Best music making software

Bengaboy

Bengaboy

Bengaboy

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1 Sep 2007
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I am a beginner and I am looking at making my own music.

I would like to create house/dubstep/drum and bass/trance music.

I have a macbook with windows on it, so any software for either OS would be ok. I am a total novice when it comes to creating music, so preferably something with a lot of online videos - or maybe even a book you can buy to help you get the most from the software.

Thanks!
 
I have heard Ableton live is great for that. It also has a fantastic UI imo however it is expensive.

Reaper is a free DAW but I have only ever used it for recording guitar.
 
not the answer your looking for but there is no 'best'

the main ones ableton/logic/cubase/fruityloops/reason/etc all do the same thing eventually. let you make music. most will let you use the same VSTs/samples etc

basically you just need to see which software works best for you. try the trials and go through some tutorials from youtube or forums/sites.

personally im a huge ableton fan because i like its was of doing things and enjoyed and learnt a lot from the inbuilt tutorials but at the end of the day its down to your ideas far more than its down to what software you put those ideas into.

eg, theres pros who make club hits with 'cheapo' fruityloops and theres others spend 1000s on logic and co and make nothing

this/last months computer music mag cover was actually about making tracks for free using free DAW's and free instruments and samples. thats another thing to look into although i doubt theres as much support/tutorials
 
I've used Logic, Ableton, Cubase, Fruity Loops and Reason and I think it's tough between Cubase and Logic - I didn't quite get to grips with Ableton but as the above says, they all do similar things. Logic and Pro tools are what most of the pros use I think. It's just what suits you best and which included synths/tools you prefer from each package. Logic comes with the best tools and synths imo, but I prefer the lay out of cubase!

From what you've said, however, I'd say Ableton might suit you more as there's tutorials etc...

James Holden made this awesome tune on some free downloads about 11 years ago, so it just shows you what can be achieved with the right background!


Same with Gareth Emery who made the trance hit 'mistral' on some crappy cheap software on an IBM think pad!

It's what comes out at the end which is more important than the software :D
 
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I've always been a Cakewalk fanboy (did have Steinberg 24 in the 80s on the Atari ST) and I now use Sonar Production Studio however for the music you want to make I reckon you can't go far wrong with Fruity Loops.
 
If you are going to use a lot of synths then get Reason, can't beat the thor synth.

Yes some club hits are made using fruity loops, Basshunter does all of his songs on fl studio.

David Guetta also uses a bit of FL studio.

Prodigy uses Cubase and Reason, in fact the album "Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned" was made entirely using Reason.
 
In a slightly related question...

Does anyone know of any programs I could use to create morse code? I need it for a song I'm writing...
 
I would say Reason if you are doing electronic music. Very reasonably priced and some excellent tutorials out there.

I've used Cubase for years and wouldn't suggest it for electronic music unless you have synths you can patch in through a PC based audio interface.

Logic and Pro Tools are by far and away the best two solutions out there but again not really something I'd suggest for electronic music.
 
I find Cubase best for plugins while running Ableton as a slave for samples/beats etc. There's not much you can't do with that setup...In fact, if there is anything you can't do I personally don't care because I haven't wanted to do it!
 
didnt notice OPs name yesterday but benga made most his first album with fruityloops. some of his tracks are even using the preset synth patches and 'pleasure' a built in sample.

too many people fall into the marketing trap and you see ''pros use logic'' plastered all over forums. a lot of people do use it but often because they are familiar with it from years ago when it had little competition. dig deeper and you see more and more people just using whatever they get along with
 
Another vote for Reason here, especially for electronic music. Only negative is it doesn't handle audio natively, so adding vocals/live instruments requires you to use Rewire.
 
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