I want to make music but I can't play an instument. Help?
October 10, 2013 4:25 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for software or something that has sounds on it that I can mix together to make songs. Bonus points if I can add tracks from outside that I record myself/find, etc.
I have a PC and I'm looking for something that's high-quality and intuitive but not too pricey, say in the $100-$200 range. And also, a pony. Thanks!
Do you have a smartphone? there's a ton of (often free) options for music crafting apps (instruments and simple mixers to full-featured studio apps) that, by their very nature (small screen, touch interface) are very simple and easy to learn.
posted by sexyrobot at 6:12 PM on October 10, 2013
posted by sexyrobot at 6:12 PM on October 10, 2013
Garageband and the iPhone Gargeband app have a lot of prerecorded "loops" on em that you can layer onto each other (e.g. a guitar loop playing over a drum loop).
posted by defmute at 8:02 PM on October 10, 2013
posted by defmute at 8:02 PM on October 10, 2013
I am far from an expert on these things, and I use Nanostudio to make beats (and sometimes more). It's an iPhone app, but surprisingly useful and intuitive. Might be a fun (and cheep) place to get your feet wet. I think it's about $15.
I've used it for this, and this, and the drums on this. FYI
posted by Pecinpah at 2:05 PM on October 11, 2013
I've used it for this, and this, and the drums on this. FYI
posted by Pecinpah at 2:05 PM on October 11, 2013
Best answer: Seconding Alabaster - I can't recommend Mixcraft highly enough. It's only a hundred bucks, (maybe $119?) is very easy and intuitive in use, has nearly all the bells and whistles feature wise that DAWs five times the price have, and comes with a pretty massive sample library to start making tracks!
Excellent piece of software.
posted by stenseng at 3:16 PM on October 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Excellent piece of software.
posted by stenseng at 3:16 PM on October 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
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In your price range I have heard good things about Mixcraft.
Fruityloops / FL Studio has always been a popular entry-level music-making tool. (I don't mean "entry-level" disparagingly -- just that it is fairly easy to pick up and get pleasing results with little experience. I think it's deep and feature-packed enough that it can take you rather far).
Reason is also very popular but it's more expensive.
I don't have much experience with these programs (I use SONAR and Ableton Live which are probably overkill for your needs--at least according to your question and your price range).
posted by Alabaster at 4:59 PM on October 10, 2013 [1 favorite]