Best computer music resources for beginners
Beginners to digital music making will often have trouble locating high-quality resources for their projects. Fortunately, there are lots of nice people on the web (myself included ;) who have created articles like this one, highlighting great resources that can be downloaded either for free, or for a modest fee.
This guy offers a lot of great stuff, and I'm not using the word "great" lightly. Here are just a few examples:
- 10+ best free music production software for beginners;
- 1500 free drum samples;
- 14+ free karaoke apps for Android and iPhone;
- 11+ free guitar tuner apps for Android & iPhone;
- 10+ best free beat making software for Windows PC & Mac;
- 55+ best free VST plugins;
- and much more...
This generous music plugin coder shares all his creations with the world without asking for anything in return for his work.
Visit his site to discover 100% free, and yet great sounding VST plugins: BaxterEQ, a transparent mastering and mix buss shelving EQ, the ThrillseekerVBL dynamic processor, ThrillseekerLA, a digital stereo leveling amplifier with truly analog qualities, and more.
This website hosts many interesting resources, such as "Best High-Quality Sample Packs", "Best Piano VST Plugins", and so on. However, if you are in hurry, you should definitely check out "Music Theory Essentials - The Complete Guide".
The guide will teach you a method of learning scales without overthinking them, how to use music intervals properly, basic chord progressions, chord inversions, melody secrets, and more.
4. Music Sampling and Copyright Law
Okay, this resource is a bit unusual, but trust me: it will be very helpful if you plan to share your music with other people and/or sell it. John Lindenbaum from Princeton University has created a useful guide that will help you stay out of trouble if you intend to use other people's samples for your own creations.
5. Techniques for Algorithmic Music Composition
Want to generate music algorithmically, at a press of a button? Today's computers can help aspiring composers create convincing music, by making use of advanced composition algorithms.
Peter Langston, a talented computer programmer and musician, has created a resource which discusses six different techniques that can be used for algorithmic music composition. Download this pdf, and then read it to discover how you can generate naturally sounding, MIDI-based melodies.
6. Music and Computers - A Theoretical and Historical Approach
A team of researchers from Columbia University have created a very useful guide that will teach you pretty much everything you need to know about computer music. Access the link above and you will learn these key concepts:
- The digital representation of sound, including amplitude, frequency, pitch, intervals, timbre;
- Analog versus digital sounds;
- Sampling theory;
- Introduction to synthesis;
- Frequency modulation;
- Etc.
This site aims to be "your resource for the music industry, including record companies, music biz attorneys, managers, and producer info". Visit it to get answers to lots of music-related questions, connect with other artists, songwriters and bands, or download the free Studio Buddy, which can help you create nice sounding music in your home studio.
