"my first music studio"

Want to try your hand at writing music on the computer, but no clue how to get started? I'll walk you through some of the basic concepts and discuss specific software and hardware tools you can use. My background comes from developing Temper, a music composition tool (but don't worry, this is the last you'll hear of it; this isn't an ad), so I'm interested in and broadly aware of the scene, although you can ask for detailed advice on particular items at the KVR forums, most notably on hosts, instruments and effects.

Before we get started, a brief word for traditional composers: If you're looking to write staff notation and generate sheet music, you probably want a notation program like Finale or Sibelius, a category of app I won't be discussing.

1. in theory

The process of making music on a computer involves getting a performance into the computer where it can be stored and manipulated, then recording and listening to the results generated by the computer. Before we talk about anything else, we need to understand what a "performance" is: A performance can be one (or both) of two types of basic information, audio and MIDI.

1.1. audio and midi

Audio and MIDI are the two main types of musical information. Audio is directly recorded sound, such as the sound generated by a guitar or voice. MIDI is a musical description, analogous to sheet music. Think of a performing pianist: An audio recording of her performance would directly capture the sound made by the piano; a MIDI recording would capture information about which keys she hits, when and how hard she hits them, and when she presses the pedals. The important thing to understand about MIDI is that at some point it must be rendered into audio (translating MIDI into audio is done by an instrument, described later).

The best way to understand the differences between using audio and MIDI is to walk through some examples.

1.2. example 1 - recording audio

In this example, you record yourself singing, apply an echo effect to your voice, and hear the results. Let's examine the hardware and software required by engaging in a task called "following the signal flow." In this case, the signal is the sound you generate by singing.

• (hardware, microphone) You generate a sound (singing, guitar, etc) that a microphone translates to an analog audio signal.
• (hardware, audio interface) The mic is plugged into an audio interface, which translates the analog signal into digital audio information and passes this to the computer.
  
• (software, sequencer) The digital audio reaches your sequencer, a program which can record, manipulate and perform the audio.


• (software, FX) The sequencer passes the audio to an echo FX, which applies the echo and returns the processed audio to the sequencer.


• (hardware, audio interface) The sequencer now passes the audio back to the audio interface to be translated into an analog signal.


• (hardware, headphones) The audio interface passes the analog signal to your headphones so you can hear the final, echo-effected result.

1.3. example 2 - recording midi

In this example, you record yourself playing on a keyboard, and transform that into audio. Let's examine the hardware and software required by engaging in a task called "following the signal flow." In this case, the signal begins as the MIDI performance played on the keyboard, and becomes the audio.

• (hardware, MIDI controller) You generate a performance by pressing keys on a MIDI controller, which is plugged into a USB port on your computer.
• (software, sequencer) The MIDI data reaches your sequencer, where it can be stored, edited and performed.
• (software, instrument) The sequencer passes the MIDI data to an instrument, which renders the MIDI into audio and sends the audio to the sequencer.
• (hardware, audio interface) The sequencer now passes the audio back to the audio interface to be translated into an analog signal.
• (hardware, headphones) The audio interface passes the analog signal to your headphones so you can hear the final result.

1.4. the studio

Now that we've seen some of the gear involved in a music studio, let's put the important pieces together.

• An audio interface is hardware responsible for getting audio data into and out of your computer.
• A MIDI controller is hardware responsible for capturing a performance, such as playing a piano, and providing it to the sequencer.
• A sequencer is the heart of your studio, and is where almost all of your composition occurs. It manages the other parts of the studio and records, stores and edits performance data. One important task it does is load audio processing plugin, such as instruments and effects.
• An instrument runs as a plugin inside your sequencer and is responsible for taking MIDI data and translating it to audio.

2. the audio interface in theory

The audio interface is responsible for getting audio into and out of your computer. Many computers, particularly laptops, already have built-in audio hardware, often referred to as a sound card. There are basically two factors that distinguish a run-of-the-mill sound card from an audio interface appropriate for professional music production: Latency (amount of delay added to the audio signal) and the quality at which it converts between analog and digital audio signals.

2.1. latency

Latency is a measure of how much delay occurs between the inputs and outputs of the audio interface. In the signal flow example above, when you sing into the mic, do you immediately hear your vocals with the echo applied, or is there a noticeable delay between when you start singing and when you start hearing your voice through the headphones? The more delay, the higher the latency.

To understand what latency is, we need to have a basic idea of how the system is handling digital audio: The computer treats audio in discrete slices, called buffers. For example, when singing, the vocals are chopped into small slices of audio which are passed through the system. Typically, as a user you have control over how large the buffers are. The larger the buffer, the higher the latency. Think of it this way: If you have a four second vocal phrase singing "do it to me baby" and make the slices large enough to hold that entire phrase, then your entire system will have to wait for four seconds to capture the first buffer, meaning there will be a four second delay on everything you sing or record.

Latencies are typically measured in millisconds. A 40 ms latency is high to the point that most people would find it unusable. 10 ms is acceptable, 5-6 is very good, and 3 is excellent. The tradeoff with latency is more CPU power used the lower you go. I typically stay in the 5-6 range.

2.2. analog / digital conversion

The main responsibility of the audio interface is to convert "real world" analog audio signals into "computer" digital audio and back out. The inputs of the audio interface convert analog audio to digital, shorthanded to A/D. The outputs convert digital audio to analog, shorthanded to D/A. Different interfaces do this conversion at different levels of quality, with the main factor being how much noise is introduced in the process.

Unsurprisingly, generally the more you spend on your audio interface, the better your sound quality. There is of course endless debate on which interfaces sound better and why and by how much, but the good news is, for the most part, most any item you'd find under the "audio interface" section of a music retailer will sound excellent; even inexpensive modern converters have become superb.

Well, at least for the output (the "D/A") stage. On the input ("A/D"), things are not quite as clear-cut. The input to an audio interface generally means something called a "preamp," which is a special input that provides a large amount of boost to the signal. A preamp is required for microphones and other acoustic instruments, less required or not required at all if you're recording electronic instruments like music keyboards. There is still a very wide range in quality for preamps, although increasingly the differences are matters of opinion ("I just like the sound more"), not strictly matters of quality ("it introduces less noise").

2.3. direct monitoring

Many audio interfaces provide a feature called "direct monitoring," which takes all audio from the inputs and immediately sends it to the outputs (in addition to routing it through the computer). This can cause a doubling effect, where you hear the same audio twice, so if you're experiencing that, check the manual for how to turn off direct monitoring.

2.4. windows sidebar: drivers

If you're on a Mac, you can probably ignore this topic, but it's something Windows users need to be aware of. There are a number of different audio formats in Windows, and your audio interface and sequencer need to support the same one. Some will provide lower latency and better performance. In general, the safest bet is a standard called "ASIO," which provides excellent performance and is supported by pretty much every audio interface and sequencer (and here's a side-sidebar: If your sequencer supports ASIO but your sound card or audio interface doesn't, try ASIO4ALL, free software that adds ASIO support to otherwise unsupported products).

3. the audio interface in practice

As we've said, most computers these days include a built-in sound card, so the immediate question is, "Is mine good enough, or do I need to buy an audio interface?" Remember, that question is based on three factors: The latency of your sound card, the quality of its input, and the quality of its output. We can probably eliminate the question of output, even the cheapest audio gear generally has outputs that sound good to great these days. The quality of the input is either a big deal or no deal at all -- if you don't sing or play an instrument, i.e. you never record audio, then it's immaterial. If you do, you will, in the end, find you've spent a lot of time and money acquiring a pro-level recording sound, but that's down the road. For now we just want to get started.

That leaves latency, which is a pretty big deal. Not that long ago, basically no built-in sound card could attain a low enough latency for music production work. Performance is always improving, though, so it makes sense to figure out what levels of latency your card provides and determine if it's satisfactory. You'll need to find the control panel for your audio device and check what latency information it reports.

For anyone that's decided to take the plunge and buy an audio interface, the first issue is deciding how you want to connect it to your computer. Of the four basic options (USB, Firewire, PCI for desktops, PCMCIA for laptops), I'd suggest ignoring the second two, which are generally more hassle and/or expense. Far and away the most choices exist for USB and Firewire devices.

Between USB and Firewire, the differences are fairly straightforward: Firewire handles some of the data transfer itself, whereas USB pushes everything onto the computer. That means that in pretty much every case, you will give up a little CPU power when using a USB device. However, under modern systems, the difference is generally imperceptible. Once upon a time, USB devices were much more likely to be flakey, with audio drop outs and glitches, but this has faded over the years. I'm still pretty wedded to Firewire myself, but for most people, USB is the better choice these days.

If you're interested in Firewire, there are two potential issues that might affect you: If you're running Windows under Bootcamp, most Firewire devices have problems. Save yourself some hassle and go straight to PreSonus. Also, if you're using a laptop, providing power to the interface can be a problem. Most laptops have a 4-pin Firewire port, which doesn't provide power (only the 6 pin does). This is mastly a matter of convenience, as your interface will also come with a power supply to plug into the wall if you need to, but one less cable is nice. One last note: Firewire interfaces are typically more expensive, generally starting about US$100 more than a comparable USB interface and rapidly jumping into the US$500 range.

4. the midi controller

A MIDI controller is hardware that supplies MIDI performance information to your sequencer. Most MIDI controllers are keyboards, designed after pianos. There are a variety of other MIDI controllers resembling things such as drum pads and wind instruments, but these are exotic and often more expensive.

MIDI controllers typically have knobs which transmit continuous information and can be used to set parameters on your synthesizers. For example, information to bend pitch up or down can typically be generated by a MIDI controller.

Most MIDI controllers connect to your computer via USB and will appear as an input in your sequencer.

5. the sequencer in theory

The sequencer will become the heart of your music making experience. It is the central software which accesses and controls all other functions in the process. The best analogy is a page of sheet music: A sequencer is where we assemble and order (or "sequence") the musical notes and phrases that compose a song, as well as designate what instrument plays each part. It allows recording, storing, editing and performance of audio and MIDI data.

5.1. terminology

I'm using the term "sequencer" but you will also see DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and host used synonymously. Host is a relatively recent term, but makes it clear that to some degree the role of the sequencer has diminished, taking a backseat to all the instruments and effect plugins you will be loading into it.

5.2. tracks

Sequencers usually organize a song as a list of "tracks." Tracks correspond to individual instruments -- for example, piano on track 1, drums on track 2, vocals on track 3. These days everything is flexible enough that this is hardly a requirement, but it's still nice at least conceptually, and useful when it comes to ironing out any problems in the final mix (for example, if your piano is too loud, it's a lot easier to simply pull down the volume on track 1; if you've put your piano and drums on the same track, then this simple task has become a nightmare).

Tracks are often composed of musical events called "phrases" or "clips" (I think clips has become a fairly standard term, but I never really understood why you wouldn't call a musical phrase a phrase, so I've always stuck with that). A phrase might be a 2 measure drum loop, or an 8 bar piano piece. We typically break our song into phrases to make it easier to rearrange: If you record an entire 4 minute piano piece and don't break it into phrases, then you can't experiment with song structure. Of course, you might not want to -- there are no real rules with writing music. In general, though, presumably you're using a sequencer for a purpose beyond glorified tape deck.

5.3. routing

Routing refers to how musical events (meaning audio and MIDI data) move through the system. A modern sequencer can host any number of audio and MIDI processing plugins, and deciding where the outputs of one feed into the inputs of another is called "routing."

5.4. types

I generally put sequencers into one of three categories: Time line, pattern or modular.

Time line based sequencers place the emphasis on organizing music information from left to right on a traditional time line. Your song starts at the left and proceeds to the right. This is the most comfortable way for me to think of music, and directly relates to what a song actually does (that is, start, play for 4 minutes or so, and stop).

Pattern based sequencers might be more comfortable if you think of music as triggered loops or phrases. Pattern sequencers typically emphasize writing short 2 or 4 measure patterns, and then assembling them together into a song. This is a fairly common way to write percussion parts, which are often very repetitious with the occasional fill.

Modular sequencers typically emphasize the routing between components and provide built-in tools for processing audio and MIDI as it flows through the system. This is often the weapon of choice when your interest is in algorithmic composition.

Here's the important thing: Most modern environments provide some amount of all three facilities. The main difference is generally what they emphasize, which can be important for finding a product that feels comfortable.

6. the sequencer in practice

Sequencers have become a mature and commoditized market; most software is relatively inexpensive and extremely powerful. Like most other aspects of making music on the computer, you can't go fundamentally wrong, it's more a matter of what inspires you. This is a category of software I'm sort of both qualified and unqualified to talk about: Since I write my own, I obviously care a great deal about what other people are doing and pay attention to the scene; at the same time, I work exclusively with my own environment so don't have detailed knowledge about what's going on outside my world.

Sequencers are quite personal environments and you will likely find yourself going through several before one strikes a chord with you. I have some very general advice: If you're into audio (that is, you sing or record an instrument, or want to work with a lot of audio loops), Reaper is a very good starting point. If you want to work with patterns and beats, I'd suggest trying out Live first. Definitely, though, experiment with at least a couple demos, to get a sense of what varies between these products.

Note that in many cases, a single company develops both a sequencer and audio hardware, and will often give stripped-down versions of the sequencer away with their hardware. If you're interested in a particular sequencer, and you need an audio interface, it can make sense to see if the company developing your sequencer also provides it with an apporpriate interface. Here are the current pairings: energyXT - Behringer; Studio One - PreSonus; Traktion - Mackie; ProTools - M-Audio (actually Digidesign, or maybe Avid, but they're all part of the same parent); Cubase - Yamaha/Steinberg.

7. the instrument in theory

Instruments are responsible for rendering a MIDI performance into audio. They are hosted by the sequencer, and placed in tracks by the user. For example, if you've designated track 1 as your piano, and it contains a MIDI performance recorded from your MIDI keyboard, then by placing a piano instrument on the track and playing the song, you will here the original MIDI performance performed as a piano piece. You can download and install any number of instruments on your system. Hunting down new, inspiring instruments often becames a major pasttime of computer musicians.

Pretty much all instruments are complex enough that they can make many different sounds. For historical reasons, it's somewhat common to organize sounds into groups of 128 called "banks." Sounds are often referred to as "presets" or "patches," again for historical reasons (and you will find I often refer to sounds as "content," yet another synonymous term). Any given instrument has its own format for sounds, but most generally have many free sounds or sound libraries available. Once you've settled on your initial instruments, a great resource for adding new sounds is available here.

We can group instruments into two broad categories: synthesizers and samplers. The main difference between them is how they create their basic sound. A synthesizer creates sounds purely from mathematical models, while a sampler starts with a recorded sound. In general, samplers are a better choice for reproducing natural acoustic instruments, and synthesizers are a better choice for unnatural, electronic sounds. You could also make a case for a third category, drum machines, which are designed for percussion and typically include their own pattern creation and basic sequencing tools. In practice, there are lots of fat blurry lines between all these categories.

There are endless debates about what instruments "sound best," and while there are certain aspects of quality that can be measured, in general, pretty much anything you pay for will sound great, and "better" is merely subjective. More of an issue is what instrument sounds appropriate in a given song and context; the point is, don't sweat online opinions (or mine) about what instruments you should be using. Start with whatever instrument has a sound that catches your interest, because the whole idea is to feel inspired by the tools you use.

When it comes to cost, there are a wide range of options, free to expensive. Increasingly, companies are seeing value in the "give away the razor and make money on the razor blades model." This is a tactic employed by Native Instruments, releasing free versions of their various synth engines, then producing pay-for addons that add sounds to the engines. What you're generally missing with this model is a way to edit the sounds yourself, beyond whatever default controls have been set up for each sound.

7.1. terminology

You may have heard the phrase "VST," which stands for Virtual Studio Technology, and describes a plugin format that allows sequencers to load external instruments and effects. This format is so common that often audio plugins are referred to as "VST"s. The format was originally created for effects, but grew to encompass instruments, which are technically known as VSTi"s. The line between what's an effect and what's an instrument can be a little blurry, though, so often you will hear "VST" used to refer generically to any plugin, effect or instrument.

7.2. copy protection

One issue you will hit with commercial products is copy protection, the tools used by developers to protect their software from theft. There are three main ways companies protect products:

Keyfile. A keyfile is simply text or a file that you enter into the product and registers it for use on your machine. There are no technical limitations on how many machines you can license, even though the developer generally has specified limits (i.e., no more than two machines at the same time). From a user's perspective, this is the least restrictive type of copy protection.

Challenge and Response (CR). CR protection generally requires the software to authenticate with a remote server. In this situation, you are fundamentally at the mercy of the developer whenever you need to reinstall the software, although in practice this type of protection can be fine. For example, Native Instruments employs CR copy protection, and I've found it to be a forgiving, extremely convenient system (although there are plenty of online horror stories from people who have had problems).

USB dongle. This protection requires a product like an iLok USB key to store licenses. In this situation, you're free to run your software on whatever computer you like, provided the USB drive is plugged into the computer you want to use. There is some risk involved if the USB drive should fail, although I have no personal experience with this. Personally, as someone with no free USB ports, this type of protection is unacceptable for me and I won't even consider products that require it.

8. the instrument in practice

Note: See Appendix C. Instruments for a list of some available instruments and where to get them)

Since you're brand new to this, I'll give you some advice to get started, but be aware this is completely generic, I-don't-know-anything-about-you sort of advice. No doubt your specific requirements are more specialized, but that's up to you to figure out over time.

The general way I'd recommend getting started is by thinking of synthesis and sampling as different products and making sure you cover your needs. Remember, synthesis is generally used for synthetic or electronic sounds, sampling for acoustic, natural sounds. Being aware of what you need or prefer is important -- if you want to compose music for traditional bass, guitar and drums, or you want to score big orchestral pieces, then synthesis has little value and you should concentrate on acquiring sample libraries appropriate for your needs. If you like completely synthesized, electronic music, then investing in a sampler and sample libraries makes no sense.

As we've mentioned, the boundary between synthesis and sampling can be blurry, but the reason for making the distinction now comes down to cost: It requires knowledge, time and access to expensive gear to build libraries of acoustic instruments, and this is reflected in the fact that rarely will you see an expansion for a synthesizer that costs more than US$60, but expansions for samplers often cost US$100, US$500 or even US$1200.

With that general information, let's put together a couple different example studios. The lists below will mostly cover instruments that are favourites of mine or that have features or a sound that has caught my interest. They are far from comprehensive, as there are many, many great products out there.

8.1. free acoustic

This studio is for someone who wants to spend no money, and the emphasis is on acoustic, natural sounds. There are several free editions of large sample-based instruments available, and I would use one of them to form the heart of your studio:

• SampleTank Free
  
• Proteus VX
  
• Kontakt Player

In all cases, you can buy additional content from the vendors to flesh out specific areas of the library you find deficient.

For a little variety, I would also grab one good, simple synthesizer:

• Triangle II

8.2. free synthetic

This studio is for someone who wants to spend no money, and the emphasis is on electronic sounds. I would choose between one of the simpler free synthesizers available:

• Free Alpha 3
  
• Synth1
  
• Triangle II

and then augment it with one of the more complex synths:

• Cyrstal
  
• Oatmeal

8.3. inexpensive acoustic

For someone willing to spend a little money to get started with some decent acoustic content, I would probably choose

• Dimension Pro

and then augment it with the most appropriate library from Digital Sound Factory. My personal favourite is the Acoustic Drum Kits because I think the ones supplied in Dimension are weak, and the cost is minor.

Another potential option is Alchemy, although it currently suffers from a lack of more basic acoustic content. It is at heart at sample-playback instrument, and in theory could be augmented with the same content as Dimension Pro, but to date that has not been the emphasis. Still worth investigating, though, as it has huge potential as an all-in-one synth (that is, it has advanced synthesis options in addition to the sample playback capabilities).

8.4. inexpensive synthetic

To get started with a single, powerful well-supported, high-quality instrument, it's hard to go wrong with

• Zebra

although there are other options worth investigating, such as

• Electra X
  
• Helix
  
• SynthSquad

amongst many others.

8.5. expensive acoustic

Without doubt, the king of sample-based content is currently

• Kontakt 4

Augmented with however many hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of sample libraries you want to add to it. Personally, I'm not a fan of Kontakt, as I find it a little harder to work with, providing lots of functionality I don't use. I would actually still choose Dimension Pro, but Kontakt has become the industry standard, and shouldn't be ignored.

8.6. expensive synthetic

Synthesizers don't really scale in price like samplers, since it's all the add-on acoustic content that makes things expensive. So a high-end studio would consist of multiple products, not a single expensive one. I'm partial to

• Zebra
  
• Sylenth
  
• Massive

which are all synths with very different sonic characteristics.

I'm also extremely fond of Waldorf instruments

• PPG Wave V.3
  
• Largo

8.7. bonus studio: native instruments

Native Instruments is one of the largest developer of music software instruments and effects in the world. They rate their own entry here because more than anyone else they are pursuing a "give away the razors, sell the razor blade" model of business, and they have a lot of razors to give away. What this means is that they have a variety of high-end commercial products, several of which have completely free versions available for download. These versions generally come with a small selection of sounds, but NI will gladly sell you addons with more content (generally around US$80 a pop).

Native Instrument Players

So how good a deal is this? Well, that really depends. Since there's such a small amount of content included, I suspect most people won't find these products to cover all the sounds they need, making it somewhat immaterial. However, if they do, then you've just been given an enormous gift. So it's worth investigating to see how these products fit into your own music writing.

I have one personal note to make: I am not a fan of the NI free products at all, for a very petty reason. I tried to use the first one that came out (Kore Player), but it took so long to load that I found the wait annoying. That's entirely subjective, I'm sure many other people do not share that issue with me.

As you look through the list of instruments, the main ones to be aware of are the Kontakt Player (Kontakt is their sample-based instrument, and will have most of the acoustic content), Reaktor Player (Reaktor is their synthesizer design software, and will have mostly synthetic content) and Kore Player (Kore is their universal everything-in-one product, so it should be a grab bag of content).

appendix a. audio interfaces

a.1. usb

Mackie Onyx Blackjack US$200 I'm a big fan of Mackie's Onyx line. They have what I consider to be one of the best-sounding low cost preamps around. The drivers in recent years have been excellent. Separate volume knobs for main outs and phones is very nice. One nice thing about Mackie is that somehow they manage to make all-metal chassis at the same price other companies spit out cheap plastic. This might not be a selling point if you want something light to tote around, but I like it.

PreSonus AudioBox US$150 PreSonus generally has a great preamp, too, although I suspect these are one-generation behind what I'm currently using so I'm not totally sure how they sound.

Focusrite Saffire 6 US$200 Focusrite is known for their high-end standalone mic preamps. The gear of there's I've heard sounds great, although in my experience the drivers aren't generally the best.

M-Audio Mobile Pre MkII US$150 M-Audio is a well-known producer if inexpensive, decent-quality gear. They have gobs of audio interfaces and I just picked this one as it looked newer and decent.

Yamaha Audiogram 6 US$130 Yamaha has traditionally made high-quality gear, although it's been years since I've heard anything by them.

a.2. firewire

PreSonus Firestudio Mobile US$300 This is my current interface; sounds great and the drivers work under OS X and Windows running under Bootcamp. In fact, make note of that: If you happen to be running windows on a Mac under Bootcamp and want to use a Firewire interface, most will not work (been there…). PreSonus has mentioned in forums that they do their Windows driver development in this configuration, my experience is that it works great, so they are a safe bet. If this is how your system is set up, save yourself some pain and just get this.

Echo Audiofire 4 US$285 Echo has a good reputation though I've never used anything by them.

Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 US$300 Again, Focusrite has a great reputation for the quality of their preamps, and what I've heard has sounded very good.

Mackie Onyx Blackbird US$500 An update to the Onyx line of interfaces, which I've used for years and always loved. Haven't heard this one. Notice for the higher price what you're basically getting are 8 preamps, as opposed to 1 or 2 in all the other devices listed. This is necessary in situations where you're recording multiple band members simultaneously; not a scenario I suspect most people reading this are worrying about, but hey, here's an option.

Mark of the Unicon Ultralite Mk3 US$550 I used a previous version of this device for years and liked it well enough, although I wasn't keen on the tiny, hard-to-grab knobs, the multifunction knobs (one knob controlled both the main volume and headphone volume, and you clicked it to switch, but you never knew what mode you were in) or the LED screen, which burned out on two devices, but my issues aside, MOTU is an industry standard that make a lot of highly-regarded gear, so they're worth investigating.

appendix b. midi controllers

This is admittedly a relatively meaningless list of MIDI controllers. Ideally, go to a local music store and play with what they have until you find one that feels nice.

Cakewalk A-300 Pro

M-Audio Axiom 25

Novation Nocturn

appendix c. sequencers

c.1. time line

Steinberg Cubase

Apple Logic

Zynewave Podium

Avid ProTools

Cockos Reaper

Cakewalk Sonar

PreSonus Studio One

Mackie Traktion

c.2. pattern

Ableton Live

Image Line FL Studio

c.3. modular

Energy-XT

appendix d. instruments

d.1. free

Green Oak Crystal

Linplug Free Alpha 3

Oatmeal

Proteus VX (Scroll down for the "E-MU Proteus VX Software Synthesizer" download link) I haven't checked this for a few years, but last I knew it was a free download of a virtual Proteus synthesizer, a hardware synth from several decades ago. It contains a large selection of poor-to-medium quality content, but unlike any of the other free products, at least makes an attempt to cover the acoustic basis (i.e. piano, drums, strings etc.). Like the Native Instruments products, it's using the razor blade model, where they initial instrument is free, and then can be augmented with commercial content

IK Multimedia SampleTank Free

Synth1

Cakewalk Triangle II

d.2. commercial

Audjoo Helix

Big Tick Rhino

Cakewalk Dimension Pro Dimension is the sibling of a similar product released by Cakewalk called Rapture. Dimension is focused on playing back sample libraries, whereas Rapture is geared towards synthesis. In my opinion, separating these projects was a big mistake; I own both but Rapture rarely gets used due to redundancy with other synthesizers. Dimension I've grown to love, not because of any notable feature (it's a relatively simple program, but includes all the important functionality and is easy to use), but mainly because it's supported by Digital Sound Factory, who have produced a series of sample libraries that hit my sweet spot of low cast and good quality.

Cakewalk Rapture

Camel Audio Alchemy Alchemy provides a wide arrange of sample manipulation tools. This is a favourite program of mine, although so far it's (understandably) focused on providing fairly unusual sounds, and is lacking in a large collection of traditional acoustic content. With that remedied, this would probably become my sole sample playback synth.

Lennar Digital Sylenth1 A high-end, expensive, functionally very simple synth. This means it's a little limited in what it can do, but easier to use than many other products. A lot of people, including me, think it's one of the best-sounding synthesizers around, but plenty of others are unimpressed.

Native Instruments Absynth

Native Instruments FM8

Native Instruments Komplete A bundle of all the Native Instruments synths, with many effects and added content. If you like Native Instruments, and want to own even two of their synths, it makes sense to think about just getting the Komplete bundle. It's easily the best value in commercial music production.

Native Instruments Kontakt This has pretty much become the standard for playing back large, realistic sample libraries. An incredibly deep, powerful program with support from a huge range of high quality vendors, if you're willing to pay for it, it's hard to go wrong. That said, I personally dislike this program, which for my uses provides too much functionality, and has the corresponding level of complexity. Also, as a hobbyist, I have no interest in acquiring the highest-quality, and correspondingly highest-cost, content. There are cheaper options that suit my needs better.

Native Instruments Massive

Native Instruments Reaktor A modular studio for designing your own synths.

Steinberg Halion Sonic

u-he Zebra Zebra is widely regarded as one of the top independently developed synthesizers available. It has an enormous amount of functionality and a straightforward UI. Like any synthesizer, you either like the sound or you don't (I think it's fantastic). As a casual user I think it can be a little complicated at times, but I'd rank it disproportionally powerful given the complexity (err… that's good).

Waldorf Largo

Waldorf PPG Wave 3.V