Composers: What do you use?

Ah right, before I started using a sound library, it often mixed up the tracks/instruments when you out-put it through File -> Output, so now I just record it while it plays back in the program itself with Audacity. Speaking of which, Audacity is awesome.

Agreement.

Also: For the poorer of us, I don't know if it's been said, but if you've only been able to write in MIDI so far you should look into a free program called "Synthfont".

hopefully a digital drum kit if I can talk my band's drummer into letting me borrow his

Posting to verify that I've done this B)

I tried SynthFont once. Wouldn't load any soundfonts, and was really slow and chuggy.

Oh yes, it is slow and chuggy.

But it's free.

However, I haven't had your problems with actually loading em up- it just takes a while with some of em. Why was that do you think?

(And what do you use instead, if anything? Roph gave me a cool program, but it doesn't like some of the things I do in tabit.)

I can't speak for arlen on tabit or anything, but Finale can load soundfonts itself.

I think I'll end up buying Finale since these sublegal copies of software tend to be so spastic sometimes.
Or I'll buy Garritan Personal Orchestra for use with my occasionally spastic software. 
<-- this is me contemplating

Oh yes, it is slow and chuggy.

But it's free.

However, I haven't had your problems with actually loading em up- it just takes a while with some of em. Why was that do you think?

(And what do you use instead, if anything? Roph gave me a cool program, but it doesn't like some of the things I do in tabit.)

I found my old external soundcard recently. It loads soundfonts at the hardware level instead of the software level, I guess, but yeah, I just use that now.

I use Cubase and Fruity Loops 7.

For the people who say Fruity Loops Sucks... Well, you don't know how to use it. I Use to use REASON, but figured out that Fruity Loops has the same capabilities made easier.

K, so my updated list is:


Pre-Production/Composition:
- TabIt or Finale, depending on what kind of music I'm writing.
- Sometimes I'll compose right in Pro Tools or Digital Performer, if I don't care about tempo.

Production:
- Digital Performer, or Pro Tools if I'm working with Audio and Video as well.
- Both of them use the same bad-ass instrument sets like Mach V-2, and Spectrasonic's crazy shit,
like Atmosphere, Stylus RMX, Trilogy (for bass), and Omnisphere is coming out soon, which is ridiculously cool.
- Then there's a bunch of other ones like Drumulator, and the Mini-moogs, and blahblahblah.
- I don't even use Reason as a standalone, anymore. It's really more like just another instrument plugin.

Post-Production:
- Peak LE, just because it normalizes shit really well.

Nice ^

I use to use Digital Performer, I loved it. I wish I still had it haha.

- I don't even use Reason as a standalone, anymore. It's really more like just another instrument plugin.

Hear hear.

Pre-Production/Composition:
- Paper and pen. Nothing can beat how simple it is...
- When I demo things, I usually use Cubase 4 to get guitar and drum ideas out.

Production:
- Nuendo. I work with Nuendo for a living, so It's gonna do what I want it to. Plus, with Vienna, DKFH, Reason, TimewArp 2600, I have loads of samples to work with
- Someone mentioned Stylus RMX. 'nuff said.
- My Motif 6 also comes into play.

Post-Production:
- Wavelab.


BTW, I'm Matt. I'm also new.

I could never use paper and pen. I like to hear my ideas played back.

Same. I'm not ear-trained enough or whatever to just say "oh, that note on paper sounds like this." I wonder how all the composers way back when did it so professionally... Unless, of course, Mozart used Tabit. Then everything makes sense.

Mozart used a piano, lol.

Writing it all down on paper is fine if you're only working with one line, but like, when it comes to hearing complex drum patterns with bass lines, guitar rhythms and vocals all at once... or entire symphonies at once... 
I write much faster when I just program it all in and play it back. It's more of a convenience that I don't feel like giving up just because I can.

How did composers of old make whole pieces of complex music and such? Just plain paper? And having a band playback for them ?_?

Music of old was never that complex, you know. Most classical music is simple, I V I IV V I, clean cut, no dissonance, really easy to listen to music.

Past classical music, though ... eh ...


Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that it's not impossible for most musicians to hear complex things in their heads, but when it comes to writing it down, I find it to be much faster to use a computer and play it back.


But I'm sure composers holding rehearsals of unfinished works, and make changes to them before releasing them isn't unheard of...

Music of old was never that complex, you know. Most classical music is simple, I V I IV V I, clean cut, no dissonance, really easy to listen to music.

Past classical music, though ... eh ...


Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that it's not impossible for most musicians to hear complex things in their heads, but when it comes to writing it down, I find it to be much faster to use a computer and play it back.


But I'm sure composers holding rehearsals of unfinished works, and make changes to them before releasing them isn't unheard of...

I wouldn't say classical music was that easy. You had all those cadences, parallelisms, modes, big chords like B6sus9+5.

Compared to what has been done in past 40 years or so, yes it's simple... but there are one hell of a lot of rules when writing classical.

Exactly. Classical was all about rules, and if you broke the rules you weren't writing good music. Pieces were clear-cut, simple, melody w/ accompanyment, and ALWAYS ended with a cadence.

Then came Brahms with his Romantic music. People went ape-shit when he released his first symphony, people said it was a travesty to music. Romantic music comes along, and suddenly the rules are being broken more often, making the music more complicated.

Then comes Debussy with Impressionism, and chromatic/diatonic planing and all these new techniques, the music gets even more complicated.

Then comes Serialism and 12-tone, and all bets are off, lol.



I'm talking about pure Classical, here, not anything and everything before Schoenberg came around.


So, what's so difficult about cadences? There's only, like, 6 of them. PAC, IAC, Half, Plagal, Deceptive, Phrygian. Most classical pieces ended with ONE of these, and it was almost always the same one, the Perfect Authentic Cadence. About 3 times. V I! V I! over and over until you were tired of hearing V I and then the piece was over.

Modes didn't really come around until the 1900's. Sure, they were invented before that, but they were scarcely used. The only "modes" classical really used were major and harmonic minor. That 7th in minor HAD to be raised, or else you were breaking a rule. And Classical was all about rules that couldn't be broken. Nevermind Lydian and Mixolydian and god forbid anyone even mention Locrian, no, this was Classical music.

And I don't remember any big chords. Extended tertian harmony was mostly an invention of Modern/Impressionistic music. Baroque music stopped at 7th chords, and even then they were rarely used. They became commonplace in Classical, but it wasn't until the Romantic period that extended harmonies started coming around. But even then, it wasn't until Impressionism and Modernism came that extended harmonies and your B6sus9+5's were used.






Ugh, but this is getting out of hand. How the hell am I really supposed to answer the kinds of questions Manatee's asking me? Jeez.

This is all his fault.

Too true. I suppose I need to specify what I refer to.

Well, either way, I write stuff out on paper before I throw it into my mac.

Ugh, but this is getting out of hand. How the hell am I really supposed to answer the kinds of questions Manatee's asking me? Jeez.

This is all his fault.

Lololol. But it was a nice read. I understood, like, 69%.

Too true. I suppose I need to specify what I refer to.

Well, either way, I write stuff out on paper before I throw it into my mac.

I lol'd again.

I write big complex percussion ensemble pieces on paper most always before putting it in Finale. When you're experienced enough, it wouldn't be that difficult to write out ensemble music on paper, with a few parts here and there you may need to hear before you decide you like it.

Of course, when I get to parts that may be a bit dissonant I refer to the keyboard/piano like any respected composer would do before I end up wasting my time writing a bad section.

But then, writing for percussion isn't that big of a deal without hearing it played back. It's pretty easy to hear in your head how it would actually sound. The only real variables are overtones from metallic pitched percussion, types of mallets (which one can write for specifically, but still may not turn out the way you'd hoped), etc.

Oh wow, big question...
As far as software goes I use Nuendo 3 and Cubase SX 4, and Finale for a notator.
My favorite sampler is probably Kontakt, but occasionally I'll use HALion 3.
I bought lots of sample packs, but among my favorite ones are EWQL Symphonic Orchestra Platinum Edition,
SAM Horns / Trombones / True Strike 2 and Solo Sessions, and Extended Classical Choir 2.
For amp-simulation I find GuitarRig2 to be the best digital amp-sim ever.
For mastering I use Izotope Ozone3 as well as many various plugz I gathered.
To put down the whole list would just take all day

As far as physical gear,
I use Creamware Pulsar 2 Soundcard, Fostex VM200 digital Mix Board, M-Audio KeyStation Pro-88 MIDI keyboard, ECM Condenser and Shure Sm58/57 Mics, AVTRON Preamp, LG Monitors.
Guitars: US Fender Start., US Jackson KE-2 Kelly, Fender Acoustic, Admira Classical, ALTO Wireless connection.
Bass: Fender P-Bass, Takamine Accoustic (which I customized into a fretless).
Amps & Stompboxes: Marshall park 30W, Ibanez Acc. Amp 25W, Dunlop Crybaby, Digitech Whammy, Ibanez Rotary Chorus, BOSS CS3 Compressor, Danelectro Fabtone Distortion, Digitech Digidelay, Dunlop Tremolo, AKAI Tune Lock and a home made footswitch
Drums and Percussion: TAMA Drumkit with Zildjian Cymbals and a Paiste 22' China, hand made Syrian darbuka, hand made Egyptian Frame drum, IP Shaker, hand made chinese finger cymbals, VIC Firth sticks mostly.
Misc.: Hand Made Egyptian Oud, hand made indian Charmer, Meg / Oak Irish whisltes (D and Low D), Hohner Chromatic Harmonica, YAMAHA Alto Recorder, Hohner Accordion, AIWA Studio Headphones.

EDIT: *very* old post, lol... been thoroughly updated since.

Are you really Omri Lahav? It's an honor to have you here!