Fruityloops
i think its called "FL Studio" now though

Well, I writte (quite simple) songs the old way (you know: instruments) and record them with my PC. At this point, I manage just well with Total Recorder, Audacity (since it's easier to drag files with the mouse over the timeline, for the mix) and Cool Edit (for cleansing and effects).
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BTW: the site's isn't letting me post .mp3 (it says file's too large, but it's just 0.98 MB)

>>7
0.98 megabytes is 1003.52 kilobytes, which is just over the max file size for this board (1meg=1024kilo). I guess they should make it larger since music files often get much larger than that.

I love finding new music, know a bit of music theory, can play some etc. But I can't create music for shit. Woe is me ;_;

>>11
Don't beat yourself up over it too much. It comes easier to some than others. It takes practice and experience!

I have a keyboard, but I don't know how to play it.

Does anyone know any good sources for teaching complete beginners?

I've looked up tutorials on Youtube and other places, but almost all of them are more like ads for books or other things you're expected to buy. I don't really trust those.

>>7
>>8

You should be able to upload mp3's up to 7mb in size or so, anything larger than that gives us an error at the moment. I was going to copy my music thread over from the old /cr/, but some of my songs are bigger than that, and it's probably a dumb idea anyways.

I know quite a bit. I've been using GarageBand since 6th grade, and when I got pretty much everything I could out of it, I graduated to Logic Pro. If you have a Mac, that's probably the best program you could have, though here are some other options:

Ableton Live – It was originally intended for playing and editing backing tracks at live performances, but it now works just as well for making completed songs, giving it the advantage of being both a Digital Audio Workstation and a live performance tool. Many DJs have switched from mixing vinyls to using Live. Logic is of course my first choice, but this is a strong contender for second.

ACID Pro – Sony’s ACID was revolutionary for being the first DAW to use loops, and while it still handles them better than any other program out there, that was unfortunately all it had going for it. After other programs started using loops too, it was left in the dust. However, Sony started adding effects by 3rd-party giants like iZotope and Native Instruments, so now ACID is back toward the top.

Audition – It’s Adobe: makers of Photoshop, Flash, After Effects, etc. In other words, it’s very good when it’s not randomly crashing and corrupting files.

Cubase – A great program, but it has unfortunately been in Logic and Pro Tools’ shadows for a long time. It’s not that different from them, but it’s always been one tiny step behind, and it’s more expensive than Logic, making it the “I’ll get it if I can’t get the others” option of the Big Three. However, Steinberg has by far the best support.

FL Studio (formerly Fruity Loops) – Good program, and since so many people use it, there are TONS of tutorials online. It gets a bad reputation for how the horrible music new users make with it, but if you actually take the time to learn, it can achieve results just as good as anything else. I’ve always found the interface kind of an eyesore, but that’s just me.

Pro Tools – Logic and Pro Tools have been competing for 1st place for years. They both have similar strengths and weaknesses, though while Logic is primarily intended for music, Pro Tools is simultaneously meant for film scoring and post-production; I haven’t used it enough to tell if that’s a good thing or if it’s stretching itself too far.

REAPER – Very cheap, very fast, and the developers really listen to what users say. It has the usual DAW interface (with some of their own touches, like folders instead of busses; you’ll learn about these eventually), so mixing is simple. Its one huge problem: it only has about 3 pre-included instruments. You can always buy more from other companies, but at that point it will end up being just as expensive as the other programs.

Propellerhead Reason – It has its supporters, but I’d advise against it. Reason’s biggest strength is its interface, as you can flip to the back of the effects rack and rewire them however you want, just like in old times before computer editing. This is great for people who are used to that kind of thing, but for people just getting into music production, it has an insanely steep learning curve. However, Propellerhead just released Record, which is like the sister product to Reason, and it looks pretty darn good.

Sonar – Don’t know much about this one, sorry. It’s not talked about often, though I’m not sure if it’s just not popular or if the Big Three are so much better.

Studio One – A newer program by a company that mainly makes excellent hardware for music production. They basically copied Logic and made it available for Windows, so while they get few points for originality, it’s easy to use and can get great results. It also has the fantastic feature that you can record, arrange, mix, and master the song in real time. If you notice something you’d like to change when you’re mastering, just pop over to the other window, fix it, and it will already be updated in the Mastering window; the typical method has always been to mix, export, master, and then export again, but Studio One lets you cut out a whole step.

There are plenty more, but that should cover the major DAWs. If you really want, you can look into trackers, but almost no one uses them.

Oh, song related; it's something I made.

Could I make decent music without using some kind of instrument/without any knowledge of instruments?

>>148
Of course. I don't really know know how to play an instrument; I've wanted to learn piano for years, but every time I start taking lessons I have to stop for one reason or another. However, I'd say my songs are decent. Pretty much every program has a piano roll, and you just click on a grid to add notes; basically, if you can use a mouse, you can make music.

Is a midi keyboard convenient to learn how to play?

>>193
Yeah, some musical knowledge is always helpful. It's just not required.

If you're making electronic music, it helps a LOT to have a midi keyboard. You don't really need to know much about how to play/perform on a keyboard, since you can edit the notes after the fact, and you can layer things on top of each other so you don't need to know how to use two hands. The keyboard just helps a lot in the creative process because you can instantly hear what different melodies or chords would sound like instead of having to painstakingly draw everything out first with your mouse. It also makes inputting rhythms much easier.

In my opinion, FL Studio is the fastest way to learn about music production, it has the easiest interface i know, and you don't have to know much about line in's/out's for each sound you create,
basically if you get that program, join a tutorial or get a teacher ^^

i made a hardstyle track you can listen to which i made with fl studio ^^

>>92
Really good write-up, kudos!

I tried out a few some time ago, and somehow I ended up with Reason 4; in that respect the remark on how Reason isn't great for beginners bemuses me some. Not to say that I'm anywhere near being able to create music with Reason, so I'm not about to contradict your statement - not at all. Somehow Reason 4 just felt more welcoming to me than the other programs I tried (Ableton, ACID, FL and LMMS to name a few; FL was the only one of those that worked out somewhat for me, but I agree completely with you on the interface part). I haven't been able to develope much yet, so I'm still open for alternatives, so I think I'll try out Record and Studio One. I'll just throw out right away that my dream is to make music I'd listen to myself, but University study is somewhat denying, and I'm overall a lazy person..

>>300
Thanks, and no problem.

I tried Reason when I was still fairly new to music, and I couldn't even make it play a note. Any other program was very straightforward: you add an instrument, make a MIDI region, and click some notes. It wouldn't work in Reason. Maybe I had accidentally clicked something that screwed up everything else, but I spent the whole day with it and never got anywhere; it just wasn't worth it to continue when I already had other programs I knew how to use.

If you honestly think you're too lazy to work hard at getting better, then FL Studio might be the option for you. Not because it's a program for lazy people, but because it's the easiest for which to find tutorials. I wouldn't go with Studio One, as it's meant for pros who have been producing for years and want that extra something that the Big Three don't offer yet.

Music isn't even my main passion. I want to be an animator, but making music is my biggest hobby besides animating, and I spend countless hours watching and reading tutorials, experimenting, etc. Learning how to do it should be just as fun as actually doing it.

What program do you recommend for those who have not have had any musical experience before?

>>302
Fruityloops

I used to make a lot of rap beats and mashups. Acid Pro is what works for me. I dont use any VSTs or plugins apart from some of the basic default ones. its just really easy to manipulate samples because you can see them straight on the timeline unline FL Studio where youre dealing with those little boxes or whatever.

Here's something I just whipped up on a whim, which turned out surprisingly well. I think this is one of my most well-produced tacks.

>>318
this is great, you should release an album

>>319
Thanks, but I don't think I'm quite good enough yet. Also, I pretty much never finish songs; whenever I get close, I suddenly have an idea for another, and then forget about the first one.

>>301
I'm not so lazy when it comes to learning and creating when I actually start, I'm just very bad at initiating it, and finding time. I recall making some beats before University started, so it wasn't impossible. It would be cool if you reevaluated the software.

Here's something else I forgot about and have been working on the past couple of days.

I've decided to finally start messing around with FL Studios, I really do love music but I've always been shying away from it due to thought of failure and what not. But eh fuck it I'm going to spend some time on it.

Are there any known tutorials out there or am I good just searching around? Seems to be quite a bit out there thankfully

>>381
i just downloaded it

then i realized i have no knowledge of music what so ever and now i dont know what to do with it.

>>382
I can't help with FL Studio specifically, my best suggestion is to just go here and browse:
http://www.google.com/search?q=fl+studio+tutorial

I have websites for the more specific stuff, but it wouldn't help you much now.

Okay, I've tried out Studio One. I must confess that I didn't really give it a fair run, but it was kinda scary looking for me. I get that those already familiar with the industry standard will find this easy to get into, but I'm not. I still like Reason and FL better, since I feel like I can actually make some tunes in these programs. Now that I've tried out most of the typical music softs, I might as well try to specialize in what I felt the most at home with - so it's back to Reason. And hey, look at that - Reason 5; better check that out.

>>967
What were your problems with Studio One?

Reason is fine if you know how to use it, I just found it completely arbitrary.

>>995
It's hard to describe. It could be the dark color scheme for all I know, but something made me feel incompetent in making music - utilizing its tools sensibly. Something about its soundbank structure made me feel either overwhelmed or underwhelmed; or both at the same time. E.g. when browsing the piano folder, you'd see a bunch of entries, making me believe they were all independent intruments - overwhelmed. Though upon further inspection it would only be the same piano instrument but with differential configurations per entry - underwhelmed. A sum of such percieved inconveniences made me overall feel uneasy about the software as a musical workbench, as I need a sense of harmony in order to make music. It didn't feel natural to me. Reason gives me the illusion of something geniune, and control thereof. Studio One was something alien and scary.

As stated, it wasn't a fair run, and I'm positive most of the inconveniences would only be temporary were I to give the program some more time.

>>997
Yeah, that's my main problem with the interface; it's just very uninviting, and it doesn't feel like a music program. However, when I switched from GarageBand to Logic, I was intimated by how much darker everything was. I quickly got used to it, though; and I'm sure I just needed more time with Studio One.

>>999
Right, it could be good, but if you're already familiar with something else, ofwhich does not feel limited (like, say, Garage Band), why alter one's path? When the means (creative prosess) matter more than the end (product), sentimentality ought to play a crucial part in selecting your way of executing those means (music program).

Should probably post one of my dozens of works-in-progress.

>>1152
Can you make re-arrangements of existing songs?

>>1164
I do all the time; here's a remix I made a while ago (which is also one of my very few finished songs). Sorry about the sound quality; blame /tc/'s file size limit.

>>1165
>>1152
Do you have any kind of mixing table or do you do that on the computer? It's really nice.

I've been looking at fancy DJ turntables for a while now but they're so expensive for me.

>>1166
Thanks, I just use my laptop. I don't DJ; I'd like to try it, but I don't have decks, and I don't care enough to go take classes or something.

>>1165

Good!!!!
I don't really know how to judge it properly, cause this has never been my kind of music; but I enjoyed it, a lot.

>>1168
thx y0

>>1165
I'm thinking of tapping you to make music for a game, but...

>>1170
What kind?

>>1171
Let's see, it's for a fighting game, and I was thinking of having certain songs rearranged.

The heart-thumping club rearrangements may work in some parts but I'm not sure if it will work on the game overall.

>>1172
I do all sorts of genres; trance is just my forte.

Post edited on 17th May 2011, 1:38pm

This is a simple loop I made with MadTracker a few years ago. I don't really have too much talent.

Don't feel I should make a new thread for this, but where could you get started on learning how to play an instrument like piano or guitar? It's intimidating trying to start out. I'm left handed as well, and I'm sure that'll lead to some problems if I picked up a guitar.

Being making music for about 2 years now, I do keep learning more and more every time I start on a new track.

>>1193
I disagree, this is pretty cool. You probably could have turned it into a full song.

>>1198
I had a teacher, but the best way to learn piano for me was practicing scales over and over, and finding sheet music of songs I liked for when I needed a break from scales; learning anything is always finding a balance between studying what you have to know, and studying what you find interesting. I did take guitar for a couple years, but it never clicked with me, so I can't help much in that regard.

>>1199
This is great. It should have a LOT more side-chaining, though.

Post edited on 24th May 2011, 10:27am

>>1198
Haha, I'm in the same position as you, except for the left handed thing, and I'm only interested in learning guitar.

Yet another WIP. This one has some of the main sections squished together.

Here's a (work-in-progress of a) remix of one of my favorite songs at the moment: RAM - Call It A Night.

>>1165
awesome

>>1252
Spoiler

Oh my God I'm 90% done with this: >>318

This is my favorite song I've produced, and one I'd actually like to send to a label and see what they think.

Done. I'm going to ask some professionals what they think at some point.

>>1281
This is pretty beast man, I'm jealous.

>>1282
Thanks. I've been seriously making music since middle school, though.

I put this "piece" together today when I felt depressed.

>>1284
Guess Tohno doesn't like 96Khz ogg's. Hopefully this mp3 works.

Made this with FL and an old SNES soundfont (which is why the quality blows).

>>1285
This was alright until 1:27, when it suddenly got a pop rhythm that ruined the mood.
>>1287
I like this one. You should try remaking it with higher-quality sounds.

>>1288
Yeah I totally forgot that I still had to change that mistake. I'm still not that good at playing live at such slow speeds.

This was the first time I put something like this together though.

>>1288
Guess I'll use my better soundfont. Doesn't sound as game-ish, but the quality's a lot higher.

I've been experimenting with chiptunes recently. At 14 tracks, this has more than 3 times as many channels as a chiptune should have, but it's fun making something complicated with such simple sounds.

This is a remix I made just for the heck of it; I have a few original songs in the works, too.

My brother wanted me to make a song for someone's video game, so here was my attempt. This is basically my first try at an original chiptune, so I don't know what I'm doing! \o/

>>1325
Brilliant.

>>1326
thx \o/

One of the worst things I've done, actually. I'll upload some other (better) stuff once I get my laptop back, since it's all stored there.

Been messing around with Reason (and occasionally Logic for throwing in live guitar and vocals) for a good few years now.

I'd hope I've gotten a little better at it since my days of shitty joke bands in high school, but I have a nasty habit of getting writer's block mid-song, then abandoning the idea and starting something else, then getting blocked again, and so on.

What do people typically use to make chiptunes anyway?

I've given it a shot with just the Reason soundbank, but I'm betting there's at least some better methods out there.

>>1418
Famitracker and Modplug are the names I hear tossed around the most.

>>1418
http://www.ymck.net/magical8bitplug/index.html
http://www.geocities.jp/sam_kb/Chip32/
http://refx.com/products/quadrasid/summary/

Any synthesizer can make simple 8-bit sounds; when I need to do pitch-bending, I just use V-Station (a professional synth) because it's easier to control. However, I try not to use it that much because it's not as authentic.

>>1419
Famitracker is great, because it's meant specifically for chiptunes, though Modplug is just for making music in general.

>>1382

Love it. It kinda has that glitch music-y feel to it.

I listen to this guy on youtube's famitracker stuff pretty frequently, he has a tutorial that I assume could be helpful.

Good luck man.

OP here. Almost 10 months later and I still haven't even begun to make music. I'm glad others are using this thread to share what they've done, though.

>>1446
Why haven't you done anything?

I haven't music'd in a while.

New remix I will never finish.

>>1668
You son of a...
I had the volume up (I'm recording too, actually; hope to post some time soon).

So... while I greatly enjoy listening to everyone's music and am very thankful for the tips people have given, I am absolutely stupid when it comes to music. I would love to pick it up as a hobby, but even a tutorial for GarageBand basics is beyond my understanding. The vocabulary used might as well be Greek to me (compressors, duckers I think one was, I have only a foggy idea about what all that is). May I request a list of common words used in producing music with a computer?

>>1679
What kind of tutorial talks about those things right off the bat?

Compressors are mostly used to squash the peaks of the audio's volume so it doesn't go over the limit and get distorted. You really don't need to worry about that for now, though you probably should use limiters, which are basically super-compressors. Compressors turn down the volume when it goes over the threshold, but if you set the compression too low it can still go over anyway; limiters will not go over.

Ducking, also known as "side-chain compression," is when you set the compressor to turn down the volume of one sound when another sound hits the threshold. It's used in radio shows so that the music turns down when the DJ is talking, and it's a staple of dance music to make it pump on every off-beat. If you want to know how to do it, I can tell you, but it's really not important at this point.

>>1680
Thanks for explaining those two things, giascle. I had a friend walk me through the GarageBand interface and now it doesn't seem as overwhelming and esoteric. Any tips or things not to do?

>>1681
It's mainly experimenting for now; the only real advice I have is DO NOT let the audio go into the red. Every beginner does this (including me), and it can blow out your speakers.

Okay
Compression is oft misunderstood. Compressors narrow the dynamic range of the audiosource, both lowering the volume of the "peaks" and raising the volume of the "troughs". Compressors are typically used on individual tracks, whereas a limiter is usually applied to the master track, or during the mastering phase of recording. Limiters simply stop the audio from exceeding a specified level, and are used to make the overall track as loud as possible. While you'd do well to familiarize yourself with compression early on, don't worry about limiters until you're going to release a polished, finished product.
The advice to not let the levels enter the red is important, not because it will "blow out your speakers", but because it will cause clipping. It's good practice to mix with the levels very low, and then bring everything up during the final mixdown.
I don't really know what the best websites would be to recommend to you, but I've spent a lot of time on soundonsound.com, they have a ton of articles. Also, while the site is kind of cheesy, tweakheadz.com would be a good place for a beginner to start, as the site has a guide that starts from the basics and explains things pretty well.

>>1683
At their core, compressors only lower the volume of the peaks. They can also raise the overall volume if you add makeup gain, but that isn't always necessary; I never use gain if the sound is being side-chained, for example. I don't know where you heard that limiters don't go on individual tracks, because I see people do that all the time. Many compressors even have limiters built in. While it is incredibly difficult to blow out your speakers, it is possible, and I tell people that because it hammers the message in.

And yes, Tweakheadz is a fantastic site.

Post edited on 18th Nov 2011, 9:40am

Is there a way for me to apply an effect on, say, half a selected region rather then the whole track in GarageBand? Also, I'm suffering from horrible writer's block. 4 days later and I can't so much as figure out what instrument I should add to help me move past the intro.

Post edited on 22nd Nov 2011, 2:31pm

>>1688
You mean a track is playing, then it has an effect on it for a bit, and then the effect turns off again? You can automate that.

http://www.ehow.com/video_2372689_advanced-automation_-garageband-tutorial.html

Hello all. I'm trying to learn to make music because I think it might be something I want to do. So I bought a MIDI keyboard, and I bought Reaper. What do I do now?

Post edited on 4th Jan 2012, 10:39pm

>>1734
Do you know anything about theory, composition and production yet?
In case not, I'd recommend what I always recommend: Music Theory for Computer Musicians by Michael Hewitt. It's not overly formal or specific (I used it without being a "computer musician") and goes down from the very basics of what are notes, how sound works and all that. And read your DAW's documentation, of course.

Heheh, I just got a little bit of motivation to tinker around with Reaper and my MIDI. It was so so fun much, just playing with the pitch bend and the preset vsts. I was giggling like an animu school girl.
>>1735
I know enough music theory to get by I guess. Thanks for your post.

So, I've been writing an album's worth of songs for almost seven months now and no one (except my poor neighbors) has heard any of it. I feel like I could use some outside perspective at this point, so here's a rough recording of one of the songs.

>>1797
From my impression I'll say htat there's a slight problem, and it's your voice. With some goodwill it could work in a setup with alot of stuff going on, but there's just you and your guitar (in this song at least). I wish I could give you some tips on how to work on your voice, but I'm no better as a singer myself. Your guitar tunes sounded melancholic, I like that. Good luck with your music.

>>1798
Thanks!
Believe it or not, I've actually been practicing daily with a well-regarded home study program for singing for the last six months.
Was there something specific that you didn't like about the vocals?

>>1799
What I think you need is a more refined style of vocal presentation. Know what, I think you'd be good doing something alike to that of Ian Curtis of Joy Division. Though now that you say that you've actually been working hard on your voice I feel bad for ctiticizing your vocals.

>>1800
No need to feel bad at all, I posted it looking for criticism.
It's interesting that you mention Ian Curtis. I recall recording and uploading some things elsewhere last year and a couple individuals compared my voice to his. After spending a few hours yesterday digging up all the informational articles and videos I could and doing vocal exercises in front of a mirror, I'm certain that I'm forcing my larynx too low while singing in my lower registers and trying to eliminate nasal resonance altogether, which is exactly what Ian Curtis did most of the time.
I actually want an at least somewhat unrefined sound; all of my favorite vocalists have a raw, emotional, kind of unhinged style.
Thanks again.

>>1801
>I actually want an at least somewhat unrefined sound; all of my favorite vocalists have a raw, emotional, kind of unhinged style.
I respect this sentiment ever so much, believe me. It's not for me if it sounds too clean, or clinical if you will. I favor vocals with a raw and unforced sound all while being capable of conveying the most obscure of emotions. I'm a believer that you can posess a refined style with an unrefined sound, where every impurity can come off as intentional. Though at this point I think we're talking about artists with insanse ammounts of artistic integrity.

I think you are indeed spot on with your points on your larynx and nasal resonance. Confirmation from third-parties is nice, but I think you pretty much know what to do in order to step up your music at this point. I can but acknowledge the talent and willpower you present - both in and behind the music itself.

>>1797
I'm finally getting vocal takes that I'm okay with, so I went back and listened to this older version for the first time since I uploaded it. And while I'm far from getting complacent, I'm genuinely surprised at how much I've improved.
My initial goal was to have the album completed by October, which will put the entire project at a year, and while that still seems realistic I think my hopes of finishing it early are a bit over-optimistic.

>>1916
Though you're admittedly going for a very low and gritty sound, I heartly believe you must re-tune up yourself with the guitar; cause even if your vocals and accompaniment have sense by themselves, you are hitting not one single note of the scales your chords should be contained in, thus preveting us from hearing any organic relation between what you play and what you sing...

Recording quality is ok.

Post edited on 27th Jul 2012, 10:48pm

>>1931
While I certainly appreciate you commenting, I'm going to have to disagree with the bit about "hitting not one single note of the scales your chords should be contained in". There is only one inharmonic note in the vocal melody, a G sharp, and it coincides with the chord shift from E minor to E major, so it's only inharmonic relative to the song's key and not to the chord that it's harmonized with.
Perhaps the vocals are just so bad that they give the impression of being off-key?

>>1931
This is ancient history now, but I still want to apologize for this >>1932 super-douchey, defensive reply. My pitch on that track was all over the place.