Composing Software

Originally Posted by nikolas

I am so tired right now, but here goes...

You need different things for different things to do.

Reason, FL, and logic are sequencers. They make the music, edit midi, edit audio (not ALL of those 3 actually), etc. Logic pro is highly professional actually for orchestral music, and what a lot of pros use in the film music business (or computer game music).

Other sequencers: Sonar, Cubase, Reaper, Audacity, Logic, Reason, Fruity loops. Ranging from free to hugely expensive

Then you need something to play sounds.

This can be a synth, or module which will create sounds via various ways.

Another way is to use samplers. They will get a captured recording of an instrument, mapped on the keyboard, so everytime you hit a key, you will hear that exact recording. (<-short explanation I know).

Major samplers: Giga studio, Kontakt, Halion

Then you need actual sounds to use in your sampler

They range from pianos, to synths, to choirs, to orchestral, to drums, to whatever.

Major companies making orchestral samples: Garritan, EastWest Quantum Leap, Vienna Symphonic Library, Sonivox (Sonic Implants), Kirk Hunter.

What I personally use:

Cubase3
EWQL Gold, Gold xp pro
EWQL Symphonic Choirs
Pianoteq 2
Synthogy Ivory
Drumkit from hell superior
Manytone Manybass
EWQL Vapor
EWQL Adrenaline
Bela D. Media DIVA
and various smaller stuff.

I also use a very early version of Finale for notation.

If you plan on actually buying, cause for some reason I'm not sure about that, both Kirk Hunter and Garritan have DEAD cheap orchestral libraries. Also reaper, is a good shareware (=almost free if you don't care to give the asked price, they won't hunt you down) sequencer.

If you want to get anything else you either get cracked copies () or pay dearly...

Sorry for getting a bit off topic. Nikolas, I have Logic Pro, I hardly use it now even though I do not have GPO simply because Pro Logic does not recognize the Finale inputs, or is there are way to come around that? For instance, Logic Pro does not recognize a glissandi or if the strings are played pizzicato. Of course the latter is manageable, just have to change to pizzicato strings. Generally it is extremely uncomfortable to use Pro Logic to get it sound good. ( I do not know how it is with other sequencers)

Originally Posted by Saiming

Sorry for getting a bit off topic. Nikolas, I have Logic Pro, I hardly use it now even though I do not have GPO simply because Pro Logic does not recognize the Finale inputs, or is there are way to come around that? For instance, Logic Pro does not recognize a glissandi or if the strings are played pizzicato. Of course the latter is manageable, just have to change to pizzicato strings. Generally it is extremely uncomfortable to use Pro Logic to get it sound good. ( I do not know how it is with other sequencers)

Is there a difference between "Logic Pro" and "Pro Logic"??
Anyhow, as far as I know every sequencer has trouble converting orchestral files from Finale or Sibelius, since there is no recognised standard for orchestral annotations. With GPO, from what I understand, you have to add articulation "key switches" when you load a midi file into a sequencer. Other sample libraries use different methods, or don't have a switching feature at all, so you might have to cut up a track and divide it into different tracks for different articulations.

Logic Pro is a sequencer program and Pro Logic is a surround sound system.

hmmm...

As far as I know Finale uses "custom" midi commands to change the sounds (I would assume that it's a program change command or controller). Now most sequencers will not follow this process. What you need to do, is to "split" in different tracks each of the sounds you will use (staccato, legato, pizz, etc) and assign each sound to each midi track (midi track 1: legato, midi track 2: pizz, etc). The other way would be to actually use the program change Controller, but I can't say it's really convinient... Most sample libraries do contain, however, keyswitching articulations, which means that you have legato, and if you press a "preset" key in your keyboard, it changes to a different articulation, preloaded in memory.

In all with sequencers you get much more control, than you do with Finale, but it is harder work of course in most cases. Certainly you can import midi files that you will export from Finale (which is what I do in most cases), so you don't have to input any notes in Logic (I use Cubase).

As you said it can be PIA...

Just so we don't get lost here:

Finale exports the exact same MIDI commands as any other music programme. If you export a MIDI file, it needs to contain MIDI data. Finale requires that you "apply" certain plugins if you want to have expressivity and various effects input into your MIDI file.

GPO uses MIDI commands for some things.

Keyswitches are simply MIDI notes that change the "layer" in GPO to another sample set.

For example, the low C (one octave below the lowest note of the piano) for ALL Garritan instruments is "play this sample set in its 'normal' way". So violin would be arco, for example. The D just above that, if I recall correctly, is the first "pizz" KS.

Each instrument has a different set of KSs. Some have only a few, other have up to a dozen.

Finale will include those notes (it is actual note data, nothing more, nothing less) in the MIDI file if you apply HumanPlayback to it before exporting the MIDI file.

If you look at a MIDI file with KS data, it will include really low notes wherever the KS data was needed. It's nothing more than "note on" and "note off".

GPO CAN be played without Finale, however the KS notes are in a different octave. Generally, this is the first octave below the lowest note of whatever sample you are playing.

The idea behind GPO was that it was possible to play it "live" with an expression pedal, the mod wheel, and the KS notes, and get a whole bunch of effects that are normally not possible in a live setting.

Originally Posted by nikolas

hmmm...

As far as I know Finale uses "custom" midi commands to change the sounds (I would assume that it's a program change command or controller). Now most sequencers will not follow this process. What you need to do, is to "split" in different tracks each of the sounds you will use (staccato, legato, pizz, etc) and assign each sound to each midi track (midi track 1: legato, midi track 2: pizz, etc). The other way would be to actually use the program change Controller, but I can't say it's really convinient... Most sample libraries do contain, however, keyswitching articulations, which means that you have legato, and if you press a "preset" key in your keyboard, it changes to a different articulation, preloaded in memory.

In all with sequencers you get much more control, than you do with Finale, but it is harder work of course in most cases. Certainly you can import midi files that you will export from Finale (which is what I do in most cases), so you don't have to input any notes in Logic (I use Cubase).

As you said it can be PIA...