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Especially for the classical folk: Who are your favorite bands, singer-songwriters, or popular groups of whatever kind? Mine at the moment: Sigur Rós Pink Floyd The Beatles Sufjan Stevens Bob Dylan The Decemberists Muse Fleet Foxes Mumford and Sons Of Monsters and Men Animal Collective Young the Giant

I can't believe I wrote a piece so bad, it was classified as malware.

We should seriously consider start writing for ipad ensembles.

If you'll allow me I'm going to rearrange your questions a bit: 1. I'm interested in Apple's Logic Pro X. I know it's pretty new, but I've heard very good things about it. Can anyone explain to me what a program like this would actually do for someone like me? A DAW (digital audio workstation) is used as a program to create, record, rearrange, and/or otherwise do whatever you want to do with audio. It is akin to a movie editor like Adobe Premiere for video or Photoshop for photos. The problem with audio is there's at least two elements: creation and production. In creation we have to deal with making the notes and/or sounds that are the building blocks to a musical performance. In composition this is the score. Then, we have to take these notes and turn them into a musical performance on the computer. This is where DAWs, specifically sequencers come into play. Sequencers use MIDI data routed through various interfaces and/or software to produce a sound which is then recorded and processed with reverb, mixing, or what-have-you. As for Logic Pro I have no idea because I've never used it (but I like to shy away from anything Apple does lately). I've used Digital Performer primarily and it is very good for sequencing and adequate for sound editing. It is far more suited to composition than recording; Pro Tools would probably be better at recording. 4. Do I even need something like Logic Pro X? (I'm just curious for opinions here) Yes, if your intention is to make audio files that are anything worth sharing with the world. 2. VST/Sound Libraries... I have a general idea of them. How do I actually use them? How much would it cost to have enough to make a decent orchestral mock up. AND 3. I know these sound libraries are accessed through this Kontakt Player (or something like that). Something like this comes with Finale/Sibelius and I have it on my computer. I have no idea how to actually do anything with it! If I were to buy Logic Pro X, will this kontakt player work with it, or is that something else I'd need to buy? A VST (virtual studio technology) is just a fancy name for software synths. A VST is a program that works in conjunction with your DAW to produce sound. With Garritan (like the included things with Finale) the VST is Kontakt. For EWQL it is "Play". Other types use other software but Kontakt is the big one because it tends to just work. A sound library is basically just a collection of a bajillion audio files that are linked together by the VST to follow the instruction sent from the DAW, often MIDI data. Ultimately, all these pieces of software work together so that if you play or record a note or chord in the DAW, that note will play back with the new sounds. What's great about libraries is they offer a great amount of flexibility with little-to-no extra hardware except disk space. Libraries are bought as sets and installed just like any software but they are non-functional without the VST. As for orchestral mockups, it depends on how realistic you're willing to go and how much time you want to spend on them. EWQL's Symphonic Orchestra is pretty darned good and comes in around $1,000. It does some things fantastically (like big action cues or heavy articulations on strings) but others not so good (expression in general is a bit flat and often requires a large amount of coaxing). If you start mixing and matching libraries (such has using the Brass from Symphonic Orchestra but the Strings from LA Strings or the Woodwinds from Vienna Symphonic Library, you can end up spending a crapload of money just on the samples alone. But the more versatility you have, the more longevity of your setup.