Hey all,
I'll be on break for almost a month starting next Thursday and I am curious about getting to know how to create music digitally during that time. I was wondering if anyone had recommendations on free software one might use, especially if anything has the ability to record physical instruments as well? I would love to hear your own pieces and recommendations. I hope everyone is well.

Sincerely,
James

The first thing you'll need is a DAW (digital audio workstation). The only legitimately free option I know of is Reaper. It's great for recording live instruments, but not so much for synth-based electronic music. You might want to check out Ableton Live Lite as well. While the light version doesn't include any synths, it does have a few effects, a drum machine, and some samples, so you can get started making beats. Personally I love Ableton Live for making loop-based electronic music.

You'll also need some software synthesizers, unless you have a hardware synth of your own. A quick search for "free vst synth plugins" will get you started. Of course, learning synthesis is another thing in and of itself.

This should get you started. Drop me a line on Steam if you need help with anything specific.

idk of any free ones other than garageband. an old friend gave me a pirated version of FL9 (fruity loops 9) in high school, and i used that for a while till i got pro tools MP9 (fairly cheap compared to professional setups). i have some friends that prefer logic, but i honestly cant say since ive never used logic. i also have another friend that has abelton, but i also havent used that one... i used cubase once before, but that shit was confusing as hell (though that was back when i first got FL9)...

i know its not free, but when i got PT MP9, it came with an interface (fasttrack pro) that had MIDI in and out, 2 guitar inputs, RCA speaker outputs, and a headphone jack. i then bought an Alesis QX25 for midi... since then i've upgraded my PT software and interface, but havent really been in a position to take full advantage of the benefits.

i wish i could help more, but usually you get what you pay for with free DAWs (like garageband, and audacity (if that one even counts lol)). i know there are other cheap DAWs other than the PT MP i got, and one of those might be the best option if youre starting out. places like guitar center usually have a bunch of cheaper DAWs and interfaces lining the shelves. if you're willing to spend a couple hundred (as opposed to 500-1000+ for pro setups), then it wouldnt hurt to go browsing. however if you go to GC, beware of the salesmen lol. you probably have a better idea than they do. one manager tried to talk me out of buying pro tools and in to buying some glorified audacity-like program (minus the interface) for the same price...

again, i know most of these arent free, but they're some of the best in the market. if anyone does know of any good free ones, then i want to know as well.

Something like GarageBand would be perfect for me, I think, except I have a PC and last I knew it was Mac only?

Reaper is not free. It says so in big letters when you start it up.

It is free to try, and the developer is very lenient on how long you can try it, but it does actually cost $60 for a personal license.

That being said, it's totally worth it; I bought a license for myself and don't regret it.

Reaper is free like Winrar is free. when the trial period is up, they ask you to pay, but you can still use it for as long as you want.

I will just say Fruity Loops is not only intended for electronic music, but I believe it's one of the best interfaces for first time users.

Ive tried several DAW's and they all confused me. Im sure I could get it eventually, and probably quickly since Ive been composing on FL for years, but I think the learning curve for FL is just smaller. It's very user friendly. it is iphone to other DAW's android, if you will.

And, like I said, and probably more importantly, it's intended for electronic music. When you open it for the first time, in all the versions I've used so far, the starting template is what they call "Dance." It has a kick, a hi hat, snare, and I cant remember what else, but they're very techno sounding. And you have to really work to get genuine sounding instruments...but the eletronic stuff is all there. They have a great free synth called Sytrus. Oh man, it's great as is, but especially if you're trying to make electronic music. Has great range. If you want to hear a sample, listen to Lil Wayne - "drop the world." That starting music is the sytrus synth.

Youre welcome to try the Fruity Loops Demo, which should be available on the website.

Problem is it doesn't let you save. You can only export songs as MP3s. If you can imagine, its hands down the most frustrating thing ever. I remember leaving my computer on for days when I had the demo. And "perfecting" tracks, or at least, perfecting them to the utmost of my ability at that time. And once I exported it and closed fruity loops...that was it. No re edits.

You can always download full versions of some of these programs...I have a terrific site if you'd like to go that route.



EDIT: Here is a sample demo track (mind you this appeared on the Fruity Loops 4 Demo!) And The technology has only gotten better. But just to give you an idea of how terrific this program can be for electronic music. Btw in Fruity loops it would have repeated, thats why its so short

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQlmuBk-WOQ

that's funny, this is exactly what I'd say about Ableton Live. the session view is brilliant when it comes to getting your ideas down quickly and improvising, and interfacing with external instruments is painless and intuitive.

that being said, pretty much anything that can be done with one can be done with the other, and that's why i think it's important to try a couple of them out and see which one suits your workflow better.

if you want to get more of an idea of what FL has, if you remember my soundcloud, this playlist was made entirely on FL9. it's really simple because i was brand new to this program when i made it, but i was just using the synths and presets that came with it. i didn't really tweak much of anything.

What did you use to make Topple and Light The Way? Also, I'm glad to hear your Soundcloud stuff again, I had been looking for it.

EDIT: Also, what's your favorite Nine Inch Nails album?

Dilk, Lacky, and 5th Eye - Thanks for all your input! I enjoy seeing y'all discuss these because that's just more info to base my decision off of. I'm going to check out demos of the programs you have recommended as I can find them.

i used Pro Tools (9, 10, or 11 - can't quite remember that part) to mix it, and i used Native Instruments plugins for the synths (more specifically the Spark, Skanner XT, and Razor instruments)

and i really like Downward Spiral, though Pretty Hate Machine and Broken are close seconds. the rest of the albums are alright, but i don't listen to them as often.