Music making

virtualDJ, as far as i know thats about it for PC

there's this really awesome software called Searchbar. there's 15-25 versions of it, all with great user explanations and suggestions.

lol@virtualDJ . No but seriously theres a lot of different programs. Depends on what you wanna do.
Pro Tools-producing
Ableton-produce,remix and live mix
Logic-Apple users
FL Studios -great for dubstep tracks
Traktor-remixing and live mixing
Serato-remixing and live mixing

I use Traktor and Ableton. Ableton for recording my remixs and sometimes on a live set for a drum pad. Traktor for mixing and live mixing when Im doing a gig. Hope that helps.

If you gotta mac, Logic fo sho

Thanks man

pro tools also runs on mac. Its the probably the most powerfull of any music program. But like said before, its good for producing. another program is reason. Its pretty easy to use and figure out on your own, unlike a lot of other higher end programs.

no...pro tools is the biggest piece of garbage...people use it for its ease. My buddy is a recording major at UMASS lowell and he has to use pro tools for his pro tools class...he regularly uses Logic. I have listened to the same audio track on logic and pro tools and there is night and day difference. Logic also has way batter samples as well as effects...i would never use pro tools for anything...

Dude you have no idea what you're talking about. people use pro tools for anything but it's "ease". it's a super complicated and in depth program.

Pro Tools is industry standard for mastering. logic is great for home studio work or what have you, but everybody uses pro tools. listening to the same track coming through different software doesn't make any difference on it, if you think so, get your ears checked. that could be the computers sound card, but not the software. its the same audio clip after all.

and neither logic or pro tools come with samples, people record samples or buy sample packs, they don't come bundled with software standard. you don't know what you are talking about.

No, everybody uses Pro Tools because thats what they think they should use. The fact that pro tools has a limited hardware base you can use is bullshit in the first place. And i know for a fact that what i use, the Apogee Duet, sounds better than an mbox or even the digi 002. My band has recorded on both pro tools and logic pro and you can def hear a difference between the two. Dont tell me i dont know what im talking about. I do, just because everyone uses Pro Tools doesnt mean its the best...thats like saying that just because most people buy mustangs for a sports car, that they are the best. Thats obviously not the case.

This. Do not even try anything else if you're looking to do mashups or production/remixing of any kind. Ableton can't be beaten.

Ableton is good, but i still think the new Logic Pro will be your best bet...there are soooooooo many plugins and software addons for it...

haha my first mix was on virtual dj.

Haha not even gonna lie I still mix with virtual DJ and I've gotten pretty fuckin' good at it, I messed around with Traktor and liked it a lot but just wound up getting frustrated because my computer is a POS and the sound quality got all fucked. If your just learning the concepts and basics then VirtualDJ isn't bad at all.

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Really used to have fun with fl. Reason is a good program to add to the list.



If you want to go really simple, vdj is good. Can just import tracks onto virtual turntables. You can make a few beats on fl pretty easily, hell you can even get cheap mini turntables that work with some of the software if you want to fuck around but not invest much. Go for it

Pro tools is used by every music production major at Berkley school of music which shits on u mass's program. Protools takes years to master. Ive worked with both and protools is much more complex

i would personally recommend Audacity. works for macs and PCs and it's super easy to use. not as many options as Ableton but it's a lot easier to use and makes a lot more sense. i'd start with Audacity, then after you have that down and have the basics of what you need to do to make mash-ups start using Ableton. inb4 'OMFG why would he start with one program then switch to anooother?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!one!!!!!!!!!eleven!!!!'. that's how i learned and i thought it made it a lot easier.

I would like to direct your attn to my second post, second paragraph for the reasons why logic is far superior to pro tools...

i like ableton a lot.

my threads

pretty much nailed it

you're clueless dude. give up. you just listed some things you found when you compared the two on musiciansfriend, or let the person at the mac store convince you into logic. and I don't even get why you are bringing pro tools into a thread for some kid who probably doesn't even want to spend what logic or any other second tier software costs, 1500 - 30k a basic pro-tools studio costs

These are all good suggestions, but which is free and where can I download it!?

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Nope your clueless...have fun making shitty music on a shitty program the rest of your life...

one rule of thumb that applies to every facet of life is you get what you pay for, and no music software is going to be free. most of the aforementioned software in this thread do have either 'lite' or trial versions that you can download and use for 30 days before being offered a choice to buy or stop using it. Ableton in particular is a very easy to learn and in depth program that can handle everything from recording to production to live performance. if you buy a controller like a launchpad, which you can find for 100$ or so online, or many keyboard controllers too, they include the "intro" version of Live, which usually costs 200$ or so independently. What I did for over a year before buying my own software was downloading a trial using a yahoo email account, then 30 days later just saving all of my work into a different folder, deleting ableton, then re-downloading with a new email. They also offer student discounts. I then take the stuff I record and produce in Live and take it to a buddy who has a full studio and master it in pro-tools. Pro-tools, whatever Mr. "I can't use your and you're properly" says, is the de facto industry standard for mastering songs, though you probably won't care about mastering for years to come. Logic, as he recommended, and stuff like cubase, are good for recording, but not the greatest for production, especially if you don't already have a music background or have a lot of time set aside to start learning how to use the software. you definitely want to use something like Ableton or FL to produce, or if you really want to go the free route and just make mashups and stuff, audacity is great for doing basic work. If you have a mac you could always use garageband, but frankly, unless they have had a lot of advancements in the last four years, its absolute garbage for doing anything worthwhile.

sparknotes: download and USE (key part there, put in at least 40 hours on each) every software you could conceivably consider buying, figure out which one works best for you, and then when you figure which works best for you, go out and BUY it. I can't stress that enough, I've met the people who program Ableton at NAMM, and they aren't a big company, They are just a few guys who need people to buy their shit in order to keep updating and making it better. go ahead and steal something like Photoshop, which has already sold millions upon millions of copies, but music software is sold in small batches, and you should support the people who make it possible.

How about this. When i make music, ill use pro tools. When you make music, use logic.
Argument ended.
P.s.To "master" pro tools, you would need a lot more than a high school level class. all im sayin

Sounds good!

To end this argument over which is better and Dan thinking he's the all knowing and cats meow of the music industry on NS. Everyone has their own preferences of software making nothing better than another. People like one program over another because it does what they want it to do. I personally hate Serato and love Traktor while other people have it the other way around. Everyone has their own a opinions on what they like to use when they mix, remix, produce, record and the list goes on.


To the OP check out a lot of different programs and see if they do what you want them to. The more they do the easier it will be to mix and such. Hope that helps.

ouch, I don't think I'm all knowing at all, but I've had experience with so many different programs over the past 8 years that I think I know quite a bit. and if you read the only thing I actually posted on the topic of the thread, I told the OP to try out every single program he can and buy the one he likes the most.

to the Pro-Tools vs. Any Other Software argument, PT is in a league of its own. theres a reason that pretty much any true music "professional" uses it, and it'll be the de facto program running in any legit studio used for recording. Comparing something like Ableton (which is what I currently use, and have been for the past 3 years), or Logic, or FL, which cost 400 dollars+ and can be used efficiently with a 100 - 500 dollar controller, to Pro Tools (not pro-tools m-powered, which is ugh, shouldn't even have the pro-tools name on it) which software alone costs a grand, and requires a minimum investment of several thousand dollars just to get a rig capable of running it properly, loaded with the right sound cards and the proper mixing boards to integrate it all, doesn't make sense.

look at it like this.. Audacity, and other free shit, is like the 50$ coffee maker you get at Kohls. Logic, Ableton, FL, etc. are like a 500$ espresso machine you get at William Sonoma, and Pro Tools HD is like a custom made industrial quality espresso machine you import from italy to use in your hipster-centric Pike's Place coffee shop. it's not for home use, its for pro studios.