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I want to try to compose a song and I would like to do it on the keyboard / piano keyboard (and not through a tracker - this is the only way I know from the Amiga / Protracker times) and I only have USD 100. What equipment should I use? It should cooperate with the computer, which means MIDI interface, am I thinking correctly? Maybe USB has replaced MIDI today? Overall, I would not like to crash into a toy for children, but I would also not like a clear MIDI / USB keyboard-only device, because I think some goodies/features (some faders etc.) can help stimulate creativity. PS. I'm thinking of using Reaper DAW program.

Hello! I recently made song that features piano and electric guitars. My problem is that many people told me, that piano doesnt sound natural/is not mixed well/sounds robotic. I recorded piano parts in reaper DAW using neo piano plugin and midi keyboard. What could be improved on when it comes to mixing and playing ? Here is song im talking about:

Sometimes a new composing project can drive you nuts. Momentarily I have to deal with one of those. I can’t put my finger on it, but something is wrong. Something is missing. Something doesn’t work. Which is really frustrating. I guess there are many strategies to get out of these situations. One that often seems to work for me, is studying work from others. Doing a remake of an existing score. And that is just what I have done this time. A remake of a small piece of the Polar Express Suite! If you would like to remake this piece of the Polar Express Suite yourself, you can download the midi-mockup of this project on my Patreon page for free: https://patreon.com/gh0stwrit3r/

Hey, I'm looking into getting Albion One in a few days and, as you might know, the keyswitches are placed from C0 upwards. I have an 61 key midi controller (miditech i2-control 61 pro) so I'm used to remapping the keyswitches to some key within my reach, no big deal. I just came to the realization that I could just as well map my 4 trigger pads (they have 128 velocities like a normal key and are mapped to something like F3 to A#3) (if you don't know what I mean, just google the name of the keyboard) to the keys of C0 upwards to get the 4 most important articulations with keyswitches and get the rest by clicking at them on my laptop. Apparently it is possible to remap the pads to new keys but I can't find any information on how to do it on the internet. Does anyone know a good solution/can link me to one? Daw: Studio One 3

Hello everyone, As promised, I am sharing some of my compositions. These are all part of an ongoing project I have called Into Infinity. It is definitely in the rock/metal categories, with significant progressive influences and occasional orchestral accompaniment. I have written and released two short albums and one single, for a total of 9 songs. I compose all of my music via Noteflight, and since I lack the skill and equipment of a good singer, I replaced the vocal melodies with piano. The link on this post directs to my Bandcamp page. Please note, however, that I am not a very serious composer, and I have studied very little music theory. Don't ask me to analyze any of my arrangements, because there's a good chance I won't be able to. I tend to write what sounds pleasing to my ears, rather than what is theoretically "correct." So, I imagine some of these songs (particularly 'For The Good Of All') will make absolutely zero sense to those particularly theory-minded individuals among you. Anyway . . . here's the first Into Infinity release, Sector 4: Sector 4 1. For The Good Of All (6:12) 2. Breathless (8:05) 3. Contemplative (5:49) 4. The Threshold (10:00) This is my first album, released in August of 2015. It is a rock opera based upon a NaNoWriMo novel I wrote once, about a city in the sky divided into 4 sectors, primarily along economic lines. The 4th sector is extremely poor, and the government decides to raze it (including its poverty-stricken residents) and rebuild. A massive protest divides the city, but the plan goes on. The main character, the 16-year-old son of an influential city leader, falls in love with a girl from the 4th sector, and tries to save her from the genocide. The two are forced into hiding, but eventually are found. In reaction to their strict sentences, they escape and decide to jump out of the city, into the abyss. The album is a bit diverse, with the first two tracks being more in the metal vein and the third being a ballad. The closing track is a long, dramatic epic split into 3 parts. <iframe style="border: 0; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1848294316/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" seamless><a href="http://intoinfinity.bandcamp.com/album/sector-4">Sector 4 by Into Infinity</a></iframe> Thank you for your attention and especially if you happened to listen to any of the compositions. I'd be appreciative of any feedback you may wish to provide, but don't feel obligated to listen to any of it if you don't want to. Have a nice day, Jack W

Hi fellow composers! My name is Kian, a Shanghai, China based composer and visual media audio specialist. I'm a graduate of the world prestigious Berklee College of Music and have had more than 10 years of industry experience working on a range of projects including AAA+ games such as Eve Online, Dishonored, Spec Ops: The Line, Dust 514 and block buster Chinese films notably Wolf Warrior. You may find more information about me and my works through my website: www.kianhow.com After more than 10 years of being in the industry and having spent considerable time working in the East and West, I have accumulated much highly valuable experience which I believe will help composers navigate through their careers with much ease. And considering the rise of the economic powers of Asian countries in recent years, there will be more opportunities for composers to explore in this region and I will have highly valuable information that can help aspiring composers intending to exploit the growing markets of the east. I have written a series of articles with the specific purpose of assisting composers achieving their goals. If you find my articles to have provided any value to you, do share it to others as sharing is caring and if there's any questions or topics you'd like me to write about, do get in touch with me :) https://www.kianhow.com/single-post/2017/08/08/Truths-About-Being-a-ComposerThat-You-Should-Know-1-Understanding-the-realities-of-being-a-composer https://www.kianhow.com/single-post/2017/08/08/Truths-About-Being-a-ComposerThat-You-Should-Know-2-Understanding-the-function-of-a-“work-for-hire”-composer Thanks and I wish all of you the best of luck with your careers! -Kian Music Composer | Visual Media Audio Specialist www.kianhow.com

A small prelude written for my English class - background music for a model based on the setting from A. Huxley's "Brave New World". In this composition, I tried to reproduce the cheap and ignorant, grotesque cheerfulness of Huxley's bizarre world of artificiality. Also, I thought that the concept of all-seeing eye would fit the dystopian nightmare. The pillar of this prelude is my loose improvisation in A major - one of the most happy and cheery keys, in my opinion. Thank you for listening!

Sometime in the future I plan to produce rap/hip hop beats using a digital audio workstation (Reason or Logic Pro) and a 61 key MIDI keyboard. My path begins with learning how to play a regular 61 key keyboard of course. I'm trying to figure out if that route makes sense for people that are currently producers, and also, how much time should I spend on the regular 61 key keyboard and what level of proficiency should I be at before I go out and actually buy the MIDI keyboard and start making beats? Thank you.