Composition Programs

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

I was wondering if any of you guys use any sort of program to compose your music in. Right now I'm using Tux guitar. It can take Guitar Pro and Powertab files and play them.

 

[nathan a]

I don't really like using composition programs. If I must, or if the occasion calls for it, or I am trying to transcribe someone else's work and want it to be perfect, I will just use powertab because it is what I have. Works. But for anything of my own, I just write stuff down on a sheet of paper, in a combination of TAB and words. OR I just record my idea quickly so I can remember it, and call it a day! I am the lazy 'composer'.

EDIT: ...or really, the 'lousy' composer  :laughing7:

 

[smavridis]

i use powertab for the most part. since i have been taking music theory in school, when i learn something by ear i put it on manuscript paper first then move over to PT

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

I don't really like using composition programs. If I must, or if the occasion calls for it, or I am trying to transcribe someone else's work and want it to be perfect, I will just use powertab because it is what I have. Works. But for anything of my own, I just write stuff down on a sheet of paper, in a combination of TAB and words. OR I just record my idea quickly so I can remember it, and call it a day! I am the lazy 'composer'.

EDIT: ...or really, the 'lousy' composer  :laughing7:

I would be doing this If I had something to record with but, to my teachers bliss, I don't.  :laughing7:

 

[GoDrex]

I haven't done anything with it in a while, but I use PC Drummer to play drums and bass guitar parts. It's a compositional tool in that it can give me ideas sometimes. It uses samples of the instruments for the sounds. It's basically a sequencer.  

Generally I come up with guitar parts on the guitar.

I don't like any of the programs that use the computer's midi to play stuff back. I hate the sound of it.

click on the link in my sig (or the myspace link) to hear what I've done with it...

 

[Volitions Advocate]

Once I get my Midi interface I'll be recording my songs to sheet music using midi.  I'm sure it will be messy and I'll have to do a bunch of cleaning up, but I think a lot of the work will be done for me.  Always helpful in case I have to leave the band and they need to replace me or something.

 

[tfarny]

Notepad and audacity to get stuff down. Last thing I want to spend my practice time doing is maneuvering little notes on the screen, or learning MIDI (what is that, an 80s holdover?).

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Notepad and audacity to get stuff down. Last thing I want to spend my practice time doing is maneuvering little notes on the screen, or learning MIDI (what is that, an 80s holdover?).

It's a beer glass.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I just use the "STAFF VIEW" in Sonor.

 

[dbw]

I just use the "STAFF VIEW" in Sonor.

Heh Tony, the "just" in that sentence is way out of place.  Sonor is a hell of a thing to use for tabbing.

I usually scrawl tabs or chords for my stuff on the backs of old printouts of tab.  arty07:

Edit: Wait, do you mean Sonar or Sonor?  Because I guess I don't know what Sonor is ???

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Sonar Producer 6, by Cakewalk, now owned by Roland.

I can't justify the expense of purchasing a dedicated Score software when I can just print it from the midi-files I'm already using, especially if I only do it once in a while.

 

[marlboro25]

yeah, i use as sequencer the cheaper version of cubase my school bought long time ago and i did get to keep a license, student or some kind, i cant really remember as it was nearly 7 yrs ago...  but as i studied composition, over the years i've bought stuff from sounds on line,, i particulary liked the "EWQL HARDCORE BASS" and altough the kompakt engine is not as porwerful as kontakt i still use it.... i've bought some orchestral libraries, and some time ago a purchased "Addictive drums" from XNL audio... awesome stuff from drums.!!

Also i sticked with Finale but i still have the 07 version..

 

[dbw]

Damn you guys are dedicated.  When I finish writing a song I usually have something like this:  "A-G-F A-G-F A-G-F-E A-G-F x32"  :tard:

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I mainly use it to provide my bass player with demo's.
I'll print out the score since he sight reads regularly, and I have tab templates for his 4, 5, & 6 string basses.  I just put the most basic idea in there of the attitude I'm looking for, giving him the freedom to do what he feels is best for the song & groove.  It's actually not that hard, I use the piano roll editor and just draw the notes in place, then go back and edit them as needed.

 

[erogenousjones17]

Damn you guys are dedicated.  When I finish writing a song I usually have something like this:  "A-G-F A-G-F A-G-F-E A-G-F x32"  :tard:

Ditto. I have a pirated copy of Guitar Pro that works like absolute crap, and I like to keep riffs in there for posterity, since I can add drums, bass and whatnot (even if the RSE engine does sound a little...synthetic). I also use Audacity from time to time.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Well, I use Sonar primarily to record with, the scoring is just an added bonus.  I play keys also, so I spend a fair amout of time entering bass lines, key pads, synth riffs, or drum patters directly from my Alesis QS7.  If I'm not creating patterns with it, I'll default to the 4+ gb's of drum loops I have in my sample library.  I can almost always find something that will work, especially with the Beta Monkey library as almost all of the different styles of patters are still played on the same kit.

 

[OzziePete]

Notepad and audacity to get stuff down. Last thing I want to spend my practice time doing is maneuvering little notes on the screen, or learning MIDI (what is that, an 80s holdover?).

It's a beer glass.

YES!!!!!! A very New South Wales, Australia in joke, lol......  :laughing3: :laughing7: :laughing11: :toothy12: :headbang1:

 

[Wana_make_a_guitar]

Notepad and audacity to get stuff down. Last thing I want to spend my practice time doing is maneuvering little notes on the screen, or learning MIDI (what is that, an 80s holdover?).

It's a beer glass.

YES!!!!!! A very New South Wales, Australia in joke, lol......  :laughing3: :laughing7: :laughing11: :toothy12: :headbang1:

Finally, that one had some hang time.  :laughing7:

 

[mayfly]

I started back in the days of 4 track reel to reel machines, then slowly over 10 years graduated to a home studio with an 8 track recorder, board, a bunch of outboard gear, etc etc etc. 

I found that I spent much of the time just futzing with the equipment and i was not very productive.

I sold the works and got a notepad and a pen.  After that (and several notepads later) I wrote hundreds of songs.

Composition programs might work for some, but the technology route was a waste of time for me.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

My bass player runs Logic Audio Platinum on his Mac.
I run Sonar 6 on a PC.

We send files to each other by converting the files to .OMF format, for cross application sharing, and we also host our tracks to a private ftp site so I can download his uploaded/recorded tracks as .wav files and vise versa. 

Since we only get together every other Saturday or so right now, this works out well for us.  We can keep up a productive workflow in our own environments on our own familiar systems, and still collaborate.