Which Software Package For Your Computer Music Needs

With the ride range of music software that is currently available, there are many options and features that have their strengths and weaknesses. Before you choose sequencing software you should think about the tasks that you want the software to perform. Will you likely be creating your own instrumentals and vocals or will you need a lot of synthesized sounds and hooks? Different software is better for different types of music such as dance, rock or pop. Budget is also a concern because some types of expensive software offers advanced features that cannot be found in more affordable music software packages. Whether the final result will play on a Dell laptop or an Apple Ipod, the type of digital audio software that makes the music is responsible for a lot of the quality.

The sequencer is the most basic form of digital music production as it enables the user to operate a synthesizer with MIDI commands. Most sequencing packages have options to produce high quality sounds use of loops and samples, soft synths, and various audio effects. Some examples of popular sequencer software include Steinberg Cubase, and Apple Logic. Steinberg Cubase software allows for audio and MIDI editing and recording or both an Apple Macbook and PCs. Apple logic software comes only with the PC version but has a wider range of sequencing features available.

Some digital music software takes sequencing a step further with the addition of studio-like software that mimics audio hardware. This includes the ability to produce entire songs with just one software program. These advanced sequencers usually have detailed interfaces that resemble the hardware that can be found in most professional music studios. Propellerhead Reason is one example of an advanced sequencer featuring a user friendly interface and a large library of sounds that can be added onto the onboard music library.

Audio editors are another piece of software used in digital audio studios. Audio editors are useful for cropping, removing unwanted noise, and adding various effects using a variety of audio formats. Sony Sound Forge is a popular audio editing and recording software application that is available in both lite and professional versions.

Audio settlers are useful for playing back segments of audio. They can play this audio back at different pitches and be used to create filters and other sound effects to a track. While many of the features of digital samplers are similar to those of hardware samplers, electronic samplers tend to be more user-friendly than their hardware brethren. Native Instruments Kontakt is one popular electronic sampler that incorporates up to 5 different modes that enable the user to experience sampled playback in addition to pitch shifting and drum looping options.

While most sequencing software comes with effects of their own, additional packages of filters and plugins can be bought as add-ons. This way, external software can be used as if it is part of the native software.