Studios, Sequencers, and Composers
ACID $400
ACID PRO software is the original loop-based music creation tool. Create music in minutes with over 1,000 included loops, or record your own tracks and enhance them with onboard tools.
ACID Music Studio software is our entry level loop-based music creation tool. If you want to make your own music or remixes, add soundtracks to videos, or burn your own songs onto CD, ACID Music Studio software is all you need.
Adobe Audition (originally CoolEdit) $299
Adobe® Audition™ 1.5 software is a professional audio editing environment. Designed for demanding audio and video professionals, Adobe Audition offers advanced audio mixing, editing, and effects processing capabilities. Its flexible workflow, combined with exceptional ease of use and precise tools, gives you the power to create rich, nuanced audio of the highest possible quality
Buzz FREE
Buzz is the first ever "easy to use" free modular software based synthesizer. What this means is that the entire system is based on objects, which may be routed in a modular fashion, giving you the freedom to be as creative as you want.
Cubase $800
Cubase is the perfect environment for any composer, songwriter and music producer. Regardless of how a creative person approaches music, Cubase offers the right tools for music creation. The clearly-structured Project Window and powerful editing tools support many different methods of music composition.
Fruity Loops Studio $260
FL Studio is a full-featured sequencer perfectly suited for creation of complex songs and realistic drum loops, with 32 bit internal mixing and advanced MIDI support. The resulting song or loop can be exported to a WAV/MP3 file and all MIDI events can be exported to a standard MIDI file.
FL Studio is a pattern based sequencer, which means you create your songs in pieces (patterns) using the Step Sequencer and the Piano Roll view and then weld those pieces together using the Playlist window (the Playlist also supports full-featured audio tracks with hardrrive streaming). Then you can add a wide range of effects to your instruments (reverb, phaser, flanger etc.) and route the resulting mixer tracks in any way you like to create complex mixing chains with ease.
GarageBand (for Mac) $79 as part of the iLife package
GarageBand lets you easily perform, record and create your own music. Whether you’re an experienced or aspiring musician. Or just want to feel — and sound — like a rock star. With the new version of GarageBand, you can even record multiple tracks at the same time. Sing as you play the guitar, harmonize with your best singing bud or jam with the band, and GarageBand will record every note. And when all your tracks are in place, you can view them in full music notation and take advantage of new GarageBand features to enhance the tuning and timing of your recordings.
Cakewalk Home Studio $149
It’s time to take control of the creative process. Now you don’t have to depend on anyone else to get your music recorded. Do it all from your PC with Cakewalk Home Studio Version 2. There is no better Windows software available for musicians taking the step into the world of digital recording. Home Studio provides you with everything you need to turn your PC into a powerful multitrack recording studio.
Logic Pro $1000
The industry-leading application for music creation and audio production dramatically broadens the capabilities of computer-based studio environments with Logic Pro 7. The first choice of many prominent musicians and producers, Logic Pro 7 provides the most comprehensive collection of music creation tools.
Nuendo $1500
Nuendo offers every feature imaginable for all of your audio production, radio broadcasting, multimedia, music, surround mixing and post production needs. The software is fully customizable, giving you the creative freedom you need over your project and workflow.
Orion Platinum $298
Orion Platinum is a complete virtual studio, including multitrack audio recording, a mixing desk with sub busses and effect returns, as well as powerful sequencers, generators and effects. All common interfaces, ReWire2, VST and DirectX are fully supported. Orion Platinum ships on CD with a 600 MB library of more than 800 royalty-free presets and high quality multisamples. Demo songs and tutorials are included as well.
Reason $499
Reason gives you one-step loading of complex, customizable instruments and effect setups, a new instrument-packed soundbank, instant integration with MIDI keyboards and controllers, a new intuitive file browser, plus a suite of mastering tools. For a pleasurable, performance-friendly Reason experience.
Sonar (Cakewalk) $719
SONAR is the perfect solution for composing, recording, editing, mixing, and remixing music productions; and for providing voice over, score, sound design and post audio for film, TV, video, commercials, and games.
FL Studio, Reason, and Cubase are the programs I am most familiar with. I personally recommend (and regularly use) the former two. |