Music Software?

[Tom-ate-em]

This has probably been asked a tonn of times around here but is there any free music software available for a newbie to dabble with?

I'm interested in making my own tunes, purely recreational.

Can recommend anything?

[attackyourself!]

Are you on Mac or PC? If it's Mac then it should come with a copy of Garageband which is pretty good if you're starting out.

[OctopusGuy]

FL Studio's brilliant. It takes some getting used to, but it's really a great program. The packages come in from basic entry-level music making to an entire music-producing package too, which is pretty good if you don't want to buy more (features, plugins, etc) than you need.

[yawmwen]

[QUOTE=OctopusGuy;27504253]FL Studio's brilliant. It takes some getting used to, but it's really a great program. The packages come in from basic entry-level music making to an entire music-producing package too, which is pretty good if you don't want to buy more (features, plugins, etc) than you need.[/QUOTE]

No free.

You can download Audacity which is a free audio editor. There isn't really much that you can get for free. Garageband is about the best.

[Tom-ate-em]

PC.

Cheers OctopusGuy, I'll check it out.

[Stizzles]

[QUOTE=yawmwen;27504286]No free.

You can download Audacity which is a free audio editor. There isn't really much that you can get for free. Garageband is about the best.[/QUOTE]

Everything is free on the internet :downs:

[NanoSquid]

FL is amazing. I've been playing with it for almost a year and boy is it fun just to sit down and make noises.

[Rad McCool]

[list][*]FL Studio
[*]Ableton Live
[*]Cubase
[*]Reason
[*]Pro Tools
[*]Logic Studio[/list]
I would recommend the first-mentioned. But keep in mind that, while it is often considered to be the most beginner-friendly of the six, it is still a powerful tool which require basic knowledge of music production.
Pro-tip: Look up tutorials of chosen program on YouTube etc. Or even better, have an experienced friend guide you through it.

[Stizzles]

[QUOTE=NanoSquid;27504821]FL is amazing. I've been playing with it for almost a year and boy is it fun just to sit down and make noises.[/QUOTE]

Noises are mostly all I can be bothered to make, anything else takes time and never comes out quite like I want it. :smith:

[Rad McCool]

[QUOTE=Stizzles;27504954]Noises are mostly all I can be bothered to make, anything else takes time and never comes out quite like I want it. :smith:[/QUOTE]
Try more.

[Stizzles]

I do but then I get bored and start making something else, so I have a bunch of unfinished 30 second long shit songs

[Rad McCool]

[QUOTE=Stizzles;27505062]I do but then I get bored and start making something else, so I have a bunch of unfinished 30 second long shit songs[/QUOTE]
Try [I]even[/I] more.

[Stizzles]

but I'M LAZY

[OctopusGuy]

I definitely agree with NanoSquid. Just playing with all the features is fun in itself. I enjoy playing with the dials on the WASP plugin to make it sound like I'm contacting the mothership :tinfoil:

Also, for anyone who's thinking about getting FL Studio, the demo's free and has got pretty much everything from the full version, the only downside being you can't save anything. That being said, I still had fun with the demo for about 3 weeks prior to purchase and it's good for seeing if it's the right program for you, obviously.

[Deweze]

Reason is so easy to understand

[Imaledgev2]

Logic Pro 9 i've found to be the best

[WulfMane]

Ableton Live works great for me.

There really needs to be some sort of "Newbie's Guide to Making Electronic Music" thread. I have fucked around with Ableton and it's all I really know. Going forward I don't know what kind of keyboard I need or pads or whatever. :tinfoil:

[Funcoot]

I would recommend Reason or Ableton live. Although these are not free, they're worth the buy or you can try the demos.

Reason would be good for a beginner since it comes with quite a few decent sounds, so you won't need any VST's... even though it doesn't support those.

If you're looking to take it a tad more seriously and would like the support of VSTs, then go with Abelton.

I toyed around in FL Studio and switched to Ableton, it isn't anymore difficult, just different.

As for free, check out Reaper.

[coolz]

[QUOTE=Mister_Jack;27510027]Ableton Live works great for me.

There really needs to be some sort of "Newbie's Guide to Making Electronic Music" thread. I have fucked around with Ableton and it's all I really know. Going forward I don't know what kind of keyboard I need or pads or whatever. :tinfoil:[/QUOTE]

I'm assuming you're talking about MIDI stuff, and I only have experience with Logic, but the M-AUDIO Axiom keyboards are pretty good and have built-in pads.

[url]http://keyboards-midi.musiciansfriend.com/product/M-Audio-Axiom-49-49Key-USB-MIDI-Keyboard-Controller?sku=706314&src=3WWRWXGB&ZYXSEM=0&gclid=CPq__te3xaYCFQTrKgodhTmzGw[/url]

[mokkan]

I've got a friend who makes, and sells, some very good beats made in Fruity Loops