FROM THE GUT

vitalic · Joined: 21 Aug 2006 Posts: 34 Location: the van allen belts

hey all, i was thinking you might have some advice for me. i currently pay out almost $900/year for the "royalty-free" music my students use in their video projects. if that seems totally absurd, it's because it is. i've noticed that some other schools are offering their video production students basic tools to create their own music. i'd much rather do it that way and pay out the grand or so it takes to get this set up on a couple of computers. unfortunately, i don't have macs (yet), so i don't have final cut and can't use soundtrack pro.

if you have any suggestions for SIMPLE programs high-school students could use to produce music, please shoot them my way. even better if they work cross-platform, but must work on a pc. something with a free downloadable demo would be awesome, because i could test it with the kids first.

thanks Smile

splithorizon · Site Admin Joined: 07 Oct 2007 Posts: 720

Ardour, Energy XT are both open source solutions that run on Linux. Could you install linux on your Windows PC's and dual boot? Would they allow that? Linux like Ubuntu is now very easily to use, very much like Windows but most of the software is free or is purchasable by making a donation (like $1 if that's all you've got). This is probably your best bet. Myself or others could help get it set up!

Rebirth is now free, which is windows - but it's not for scoring, it's for making ACID TECHNO dude!

Audacity is a free audio editing programming - no scoring, but pretty good for chopping and rearranging.

For something really difficult to use try Buzz or Renoise! For high school geniuses only, but both free for windows.

selector catalogue · Joined: 06 Sep 2006 Posts: 291 Location: A2

I don't think Renoise is free.

Stomper is free, it makes kicks and tones. Little drummer boy is free but if you have any other sequencer you don't need little drummer boy.

http://www.lysator.liu.se/~zap/main.html

Tuareg is free, has sequencing and a synth if I remember correctly.

http://www.brambos.com/tu2.html

Famitracker is an 8 bit sequencer/sound generator modeled after the NES sound chip.

http://famitracker.shoodot.net/

Hammerhead is free, it makes loops and it's fun to mess around with live.

http://www.threechords.com/hammerhead/introduction.shtml

Rebirth is also free now as Matt said, great program.