producing tunes...but which software?!

sebirepsax · #1 12-11-2005, 04:37 PM

Hello

say i wanted to try and produce my own tunes, what program should i use? preferably freeware...but just tell me what you consider best for a beginner.

Thanks

s

shudder · #2 12-12-2005, 02:32 AM

if you're after freeware your best bet is a tracker. jon (the carp dreamer) knows more about trackers than me, because i think they're "teh shitecore".

free software i would recommend you czech out:

rebirth - since propellerheads stopped producing it they've made it a free iso download, go here: www.rebirthmuseum.com

you can also get various bits of free music production software from www.hitsquad.com/smm/.

..and that's about it.

if you don't mind investing in some software i would recommend you get:

reason v3
acid (any version will do. i use acid pro 1, the recent versions by sony have video editing tools and other useless things like that. you can download acid xpress which is free and limited to a few channels, but it'll give you an idea of what to expect from it)
fl studio 5
soundforge

any questions?

Emmet · #3 12-12-2005, 02:55 AM

Reason is a great studoi all in one package for the first timer.

Acid Xpress..yup, yup yup for messing around with yer audio.

I live by the bible that is Cubase, have a look at Cubase SE for the most cut down version.

People swear by different software packages; Cubase, Reason, Logic, DP etc..everyone has their own preference and to be honest in this day and age theres nothing pretty much wrong with any of them.

Have fun.

shudder · #4 12-12-2005, 03:57 AM

agreed. no one can really tell you what software to use, you just have to try and combine everything until you're happy with what works best for you.

trackers are shit though.

Leon · #5 12-12-2005, 04:02 AM

About Acid. I have Acid Pro 4.0. I use Reason to make my tracks, but would like to do the build up and stuff in Acid Pro. But when I Save loops in Reason, they (of course) get cut off at the end of the loop. Is there some other way to do it, like I can connect Reason to Acid in some sort of way?
Thanks

shudder · #6 12-12-2005, 04:15 AM

you can set the looping parameters in the bottom right of reason. the default should be set to 9.

Renze · #7 12-12-2005, 04:22 AM

Cos no one has said it yet: Ableton Live is also a great producing tool. It's not free, but at least you can try the demo from www.ableton.com and see if you like it. It supports VST instruments and effects and tons of free VSTs can be found at www.kvraudio.com

tiq · #8 01-02-2006, 05:24 PM

i use reason 2.5 (i know this version is outdated and it isn't freeware)
you have many options, it's very versatile, it's easy to use and you can make it as big and extended as you'd like

tonnerre · #9 01-08-2006, 10:34 PM

i may be the only mac user on this entire thread, but I use Sound Studio by Felt Tip Software a lot. Prior to that was Cakewalk Metro but I think they discontinued it so it won't run on OSX?

botkiller · #10 01-29-2006, 12:50 PM

I use hardware - the roland groovebox 505, a tr-909, and some other machines - then on software I'm a fan of cubase SX and reason 3.0 with as many refills as you can muster, as the factory refill is crap. ableton is amazing, but I can't get myself to use it yet. if you wanna fool with some great sound design and have fun try out synth edit - www.synthedit.com - which is free, and as for trackers, my favourite is renoise, www.renoise.com. I love it, because you can use VST's in it (aphex twin has used it to make tracks, apparently), but you can do that in madtracker as well - www.madtracker.org - as of recent. both are free to use and have low registration fees. fruity loops is great, acid is fun for mixing. if you're looking to stay cost concious I'd suggest getting the free rebirth, renoise and some free vst's off of http://www.kvraudio.com/ . there's a lot of good stuff out there. as for hardware in your computer, I use an maudio audiophile 24/96 and I love that card, the ASIO is great and very low-latency, and it's cheap now, as it's "outdated". it's also nice to have a good external keyboard, such as Radium 61 key or something of that like.

you don't need to be a programmer to use this stuff - just spend some time learning.

there's really a lot of good free stuff out there, and I would suggest being careful about what you buy until you've tried it. Reason is great - but I hated it until 3.0, and I thought I'd wasted my money when I bought it at 2.0. Spend some time seeing what you like, what you want to drop money on. You might find that you're a hadware person, and it's better to direct your money the right way, of course.

i'm fooling with all this right now, and really liking what I'm doing, on average.

good luck!