Composers: What do you use?

[SirJackRex]

Thanks, I'll check it out! 

Reped up man!

[tSwitch]

I use Finale 2006 for midi files, and I use FL Studio 7 Demo for creating loops, then I use Acid 4.0 to arrange them.

(also, anyone know if it's possible/how to import your own loops in Garage Band?)

[Dwarra?]

(also, anyone know if it's possible/how to import your own loops in Garage Band?)

It's not

[tSwitch]

yeahr it is
I just figured out how today
(you need iTunes, but that's not a problem)

[Miles Castea]

What's the best FtU, and PtU music program?
FtU= Free to Use, PtU = Pay to Use.

[Nightwolf]

Okay ppl.
1. Agree with others opinions
2. Dont create a fight over dogs.
I think we have a topic like this?
Anyways, i use tabit which Silver gave me :O It's ftu for ME and i dunno any ptu programs.
Maybe guitar pro or something?

[Leventhan]

PtU:Finale 2007

[Malson]

Merged with the stickied thread.

[Kokowam]

What's the best FtU, and PtU music program?
FtU= Free to Use, PtU = Pay to Use.

It has been cracked. No exceptions. Everything in theory should be FtU.

[Moss.]

Merged with the stickied thread.

you piece of shit, you killed the poll!

[Malson]

oh wow, what the hell

I used the composers thread as the base though @_@

[haloOfTheSun]

The poll's been gone for a while. I know there were at least 2 instances because I put it back up twice: once when the forums went down, and once when we switched to SMF. The poll disappeared again for some reason and I was too lazy to add all those options again, ha.

[Moss.]

I still say it's Zypher's fault.

[haloOfTheSun]

Well, of course. I blame him too.

[Kokowam]

That's what you get when you make him super mod. Just kidding! He's doing a good job

[Dertt]

Topic hasn't seen a post in a while, but I suppose I'll contribute.

For composing something grandiose that I could never perform by myself (I've passed some pieces off to a girl I know who's in a string quartet), I use Sibelius.   
For creating and recording sounds I couldn't otherwise achieve, I use Reason.
For general performance (say I randomly think of a guitar melody/chord progression and just want it on my computer for reference), as well as mixing/engineering/production tricks and creating tracks with a more electronic sound, I use ACID Pro. (6 has decent MIDI sequencing capabilities, and I'm an expert at sample manipulation)
Then if I feel the need to master a track, I use SoundForge.

My MIDI controller is an M-Audio Axiom 49.

Actual, physical instruments I own:
Acoustic guitars - one Seagull and one Fender
Electric guitars - Epiphone John Lennon Casino
Electric basses - Squier P. Base
Other stringed instruments - I attempted to build a lute once *shrug*
Various unimpressive percussive instruments
A piano which I can seldom use because it's actually my mother's.


...keep in mind that I'm more of a producer than an actual musician.


k I'm done

[Moss.]

I need to switch over to Sibelius, Finale is starting to annoy the hell out of me.


Anyway, guess I'll update my list:

General, non-orchestral MIDI composition: TabIt LOL (guitar tab program, windows only)
Orchestral MIDI compositions: Finale (windows or mac)
Post-composition, for Electronic Pieces: Import MIDI into Digital Performer, and hook it up with Reason. (I do this part on a mac, because DP is mac only)
Post-Production: Peak LE (great for EQing and normalization)
I have access to ProTools, and a ton of other programs like Sonar and Samplitude, if I need them. Music school ftw.

Actual instruments I own:
Washburn Electric Guitar
Fender Squier Acoustic
Taylor Acoustic
5 string fretless bass, cheap, no-name. Sounds great, though.
Crappy little midi controller (M-Audio O2)
Crappy big 7 year old MIDI keyboard (Casio something)

[haloOfTheSun]

I wish I could switch to Sibelius, but it doesn't meet my needs, so I'm stuck with Finale.

[Malson]

Programs: TabIt, FL Studio, Reason, SynthFont, Audacity

Instruments: Ibanez AE acoustic-electric guitar, Yamaha YPT-400 keyboard, and hopefully a digital drum kit if I can talk my band's drummer into letting me borrow his

[Dertt]

I wish I could switch to Sibelius, but it doesn't meet my needs, so I'm stuck with Finale.

Maybe you shouldn't be so needy.

[haloOfTheSun]

Maybe Sibelius should just give more

It's ok, Finale is actually just fine and I rarely have problems with it. If Sibelius offered what I needed it to, I still probably wouldn't switch.

[Moss.]

What really bothers me about Finale is the playback. Especially when it comes to ringing notes, or sustain pedals, and crap like that. It's apparently not possible to program in sustain in Finale. It's MIDI controller 64. Set it to 1. Sustain on. That's how it's done in basic MIDI, but no, Finale doesn't listen when you tell it that.

That and a ton of other playback issues make me really, really want to not use Finale, but I kind of have to...

[haloOfTheSun]

The pedal mark in the articulation tool doesn't work for you?

There's another way to do it that gives a better effect but I can't remember what it is. Something to do with creating an invisible expression mark and something.

You have to remember Finale is mainly for notation and production, rather than MIDI performance. Although I wish it weren't so.

[Reives]

Mm, I use Finale 2006, and the sustaining petal works most of the time; there have been strange little occasions in which it suddenly didn't work, then I copied the notes to a new file and it works. There are quite a few glitchy things here and there, but I found it viable for the most part.

[haloOfTheSun]

I use 2006 too, but I haven't had that happen to me. D:

The only real problem I've had is sometimes the MIDI cuts out, and I have to reload the program. But if I'm using a sound library it doesn't matter, it always works. I've heard in newer versions this has been fixed though.