So I figured it would be nice to give people interested in music composition a nice overview of their options when it comes to digital composition! Here we will have a list of all the software (that we know of) to compose music with, as well as helpful links to resources, plugins, and things of that nature. This thread may be slightly untidy as i'm not used to these kinds of things, so bear with me!
What I need from you guys is;
-software to add to the list, and preferably some information. possibly a description of it as well.
-corrections if i've made any inaccuracies
-software descriptions for the apps that i knew nothing about.
-links to resources (plugins, vst instruments, sound sample databases, anything people could use in music) and tutorials/help.
Please only link me to websites that you personally trust. If i go to the site, and i get a shitload of questionable ads and any funny business you're gonna get molly-wopped. :box:
If you have any questions regarding any software related to music composition, or if you're unsure which software is right for you - post your questions here. If you're looking to make a certain style of music, or if you want certain features - we will (or at least i will - but i hope others will join in as well!) try to help figure out what software is best for your needs.
Shareware
FL Studio
Cost: 99$ USD
Demo: Disables .FLP file saving. (You can export MP3/WAV, but you're not allowed to save the file to re-open it later in the program)
Plugin Support: VSTi, SF2
MIDI: Yes
OS: Windows
FL Studio is one of the more popular digital music composition software available. It's fairly user-friendly, and considerably cheap. It's often criticized for being inferior to other audio-composition software, because of some of the poor quality soundbanks that it comes with.
Reason
Cost: 499$ USD
Demo: Saving and exporting are disabled.
Plugin Support: 'Refills' made specifically for Reason.
MIDI: No (not 100% on this one - correct me if I'm wrong)
OS: Windows, Mac OS X
Reason is a sometimes marketed as a digital synth rack instead of a digital music workstation. It comes packaged with hundreds of interesting, and infinitely customizable synths. Reason gives you a lot of control over effects, and sound-shaping, but it is often criticized for it's lack of VST support. Some of the 'refill's can be pretty pricey.
Sony Acid
Cost: 299$ USD
Demo: Limited to 10 exports? It used to be like this, it may have changed with new releases.
Plugin Support: VSTi
MIDI: Yes
OS: Windows
Acid is more of the workstation for people who would rather record their music instead of rely heavily on digital arrangements. That isn't to say it's incapable of using digital instruments. It has VST support, which gives it plenty of room for digital composition on top of the nice options for sound samples.
Finale
Cost: 600$ USD
Demo: Does not save files, Watermarks on sheet music
MIDI: Yes (only?)
OS: Windows, Mac
I've no experience with Finale. From what I understand it is a music notation software with midi support. If someone would like to help describe this software, it would be appreciated!
Finale Notepad
Cost: 9.95$ USD
Demo: 30 day trial
Plugin: None
MIDI: Only Midi
OS: Windows, Mac
Finale Notepad is the inexpensive, less robust brother of Finale. I'm not sure which features it lacks.
TunaFish
Cost: 30$ USD
Demo: Save-disabled
Plugin: VST
MIDI: Yes
OS: Windows
Tunafish is a slightly more compact music sequencer. It seems to have evolved a bit from the super-simple older versions a bit, tho. From what i gather, it's made to be a straight-forward VST sequencer.
Cubase
Cost: 200$ USD
Demo: Cubase demo is Windows only, tho the software is also available for Mac. Save is disabled, along with a large list of other features.
Plugin: VST
MIDI: Yes
OS: Mac OS X, Windows
I have no personal experience with Cubase. If someone would like to contribute a description, it'd be appreciated. :}
Freeware
Audacity
Audacity is a free software for recording and making basic (raw) edits to audio files. I has a few effects built in (some more useful than others), and basic functions like changing volume, and whatnot. Audacity is a staple for most music hobbyists. :}
Resource Links
Audio Mastermind
A nice (rather large) collection of VST instruments.
Krakli Synths
An independent VST-maker. Lots of really cool spacey synths to be found.
Tweakbench
An independent VST-maker. Tweakbench is mostly known for their cool 8-bit synths, but there are some other nice ones as well.
sf2midi
A massive soundfont database.
Hammersound
A somewhat expansive database of oldschool/classic soundfonts. Sometimes this site is down - but it always goes back online shortly.
Tutorials, and general help links
Pixel2life
Primarily a website for graphical tutorials, pixel2life also contains sections for help with various audio editing applications including FL, ACID, Adobe Audition, and Reason.
What I need from you guys is;
-software to add to the list, and preferably some information. possibly a description of it as well.
-corrections if i've made any inaccuracies
-software descriptions for the apps that i knew nothing about.
-links to resources (plugins, vst instruments, sound sample databases, anything people could use in music) and tutorials/help.
Please only link me to websites that you personally trust. If i go to the site, and i get a shitload of questionable ads and any funny business you're gonna get molly-wopped. :box:
If you have any questions regarding any software related to music composition, or if you're unsure which software is right for you - post your questions here. If you're looking to make a certain style of music, or if you want certain features - we will (or at least i will - but i hope others will join in as well!) try to help figure out what software is best for your needs.
Shareware
FL Studio
Cost: 99$ USD
Demo: Disables .FLP file saving. (You can export MP3/WAV, but you're not allowed to save the file to re-open it later in the program)
Plugin Support: VSTi, SF2
MIDI: Yes
OS: Windows
FL Studio is one of the more popular digital music composition software available. It's fairly user-friendly, and considerably cheap. It's often criticized for being inferior to other audio-composition software, because of some of the poor quality soundbanks that it comes with.
Reason
Cost: 499$ USD
Demo: Saving and exporting are disabled.
Plugin Support: 'Refills' made specifically for Reason.
MIDI: No (not 100% on this one - correct me if I'm wrong)
OS: Windows, Mac OS X
Reason is a sometimes marketed as a digital synth rack instead of a digital music workstation. It comes packaged with hundreds of interesting, and infinitely customizable synths. Reason gives you a lot of control over effects, and sound-shaping, but it is often criticized for it's lack of VST support. Some of the 'refill's can be pretty pricey.
Sony Acid
Cost: 299$ USD
Demo: Limited to 10 exports? It used to be like this, it may have changed with new releases.
Plugin Support: VSTi
MIDI: Yes
OS: Windows
Acid is more of the workstation for people who would rather record their music instead of rely heavily on digital arrangements. That isn't to say it's incapable of using digital instruments. It has VST support, which gives it plenty of room for digital composition on top of the nice options for sound samples.
Finale
Cost: 600$ USD
Demo: Does not save files, Watermarks on sheet music
MIDI: Yes (only?)
OS: Windows, Mac
I've no experience with Finale. From what I understand it is a music notation software with midi support. If someone would like to help describe this software, it would be appreciated!
Finale Notepad
Cost: 9.95$ USD
Demo: 30 day trial
Plugin: None
MIDI: Only Midi
OS: Windows, Mac
Finale Notepad is the inexpensive, less robust brother of Finale. I'm not sure which features it lacks.
TunaFish
Cost: 30$ USD
Demo: Save-disabled
Plugin: VST
MIDI: Yes
OS: Windows
Tunafish is a slightly more compact music sequencer. It seems to have evolved a bit from the super-simple older versions a bit, tho. From what i gather, it's made to be a straight-forward VST sequencer.
Cubase
Cost: 200$ USD
Demo: Cubase demo is Windows only, tho the software is also available for Mac. Save is disabled, along with a large list of other features.
Plugin: VST
MIDI: Yes
OS: Mac OS X, Windows
I have no personal experience with Cubase. If someone would like to contribute a description, it'd be appreciated. :}
Freeware
Audacity
Audacity is a free software for recording and making basic (raw) edits to audio files. I has a few effects built in (some more useful than others), and basic functions like changing volume, and whatnot. Audacity is a staple for most music hobbyists. :}
Resource Links
Audio Mastermind
A nice (rather large) collection of VST instruments.
Krakli Synths
An independent VST-maker. Lots of really cool spacey synths to be found.
Tweakbench
An independent VST-maker. Tweakbench is mostly known for their cool 8-bit synths, but there are some other nice ones as well.
sf2midi
A massive soundfont database.
Hammersound
A somewhat expansive database of oldschool/classic soundfonts. Sometimes this site is down - but it always goes back online shortly.
Tutorials, and general help links
Pixel2life
Primarily a website for graphical tutorials, pixel2life also contains sections for help with various audio editing applications including FL, ACID, Adobe Audition, and Reason.