Electric instruments and synthesizers

[Skyrius]

Well, though the title is such, I feel like I almost want to get a feel for what kind of music everyone here on this section of the forum composes. What kind of software do you use?

The reason I'm asking is that I've been playing through different VNs and it's quite neat to listen to the different range of musical genres.

Personally, I'm trying to figure out what sort of software I should go with next. I have Finale, which I love to death for classical music and can use quite well.....but only for that. The downside of Finale is that, while it can be superb for classical music and instruments with the right tuning, it isn't exactly suited for different types of music. And obviously, since I'm thinking video games, I'm interested in finding software that does a better job with instruments (especially electric guitar and bass, you just can't have an all out hand-banging rock session without screaming guitars) and perhaps some sort of synth software for messing around with the music (pitch, frequency, some other effects I don't know of? XD). What you think when you think video game music I guess.

See, it's an odd dilemma. I don't have good enough recording equipment, otherwise I'd just record live instruments. I play paino, viola, cello, and bass. Guitar (electric and traditional) and I'm learning the electric bass (it's coming along rather well). While I never got past intermediate level with any woodwinds, I can read and write music for a large range of instruments. Granted, I 'm not rich enough to own each of these instruments (well, I own most of them), but also I really would like to figure out how to get the sort of sound I'm imagining on the computer as well. I've got classical down more easily (it being....well, classical. It's not much different from just straight up composing and tweaking the sounds Finale gives me).

Especially "electric" sounds, I almost want to say imagine Pokemon music, cause that's the best analogy I can think of XD I've NEVER worked with that though. I guess techno or trance falls under that category as well.

This is all a large round about way of saying there are some really talented musicians on the internet and I'm curious how you guys go about making music digitally.

PS: I'm actually really, REALLY curious about what vocaloid composers use to make their instrumentals XD (karaoke version I guess is another way of saying it). There are so many REALLY nice sounding pieces with all sorts of interesting effects I'm trying to replicate (and failing spectacularly. I've never used vocaloid for the record, but I listen to a ton of the songs).

[Ziassan]

What kind of software do you use?

More than I thought use Sibelius, similar to Final apparently (it appears that it's well publicized around students).
The different kind of software you're speaking about after, and the most common, is the "audio workstation", using pianoroll instead of sheet music.

FL-Studio, Reason, Ableton, Cubase, Reaper, etc. for the commercials ones
Macaw or LMMS for the (good) free ones.
They are really similar basically. You can use samples, soundfount, VST (virtual instruments), apply effects, filtrer, mix, arrange, render, etc etc.


The Finale-like (Sibelius, Anvil studio) softs are really different to use than the others.
Well, so.
You can record in it, or use samples from real instruments, or use directly virtual instruments.

Most of them are expansive, or really expansive (a good full-orchestra VST can cost around 800$)
You have some good free ones, but most of them are "electronic" sounding, not made to copy a real instrument.
The hardest sounds to get are the Electric guitar, and the vocals. Even the commercial ones... it's hard to find something good.
Really,trying to have a rock band on your computer is the worst idea about making computer music.

It'll be cheaper for you to buy a fair microphone to record yourself, really. This one for instance is cheap and good : http://www.thomann.de/fr/the_tbone_mb85_beta.htm

You can also directly plug an ampli (or pre-ampli) in your computer using a IN-Line plug from a sound card. Like that, you'll directly record the sound from the ampli (you need to plug your instrument to the ampl obviously).
Cheap soundcards start at 40~80$ (that's really cheap), this one is cheap and good http://www.thomann.de/fr/maudio_fast_track.htm or this one even cheaper but well http://www.thomann.de/fr/miditech_audioface_ii.htm


"Electric" sounds like 8bit sounding ones etc etc. are easier to get obviously.

[Skyrius]

Oh, nice. I didn't know I could do that. I think I'll just buy a sound card and record my own electric guitar then. Finale covers almost all my bases for traditional instruments too, but those microphones would be a good idea (they're MUCH cheaper than Finale XD).

More importantly though, thanks for the recommendations for the audio workstations. I've downloaded Macaw (it's like another lauguage or something XD) and it's definitely different. However, it's fun messing around so hopefully I'll get the hang of it.

I wish they had a manual or something for where everything is though. I'm still busing finding all the different options.

[Ziassan]

I'd say, maybe installing LMMS would be better in that case, because they have a community behind them and wiki.
Getting started > http://lmms.sourceforge.net/wiki/index. ... ng_Started
Complete Manual > https://sourceforge.net/projects/lmms/files/UserManual/
Some tested VST (mostly free) : http://lmms.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Tested_VSTs


If it's to record directly your guitar, yeah, you can just plug the "headphone" output of your ampl in the "In-line" of the soundcard. Even the cheaper one (~80€) would be enough. That would look like that : http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2379296/01052012395.jpg (I needed a thing to transform the minijack male in jack male)
Otherwise the microphone is good enough, but you can't just plug it in your computer (that'd sound bad), you need a soundcard to plug it into (with an XLR thing if possible, the 80€ soundcard has one).

Good luck anyway.

[Dollywitch]

A lot of my stuff was done using OpenMPT(Mod Plug Tracker) and various sample packs, which makes them sound pretty lo-fi, moreso than MIDI sometimes.

I used Fruity Loops on some things but find it awkward. Now I mostly use Ableton, though to be honest, it's not the most musical DAW so I kind of feel trapped doing "Choons".