mike’s music pages

Do you have musical ideas in your head that you want to record? Do you want to compose your own music? Do you feel a creative impulse? Do you want to know what your music would sound like if you had a band to play it?

You can make your own music, and you don’t have to hire a band to play it. There are plenty of computer tools available that will help you make your own music.

When I decided that I wanted to make my own music I spent money on stuff that I did not need. I did not know how to start, so I bought something that did not fit my purpose. This article will help you avoid the mistakes that I made.

Computers play a big part in music production today, and you can use your computer to make your own music. Here is what you need:

1. A computer, either a PC or MAC.
2. An audio interface
3. A MIDI interface
4. A MIDI keyboard
5. Composition or notation software (optional)
6. Recording software
7. Instruments
8. A microphone
9. Speakers or headphones

You already have a computer, otherwise it is unlikely that you would be reading this article. It does not matter whether your computer is a PC or MAC. The available tools work with either or both types of machine.

An audio interface or soundcard is what you need to get sound into your computer. When you sing into a microphone or record an intrument using a microphone, you need an audio interface to get the sound from the microphone into the computer.

A MIDI interface is used to get MIDI data from a MIDI keyboard into the computer. It can be a separate device that connects to your computer, but often it is included on your soundcard. So you are more likely to have you audio and MIDI interface in the same device.

You need a MIDI keyboard to enter your composition into your computer. Playing the notes on your MIDI keyboard sends the note information through the MIDI interface into your computer.

The software required to make your own music is quite varied. Some packages will do everything that you need, and some are quite specialized. For example, I use dedicated music notation software for composing and arranging because I am comfortable with reading music, and I like to see some of my music notated. I also use another music composition tool that generates music from the chords that I enter. I own and use two digital audio workstation (DAW) programs for recording my music.

If you play a conventional musical instrument, then you may use them in your music making, but there are also sofware instruments available that generate sounds electronically or use sampled sounds from conventional instruments. DAW’s often include software instruments.

You will need a microphone to record your voice and to record your conventional instruments. Depending on the type of microphone that you use, you may need a microphone pre-amp. Some audio interfaces include pre-amps.

Of course you will want to hear your music, so you will need a set of speakers or monitors, or you will need a set of headphones.

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