Which programs do you use?

[Chaos662545]

I'm new around here and I was wondering what programs you people use to create your tracks. Up till now I've been using Guitar Pro for composing since I used it a lot with my old band, and I tried using Cubase to convert midi's from there to mp3's. Obviously this method failed (epically, in some cases), so I was wondering what you guys have to recommend for me. Bear in mind that I don't have any major experience with or knowledge of music mixing/editing, so a more user-friendly option would be good for me, I think.

[GnomeSlice]

I've got a ton of stuff at my disposal. I've got a Roland MV-8800 at home, as well as a Korg Radias synthesizer and a copy of 'Reaper'. But there is tons of great, free software out there to get you started. Here are a couple of good ones.

Musagi is a great tool for composing chiptunes, and while I'm not sure it was ever actually finished completely, it does what it does quite well.

Sunvox is a pretty powerful tool but might take some getting used to if you're not familiar with how a 'tracker' works. The graphical interface is user-friendly, and it's got some decent modules for modifying your sounds.

Hope these help!

[TR0KY]

Hello there, if you are looking for something user friendly to start with I would recommend you FL Studio but of course it isn't free. On the other side if what you want is something to start and you are looking for something free then you should take a look to LMNS. Is a really good software to start out and it is very user-friendly. The advantage of LMNS is that if in the future you decide to get FL Studio you are not going to have mayor problems because the interface is almost the same.

Good luck and just have fun making your music!!
ohhh and remember is not the software is the person who use it :D

[xxxZigZagxxx]

FL Studio ftw.

[Lich]

I compose in FL Studio and record vocals in Audacity and export.

[Famas]

I basically use FL studio 10 as my drum machine/synth additive since I don't actually own one, Sony ACID for cutting up and arranging samples, and Audacity for pitch/tempo changes and the like.

[Chaos662545]

Well, what I'm looking for is something in which I can select an instrument and start composing right away, without having to deal with all the little technicalities (since I have a little more than no idea about sound processing), but I don't want these instruments to sound fake (since I am mostly doing rock/metal pieces or rearranges). The downside is that I don't have any instruments with which I can compose (like a synth or an electric guitar) so I have to do it manually on the PC, and most programs I've tried to use have done little more than confuse me.

[TR0KY]

At 1 hour ago, Chaos662545 wrote: Well, what I'm looking for is something in which I can select an instrument and start composing right away, without having to deal with all the little technicalities (since I have a little more than no idea about sound processing), but I don't want these instruments to sound fake (since I am mostly doing rock/metal pieces or rearranges). The downside is that I don't have any instruments with which I can compose (like a synth or an electric guitar) so I have to do it manually on the PC, and most programs I've tried to use have done little more than confuse me.

Then what you are looking for is more some VST. What I would recommend you is to get FL Studio and then buy some good VST. For an Electric Guitar a good and cheap one is Shreddage X, it is design to make lead guitars but you can make almost everything with it. Here you can find a demonstration of Shreddage x. For the drums I don't currently own it but I have heard some good critiques about it is EZ Drummer. They say that it is good and affordable. Here is a demo that I found. Finally for the bass you can work wit the bass that FL includes on the folder that says guitar. It is from directwave and it sound really good. I hope I had help you

[pauljs75]

Linux Multimedia Studio. (LMMS)

Can be desribed as a poor person's FL. Similar interface as FL. Very easy to use, almost does all the same stuff. Weak areas are automation, undos, and copy-paste. As for the rest? It's pretty darn good. (VST compatibility, excellent triple oscillator, very powerful ZynAddSubFX VSTi included, and those excellent LADSPA FX.) Doesn't crash or hang too much, but I've had that happen so I know it's not bullet-proof. Regardless, you're not going to get much better for the price. (Free)

Also don't let the Linux part of the name fool you. It's cross-platform. I think it has a few dependencies in Linux (Wine for .dlls or some such) and if you hunt around you can also find a Mac build (but I heard it only works with Windows VSTs and VSTis.)

Considering the cost of a download at Sourceforge ($0) and ease of use, I'd say it's excellent for beginners. Also lets you do much fancier things once you figure it out. Still very possible to get professional sounding tracks out of it. (To avoid sounding like a typical newb, use the instrument envelopes, apply some FX, and down-mix instruments via the FX channels.) Don't let most newbies not knowing what they're doing and posting on the internet bias you on the software. (I can't say I'm pro - far from it. Just that people having their songs clip badly and raw out-of-the-box samples isn't a fair representation. Imagine if everyone's opinion on Photoshop or FL was based only on newbie creations - or intentionally bad trolled parodies of newbie creations.)

In addition to that I use Audacity. But I figure almost everyone is familiar with that one. So not much explanation needed there.