hell! This devil's machine is more complicated than a woman's brain!!! Who could want to use it if there are such beatiful programs like eJay??? You can write music of much higher quality with much less efforts!!!"
And after that they hear some other people's music made in the very same eJay program and they just wonder "Wow, these tracks look much like my own ones! What a coincidence!!!" :D

Just wanted to add that a lot of people don't like to read tons of documentation and complete some tutorials. They think that making good music is just so simple - all you need is a talent (and who doesn't count himself as a high-talented musician, huh? ;) :hypocrite: :) )!!!

The fact that you need much experience and patience in order to do nice things is just unacceptable for their too creative minds! :D

[Himmler]

i couldn't comprehend the interface of FL Studio...cause i don't have time to study it, play with it and look over some tutorials... i hope i'll have the time..someday...

making good music depends only on you and your tastes + talent.
i don't count myself as a high-talented musician... i acually don't consider myself a musician, but i like to use music as a way of expressing my oppinion on the Man of today, the Yesterday and things like that.

and you are right about your last phrase... the ideas flow constantly and if we don't use what we already have we won't make something following an ideology, so you'll have to use what you have.
40% skills and instruments
60% ideology, composition and talent
that's the thing if you're trying to say something with your music...of course, in time you'll have to study hard and such, but you shouldn't waste your time doing practically nothing.

[Nigga]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Himmler @ Nov 20 2006, 11:49 PM) 267841</div>
i hope i'll have the time..someday...
[/b]

:)
Yeah, good phrase - suits me just perfectly, too! ;)

I also have a lot of documentation (mainly, not on music though) which I've never even managed to have a look at!!! :)
All the way I think that sometime I will have time to read it...
And AGAIN I have to say my sorries about the fact that we can't control the flow of the time!!! :rolleyes:

[Himmler]

we don't need time as much as we need essence ;)

[Tulac]

FL studio is pretty simple but you can do complex things with it, although I'd say Reason is much better especially since they've focused more on live recording which is still pretty simple in FL.
I'd still say you need Cool Edit/Audacity if you use FL studio to make highest quality sound.

[chainsoar]

I know a couple of guys who still absolutely swear by Fruity Loops 4. Personally, I can't figure out what the hell is going on in any piece of music software I've ever used.

[Nigga]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tulac @ Nov 22 2006, 12:48 AM) 268094</div>
FL studio is pretty simple but you can do complex things with it, although I'd say Reason is much better especially since they've focused more on live recording which is still pretty simple in FL.
I'd still say you need Cool Edit/Audacity if you use FL studio to make highest quality sound.
[/b]

I have to disagree that FL studio is "pretty simple" <_<
Of course, now I don't experience any problems with it and writing music for me is like painting for an artist. But still I do remember the first time I launched it (it was good old Fruity Loops 3.56) - I was really shocked!!! And also I know lots of people who still either don't want to use FL or aren't able to make something more or less reasonable with it because of its complexity!
;)

And I agree that FL Studio lets you create very complex things, and that in order to do really lovely things you still need other soft (as you say CoolEdit, or, as I've mentioned in previous posts, SoundForge and others). ;)

[Tulac]

Well if you compare FL to other music programs (except E-jay and such crap, but that I don't count), it's fairly simple, I've been using it since 2.72 and I was able to pick up the basics in a day or two.

[Nigga]

Well, that does it - you say "compared to other music programs"! :)
You know, when you say something like "programming MFC applications using wizards is simple compared to programming them without wizards" you don't mean that programming MFC applications is simple in general, do you? :max:
So, even if FL is simple compared to other programs (which is not true not only for eJays and such crap ;) ) this doesn't mean that it's simple in general!

[Playbahnosh]

@ Shadowlord, you are loosing it dude, give it a rest :ok:

Else...

I don't know why you people diss eJays so much. I myself made my first song in a demo of Dance eJay 2 back in the stonage ^_^ You know, it had to start somewhere. I mean, if some kid decides to do some music, an eJay or some other "arrange-the-cutoffs" program is best way to get started.

eJay is as simple as it going to get, so the little n00b can learn how to arrange patterns, how to organise the instruments, how to build up a song, what cut-offs sound good together and stuff like that, that he couldn't (or with enormus efforts) learn in a high-end studio like FL, because that is just too advanced for that. FL Studio takes basic music skills for granted and don't have tutorials for absolute n00bz.

The key is to always develop you skills. Don't stop at the eJay age. When I felt my talent is maxed out in eJay, I went to find some more challanging stuff...and I ended up in Fruity Loops 1.4 ^_^ then came FL 2, then 3...and now I'm in the FL Studio 6 XXL Producer edition with extra plugins and side-programs :ok: Who knows what's next...

[Morrin]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chainsoar @ Nov 22 2006, 01:29 AM) 268119</div>
I know a couple of guys who still absolutely swear by Fruity Loops 4. Personally, I can't figure out what the hell is going on in any piece of music software I've ever used.
[/b]

Hmm.. Well, FL studio 6 is practically the same program with added features.

[WolverineDK]

deleted.

[crazedloon]

FL Studio is very easy to use, but I don't like it because I have a more multitracking-based approach to music creation and my sound is close. You can multitrack with FL Studio if you have ASIO, but it's not the best multitracker. Also FL Studio keeps you close to the mouse, even if you use MIDI controllers.

Less easy-to-use music software than FL Studio (but a lot more interesting IMO): Reaktor, PureData/MaxMSP. Actually, PureData is somewhat difficult to do anything with, but if you can use it then you can do anything.

More professional than FL Studio (i.e. used by more well-known producers): Ableton Live.

Hearsay: As far as I can recall, the guy "Jeskola" who developed the Buzz tracker entered into a deal for money with Imageline (the FL Studio people) to stop development of Buzz. In the early days, FL Studio contained some Buzz code - I don't know whether that's still the case. Ever since then, he's claimed that he "lost" the source code for Buzz. But I distinctly remember the allegations in the early days, connecting him to a deal with Imageline. If the allegations are true, then it's likely he's not supposed to talk about it. I don't know whether the allegations were true, but I do know they were made.

Trackers rule, because it's open source music. Other people can see your creativity and talent before their very eyes: there's no mystery and you didn't use hidden tricks - the playing board is level. I wonder how many FL Studio users are horizontal trackers, in their compositional style.

[Agrios]

Winamp for Music Player

Virtual DJ for DJ Mixing :)

Easy CD-DA Extractor for rip and encode

Cool Edit Pro for editing music. (Old but very good!)

SAM Broadcast for streaming radio

Mp3 Htm Generator - File List Creator for create music file lists!

The bests programs!!!!

[wq15]

yeah audacity is the best for me I would have to say

[MinigunFiend]

Personally, I use Audacity for recording/mixing, and Hydrogen for drums - but both of these have already been mentioned.

The only significant program I use that I haven't seen spoken about here is the brilliant Psycle. It's an open-source tracker/sequencer with full VST2 support - and I swear by it.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/psycle/ <- Check it out and see what you think.
:)

[skite2001]

For recording more then 1 radio stream, i use Alcohol Audio 180%...really nice this proggy

[Headswirler]

I use mostly two programs, ModPlug Tracker and Audacity. I always compose the songs by making simple drum tracks the with tracker and then make the guitar riffs and melodies on the top. When doing the final versions, I of course play and record real drums first and after that I record every other instrument one by one.

Audacity is simple to use and has all the functions I'll ever need, works perfectly for me. "If it ain't broken, why fix it?"

I've been fooling around with trackers and tracker music since I was a kid, started with Impulse Tracker and then finally moved to ModPlug Tracker. I'm quite familiar with this software. It counts as a drum machine and as a synthesizer as well. Convenient.

I don't think the recording software counts as much as the recording equipment. You can't expect top notch studio quality, if using a crappy microphone for example.

[Nick]

I recently tried Linux MultiMedia Studio (lmms (http://lmms.sourceforge.net/)). It's positioning as alternative to FL. It's quite crude right now, but it's workable there. I made a composition just yesterday in it. Despite all bugs and disadvantages, I'm quite impressed. It's better than nothing in Linux.

But for normal needs I use GuitarPro or Adobe Audition with Fruity Loops. )

[Himmler]

adobe audition, sonar 8 producer edition, ableton live, reason and virtual dj. though i don't use live too much. but i must admit it's a great tool
oh overtone analyzer and a special tool which i will be keeping secret

[christhecoolboy]

garageband for mac, thats pretty ok?

[Kugerfang]

EPIC THREAD BUMP YEAH

How do you even use these softwarez? Do you drag around notes and stuff on that 5 line thingy? (I forgot the name lol)

[saibot216]

I use Ableton Live and Audacity. Ableton mainly for sampling and use of VSTs and Audacity for recording straight into the computer. Yeah, I could use ableton for that, but whatever, I do things my way.

VSTs:
-Jupiter-8v: At first I didn't like it, but it grew on me and I love it.
-Arturia Analog Factory: Some great presets, very little room for any programming though.
-Korg M1Le: Use this quite a bit for video game soundtracks and my own work when I desire those realistic orchestral sounds.
-Outer Limits: When I desire creepy ambience, I go here, it is AMAZING!!!

[Thermionic Moon]

I use Reaper for recording, MIDI composition, and mixing. I use reViSiT for chiptracking. And I'd recommend the free Elektrostudio pack for some cool synth emulation VSTs.

[snowgirly]

It is nice to produce our own beats and tracks if it is free (http://www.beatmakershq.com/free-online-beat-makers/)! I like creating my own music whether mixing together loops or playing the piano. It’s good to create one and share to the world my creation. We can choose what kind of beat maker we will using and unleash our creativity starting today.

[Tseki]

The greatest two are Impulse Tracker and FL Studio :OK: