Music Composition

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#1

I’ve tried several methods in the past to create my own musical composition, however the results never reached roblox worthy standards. I’ve tried other programs like Music Maker, but the interface is quite advanced and sound samples are very limited. Audacity was a very helpful tool, but in terms of making music, I would need musical instruments which I do not have nor intend to make available in the future.

TL;DR
I’ve tried to make music in the past and failed.

Question
Are there any music composition programs that have a wide library of sounds and is widely used by developers?

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What do developers use to make audio?
#2

Hey there wevetments! I am a music composer and I understand the issue you’re having, it can be hard to find the right software and all the other complex stuff when starting out, in terms of equipment it honestly depends on how much you’re willing to spend on music compositions, here’s a list of gear that I’d recommend checking out if you’re interested in more electric and digital musical composition!

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

  • FL Studio, FL Studio is the DAW I use, however for many people it can be a pricey investment. However, if you’re serious about music composition I’d highly recommend it. It comes with its own stock sound loops and samples as well as stock plugins that come with the DAW. Tutorials are everywhere on how to get started and it doesn’t take too long to get familiar with the software!

  • Ableton Live , I’m not very familiar with Ableton but it is very similar to FL Studio in price and functionality, but I’d also recommend giving it a look too!

  • Garageband, Now GarageBand is probably my best recommendation for a cheap DAW, it’s got most things you need to compose basic music, including a large library of loops at your disposal!

Synthesisers

  • Serum, I’d highly recommend Serum as a Synth, it’s very versatile and comes with many presets as well as the capability to make infinite possibilities of sounds yourself!

  • Nexus, Nexus is another great synth, however, the only downside is you’re limited when it comes to making your own sounds. However, this is made up because of the incredibly large library of sounds and presets you get with the purchase!

  • Sylenth1, Sylenth 1 is a fantastic synth for a more electric style of music as are the others, it’s versatile and great for creating epic melodies!

  • Spire, Spire is also a wonderful electric synth and is really good for making music chords, It’s very good for if you want to do more electric genres of music composition!

Plugins

Plugins are far and wide but the main ones I’d recommend are:

  • OTT, Great for limiting and adding filters to synths and layers.

  • Kickstart, My favourite plugin, it’s awesome for adding sidechain to songs to really give it some bounce, which can take a track to the next level. It’s also easy to use and implement into a track.

  • Sausage Fattner, And Sausage Fatter, the best way to crush your music (literally).

As well as these there are also many sample packs you can get to use custom sounds from a particular genres or style!

As always, I wish you good luck with your music composition and I’m very excited to see more people wanting to become music producers too! I’d love to hear some of your music sometime soon and good luck with the compositing of your compositions!

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#3

As Lolaphobia stated in his post, FL Studio, GarageBand and Ableton Live are all fantastic programs. However, every DAW has its own positives and negatives and none of them will be perfect for every beginner. I would recommend downloading each program’s trial version. It’s the only way you will figure out which you prefer most for your needs.

I would also like to add that PreSonus offers a free version of their flagship DAW, Studio One. This version is called Studio One Prime and can be downloaded here.

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#4

I believe the likes of FL Studio is aimed more towards loop based and MIDI recorded songs, which is mostly used in gaming.

I personally use a DAW called Reaper.fm, which is very cheap in comparison to the market (which may I add, only requests that you pay - you get the full version regardless), its packed full of features including MIDI, fantastic editing tools and non-destructive sound effects you can layer on top of tracks and the master sound (note the default sound-effects you get are not the friendliest to use, but can still be powerful. You can get a bunch of free VST SFX online).

It supports all sorts of FX and it is really easy to use compared to other DAWs I’ve dealt with (PreSonus is also easy but I prefer Reaper).

But it all depends on what type of music you want to make.

With PreSonus and I believe FL Studio there are free demos you can try out.
Reaper.fm doesn’t require you to pay to use the software (if you like it though, consider supporting it).
There’s also Cakewalk which is now free to download and use, but I think its more instrument oriented.

Question to @Lolaphobia, with FL Studio, do you need ASIO drivers to do real-time audio playback or recording? If so would @wevetments require an audio interface?

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#5

Is this the same GarageBand that comes preinstalled with iOS and MacOS or is there another GarageBand?

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#6

Well it all really depends on how interested someone is when it comes to composition. In the long run getting a good DAW is very important, but as you suggest if someone wants a cheaper and easier to use DAW then Reaper.fm. Also, FL Studio is not a loop based or only Midi recorded DAW. In fact, almost all DAWs can record Midi tracks. You can use many techniques to get the sound you want, and personally, I don’t even use a Midi. the drivers are necessary but come with the majority of computers and laptops you can purchase today.

And @Dog2puppy yes, Garageband is fairly underrated but it’s a very great place to start with music composition. I originally used Garageband about 5 years ago, but over time I progressed into the more advanced software and tools.

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#7

Are you sure that the issue is in the software? Just asking

#8

Many people have already recommended the DAW I use(FL Studio) as well as some of my favorite plugin synthesizers(Serum, Nexus, Sylenth1), but I highly recommend learning music theory and doing a lot of research on the topic as every genre(electronic, classical, rock, etc) still use the fundamentals of music theory to help you create great chords and melodies.

Michael New has a lot of nice videos that discuss music theory in a very simple, but effective way:

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#9

Many of the above posts have recommended DAWs and other software, and while those will help you also need to have a solid grip on Music Theory and experience in composition to create music that will shine enough to be applied to games.

@ChuckXZ is 100% correct that researching topics for music theory and composition will truly make the difference here. Software will only carry you so far.

#10

As someone who’s been producing for years and has used multiple DAWs, I believe the best and easiest choice for a beginner would be Ableton Live. Sure, FL Studio looks cool and is widely used, but a lot of the things are far more complicated than in Ableton, e.g. the mixer.

I recommend you download multiple programs and use them for a week or two and then decide which one you want to use.

@Pavalineox I disagree. You don’t need to “have a solid grip” on music theory to be able to compose good music. Knowing music theory could make your compisitions more interesting and help out, but nothing past the very basics is actually necessary.

#11

“Solid grip” is a very subjective word. There are many complex parts of music theory that I haven’t touched, but I still think basic knowledge of the following is essential:

  • Knowing The Scales(will help your compositions not sound off-key)
  • Chords & Chord Progressions(not sure about other genres, but I base my melodies around my chord progressions as it follows the flow of a song)

There are some other aspects such as bass-line theory that I recommend, but aren’t required.

Without music theory knowledge, I wouldn’t be able to make the main melody in this recent composition of mine. I’m still just an amateur, but every song is an improvement.

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#12

Hey, wevetments!

As already previously mentioned, I would highly recommend using GarageBand. I play the piano and drums myself and it can just be trial and error until you find the right ‘sound’ you’re looking for. I firstly start out with random chords and change it up from there. Add a melody etc… Garageband has it’s own sample tracks which can be helpful to use to create a music track. If you want, we can get into contact and we can figure out a simple music piece or something.

I wish ya the best of luck with it! :smiley:

Discord: daniel.#3330

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#13

I believe that is the one they are talking about. I don’t know of any other programs named ‘GarageBand’.

#15

DAWs

To help you, it comes down to preference. GarageBand included with my Mac works perfectly and is a good place to start. I’m currently short on money so I haven’t purchased other softwares. The softwares I use:

  • GarageBand
  • Adobe Audition

I do not understand Adobe Audition, and I do not have any physical hardware (i.e. I do not have a physical piano). I stick with GarageBand to learn simple and basic chords, and how to use DAWs in general. Some softwares are complicated, so you should start with free ones.

Stating this, I’ve done some research (searching “best daws” on Google) and it showed me all the top-notch softwares I considered. First of all, examine all the softwares. Choose which ones you want to consider and which ones you want to scrap. Use this guide below to help you:

  • Is the website secure
  • Does it sound at least slightly familiar
  • Do others like it

If the DAWs shown do not match these three categories, I recommend you look at other softwares. For example, Digital Performer is not on a secured domain, therefor you should scrap it, as your credit card information may be leaked. Once you’ve chosen the softwares you want to consider, follow the guide below:

  • Compare them with eachother
  • Examine special features
  • Look at sales and pricing
  • Make sure you like the style of the software

By following the steps below, I have chosen three softwares which I do not have and will consider (price ascending):

  1. Acid Pro 8 (Magix) – A reliable and simple DAW with a reliable mixer and multiple features. Makes importing and exporting external audio files easy. Acid Pro is also good for audio to compliment video. ($150 USD minimum)

  2. Logic Pro X (Apple) – Very reliable and is linked with already-existing projects from GarageBand. Has an amazing mixer and SmartTempo, and (from what I know by using GarageBand) is very easy and simple to import and export songs. I also trust Apple products. ($200 USD only option)

  3. Reaper FM (N/A) – It’s website showcases over 50 videos that are about 10 minutes long. The videos show every single thing, and you know all that happens. Looks simple and easy to me, I recommend giving it a try. ($225 USD commercial license) [videos here]

Plugins

When it comes down to plugins, there are so many options. Personally, I like making sure I’m familiar with the producer/company, or the website (if not, I make sure the website is promising). While I was reading on Acid Pro 8, a 70$ coupon is included with the purchase until 2019-04-10T04:00:00Z. The coupon was for a website called Producer Planet. Producer Planet sells products by Magix (plugins), and they may be owned by Magix. You can view Magix’s plugins here. The ones that may be worth your buck:

  • VintageFx Fitlox
  • VintageFx Corvex
  • VintageFx Ecox

I recommend giving those plugins a try. I also recommend exploring other audio related products produced by Producer Planet.

Preference

It also depends on your style. The three DAWs I chose seemed simple, and one of them (Logic Pro X by Apple) was made by a very trustworthy retailer. I recommend searching compare and contrast videos of DAWs, plugins and other audio related software.

Other information

I haven’t experimented with these softwares myself. I had Nexus in mind, but I’m trying to look for more cost-efficient prices. Even though Nexus provides a large library of presets, I say it isn’t worth it, as it isn’t as customizable.

Synthesisers

I am currently not looking too much into synthesisers, although I may be able to recommend Spire. It looks promising overall.

Copyright issues

Producer Planet made me aware of how many copyright laws there are in music. I am not sure if you are allowed to sell music with a “Royalty-Free Commercial License” nor am I sure if you are allowed to sell music with a “General Commercial License.” You must research that too and make a wise decision.

I hoped this helped you,
vibrantkoffing

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