YuriTajento Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 (edited) I want to make music with my computer, but I'm not sure which program is best for me. There's a few points that I need the program to have, which are: 1. The program should be free or cheap. 2. I want to be able to compose with the Piano Roll Editor. 3. The program needs to work on a PC (with Windows 7, to be specific) 4. I want to be able to compose music with actual instruments and I want the emphasis to be less on techno music. I also tried entering this site: http://soundtempest.net/the-best-free-music-software/ But it won't work for me Any help with that? EDIT: I think I should have been clearer about what my goal was. I'm trying to get into a music school. I sent a few pieces of music I composed with Anvil Studio to some students. -One said that the track was too "quantized" and that I should use Reason or Cubase to process the midi file. -The other guy said that the sound was off and that I should use more of my own sounds. So it looks like I need a program that can easily take midi-music files and make them sound better, possibly with better-sounding sound sets. Are Reason and Cubase good programs for this? And do they have free trial versions which I can use? By the way, the most I want to spend is about 100 Euro's. Edited March 5, 2013 by YuriTajento inaccurate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argle Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 Reaper fulfills all your requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Hakštok Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 If you wanna go free, you could check some of the programs from this list: http://bedroomproducersblog.com/2011/05/16/bpb-freeware-studio-best-free-vst-host-applications/ I haven't used any of these but at least one should fit your requirements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meteo Xavier Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 How cheap is cheap? Reaper sounds like the best bet there, but without an actual number behind it, it's hard to tell how many opportunities you really have there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted January 3, 2013 Share Posted January 3, 2013 The "best" ones aren't cheap, and the cheap ones aren't always good. "Best" isn't a good way to define "good" either. There isn't a "best", just a "more preferred" or "easier to work with". I personally love FL Studio, but it isn't cheap. The Producer Version is $199. I'd still recommend it. Unlike what some people might say, it's not just for techno. I've used it for Jazz Fusion before. You will have to find other instruments to put into it, unless you'll be able to do really well with the defaults and synthesize your own stuff. There are lots of free instruments out there though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esperado Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Last I checked Ableton, Reason and Pro Tools all had watered down versions of their DAWs for like 99$. which I personally think is cheap as far as audio related programs go. you dont get all the whistles and vsts and and such but its enough to get you started, especially if youre more into recording and less into the electronic stuff. Ableton live intro is also 69 something on musicians friend, which is a REALLY nice deal if you ask me. you can also pick up demo versions of most programs if you wanted to feel around for what you like. Otherwise i second Reaper, its free. I think theres a free vst thread on this forum too if you , you know, wanted some of those Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 REAPER isn't actually free, but the demo is only limited by an annoying message when you start it, there are no missing features or anything. And it's dirt cheap. Mixcraft should get a mention for being equivalent to Apple's entry-level DAW, GarageBand, and its full version is 150 bucks. If you're serious about music and can handle the probably higher learning curve right away, getting a more advanced DAW from the start is probably better, even if it's one of their cheaper versions, but from what I can tell, Mixcraft is a pretty good place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dissidia Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 FL Studio and Cubase have the smoothest piano roll to me, if you could get a deal on a "starter" (student price for Cubase is fairly cheap) edition and get a hold of some free VSTs you could do pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moseph Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 And the entry level edition of Sonar is ~$100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 If you're going for more professional stuff, then there isn't much stuff that is cheap. Like some of the others before me have said, there are sort of like dumbed down versions of all the pro stuff for cheaper, but there's hardly anything you're gonna get that's really good that you'll get a lot out of. I use a Mac, so I'm not sure how much help I can be. But FL Studio and Pro Tools are my best suggestions, and if they've said there's cheaper versions of those two, then great. If you had a Mac I would've suggested starting with GarageBand... I went from PC to Mac, because I prefer Mac over PC, mainly for its programs (such as Final Cut and Logic Pro... though Final Cut sorta is poopy now... I think I'm gonna get Premiere... but that's away from the main point) and its layout; it works better for me. But I'm going way out there now and hardly even talking about the main point, so there ya go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awakening Link Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 I want to make music with my computer, but I'm not sure which program is best for me. There's a few points that I need the program to have, which are:1. The program should be free or cheap. 2. I want to be able to compose with the Piano Roll Editor. 3. The program needs to work on a PC (with Windows 7, to be specific) 4. I want to be able to compose music with actual instruments and I want the emphasis to be less on techno music. I also tried entering this site: http://soundtempest.net/the-best-free-music-software/ But it won't work for me Any help with that? Based on what you've mentioned, I'd say either Reaper or FL Studio would be a good choice. Both have demo versions available and are relatively cheap if you do decide to go with a full version. As for that site, the link is indeed dead, but you get redirected to a site selling sampling and loop packages, rather than full DAW's. If you want some free samples/loops, check out this link. http://www.musicradar.com/news/tech/free-music-samples-download-loops-hits-and-multis-217833/1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ap3xultima Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 The only way you're going to know which piece of software is best for you is by downloading demos/trials and having a play around. My suggestions would be Reaper, Cubase Essential (since its cheaper) and FL Studio. However there are others you can try like Sonar, Zynewave Podium, Ableton Live etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anorax Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 If you're going for more professional stuff, then there isn't much stuff that is cheap. Like some of the others before me have said, there are sort of like dumbed down versions of all the pro stuff for cheaper, but there's hardly anything you're gonna get that's really good that you'll get a lot out of.If you had a Mac I would've suggested starting with GarageBand... Mixcraft should get a mention for being equivalent to Apple's entry-level DAW, GarageBand, and its full version is 150 bucks. If you're serious about music and can handle the probably higher learning curve right away, getting a more advanced DAW from the start is probably better, even if it's one of their cheaper versions, but from what I can tell, Mixcraft is a pretty good place to start. While I have to correct Rozo on minor technicalities, mainly being that Mixcraft has a full version at ~$80 (with it's own good share of instruments and effects), and a "Pro Studio" version at ~$150 (which includes another Acoustica product and even more effects and instruments and can basically be considered an "add-on pack" to Mixcraft), I will agree that Mixcraft is mostly entry-level so far, mostly because there are some things in it that aren't quite as sophisticated as other DAWs have (sidechaining, advanced automation editor). However, Mixcraft have some decent instrument samples to use, as well as a pretty large royalty-free sample library to pull from (~6000 samples), and they also have a piano roll (then again, most DAWs do. Some don't, but most do). I suggest you look around and try out some demo modes, see what you like, and what kind of functionality you'll get for the price of the DAW. Keep in mind that some DAWs have ridiculous demo restrictions (FL won't let you reopen files you saved earlier while in demo mode) while others aren't as strict (Mixcraft has a 14-day full-functioning trial, after this period you can't mix down to audio files but there is a workaround for this built into the DAW). Just go find what works best for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rukunetsu Posted January 8, 2013 Share Posted January 8, 2013 The only way you're going to know which piece of software is best for you is by downloading demos/trials and having a play around. That's all there is to it. Given the many suggestions you've gotten already from others, I'd say just hop to it and see what works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YuriTajento Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 I think I should have been clearer about what my goal was. I'm trying to get into a music school. I sent a few pieces of music I composed with Anvil Studio to some students. -One said that the track was too "quantized" and that I should use Reason or Cubase to process the midi file. -The other guy said that the sound was off and that I should use more of my own sounds. So it looks like I need a program that can easily take midi-music files and make them sound better, possibly with better-sounding sound sets. Are Reason and Cubase good programs for this? And do they have free trial versions which I can use? By the way, the most I want to spend is about 100 Euro's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 At 100€, your best bet is probably the all-free route. Not sure how easy it is to work with, but REAPER should be able to do the necessary midi edits. As for sounds, you can grab a bunch of free sample packs, such as SSO (the site is "temporarily disabled" atm, tho). Check out KVRAudio for a soundfont player and possibly other instruments and tools. Other sites offer soundfonts and other instruments for free. The hardest part will be to learn how to best humanize your writing. I have some thoughts on it in my remixing guide (in my sig), but it all depends heavily on the samples you have to work with. Also, while it might not be that great for your learning, handing your midi to someone with a bit more skill and better tools is also an option. I don't suppose anyone requires you to play all instruments yourself anyway. I don't know if your school will accept a collaboration like that, tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 I recommend trying out FL Studio, there's a demo you can download. If you end up liking it, there are a couple editions you can pick up on your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avaris Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 I highly recommend StudioOne Free: http://studioone.presonus.com/free/ I've used StudioOne Pro for about 6 months and absolutely love it. Has an excellent work flow and drag n drop. Piano roll with multi-editing is one of the best I've seen. If you really like it, there are 3 other versions you can upgrade too down the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rozovian Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 That interface looks a lot easier to navigate than REAPER's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YuriTajento Posted March 9, 2013 Author Share Posted March 9, 2013 I've just downloaded Studio One (because I am easily confused and could use an easy interface) but there's a problem: The second it has loaded, my computer seems to become completely muted. I can't hear anything in the program itself, and youtube vids for example won't have sound anymore either. If I close the program and restart the vid, the sound works fine again. Any ideas on what might cause this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YuriTajento Posted March 22, 2013 Author Share Posted March 22, 2013 Sorry guys, but BUMP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.