spc1st

Well actually MIDI can be pretty versatile - I mean basically it's just a messaging system of sorts. There's sort of a tendency to associate MIDI with it's more conventional uses, but there's really a whole lot you can do with it than just "presenting a composition for traditionally played instruments in equal temperament." If you can program your synths or whatever to respond to it's numerous controllers, than you can do just about anything with it. I mean, a filter sweep can be assigned to a MIDI controller to a knob or a fader, and then routed as one of the many different classes of controller events. You just have to make sure the receiving interface understands the message. And with programs like Scala you can (no so) easily translate microtuned music into MIDI files. Also since there really isn't any much prominent alternative methods, pretty much any sort of audio program that has external hardware support uses MIDI. In fact, the only time I see if not being applicable is when you are literally programming a self-generating/sustaining piece without any user input.

Yeah that part was rather misworded, and me just wanting to rag on the notational system in general than anything else :whistling:. I think the point I was trying to make though was that the computer in that case can work well as a compositional/visualization(or auralization, if that's a word) tool (rather than a notational tool), in somewhat of a tangent.

I don't think it's necessarily wrong to compose (primarily) with the computer, but in the long term it could shape your tendencies as a composer. Specifically, I find myself identifying less with the notation and more with the sound (despite having used exclusively staff mode to write music). I'm guessing since there is such a direct and immediate response to putting down a note, there's a tendency to worry less about the exact notation as opposed to the sound it produces. Consequently, I pretty much just end up putting notes in a trial-and-error method until they "sound right" to me, all the while only half-heartedly paying attention to the notation that generates it (ie, associating a visual arrangment of notes to specific sounds). Even less so I imagine for those who rely mainly with piano roll notation. I guess the benefit of doing it this way is that you really don't need to learn music theory and all that jazz to compose something agreeable to you, but you'll probably struggle to some degree when transition to writing music without this aid. That said, I don't necessarily consider written notation to be a mandatory practice - well, at least for those who won't be composing completely non-electronic pieces. There certainly elements that do not quite translate exactly to the computer (for example, a lot of MIDI synthesizers/sampler players do let you extend the realistic range of an instrument quite considerably) that may result in confusion, but at some point the composer will have some sort of reconciliation if he's ever to have his music performed. But there are certainly some benefits to writing on notation, many of which are mentioned before (such as possibly having a greater sense of intentionally and deliberation in writing down ever note). Well, at least for the more conventional types - modern notation doesn't really get along well with microtonal or very timbrally expressive music, for example (that's more of a problem against the notation system, but computer programs do let you express these things somewhat easier). Ideally though, one should be comfortable in all manners of producing music to be ready in all cases.

I want to reach a point where I no longer feel a need to compose (harder than it sounds with this impulse to do so) - then my musical journey will be complete (mentally at least), and I can enjoy being content.

Nope. Neither does Shiira for that matter (in case you are willing to support it sometime in the future too ;)).

Thanks for the comments. There was certainly an attempt at creating something sort of retro feeling as it was a 2d game, though not quite either. "Opening" is probably the most "bland" of the compositions, though I did like the motific variations it carried throughout (though some of them ending up sounding Zelda-ish as you said haha). Unfortunately, the game didn't quite come together in the end (pretty much just ended up being a test room, or a so-call "test of experimental gameplay" ;)), so a lot the music wasn't really even used for the given purpose. And uh... I'd feel kind of bad showing people it, so there :P.

I checked out the first one, and it was pretty cool. I liked the semi-random stuff going around in the background, as well as the general production style with - though during the more exposed parts of the piece, the piece starts feeling more generic-ish. Also liked that metric modulation you did near the end. I don't hear anything really messed up about the mixing actually, just small things like bringing up the drums and bass a bit during the fuller sections. I'll give the other ones a check out later, too - any in particular you'd recommen d?

Whoops, looks like I was a bit too disoriented when I posted this :blush:. Reall should've been in the the "Incidental" forums, as there's nothing too experimental about these.

Here's something I just got back from finishing - a short sound a video game to be done within the span of 48 hours (I just got back home now, worked on this thing nearly a day straight with no sleep). You may be able to tell that I've sorta cut corners, using more loops and automated sequences than I'd normally do; Still, the end result isn't too bad at all. You might be able to guess the theme of this contest, as two of the pieces are sort of remixes/arrangments (though one is rather obscure). 48-Hours-08 eSnips Folder

Not sure if you are using Mac or PC, but for PC, go to control panels->sound-> then click on File (or was it edit), preferences (or was it advanced?). Then click on the recording button, and then choose to display "Wave out", "Stereo Mix", "What You Hear", or something along those lines. Then click ok, and then check the box for one of the above choices to select it as your current input. Then, you should be prepped to record audio direct from your computer. If for some reason your sound card doesn't have any of those options above, you might try a rather round about way by routing your line-out (ie, what you plug into your speakers/headphones) to your line-in, and try choosing line-in to record. By the way, if you are clipping, reduce the levels for the input (ie, wave or master volume slider). I don't think there is built-in way for Macs to record streaming audio, so you need an external program like Audio Hijack or Soundflower to record stuff (or try the headphones to line-in trick again).

Haha, mentioning "quality sound cards" and "Soundblaster" in the same line... I've had nothing but trouble with my X-fi Elite Pro - hell, the friggin' thing seems to have a lesser MIDI polyphony than my old Audigy 2. But anyways, back on topic - I don't really have a steady studio set up, so I make due with a portable record - namely, the Zoom H2. It has surprisingly good internal mikes (two stereo ones actually, so you can even record WXYZ surround on the fly), and you can use it as USB audio interface in addition to the line in connections. The only negative part is that it feels kinda flimsy - cheap and plasticky (plus I haven't quite gotten the USB audio to work on my Mac, but it might just be Leopard :dry:). Anyways, if you are interested in this alternative, it's about $200 retail. You could probably get it for a good deal cheaper on eBay if you are willing to go down that approach.

Donno, probably because my uni's comprised a bunch of mac hoe or something :P. Actually, it is a pretty big University, so I'm sure they could afford to subsidize more, though I'm not sure exactly how it works. I noticed that they have there own mac online store, and usually things are a few hundred dollars cheaper there. It might because the electronic music department here have decided to adopt Logic as it's main platform (from DP), and gave bigger discounts to give students the incentive to follow suit. But yeah, you can try ebay too. For example, here's one copy of an "Academic" edition starting at $250. Technically you are not allowed to resell these type of programs, but it's not like the internet police are gonna bust down your house if you buy 'em :P.

Wow, since when is $500 is "cheap"? But hey, it's your money :P. Anyways, other than Cubase, the only other major DAW for Mac is MOTU Digital Performer. I think compared to Logic, it has a more traditional interface, but it works alright for the most part. Oh, and there's also Ableton Live 7, but I think it's more of a performer/composer oriented type of program. DP and Live are both around $500; I think Cubase 4 is around $700-800? I haven't had much experience with those software above (though I did use DP for about 2 semesters of coursework), being more of a PC user (I've been using Cakewalk for a number of years). Lately, I've gotten a MBPro to better integrate with my school's workflow, so I'm gonna try out Studio 8 and see how that goes (educational discount puts it to about $167 ;).

I forgot if I ever posted this piece here before, but here's something rediscovered recently. It's pretty wacky overall, and can be seen as a collage of sorts. Egonomics - eSnips, share anything.

Yeah, like I said, the server has been dead for a while, and my personal copy is gone too, so if anyone might have downloaded and stored this (especially the midi file), please let me know if you haev it. Thanks.