For those of us who use anything. I'm secretly aspiring to take up music as a hobby. Right now my setup is pretty basic 'cause I don't really know what to use; I just have a hand-me-down Casio keyboard and a MIDI to USB cable. I know next to nothing about music brands so I wanna get some opinions before I go out and get a better-quality instrument. As for software I hear GarageBand is good for recording and producing but I wanna be sure before I spend money. So who out there makes music? What stuff do you think is good?
Ooohhh, a fellow musician. I've been working with music since 5th grade, playing the trumpet in my school's band. It's been a hobby of mine ever since, and has grown to learning piano, to making full compositions. Currently, I own a Yamaha YPG-535. This is probably the best piano I've ever had (it's the only full-sized piano I've had). I've owned it since last year, and it's still working as if it is new. The touch-sensitive keys and multiple-recording MIDI capabilities themselves make it a great recording instrument. Of course, this is a full 88-key instrument, so you shouldn't expect much portability. To be honest, I use the 535 as a playing piano more than for recording. There are smaller, single-octave keyboards that we use in the recording studio at my school that are excellent for on the go recording, but I'll have to get back to you for the brand and models. As for software, I'm using simple Garageband on my Macbook Pro at home. Garageband has enough features to make a decent piece, but I'm not going to be making anything on-par to WoodenToaster with it. I'm hoping to save up enough money to buy LogicPro, a more high-end music composition software for the Mac. I'd like to keep in touch more with your musical ventures. It's always fun to talk to others about these things!
I guess I should mention that I have a PC, lol. Most of the money I'd end up blowing on GarageBand would really be the cost of a Mac to use it with, and that's no small investment. Is there any similar software for the PC that you recommend? And yeah, I'd sure like to get involved with other musicians around here if I can... That is, if I can even afford to get started.
FL studios is meant to be a popular DAW. I haven't personally used it, but others say that it's pretty decent.
I don't have a PC, but yes, I've heard FL Studio to be a good audio workstation. I even heard that most of the popular brony musicians use FL S. I don't have much experience in using anything outside of Garageband & LogicPro. Whichever studio you decide to get, be sure to do some research first, because it's going to be quite an investment. The reason I'm choosing to buy the $200 LogicPro is that it has an interface I'm familiar to, and I can work on my old projects from GB directly onto Logic.
From what I've seen of FL Studio, it's way cheaper than a new computer, lol. I might go with the Producer edition. First and foremost I need the ability to record and edit MIDI tracks and layer them; adding percussion lines is a big plus, and I'm willing to bet I also need post-production even though I don't exactly know how it works. ...Also excuse my ignorance of industry lingo. If it's not obvious, I have no formal training. rofl Any suggestions on those instrument brands? Like I said my current keyboard is rather old; when I first got my hands on it it was a big deal that the keys were even pressure-sensitive. When I go shopping for a new one, first and foremost I want it to, well, feel like a real piano. The keys on this one feel plastic and fake and they don't bounce the way real ones do. It'd also be nice if I could get a full 88-key range but that's secondary.
https://soundcloud.com/jenna-30/demo-12-8-2012 Cracked open the FL Studio demo this morning. Between distractions I put together this drum beat. Nothing special yet, just a few bars of me messing around. Once I figure out the chords I'll post more. Amidoinitrite?
I use my own pimped out version of garageband with all these software instruments I bought and made. I use an Akai MPK mini for MIDI, a Tascam Portastudio 424, and various synthesizers and instruments.
