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Music creation/editing software

Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 3:43 pm
by uddhava
Hello, I am looking for help choosing a lower priced Music creation/editing program for Windows.
Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 4:19 pm
by slowtiger
Just today I stumbled over 2 of those for free:

https://www.tracktion.com/products/t7-daw
https://lmms.io

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 5:06 pm
by uddhava
Thank you.
I have both of those, but they are not very intuitive.
Is that the case for all music software? That is why I was thinking of buying the basic version of some
music creation program. Perhaps I need to dig a little deeper into what I already have.

Any other suggestions are welcome though.

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2020 7:38 pm
by hayasidist
the very basic version of Sibelius is free.

the next level up is about GBP120 / USD160 for a perpetual licence. If your budget runs to that, I'd go for it.

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:25 am
by slowtiger
No, none of them is intuitive. The easiest I know is Apple's Garage Band, don't know if there's an equivalent for Windows.

It's always a trade-in: if you want easy, you get presets and pre-fabricated loops and not much editing. If you want complete freedom, you'll get a complex program with lots of controls, most hidden from view. Without a basic knowledge of music production you're lost.

Maybe you could team up with somebody who has what you need?

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 12:55 pm
by perihelion74
Hey, Presonus has a free version of their Studio One software called Studio One Prime. Might be worth checking out. Intuitive for beginners? Maybe not...

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:21 pm
by Greenlaw
I'm not an expert but I like to dabble with music programs a lot, and I've always liked using Acid Pro to create and edit music. It's pretty easy to learn and there's a lot of training material available. Using the program is fairly intuitive once you learned the basics.

The Pro version is not cheap but there is an entry level version called Acid Music Studio available for $60. I started out with the entry level version nearly 20 years ago, eventually upgraded to Pro. I hopped around to other music programs over the years but kept coming back to Acid Pro simply because I find it easier to use.

As I said, I'm not an expert...but maybe that's the point? :)

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:00 pm
by uddhava
slowtiger wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:25 am No, none of them is intuitive....
Thanks for that information.
Actually, I forgot I had Tracktion and it seems to have good documentation so I can give it look.
hayasidist wrote: Fri Jan 31, 2020 7:38 pm the very basic version of Sibelius is free.
the next level up is about GBP120 / USD160 for a perpetual licence. If your budget runs to that, I'd go for it.
Thank you.
I will look at the free version, but I do not want to spend that much for the other versions. I wanted something below $100.
perihelion74 wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 12:55 pm Hey, Presonus has a free version of their Studio One software called Studio One Prime. Might be worth checking out. Intuitive for beginners? Maybe not...
Thanks.
I saw that. I will take look. As long as there is a manual I can give it a go.
Greenlaw wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 7:21 pm ... there is an entry level version called Acid Music Studio available for $60. I started out with the entry level version nearly 20 years ago, eventually upgraded to Pro. I hopped around to other music programs over the years but kept coming back to Acid Pro simply because I find it easier to use.
As I said, I'm not an expert...but maybe that's the point? :)
I have Sound Forge Studio and I have looked at Acid Express..a free version of Acid...but it was too basic.
However, the interface looked similar to Vegas Movie Studio, which I have so maybe that is the best solution.
I hope that the Magix version is good. Anyway, I can download the free trial. $60 is a pretty good price for a beginner.
Thanks!

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2020 1:09 am
by hayasidist
One more to try - Noteworthy composer - about USD50.
https://noteworthycomposer.com/
I used this before I moved on to Sibelius.

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:17 am
by Ronbo
It depends on exactly what you may have in mind, but you might also want to take a look at Band-in-a-Box. I know $129 is beyond your price range, but it's worth checking out. You choose a style, key, tempo, and BIAB will create music for you in a few seconds using built-in audio or MIDI files. If you know some music theory you can enter your own chord progressions or you can let the program create everything for you from scratch. You can edit at any point within the application or you can export tracks to a DAW (e.g. Tracktion) for further editing. It even comes with a plug-in version that can be used directly inside your DAW.

I should add that the Windows version even includes RealBand, a multitrack DAW, in addition to the main application.

https://www.pgmusic.com/

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2020 4:15 am
by Greenlaw
uddhava wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:00 pm I have Sound Forge Studio and I have looked at Acid Express..a free version of Acid...but it was too basic.
However, the interface looked similar to Vegas Movie Studio, which I have so maybe that is the best solution.
Yes, that's another thing I like about Acid: the UI is very similar to Vegas and it's easier for me to jump between the two programs.

Magix is the new owner but I believe they have the same long-time developers are working on Acid and Vegas. For Acid, the recent improvement was an updated UI and finally making it a 64-bit program. My only complaint with Magix might be that, for a while they were doing paid upgrades too frequently, but thankfully that trend seems to have cooled off lately.

Sound Forge also got a recent upgrade but I didn't bother with this one because I got used to Audition and a handful of other audio tools like RX7 and Melodyne. I also like finishing my audio in Vegas.

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2020 11:11 am
by tut
Just wanted to say that you should take a look at Reaper. Two main reasons. First, it is far and away the most helpful user-base around. Go to the Reaper forum and check out how quickly your questions will get answered. Second, there are a number of great learning channels on Youtube. I will mention 2, Reaper mania with Kenny Gioia (my favorite) and The Reaper Blog with Jon Tidey. Both are excellent, and as deep as you care to go. And what the heck, I will throw in a third. The trial is free and unending (with eventual nag screen at open). If you find that this is the DAW for you, pay the $60. One of the main authors of the program is the creator of Winamp (Justin Frankel), which was sold to AOL for F.U. money in 1999, so this is his true passion project. Good luck.

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Sun Feb 02, 2020 9:41 pm
by uddhava
Thank you everyone!

Re: Music creation/editing software

Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2020 7:33 am
by ruscular3d
Did you checkout Steam?