Music Equipment.

[Benjamin100]

I'm thinking about trying to do some music composition.
I don't need anything fancy right now,
I will probably look for a reasonably priced MIDI controller.
What software do you recommend?

[superLED]

I have a cheap MIDI-keyboard and FL Studio.
You don't need an expensive MIDI-keyboard if you're not very good at playing keyboard. You will most likely end up placing the tones with your mouse.
I'm pretty decent, but I still just place the tones manually in FL Studio anyway.
For me, the MIDI-keyboard is used only to make up the melody.
I have keys for 2 octaves, but have buttons to raise or lower the octave. That's important to have!

Don't start off with one with many knobs, buttons, 3/4 octaves and all that. Give a small and cheap one a try, then decide if you need more. Check out "Akai MPK Mini". I love it.

When it comes to software, it really depends. FL Studio is very easy and simple visually, an yet have a lot of juice. Though, other softwares may have much more to offer technically.

[dandymcgee]

I have a cheap MIDI-keyboard and FL Studio. [...] Check out "Akai MPK Mini". I love it.

Not to put you on the spot, but I'm curious: Do you have any demos that you've created online, e.g., SoundCloud? I'm always interested in listening to things like that.

[superLED]

I have a cheap MIDI-keyboard and FL Studio. [...] Check out "Akai MPK Mini". I love it.

Not to put you on the spot, but I'm curious: Do you have any demos that you've created online, e.g., SoundCloud? I'm always interested in listening to things like that.

I have a SoundCloud account, but I have only two tracks uploaded there (intros).
https://soundcloud.com/levi-oliver-1

What about yourself? Do you have some tracks to share? ^^

[dandymcgee]

I have a cheap MIDI-keyboard and FL Studio. [...] Check out "Akai MPK Mini". I love it.

Not to put you on the spot, but I'm curious: Do you have any demos that you've created online, e.g., SoundCloud? I'm always interested in listening to things like that.

I have a SoundCloud account, but I have only two tracks uploaded there (intros).
https://soundcloud.com/levi-oliver-1

What about yourself? Do you have some tracks to share? ^^

Wow, those are both really good! You should definitely make some more stuff. Thanks for sharing. I've actually never really tried to make music on a computer, but I play a bit of piano. What's the best way to try it without having to buy software?

[Thel]

I'm not a fan of FL--too many sub menus. I prefer Live for its minimal design and excellent DSP effects. I used Logic for many years, but I reckon I spent more time setting up key commands and templates than composing music. A lot of people recommend FL or Reason for beginners, but I recommend downloading the demos to see what works for you. There's a guy called Burial--he just uses a laptop and Sound Forge (not even a sequencer) to compose music because he can't afford a lot else, but his music is amazing because of that.

[Benjamin100]

Thank you all for the advice.
I am sorry that I did not thank you sooner, but I did not see it until just recently. I had gone back into programming for a while.

As far as playing the keyboard, I did play piano for around 10 years, (not with great devotion, but still a steady amount of practice.) So I do know the feel of my hands on the keys.

I am still looking around for software. I am mostly looking to get something simple. I will let you know what I find.

[Benjamin100]

Using Live 9 Lite. Seems good enough for what I'm doing. Fun to play around with.

[Fixxxer]

If u have a Mac, try get a copy of Logic Pro. It's actually very easy to handle, and have LOADS of possibilities.