Is music necessary?

[Ziassan]

Music isn't always necessary, exactly like sprites or backgrounds aren't totally necessary. You can imagine a VN/KN/SN without sprites or background, after all. But it's harder to make a good one. Music carrie the story. I'd personnaly rather play a VN without some art than without music, but it's surely because I'm a composer ahah.
I think you played the wrongs VN, EVN too have good soundtrack, JVN too have shitty soundtracks. Like everywhere, quality varies.

If your wise about your money and bought something else try Frooty Loops like GB but Free and easy to learn.

Hum... Fruity Loops/FL Studio isn't free at all, and the site you're linking to seems really suspicious. I think it just downloads the demo which is free (but really limited), and which would better be downloaded from the main site. I suggest you edit this part of your post.
Also for someone who don't know a lot about composition, GB is totally different than FL-Studio (and the other softs like it). With GarageBand you can use several pre-made loops to build something sounding quite good (though not sure about commercial use of these songs after, but well).

[Anna]

Actually, a lot of VNs use both moments of silence + ambient sounds as well as music. Not every scene needs background music, and some work better without them. I think it's a nice compromise.

That said, I would never give up the Fate/Stay Night OST (Emiya, This Illusion; dear gods the awesomeness), Narcissu soundtrack and many others. Music really helps to set the mood and if it really disturbs someone, they always have the option to turn it off themselves.

[MaiMai]

For me, what separates VNs from just being pure novels is the music and/or sound set within it to create mood, atmosphere, and emotion. Without it, a VN just feels personally lacking to me.

[TrickWithAKnife]

There's something I want to say to anyone who may be creating music for VNs...
Please please please stop using such terrible instruments/samples.
It makes it hard to take your music seriously, and is so distracting that I suspect many people will just turn it off.
There are so many free resources available online now that there is no excuse for it.
You are not making the soundtrack for a SNES game. /rant

[Ziassan]

Hmm just as info, no, actually.
These free resources you speak of are mostly what sounds "not serious" as you said. Depending on the instrument, good & free samples/VST happen to... just not exist. Or well, very rare/hard to get - and they need not a few tweaks before getting goods (of course speaking of 'real instruments' sounds, not electo and such).

Though eh, on the listener side I feel a bit the same, that's what makes (at least for me) a part of the Katawa Shoujo OST harsh and sometimes annoying (free samples/VST not being that common, I even recognize some of them in this OST).
I bought some samples/recorded some myself because it's the only choice for things like strings etc.
Well after, artists have to bought some tablet and softwares too, it's the same everywhere.

The best when starting (and even after) is to go minimalist, making something simple, not disturbing, discret but carrying the mood.

[Obscura]

Re: ability to use Garageband songs in a commercial work, the answer is, yes!

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2931

The only problem I can find is that the more VN makers start using it, the harder it will be to make discrete-sounding tracks.

But I find GB a far, FAR improvement over the music I hear in many VNs.

[Aedin]

The only problem I can find is that the more VN makers start using it, the harder it will be to make discrete-sounding tracks.

I've been using Garageband to make my music until I can get a keyboard and such. Already, I've played three games that use similar loop patterns to several of mine :c

[LateWhiteRabbit]

I feel music is really important to give visual imagery extra punch. Ambient environment sound, sound effects, and a soundtrack are all important for giving depth to scenes and enhancing emotions felt by the player. Of course, yes, bad music can harm a game more than silence, and it is always going to be awkward to hear the same free song samples over and over again in different games.

Music is the only thing I know I can't do well myself, so I'm licensing all my music. It's expensive, but worth it.

[LukaHastune]

I think it's important to have music in VN. Sets the mood everyone always say.

And Music can set a kind of atmosphere in your games. The kind of atmosphere you want that you're trying to give in you games. If it's just the game and no music well, it doesn't seem like the atmosphere you're trying to give won't come across to people strongly.

I mean, look at Final Fantasy, Persona 3/4 and The Last Story. (Just naming a few..) They have wonderful soundtrack that sets the mood of the game.

[papillon]

speaking of good soundtracks, there's a reason the Let's Play of dangan ronpa links the music tracks and their changes along with the text!

[MaiMai]

Dangan Ronpa's tracks are one of my favorites. Box 15 is the perfect investigation music.

[Destiny]

I find it important, yes.
I'm playing games since I'm 6 years old and I played (and created, even though not with renpy) a lot of games.
And music and sound is just as important as graphic.

A game like Fatal Frame would not be that scary without the sounds of creaking floors, of soft sobbing and sudden noises.
Final Fantasy wouldn't be that touching without the awesome music at the emotional parts of the story.

I mean, I like professional VNs, because those often have character music.
Music that fits the character (like soft, slow music for the gentle character and flippy pop music for the energetic one) and makes a character even more recognizable.
Sure, royalty free music (especially good one) is hard to find and some songs will repeat (I know six RPG Maker games that use almost the same identical soundtrack xD), but I'm often more frustrated about a 0815 storyline that I had like this for 10.000 times then about hearing a song again ^_^
And with some searching and looking (and collecting of pages that offer free music) there can be a awesome soundtrack