[Sansato]

Originally Posted by Ectogemia

Cover = your best imitation to reproduce the original piece itself verbatim.

Okay, just to clarify.

I know that the composition has to be reproduced verbatim, but when making a cover of a song, am I allowed to use sounds that differ from those of the original? Or would that fall into the "remix" category? This is probably a dumb question, but I'm kind of confused here.

[Neblix]

Originally Posted by Sansato

Okay, just to clarify.

I know that the composition has to be reproduced verbatim, but when making a cover of a song, am I allowed to use sounds that differ from those of the original? Or would that fall into the "remix" category? This is probably a dumb question, but I'm kind of confused here.

The whole point of a cover is a verbatim composition with a fresh new soundscape. For instance, Brandon Strader did a metal cover of the Skyrim theme.


It's the Skyrim theme, but with electric guitars and drums.

[Sansato]

Originally Posted by Neblix

The whole point of a cover is a verbatim composition with a fresh new soundscape. For instance, Brandon Strader did a metal cover of the Skyrim theme.


It's the Skyrim theme, but with electric guitars and drums.

So the way I understand it is this. If I were to cover an 8-bit song (like the ending theme to Super Mario Land, for example), I could make the soundscape however I wanted to as long as I still recreate the original song note for note.

I'm still a little confused as to whether or not certain backing elements (like pads, for instance) are allowed when they aren't present in the original. I'm guessing no, but I'm not entirely sure.

[Neblix]

Originally Posted by Sansato

I'm still a little confused as to whether or not certain backing elements (like pads, for instance) are allowed when they aren't present in the original.

Electric guitars weren't in the skyrim theme, Brandon was allowed to use those.

You're overthinking it. Covers are just remaking the song in whatever way you want.

[Sansato]

Originally Posted by Neblix

Electric guitars weren't in the skyrim theme, Brandon was allowed to use those.

You're overthinking it. Covers are just remaking the song in whatever way you want.

Okay, I get it now.

Yeah, I guess I was overthinking the verbatim part. Thanks for the clarification, Neblix.

[Die]

Don't worry. Play songs by ear and you'll train your ear.

And about music theory, you can find lots of useful information just by googling.

You could look for...

1) The notes
2) Scales
3) Intervals
4) Chords (along with its inversions, extensions, etc.)
5) Harmony / Chord Progressions

Those are the basic things that you'll want to know. Then comes arrangements, rhythm, etc., but with those, you'll do just fine.

http://www.musictheory.net is a good resource, and it's easy to use.

[Sansato]

Time for me to ask something else, it seems.

I will admit to owning the fruity edition of FL Studio 9 as part of a previous and very feeble attempt to make music (which unfortunately amounted to taking pre-existing MIDI files and giving them a new coat of paint for the most part). I was planning on using it to make music after I actually learned a thing or two about it. However, I recently had to purchase a new computer and start over, so I'm going to have to buy a new DAW before I can do any real work.

While I'll probably take mickomoo's advice and get Mixcraft, I'd like to have something in mind for later on. What's the general consensus on FL Studio and Reason? Is one better than the other? Do each have certain features that the other has not? This isn't entirely urgent, but I'd like to know the answers the last question at the very least.

[Neblix]

FL Studio 10 is free for you.
There's no reason to switch DAW's.

[Sansato]

Originally Posted by Neblix

Why in the world would you buy Mixcraft when you already have a DAW you're used to?

If you really want a cookie-cutter multitrack lane DAW, just get REAPER. It's free. (not to mention Mixcraft is just plain ugly)




(you know FL Studio 10 is FREE for you, right?)

First, good point. I guess I just wasn't thinking enough.

Second, I might look into Reaper. If it doesn't appeal to me, then I'll just get FL.

Third, wait, I can get it free? If I have to have my regkey or whatever that file was, then it probably won't work that way for me. I wasn't smart enough to back up those really important files like I should have done, so if this involves my old laptop in any way, I'm S.O.L. .

[Neblix]

Originally Posted by Sansato

First, good point. I guess I just wasn't thinking enough.

Second, I might look into Reaper. If it doesn't appeal to me, then I'll just get FL.

Third, wait, I can get it free? If I have to have my regkey or whatever that file was, then it probably won't work that way for me. I wasn't smart enough to back up those really important files like I should have done, so if this involves my old laptop in any way, I'm S.O.L. .

http://www.image-line.com/documents/...eeupdates.html
You can get your regkey from your My Account page.


No, this isn't a new thing. It's been there for years. That's why it's undeniably the best deal in music software. Cubase, Pro Tools, Reason, etc. all cost money ($200-300 per version) to upgrade. ("best deal" meaning most content for your buck)