a.To begin with --> computer with good soundcard like Creative Live! or
Audigy, better ones are Audiophile 2496 or Terratecs 2496.
b.They have Midiports on the soundcard.
c.Keyboard with midi-out.
d.Buy a book MIDI-technics and read it
e.Software free: midiplayer (=sequencer) Jazz++ is freeware (google!)
f.Wave-editing program (don't know if there are free programs) otherwise buy
Magix stuff to begin with (cheap!)
g.experiment, read, experiment, read and ask questions.
h.google around and surf to terms like soundfonts, synthesizers, roland,
edirol, zzsound, sonic implants, steinberg, and try to join a forum
To show you how I work.
I don not have any instrument!!!
I compose music with Mozart Notation program
Output is a Midi-file
That midifile is input to Cubasis 4.0 VST (around $100)
I use several Virtual Studio Instruments (VSTi) a.o. The Grand (emulation of
the Grand Piano) costs $280 more or less.
With Cubasis and The Grand I make a audiofile (wave file)
The wave-file is imported into CoolEditPro (Audition since it belongs to
Adobe). With this wave-editor I make the wave-file better sounding (chorus,
reverb=echo, etc.)
Then it is ready to sit somewhere, waiting for the other pieces to fill up a
CD, with Nero.
Another possibility is: you make your composition on that keyboard.
Midi-out. Together with some samples........ and then I don;'t know because
I am not used to this, dont know nothing about.
I also use Band-in-a-Box for my more easy-listening music.
Some links:
www.mozart.co.uk (notation program)
www.pgmusic.com (band in a box)
www.edirol.com (soundfonts and soundcanvasses)
www.steinberg.net (VST instrument
www.adobe.com (for Adobe Audition)
www.wizoosounds.com
www.bestservice.de
http://www.saunalahti.fi/kru99/About_SynthFont.htm (program for reading
midi, assigning soundfonts to it, etc.)
www.ntonyx.com (pro's soundfonts)
and try to google to 'ohmforce'
and try to learn about soundfonts
and be patient!!!!!! It took me more than a year to get this far.
Good luck
Raymond
--
www.raymondrobijns.nl
Post by John ffitchNOSPAM> Greetings,
NOSPAM> I am very much interested in getting into creating computerized music, but
NOSPAM> do no know where to start. I would like some advice on what software
NOSPAM> packages are good for a beginner, and perhaps what instrument to use. At the
NOSPAM> moment I have a keyboard (not a top of the line but has numerous presets and
NOSPAM> samples), with connection ports.
NOSPAM> Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Well it does rather depend on what you tghink constitutes music! If
you are interested in notes in conventional western scales, and want
to emulate conventional instruments, then I suspect you shoudl be
looking at MIDI (and talking to some one other than me...)
If you are interested in sounds as compositional objects then you
should be looking at things like Csound (*plug: I maintain it) or PD
or MAX. Depends on your platform too. SoundHack for Mac, etc....
NOSPAM> Thanks in advance
You will probably get more useful answers from the MIDI musicisans.
==John ffitch