shirazd
Joined: 05 Jul 2006
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 9:29 pm Post subject: seeking advice: what music software should I use? |
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The dig:
So I've waited for years to make music with computers. Although I'm very computer adept, I've always found the mindset of computers and music making to be very different. Making music is a right-brained affair, working with computers is left-brained. So I've been waiting for the true convergence of computers and music, and it seems to me that we're finally now reaching that point where I can use the computer to *express* myself, rather than having it define the music more than I want it to.
On that note, can someone please explain to me which software packages are best suited for various approaches to making music?
To my understanding it's like this. Please correct me or add where appropriate:
Reason -- great for pure electronic music
Cubase -- geared more towards the conventional studio musician, used primarily for multitracking analog instruments, then running the tracks through effects and mixing down.
Ableton Live -- great for on-the-fly live effects, but not so good for ground-up music making.
Reason and Cubase together -- a powerful combination, I'm told. But which parts of each program are used? What kind of music does this combo tend to produce?
So that's a simple summary of my computer music software knowledge. I want to know more, a lot more, as essentially I've been waiting for this for a long time. I feel a calling.
To be sure, I bet the various softwares have expanded their offerings, copying features from each other to the point that they now aren't necessarily that different from each other. I'm thinking of this comparision: Adobe did image design with Photoshop and Macromedia did web design with Dreamweaver, but as the web grew, Macromedia expanded their image-manipulation tools and Adobe conversely expanded their web-building tools. They now both offer combined image-web suites, but each still has their strength based on their roots. I imagine this is what's happening with music producing software, albeit in an earlier stage.
So what I want to understand is the _gist_ behind each of the major software packages. What's the culture behind each? Where do you see them going? Which genres of music tend towards which software?
And if this helps, a bit about the kind of music I plan on making -- My music will *not* be strictly electronic. There will be a degree of analog work with electric and acoustic guitars, hand drums, and vocals. There will be lots of multi-tracking, and *tonnes* of hyper-ambient effects -- simple, pure and beautiful melodies within ethereal, epic soundscapes. My music should also translate into a live experience with at least *some* live instrument playing (guitars, vocals, drums), with live effects -- more spontaneous than pre-programmed but pre-programmed where necessary. There will be some heavy, heavy electric guitar (hard rock), Middle Eastern drum rhythms (hand drum and computer), and mystical Arab and Indian minor scales (via computer as well as guitar and other non-western stringed instruments). From electronic music in general it will borrow mostly the trancey rhythmic drive. From psytrance in particular it will borrow the sonic perfection of specific sounds (cerebral tweaking). I am not a kit drummer, there is no drum kit involved -- I'll be using hand drums and programmed rhythms. I will also need a good way to change the computer's drum beat on-the-fly for spontaneous changes in live performance. The whole thing should be produceable with my computer, some software, a good soundcard (suggestions? good low latency and nothing fancy required), my voice, an electric guitar, and some hand drums.
Thoughts?
Shiraz |
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lynnmonk
Smooth Moderator
Joined: 09 Nov 2005
Posts: 53
Location: UK
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| Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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Rather than muse over the different manufacturers of music software, you would be better off thinking of the way you want to create your music.
There are 3 kinds of music creation software...
1. Recording programs
2. Arranging programs
3. Scorewriting programs
1. These programs are going to be the most useful to you, as they allow you to play music in real time and record all the emotion you can put into your performance. Just like going into a studio in the old days and recording live to a multitrack tape.
2. These programs are designed primarily for DJ producers and arrangers who use mainly samples and loops from existing music. Many such snippets of sound can be arranged and layered to make new remixes.
3. These programs are designed primarily for serious composers who want properly formatted music notation for use with bands and orchestras. Notes are input in much the same way as writing via a word processor. These take the place of writing your compositions directly to manuscript.
1. Some industry-standard recording programs are ... Cubase, Logic, and ProTools.
2. Some industry-standard arranging programs are LoopAZoid, Acid, and FruityLoops.
3. Some industry-standard scorewriting programs are Sibelius and Finale.
First, choose the kind of software that would suit your use, then try out as many demos as you can, in order to ascertain the best product for your personal way of working.
Me? ... I use Logic!
Lynn |
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