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Message
Suggestions for simple music software
Posted on 4/9/24 at 8:14 pm
Posted on 4/9/24 at 8:14 pm
Let me first state that I am not a professional musician, don't ever plan to be, and have very limited knowledge of the functions of what I own. With that stated, I own two older keyboards, a Proteus EMU and a Roland RD-1000. I enjoy playing them for my own benefit. The limit of my technical knowledge is that I knew to connect the MIDI cable from the Roland to the Proteus to allow me to use its sounds on the larger RD-1000. Since I have never played with other musicians, I never picked up on knowledge that most musicians have.
I almost exclusively play what I make up, which usually sounds a lot better to me and in my head. I occasionally will record a song in a very crude method. I will record a part on my cell phone, play it back over a speaker and then record myself playing the second part with it on my work cell phone and then continue the process to have 4 or parts going. I have a lot of fun, but it sounds a bit like a copy of a copy of a copy and everything ends up with a bit of a 1990's grunge sound no matter what style of music it is. I'm also limited to about a 3 minute song since I can't text anything larger than that to combine with a third track on my work phone. Since I will be retiring in a few years and will be losing the work phone, I think I should treat myself and find a simple, let me stress simple, software program to at least remove the grunge sounding outcome.
Is there a simple software that anyone can recommend that will allow me to use a midi - USB adapter and record directly into my computer? If so, will it allow me to use some of the sounds directly from my keyboards or will it just record the notes?
Thanks in advance for any recommendations. You may want to save this post in case I become a world famous song writer during my retirement.
I almost exclusively play what I make up, which usually sounds a lot better to me and in my head. I occasionally will record a song in a very crude method. I will record a part on my cell phone, play it back over a speaker and then record myself playing the second part with it on my work cell phone and then continue the process to have 4 or parts going. I have a lot of fun, but it sounds a bit like a copy of a copy of a copy and everything ends up with a bit of a 1990's grunge sound no matter what style of music it is. I'm also limited to about a 3 minute song since I can't text anything larger than that to combine with a third track on my work phone. Since I will be retiring in a few years and will be losing the work phone, I think I should treat myself and find a simple, let me stress simple, software program to at least remove the grunge sounding outcome.
Is there a simple software that anyone can recommend that will allow me to use a midi - USB adapter and record directly into my computer? If so, will it allow me to use some of the sounds directly from my keyboards or will it just record the notes?
Thanks in advance for any recommendations. You may want to save this post in case I become a world famous song writer during my retirement.
5
Posted on 4/9/24 at 8:35 pm to Ramblin Wreck
If you have a Mac, the unrivaled starter DAW is Garageband.
If you own a PC, you might try Mixcraft, which is what I use and is what some refer to as Garageband for PC.
Many people I know swear by FL Studios.
If you want to be one of the cool kids, you can try Ableton.
All should be available for a demo and all can be as simple or complex as you need them to be.
ETA: Just re-read your original post. It'll treat your keyboard like a MIDI controller, playing sounds from the DAW software. (The plus side to this is unlimited effects/sounds at your fingertips.)
If you own a PC, you might try Mixcraft, which is what I use and is what some refer to as Garageband for PC.
Many people I know swear by FL Studios.
If you want to be one of the cool kids, you can try Ableton.
All should be available for a demo and all can be as simple or complex as you need them to be.
ETA: Just re-read your original post. It'll treat your keyboard like a MIDI controller, playing sounds from the DAW software. (The plus side to this is unlimited effects/sounds at your fingertips.)
This post was edited on 4/9/24 at 9:27 pm
Posted on 4/10/24 at 3:24 pm to Ramblin Wreck
Audacity is my go to. Free download (at least it was when I download it)
Posted on 4/11/24 at 2:18 pm to Ramblin Wreck
quote:
I will record a part on my cell phone, play it back over a speaker and then record myself playing the second part with it on my work cell phone and then continue the process to have 4 or parts going.
Whatever you end up doing, do yourself a favor and play your tracks back through headphones while you record on top of it. At least that will fix most of the doubling/noise.
If you're deadset on being able to do this on a phone, recording with headphones means you wouldn't need two phones...just find an app that allows multi-tracks and record/arm a second track while you listen to the first. (maybe one ear in, one ear out if you need to hear the live part better).
But if you're ready to dive into the wide world of computer recording, Audacity and Garageband are great options as far as an intro DAW, as people have mentioned.
I would also recommend looking into a simple interface so you can plug your midi instruments in or simply run them with a line-in to the interface. A baseline focusrite or Presonus interface will get you off and running. I bought a Presonus recording package that came with the interface, a version of Studio One (their DAW that is more fully featured than Garageband/Audacity), two decent studio monitors, a pair of studio headphones, etc., all for just a few hundred bucks. Amazing deal for the basic functionality.
Garageband, as well as most mainstream DAWS, will also come with virtual instruments so you can use your MIDI keyboard to play new/different sounds than the ones you've got in the two boards you own.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 4:26 pm to Ramblin Wreck
Professional here, but I’ve helped friends’ kids get into recording software for the cheapest investment possible. Actually jealous that they get to use so many tools at such a young age. Apologies for the length but I gathered you’re a beginner at recording and I love getting beginners into this stuff. I’ve learned to be thorough so people don’t get scared and give up. Here’s the crash course:
The million dollar question, do you have a Mac or PC? This is all for Mac but it’s similar for Windows. My advice, get a Mac if you don’t have one, it will make your life 100x easier. Since you’re retiring, spend the 800 bucks or so on an older model. You want to make the technical aspect as easy as possible (this goes for people at every experience level) because it will KILL your creativity otherwise.
First thing: your keyboard will be a MIDI controller (I’ll explain). ***WITH MIDI YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE STOCK SOUNDS FROM YOUR KEYBOARD*** but you don’t need to. You CAN technically do this but it requires more hands on stuff that I wouldn’t recommend (cables, $100 interface minimum, etc). In fact you won’t want use those sounds. Garage Band has plenty and they’re more modern. All that “MIDI controller” means is it acts like a middle man between you and the computer. You play it and the sound comes from your computer (piano/bass/drums etc). It’s not complicated, so don’t get intimidated. This should be a thing where you don’t think about it and just get right to creating. Not at first, but do it a few times, and it will be, just stick with it for the first few times.
Get a cable to hook up your board to the computer. They are older boards, so you’ll probably need this one. Go to Guitar Center and ask them for a USB MIDI interface. If they want specifics, tell them your board, find out the year it was made (these are usually younger guys and might not know the exact models you’re talking about but all older boards use the same). They’ll know what that means. Be prepared for them to talk to you about nothing for 15 minutes and try to get you to buy a 2 year protection plan (don’t… it’s bullshite… lol). Something like this:
USB/MIDI interface
FYI, the newer boards on the cheap end will be like $80 and they just use a regular printer cable.
Open Garage Band. Make sure the keyboard is connected. If you click a key I think there should be lights blinking with the signal. ***YOU WON’T HEAR A SOUND UNLESS A SAMPLE IS SELECTED*** (next paragraph) You can watch YouTube’s of guys doing this. It’s easy, don’t worry.
Create a new track, select a sample (this just means instrument, piano, bass, drums) they should have all that in there. Watch YouTube how to do this. Type in “How to get started with Garage Band” or “how to select a sample.” That’s it. Mess around with different instruments too, have fun with it. Once you hear sound, you’re ready to go. Hit record. There will be a metronome playing (we call it a click). You can mute it, I recommend keeping it so everything lines up. ***YOU DON’T HAVE TO PLAY STUFF PERFECTLY*** in fact most guys who do this aren’t pianists. With MIDI you can fix timing, notes, change melodies, make stuff louder or software, etc. On that subject, once you have a project done, or a track done, search this on YouTube: “how to quantize MIDI in Garage Band.” This basically will fix any timing issues you have, but there’s more to it than what I should put in the post.
One note that you NEED to know: in your case (not every case), MIDI tracks will be green, AUDIO tracks will be blue. MIDI means the sound comes from the computer (through notes you play on your keyboard). Audio means the track comes from you or a real instrument (i.e., to record the sounds from your keyboard you would need an audio track, don’t mess with those). But, if you want to record vocals, you need an audio track. They should be side by side. It will default to your computer microphone. The Mac built in microphones are actually pretty damn good for what they are.
Use headphones for now.
If you have a PC and need to use a PC: someone said Ableton for Windows. I would recommend against it. Ableton is complicated. I’m a pro in the industry, I’ve used computers on stage with major artists, and I don’t even like using Ableton because it’s a buzz kill for me.
If you do have a PC get the simplest Garage Band equivalent that you can find. Ask Chat GPT and be descriptive of what you wanna do. The setup will be mostly the same.
I love this stuff and love it when people do this as a hobby. It reminds me there is joy in this art form other than just paying bills. Keep me posted.
The million dollar question, do you have a Mac or PC? This is all for Mac but it’s similar for Windows. My advice, get a Mac if you don’t have one, it will make your life 100x easier. Since you’re retiring, spend the 800 bucks or so on an older model. You want to make the technical aspect as easy as possible (this goes for people at every experience level) because it will KILL your creativity otherwise.
First thing: your keyboard will be a MIDI controller (I’ll explain). ***WITH MIDI YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE STOCK SOUNDS FROM YOUR KEYBOARD*** but you don’t need to. You CAN technically do this but it requires more hands on stuff that I wouldn’t recommend (cables, $100 interface minimum, etc). In fact you won’t want use those sounds. Garage Band has plenty and they’re more modern. All that “MIDI controller” means is it acts like a middle man between you and the computer. You play it and the sound comes from your computer (piano/bass/drums etc). It’s not complicated, so don’t get intimidated. This should be a thing where you don’t think about it and just get right to creating. Not at first, but do it a few times, and it will be, just stick with it for the first few times.
Get a cable to hook up your board to the computer. They are older boards, so you’ll probably need this one. Go to Guitar Center and ask them for a USB MIDI interface. If they want specifics, tell them your board, find out the year it was made (these are usually younger guys and might not know the exact models you’re talking about but all older boards use the same). They’ll know what that means. Be prepared for them to talk to you about nothing for 15 minutes and try to get you to buy a 2 year protection plan (don’t… it’s bullshite… lol). Something like this:
USB/MIDI interface
FYI, the newer boards on the cheap end will be like $80 and they just use a regular printer cable.
Open Garage Band. Make sure the keyboard is connected. If you click a key I think there should be lights blinking with the signal. ***YOU WON’T HEAR A SOUND UNLESS A SAMPLE IS SELECTED*** (next paragraph) You can watch YouTube’s of guys doing this. It’s easy, don’t worry.
Create a new track, select a sample (this just means instrument, piano, bass, drums) they should have all that in there. Watch YouTube how to do this. Type in “How to get started with Garage Band” or “how to select a sample.” That’s it. Mess around with different instruments too, have fun with it. Once you hear sound, you’re ready to go. Hit record. There will be a metronome playing (we call it a click). You can mute it, I recommend keeping it so everything lines up. ***YOU DON’T HAVE TO PLAY STUFF PERFECTLY*** in fact most guys who do this aren’t pianists. With MIDI you can fix timing, notes, change melodies, make stuff louder or software, etc. On that subject, once you have a project done, or a track done, search this on YouTube: “how to quantize MIDI in Garage Band.” This basically will fix any timing issues you have, but there’s more to it than what I should put in the post.
One note that you NEED to know: in your case (not every case), MIDI tracks will be green, AUDIO tracks will be blue. MIDI means the sound comes from the computer (through notes you play on your keyboard). Audio means the track comes from you or a real instrument (i.e., to record the sounds from your keyboard you would need an audio track, don’t mess with those). But, if you want to record vocals, you need an audio track. They should be side by side. It will default to your computer microphone. The Mac built in microphones are actually pretty damn good for what they are.
Use headphones for now.
If you have a PC and need to use a PC: someone said Ableton for Windows. I would recommend against it. Ableton is complicated. I’m a pro in the industry, I’ve used computers on stage with major artists, and I don’t even like using Ableton because it’s a buzz kill for me.
If you do have a PC get the simplest Garage Band equivalent that you can find. Ask Chat GPT and be descriptive of what you wanna do. The setup will be mostly the same.
I love this stuff and love it when people do this as a hobby. It reminds me there is joy in this art form other than just paying bills. Keep me posted.
This post was edited on 4/11/24 at 4:38 pm
Posted on 4/11/24 at 8:58 pm to TN Tygah
Wow, I really appreciate all the suggestions from everyone so far. I have a PC but think I will invest in a Mac based on TN Tygah's comments. It is also good to know that I can adjust timing afterwards. Since I usually make up stuff as I'm playing, my timing can be off slightly whenever my hands are trying to figure out what they want to make up next. I like to add lyrics sometimes, so the ability to add vocals through the computer microphone will be a good feature. Also glad to read that I can record by playing my Roland. I really like the weight and feel of the keys, even more so than a traditional piano.
Posted on 4/11/24 at 9:49 pm to Ramblin Wreck
Are you only going to be listening yourself? Sharing with family and friends?
Learning to get better at the process?
I suggest getting a Tascam DP008 digital 8 track recorder. They are super simple to record with and only cost about $250.00 these days.
You can bounce tracks, if you need to add more and mix down straight to your computer.
You can also plug straight in, powered monitor speakers.
Learning to get better at the process?
I suggest getting a Tascam DP008 digital 8 track recorder. They are super simple to record with and only cost about $250.00 these days.
You can bounce tracks, if you need to add more and mix down straight to your computer.
You can also plug straight in, powered monitor speakers.
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