KVR Audio

Mozuna01 · Post by **Mozuna01** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:11 am

Well, to keep this brief and simple, I am looking to produce some quick music on a relatively easy, and user-friendly program in an effort to get started on something. All I have is my laptop (PC) and am looking to be able to use my keyboard to create the music. Although I know I'm being quite the minimalist it seems, but I do say that this program could be open for self improvement if I decide to get a midi controller or some extra hardware, and or software to work with. I pretty much just want to get started on something with what I have, even If my resources aren't a plenty yet.

EDIT: I just started looking through the free windows-based software article, and it seems that, that is where I'd find what I'm looking for, but I would really like if someone could recommend specifically for what I'm looking for.

mjudge55 · Post by **mjudge55** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:37 am

If I had it all to do over again I would start off using only free software. You could download Reaper, a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that has a fully functional demo/trial that never runs out. It comes with effects but you'd want instruments too. There are some really high quality free synths out there. A really good simple one to start with would be Charlatan. There are also cool free drum machines out there like Drumatic 3. You can find all this stuff with a Google search.

There's tons of other stuff out there for free. But I'd stop at just a DAW, a synth, and a drum machine, and learn those.

For starters you can just plug the laptop headphone output into your computer speakers or headphones and just use the audio hardware in your laptop to listen. Down the road you'll probably want an audio interface, but for now you can get by without it.

I really think minimal and free is the way to go for beginners. There's a lot to learn and there's no sense blowing money until you have the background to decide what products you need and which ones you don't.

Hope that helps.

V0RT3X · Post by **V0RT3X** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:48 am

Pick up a copy of Computer Music magazine, it will give you a ton of great software instruments to use in the following DAW programs.

You have a few workflows to choose from in terms of DAW programs, which are basically your main programs for making your music.

Check out some of these programs for starters.

http://www.renoise.com/ <--- Very great program if you just want to use your laptop and want to program all kinds of electronic music.

Check out this for information about it.
http://www.renoise.com/introduction

Another one that might be of interest is Reaper, which is a great low cost DAW.

http://www.reaper.fm/

If your on windows and do not have an ASIO device for real-time playback of your sounds, then you will need to use something like ASIO4All which you can get here.

http://www.asio4all.com/

Another really fun DAW to learn on is MuLab!
http://www.mutools.com/mulab-product.html

I started learning on Propellerheads Reason, which is pretty darn fun.
http://www.propellerheads.se/download/

You can get a Demo from them.

I would check out Essentials first, and if you like it then buy it for $130.00 which will let you upgrade later if you want to use Reason.

LAST but not least, if you want to invest in a great DAW for electronic music production I can't recommend the DAW i use now which is Ableton Live. They are having a sale on right now which will give you 25% off the normal cost + a free upgrade to the latest version when it comes out.

https://www.ableton.com/

You can test out a trial first to see if it works for you. If you like working with loops this is a superb program!

Mozuna01 · Post by **Mozuna01** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:01 am

mjudge55 wrote:If I had it all to do over again I would start off using only free software. You could download Reaper, a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that has a fully functional demo/trial that never runs out. It comes with effects but you'd want instruments too. There are some really high quality free synths out there. A really good simple one to start with would be Charlatan. There are also cool free drum machines out there like Drumatic 3. You can find all this stuff with a Google search.

There's tons of other stuff out there for free. But I'd stop at just a DAW, a synth, and a drum machine, and learn those.

For starters you can just plug the laptop headphone output into your computer speakers or headphones and just use the audio hardware in your laptop to listen. Down the road you'll probably want an audio interface, but for now you can get by without it.

I really think minimal and free is the way to go for beginners. There's a lot to learn and there's no sense blowing money until you have the background to decide what products you need and which ones you don't.

Hope that helps.

This sounds exactly what I needed. However, if it's fully functional, what is the point of buying it? Also, do the synths and drums import into the DAW? Do I need to look for instruments, or are they already in the DAW? When you say DAW, synths, and Drums, I figured that included everything I needed, and not instruments. Is that right?

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 1:14 am

Mozuna01 wrote:However, if it's fully functional, what is the point of buying it?

To support the future development of the software.

mjudge55 · Post by **mjudge55** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 4:41 pm

Mozuna01 wrote:
mjudge55 wrote:If I had it all to do over again I would start off using only free software. You could download Reaper, a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that has a fully functional demo/trial that never runs out. It comes with effects but you'd want instruments too. There are some really high quality free synths out there. A really good simple one to start with would be Charlatan. There are also cool free drum machines out there like Drumatic 3. You can find all this stuff with a Google search.

There's tons of other stuff out there for free. But I'd stop at just a DAW, a synth, and a drum machine, and learn those.

For starters you can just plug the laptop headphone output into your computer speakers or headphones and just use the audio hardware in your laptop to listen. Down the road you'll probably want an audio interface, but for now you can get by without it.

I really think minimal and free is the way to go for beginners. There's a lot to learn and there's no sense blowing money until you have the background to decide what products you need and which ones you don't.

Hope that helps.
This sounds exactly what I needed. However, if it's fully functional, what is the point of buying it? Also, do the synths and drums import into the DAW? Do I need to look for instruments, or are they already in the DAW? When you say DAW, synths, and Drums, I figured that included everything I needed, and not instruments. Is that right?

You'd buy it to support the developer, if you felt like it.

About instruments, what we're talking about are plugins. These plugins take the form of synths, drum machines, samplers, etc. At the end of the day these plugins are just .dll files that will be located in a folder you tell the DAW to look to for plugin instruments. When you download the plugins you either manually put the .dll file in the folder, or the plugin has an installer that asks you where to put the plugins. For example, on my computer, my plugins are stored at C: Prgoram Files/Steinberg/VSTplugins or something like that. When you load up the DAW it sees the plugins in the folder you specify they're located in, and they are available in a list for you to insert into tracks. You click and drag the plugin name into an empty track in the DAW, and if everything's working right, you see the plugin's interface and off you go.

Most commercial DAWs come with a bunch instruments, so many and so complicated it can make a beginner's head swim. I think the simpler (and cheaper) route is to download Reaper and a couple REALLY simple plugin instruments.

Once you download Reaper and a couple instruments you have enough to start making music. You may find after a while that the couple plugins you have don't make all the kinds of sounds you want to make, and then you can look into other ones.

The hardest part is learning the DAW. You have the DAW's manual and the community of people who use the DAW as a resource.

bedjka · Post by **bedjka** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:54 pm

The most simple and user friendly programm you can work with is MIXCRAFT 6
you have all the sounds you need included and by calling the integrated
virtual mini keyboard you will also be able to play from your pc keyboard.

Also looking at the online manual will confirm that.
http://www.acoustica.com/mixcraft/v6/help/index.html[/url]

kritikon · Post by **kritikon** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 2:17 pm

I'll second V0RT3X. Computer Music has all you need for instruments and FX, and from memory it also has a freebie DAW (although I've never used that so I've no idea how useable it is). It has some cracking instruments like Dune which has recently become a favourite of mine. It's amazing the quality of some free stuff nowadays. Short Circuit is a free sampler that back in the days of h/w Akai samplers, I'd have killed to use. One copy of a magazine and you're started - it also has a shedload of samples (although quite a lot of them are not at all to my tastes).

If you go to www.sf2midi.com you'll find endless amounts of free samples and soundfonts that would keep you going for years.

Panphobia · Post by **Panphobia** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:20 am

CORRECTION: Reaper is now time limited demo. However you will not find a better bang - for - buck than with reaper. I switched from Cubase, saved a ton of money, and couldnt be happier. Please note that there are two licenses available: small producer (you make less than 30k a year using reaper, or something like that) and full license. The prices are something like $40 and $250 (I could be wrong about these figures its been a while). Both versions of software are exactly the same. There are not multiple tiers of things to unlock by paying more money, only one version of the software.

Mozuna01 · Post by **Mozuna01** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:08 pm

Some time later, but thank you for all of your help guys.

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:15 pm

I would recommend you to buy MuLab - because it's inexpensive and it contains all synths and effects that you'll need - and if you're advanced, you can switch to the "Deep Editor" and patch your own synths and FX in the MUX. REAPER is a bit overwhelming for a beginner and it has no usable synths (REAPER is great if you're a context menu freak and if you like it when your context menu is larger than your screen.

)

Mozuna01 · Post by **Mozuna01** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:25 pm

Yea Im going to check out everything. Btw, do you or anybody else know if any of these programs can sample, rip, chop up sounds from tracks and use them within the program for your own tracks, or do I need something else like an Akai device or different program of some sort? Can I do any of that straight from my keyboard and program?

Tricky-Loops · Post by **Tricky-Loops** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:32 pm

Mozuna01 wrote:Yea Im going to check out everything. Btw, do you or anybody else know if any of these programs can sample, rip, chop up sounds from tracks and use them within the program for your own tracks, or do I need something else like an Akai device or different program of some sort? Can I do any of that straight from my keyboard and program?

If you want to make something like Madeon (make songs from of other songs), you'll need a sampler and, if possible, a MIDI controller, for example Novation Launchpad. Of course you can do it with your keyboard, too, but it's more fun with a Pad...

chk071 · Post by **chk071** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:32 pm

V0RT3X wrote: I started learning on Propellerheads Reason, which is pretty darn fun.
http://www.propellerheads.se/download/

You can get a Demo from them.

I would check out Essentials first, and if you like it then buy it for $130.00 which will let you upgrade later if you want to use Reason.

+1 for Reason.

If you're new to sequencers, i'd forego Reaper in any case. It is definitely not for beginners. Reason on the other hand gives you plenty of instruments, loops, drumkits to play with, and is very easy to use.

Mozuna01 · Post by **Mozuna01** » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:44 pm

I'm definitely a complete beginner with a great sound for music. I just need to get familiar with my tools by which i can channel this inspiration. So yes, anything that is more straight forward, but also gives great quality production is what I want. However, I really want to sample a lot of songs I've heard to make new songs. Maybe make my own beat and a few keys, but sample some vocals and sounds that I like to add in to the main part of the track. Sorry for my lack of lingo, but I believe i get my point across. Btw I'm trying to make smooth Hip Hop and Jazz instrumentals similar to stuff that was being produced for early Kanye West or Nujabes sounding things.

Need some recommendations on music software (Beginner)