How to create a studio with zero budget ($0.00)

[Chris Alpiar]

Hi guys and gals

 

I have been asked recently by two separate members in private messages how they can get their scores realized into audio with zero budget. One person was asking about creating good sounding audio from "Musescore notation program" and another without any notation software, just looking for the cheapest setup possible.

 

So I want to ask you all to contribute to this thread. Please include any ideas at all (that are LEGAL) to acquire and work on music with no budget whatsoever. I know we have had a few threads on freeware sample libraries that Simon and other folks have posted, lets talk about all freeware possibilities, used hardware possibilities, etc.

 

IMO Any composer setup must include the following:

- computer (recommended 64 bit OS, at least 8 gigs ram, at least 2 internal hard drives, but what can people scrape by with and still record)

- DAW (I use full versions of DP, Cubase and Pro Tools, but what are options for folks? I know we had a thread with a freeware DAW at one point. What about the really cheap versions of DAWs? I know Simon uses the lower level Cubase, how is that working for you mate?)

- notation software (many DAWs have some form of notation in them but generally arent as good as sibelius or finale. What are options in notation programs? What are the pluses and minuses involved with going cheap or free?)

- Sample libs (this obviously makes HUGE difference between sounding pretty real and totally fake. I am pretty snooty about it and I dont really have good suggestions for shoestring budget samples. But I remember something else Simon posted not too long ago with a free sample library, Simon you're the man!)

- convolution reverb and other effects/processing (I cant leave my Alti-verb at home, but I know there are freeware solutions, Ray has sent me links several places with freeware plugins that are pretty snazzy)

- MIDI controller/keyboard

- sound card

- speakers (and speaker amps if they are passive speakers)

 

what else? Lets make this the go to thread for zero budget studio ideas. Thanks folks! I know there have been lots of threads with pieces of this, so lets just put it all in one place, please any links, pics, ideas, etc

Current options are:

DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

http://studioone.presonus.com/free/   (this version does not support 3rd party vst)

http://www.reaper.fm/about.php   (relatively inexpensive)

http://www.steinberg.net/en/products/cubase/cubase_elements_6.html  (entry level)

http://www.apple.com/logicpro/top-features/  (for mac users)

Sample Players:

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/en/products/producer/kontakt-5-...    (some 3rd party libraries will time out)

http://www.uvisoundsource.com/uvi-workstation/article_info.php/arti...

http://www.cakewalk.com/Download/sfz.aspx

Software Synths:

http://www.camelaudio.com/AlchemyPlayer.php 

http://www.u-he.com/cms/zebralette

Sample Libraries:

http://www.embertone.com/freebies/intstrings-lite.php   (kontakt vsti)

http://freemusicsoftware.org/category/free-vst/exotic-instruments (vsti)

http://www.pettinhouse.com/html/download.html  (kontakt vsti)

http://rekkerd.org/freebies-for-native-instruments-kontakt/

http://www.hollowsun.com/HS2/freepacks/kontakt.htm

http://www.sampleoddity.com/peculiarpercussion/

http://audiogeneticslab.com/instruments/free/magnus-chord-organ

http://sonimusicae.free.fr/diato-en.html

http://www.embertone.com/freebies/jugfree.php#1[/url]

http://indiginus.com/freedownloads.html

http://indiginus.com/solidstatehome.html

http://samples.wavesfactory.com/?cat=47

http://www.asinusadlyram.com/pocketBlakus/

Audio File Editors:

http://www.wavosaur.com/

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

http://www.music-editor.net/index.html

FX vst:

http://www.voxengo.com/group/free-vst-plugins/

http://antress.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.vstplanet.com/index.htm

http://varietyofsound.wordpress.com/

[Maksim Timashev]

Just wondering if we are still talking about composing or arranging "blocks".

 

[David Prouty]

Depends... if you consider composing to be only using notation or if you include midi grid in that definition. I personally prefer grid. It is note by note either way you look at it. I do hear you on the crappy sound comment. Not much available free that is descent food for samplers but take a look at the video I posted a couple back. You can at least make your own with a small purchase of a digital recorder....granted that is not free.

Maksim Timashev said:

Just wondering if we are still talking about composing or arranging "blocks".

 

[Calle Edlund]

>>That's going to be the farthest one can take music in this realm IMO.

Not quite, but imitating acoustic instruments will always be a bitch.

[Maksim Timashev]

Well, to compose is to put together, whether it is written, played or electronically manipulated. I'm going to stop developing on this thought right about now since I feel that this might turn into a debate which is irrelevant to this topic. I tend to get excited about these things.

 

[Maksim Timashev]

I guess that things like this are a matter of taste. No need to get sensitive. But, no offence of course, I hate it. Sounds like asian snuff film music made on a cassio keyboard.in 1990. This just proves my point about the music "freeware".  I have to agree with Chris about the sampled analog synth sounds - it's lame.

Calle Edlund said:

Here are some links to songs made in "crap" freeware like screamtracker or openMPT. Take a listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qFQBcsUOWc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qFQBcsUOWc&feature=related

http://soundcloud.com/jakim/spacey-dance

[Chris Alpiar]

ROFL, nice nice Maksim. A very colorful way of describing it but yeap I tend to agree. Of course music is all in the ear of the beholder. If I fart through a kazoo and call it a masterpiece and convince other people it is, then who is to say it isnt? And one man who marvels at 90s casio sounding music (even extremely well done 90s casio sounding music) another finds trite, boring, insipid, in ways that are painful. And I'm sure music that I really enjoy that is hyper-complex, filled with polyrhythm and so many tonality changes to appear atonal on the surface, would sound like noise to another. Ultimately its all relative, what is good and bad, and only has any relevance to quality of production within that genre. And so let's steer this conversation back to the original thread, which isnt a running commentary on good or bad or reasons to use or not to use freeware. Rather lets keep this the master list of "THINGS THAT ARE FREE (and legal!) YOU CAN MAKE MUSIC WITH" That can even include blades of grass IMO, as long as you can demonstrate how to make music with it.

At that level, everything used creatively can make music of some sort. There was a huge iron welded sculpture in front of the grocery near Berklee we used to shop at in Boston, and every time we went shopping, we started it off with a 30 minute jam of beating on the huge sculpture (very tonal in various spots), and we would often get a crowd around us and cheers at the end. THat was always a great time. There was no way to control and manipulate 12 tones and harmonic progressions beyond the most base, but it still fell into the realm of "music".

Anyway, lets get back to "HOW TO BUILD A STUDIO WITH ZERO BUDGET" regardless of if noobs or pros will use the stuff. Just lets keep it filled with stuff that is legal and works ;-)

Maksim Timashev said:

I guess that things like this are a matter of taste. No need to get sensitive. But, no offence of course, I hate it. Sounds like asian snuff film music made on a cassio keyboard.in 1990. This just proves my point about the music "freeware".  I have to agree with Chris about the sampled analog synth sounds - it's lame.

Calle Edlund said:

Here are some links to songs made in "crap" freeware like screamtracker or openMPT. Take a listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qFQBcsUOWc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qFQBcsUOWc&feature=related

http://soundcloud.com/jakim/spacey-dance

[Maksim Timashev]

Colorful? :) Usually those flicks are in black and white... :)

Anyway...I agree - once art leave the hands of it's creator it is then in the eye of the beholder. Did not mean to offend anyone ( I don't think so anyway ).

 

Back to the discussion

 

www.metacafe.com/watch/845031/how_to_make_homemade_microphone/

 

PS

I think I know the statue. I've seen a few around that area during my short stay at Berklee

[David Prouty]

Well I better post a link to some software considering we just went off topic.

  Improvisor is a music notation program designed to help jazz musicians compose and hear solos similar to ones that might be improvised. The objective is to improve understanding of solo construction and tune chord changes. There are other, secondary, things it can do, such as improvise on its own. It has also been used for transcription. Because rhythm-section (e.g. piano, bass, drums) accompaniment is automatically generated from chords, Impro-Visor can be used as a play-along device. Now having a wider array of accompaniment styles, its use is not limited to jazz.

[David Prouty]

Here are some free sounds. The website doesn't have the easiest navigation but there are over 4 gigs of copyright free stuff here. There are some good sounds to be found here but you will need to do some searching to navigate the archaic directory structure to find them all. If you just want to get them all you could use http://www.httrack.com/ to rip the entire website in one go, but be-aware that even with a fast connection it will be a two day process.

http://freepats.zenvoid.org/

[David Prouty]

An experimental VST host and plugin. Modular and programmable : create multiple setups (plugins parameters, audio and midi routing) and switch between them via automation or midi.

http://vstboard.blogspot.com/

[David Prouty]

Canorus is a free extensible music score editor. It supports note writing, import/export of various file formats, MIDI input and output, scripting and more! Using a Qt4 framework Canorus offers a fast and modern GUI and cross-platformability. Canorus runs on Linux, Windows and Mac OS X.

http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/canorus/index.php?title=Main_...

[David Prouty]

This one is just Ok. It does import .mid and export .sty so for those with a need to create style's it maybe of use. It also has a generate function. Other than those functions pass on by.

David Prouty said:

Well I better post a link to some software considering we just went off topic.

  Improvisor is a music notation program designed to help jazz musicians compose and hear solos similar to ones that might be improvised. The objective is to improve understanding of solo construction and tune chord changes. There are other, secondary, things it can do, such as improvise on its own. It has also been used for transcription. Because rhythm-section (e.g. piano, bass, drums) accompaniment is automatically generated from chords, Impro-Visor can be used as a play-along device. Now having a wider array of accompaniment styles, its use is not limited to jazz.