Composers?

L

Logic

Guest
Are there any other composers out there on these forums (any style) interested in collaborating? Some of the best musical experiences I've had so far have been collaborating with other composers. Perhaps we could create some HL2 fan music or something :)

Also, if there's anyone out there who's tinkering with midi, or just starting out composing, I'd be happy to help you out with anything either technical or related to composing itself.
 
Not the most successful thread, is it? :cheese:

Anyway, the offer still stands - I'm always happy to collaborate or help anyone with anything music related.
 
Im not much of a composer m8, im just playin' around with midi and stuff :cheese:
 
I wouldn't say I can compose, but I certainly can mix. To be honest, I never caught on with midi, there were too many crap midi programs to go through, so I just gave up.
 
Maybe collaborating with our composer in our mod?
 
*looks at zaphers confusing sig*

Is that about the mod?
 
Sniper, well i was only allowed 4 rows according to Munro..

What's confusing? It's a link to the site and our Qnet-channel..
And then the current slots..
 
Yeah, I figured it out after, lol - not a bad site, either :)
 
Originally posted by zapher
Maybe collaborating with our composer in our mod?

What style of music is it? Any I could hear? :)

Also, I'll be getting my website back up soon, so I'll be able to show you guys some music.
 
Originally posted by theotherguy
Im not much of a composer m8, im just playin' around with midi and stuff :cheese:
I like x.mid the best out of those. A few more parts and some production and it could turn out quite good :) How long have you been playing around with midi? What musical experience do you have?
 
Im currently learning about composing. At the moment the only question I have is what you would consider is the best midi composing prog? Right now all ive used is noteworthy.
 
If you can play the keyboard\piano, what you really need is a program that lets you play parts in. Something along the lines of cubase vst, though perhaps a smaller equivalent if you're just starting out. Personally, I use a really old small program called Evolution Audio Pro (can't even buy it anymore) which does the job just fine.

If you can't play the keyboard, or don't have one with a midi out, I really don't know what the best program to use would be...
 
I have a keyboard and I can play it, so I guess ill be looking into cubase and programs like it.

thnx
 
I've used cubase, Reason, and cakewalk. they are all good but cubase was the best imo.
 
Originally posted by Logic
I like x.mid the best out of those. A few more parts and some production and it could turn out quite good :) How long have you been playing around with midi? What musical experience do you have?

Ive been playing around with midi since..er...around a year ago, Ive had 2 years of percussion, and 3 1/2 years of piano. Yes, I have to say I like x too, I tried to make it a tripilet base "minor march" kind of thing, and I just got kind of crasy putting tripilet 16th notes all over the place, and it sort of ends abruptly, since I am not done with it yet.
 
Originally posted by Logic
What style of music is it? Any I could hear? :)

Also, I'll be getting my website back up soon, so I'll be able to show you guys some music.
Donno what to call it.. Well he's throw with his first album now so..
His site is... let's see.. http://www.readerror404.net - Check it out!



Sniper: Well thank you ;)
 
I somehow don't think making drum and bass music qualifies as actual "composing". I know of plenty folks including myself who make music with programs such as reason or fruityloops or (god forbid) Acid Pro. But I still wouldn't call any of those composing (especially not acid). If you know how to read music, understand the fundamentals, and how to write and direct a musical score, then I say you have the gift.

off topic:
if you haven't noticed, i don't like Acid Pro, Acid DJ, or any of the Acid series of programs. I believe its a cheap way to call yourself a musician. You are more like a "rearranger". :flame:

Edit: although having the aforementioned qualities of a skilled composer is nice, you could also be considered a composer if you use one of the above programs with media created solely be yourself. Which means no prefabs and/or loops.
 
Originally posted by Agent4054
I somehow don't think making drum and bass music qualifies as actual "composing". I know of plenty folks including myself who make music with programs such as reason or fruityloops or (god forbid) Acid Pro. But I still wouldn't call any of those composing (especially not acid). If you know how to read music, understand the fundamentals, and how to write and direct a musical score, then I say you have the gift.

off topic:
if you haven't noticed, i don't like Acid Pro, Acid DJ, or any of the Acid series of programs. I believe its a cheap way to call yourself a musician. You are more like a "rearranger". :flame:

I tend to agree, though being a composer myself, I have found that it's possible to be creative in those programs (ie if you create all the material\loops from scratch yourself), and I've experimented with reason, and found that it's actually very flexible as a composing tool. Obviously none of these tools support traditional, notated composition, but it's still possible for composers to 'compose' using these tools. Similarly, it's possible for composers to explore drum and bass music as a style\template for experimentation. It's hard to draw a line between what's composing and what's not, but I tend not to put the majority of commercial radio into the category of composition, because it's the same chords and arrangements re-hashed over and over again. Popular artists are better thought of as performers or lyricists, and sometimes melody writers (which is getting closer :) )

Obviously it's also possible (and happening all the time) for non-composers to use tools like acid to pretend to be musicians :cheese:
 
I think Hans Zimmer used Acid when he made the black hawk down soundtrack....

Edit: lol that could be taken out of context.
 
Whoa thats a shocker. I could see that if he used acid to arrange loops that he himself made....but Hans Zimmer?! Wow.
 
I could be wrong about that, but one of my audio engineering teachers told me, so I think it's true.
 
I used to use acid then i realized, "hey! someone else in the world could make the same thing i did. i'm no longer original!" to back that up, i found a song made by someone else that was almost identical. so i stopped using it. tho it cost me about 200 dollars. :(
 
So what is the best (non techno) multi track composing software avaliable? Cakewalk?
 
THE VERY BEST? ProTools. lol. FYI its also the most demanding and expensive. there are serveral certification courses you can take for that program. You could also try Digital Performer, Nuendo, Cubase, Project 5, etc...

Though, when you say "non techno" that is prolly not the best description. Yes, reason and fruityloops are mostly used to make techno type music. But they (more so, reason) can be also be used to make orchestral, rock, or any other genre you can think of. So when you say non techno.... well any of the programs we've mentioned in this forum are good.
 
Cubase is my favorite proggy out of the bunch.....but I have never really gotten MIDI to work right with my synth so I gave up on it a few years ago.
 
As long as you get the ideas/emotions across, and it doesn't sound like you used cheap defualt samples, who cares what program you use?

There are plenty of half-assed attempts out there by people making "music" and it's pretty easy to spot what program they use simply by how their song sounds. But the tools are there in every program to make it so you don't sound like (for example) strictly a Fruityloops or Reason composer. It's a question of how far you want to go with what you got.
 
Agent4054, It seems that your extremely stupid. Ive worked with warner brothers, Universal, Telstar. I class myself as a musician. I think you spend too much time on the net. I use logic. Let me see your releases in the real world. Not mp3.com or a website. Or are you just a "bedroom" "composer". Stop chatting crap.

Moderator Agent:
I love you too. :D
 
Originally posted by Agent4054
THE VERY BEST? ProTools. lol. FYI its also the most demanding and expensive. there are serveral certification courses you can take for that program. You could also try Digital Performer, Nuendo, Cubase, Project 5, etc...

I have, and use, ProTools. I definately wouldn't say it's the best tool for composing. That's not what it's designed for. It's midi capabilities are very limited, for a start. What it is brilliant for, though, is studio type recording work. What ProTools basically gives you is all the features and functionality of a recording studio. If you are a musician, or have a band, and you have your own pro-tools rig, you can essentially record, produce, mix and master your album from start to finnish, by your self. Obviously the results will depend on how well you know what you're doing, and how good the material is you're recording, but essentially, there's nothing stopping you coming up with studio quality recordings.
 
Agent4054

how does it being the most expensive and most demanding automatically make it THE BEST?



jonnyjay

Dont insult "bedroom" composers ...everyone started somewhere.





I like acid by the way.......its what got me into making music on my computer.
 
I'm primarily a "bedroom composer", but that certainly doesn't mean that I don't have hell of a beefy music set-up in my bedroom :cheese: - sleeping is a secondary function of the room, it's primarily a studio.
 
Originally posted by jonnyjay
Agent4054, It seems that your extremely stupid. Ive worked with warner brothers, Universal, Telstar. I class myself as a musician. I think you spend too much time on the net. I use logic. Let me see your releases in the real world. Not mp3.com or a website. Or are you just a "bedroom" "composer". Stop chatting crap.


Sorry, did I say I was a composer? NO. I'm just spouting my audio experience. I'm not a musician, but i know enough to know what i'm talking about. I'm not letting my professional training and 5 years of self-taught experience go to waste... Actually, I spend not enought time on the net. I'm usually holed up in my basement or in some music store buying equipment or recording musicians. I know what i'm talking about. I don't have any music of my own that is considered top quality and I myself would say its crap. I am an audio engineer. Not a musician.

and dude, I wouldn't go around calling people stupid. you can make alot of enemies fast that way. And I'd highly suggest you not anger an audio man. BAD IDEA.
 
Oh. Yeah. Sorry logic thought he was meaning a general multitrack program.

crabcakes: I was going by my opinion. ProTools is a bit confusing, but its nice cuz it also has a whole of hardware to back it up. :)
 
stupid 15minute edit limit. yeah crabcakes. I know where you're coming from with the acid stuff. thats where i started too. Even made an entire album (was a bit niave about music then) and sold about 10 copies. Heh. I started my venture into audio with that program too. I'm not saying its completely bad. Its a good starter, but if you want to call yourself a true musician I don't think its too good.


Ok, this is where i get off. this is my last post in this thread.
 
Who is this prick?

Even if he is who he said he is... I really didn't know that warner brothers employed five year olds.

In otherwords, post were someone will acually give a shit about what you say.
 
I dont undertand. You sit there and say how i dont compose music cause its drum and bass. You expect that not to offend me when its clear you have no proffesional musical backround. Then everyone jumps on my back when i react. Im not trting to impress anyone on here, thats why in my original reply i just stated that i make drum and bass music. Thats all i said. I didnt say anything about my professional involvment in music until someone said something "stupid". I may not write music in score format but that doesnt mean i dont compose my own music.
 
"Im not trting to impress anyone on here, thats why in my original reply i just stated that i make drum and bass music. Thats all i said."


And I'm not bashing you for that! Good grief! And dude, I do have professional background. Not for creating music but for RECORDING. I record, master, and design soundfx! I don't claim to be a music master! Do you understand or do i have to use small words and talk slowly for you?!

Look, I was stating an opinion. I said I didn't think drum and bass qualifies. I never said it ISN'T as a fact. When I think of composing, I think of a symphony. There are musicians and there are composers, there is a difference between the two even if the difference is only slight. You didn't have to insult me to disagree. If you can't understand all that, I feel sorry for you.
 
I never expected this thread to get flamey... lol

Maybe we should all just state our music related backgrounds, and what we do.

Here's mine:

-Piano since age 3.
-Composing since age 10 (early stuff was crap though :) )
-Used to sing (stopped when my voice broke, perfect excuse. I don't like performing) in the Australian Opera Company.
-I'm currently 18, finnishing off school and 2 years into a 4 year Audio Engineering degree.

-I compose primarily using midi. I write filmic orchestral music, and a lot of experimentation in all sorts of styles, even some I've never heard anything like.
-My setup:
-PC (pentium 4 etc blah blah, not important)
-Pro-Tools ( 002 rack )
-soundcard: Soundblaster audigy
-soundcard: Yamaha SW1000XG
-some old soundcards I sometimes use for reference or old midi sounds
-2 JV1080s, with orchestral, orch2, world, piano expansion boards
-several mics (some sm58s, an akg c3000 and numerous cheapies)
-a home-made theremin (!!!)
-A lot of old gear that I use to get interesting sounds... such as old tape machines etc.

Software:
-Cubase SX
-Cool Edit Pro 2
-Reason 2
-Pro-Tools (obviously)
-Assorted other programs, but the above are the main ones.

Currently working on:
-Compositions for 3 unit music course (damn school)
-Several computer game soundtracks (nothing with big companies yet, but that should all change after school's done with and I have more time)
-A whole lot of my own compositional projects and experimentation


Edit: Accidentally posted before I was finnished.
 
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