This is clearly not a personal insult so please stop playing primadonna.

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2019

I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but that is more like programming a tune than writing a song.
Those people using a computer for generating musical sounding (how could I name it ...) "constructions" are neither artists nor musicians.

But mine is not as colourful just greyish. Does it matter?

Furthermore... your's is not a plugin is it?

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2019

But you have no idea or context on how such tools could be used, so why make such sweeping generalisations? Why feel the need to group the results as 'constructions' or 'artists' or 'musicians' - what does it matter?

It's as though the idea of these plugins is someone installs them, presses a button yells "WOW I MADE THAT!" and has a hit song and everyone else gets jealous. It's nothing like that whatsoever, and the tools are wide in scope.

I use such tools to actively write songs and float ideas, and use them for further suggestions that are beyond my playing apprehension on keys/guitar for example. I then learn what key and modes the songs are in use that to feed elements such as bass, vocals and harmonies and find ways of breaking from the theories presented.

Most of the time you fall into another mode and it's an incredible learning experience that could only be previously gained from filling your brain with a lot of stuff you don't need, or having someone with incredible knowledge by your side 24/7. But as a human you always have bias to certain progressions and/or keys - so this really helps break you out of that rut and not resort to type.

Which is a very similar effect if you bring in a writer or instrumentalist to help you the old fashioned way.

As i work with singers and instrumentalists who prefer scored instructions, these tools are invaluable for quickly writing ideas down and researching avenues that i wouldn't find on my own. These are mainly for independent student films.

So many vocalists are afraid of using their full range or a scattering of notes, and they stick to simple 2-3 note phrases, with these tools you can start to analysis and review their performance - move their vocals to different notes on the scale, they smile... And then record a take based on that review of the performance. If they struggle you can use the plugins to play a guide melody for them to follow in their headphones.

It's a very deliberate way of song writing and composition that's fully open to accidental mistakes and wide exploration with understanding of the theory beneath developing over time as you use them.

But, they can be used for many other applications too, the use is so vast i find it hypocritical for people to piss on them in the guise of artistry, when they're just being elitist pricks wedged so far up their own arses they can't comprehend others needs and requirements, i was surrounded by such people for years and none of them actually achieved anything, because they're too inward in their approach to music. Same as the amount of guitarists who hate on Ed Sheeran. Just snobbery.

The OP clearly stated that they wanted suggestions for plugins and yet they get responses on how they're doing things wrong, and can't use such tools for song writing blah blah.

It's all nonsense , and anyone who wants to suppress others creativity and path in such matter are not being true the art of music. If the OP returned at a later date asking for more information on theory after this initial step, then fair enough - but we don't know what their goal is, genre of music, instrumental choice - they may have a vocal take and want to find a quick way of putting some chords under it.. It could literately be anything, they may be using it to study songs they like - yet it's met with a single-minded "I'm right, you're wrong" reply with no help in answering their question.

That's my issue.

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2019

I thought so.

Back in the sixties computer scientists invented a program called "Eliza". This program asked questions that seemed to be intelligent.

It's quite similar to some kind of computer generated air-movement. It just seems to be music. And those "composers" just play being musicians.

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2019

That, and also having to type 16 paragraphs when i could probably use 1 of course.

 

Back in the 90s i used to get totally fucked watching Mandelbrot Set animations - Strangely, I wasn't too fussed about the Mona Lisa. Don't tell my art teacher, please!

 

sic.
As Goethe said in one of his letters to a friend: Please, excuse my long writing, but I had no time for a shorter one!

As I said before, constructing music is not a bad thing. But I think we (also) need real musicians and real music to last.

Some art scientist don't find the Mona Lisa to be that a milestone of art history. A more mediocre artisans work

 

seems like its really a discusion about 2 different things. craft and art

and they get mixed up in the "con" and nobody listens to anyone but themself. ALMOST!

question.
craft for money?
love for art?

art does get exploided alot thru history by greed/money/ and pandoras box...

anyway.

Calm down guys. pretty sure NOBODY REALLY CARRES, but its fun to play egogames on a forum for some

 

Yeah, I drop out all the additional elements and just use the chords. Once the chords are imported into the DAW you can use any VST instrument that inspires you. It then becomes a simple process to add a melody, and you can build your track from there. Once the song starts to take shape you can either delete the midi part, or leave it in if you like it! Not sure about Cubase or Studio One, but in Reaper you just drag the midi file into the DAW and it syncs to tempo.

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2019

I think that you are mixing things up a bit and as well passed on an answer to my question. If used as a tape multitrack recorder it makes not one bit of difference that a person uses Garage Band to capture a performance, but however it assumes absolute importance if that person cannot, as I specifically stated, that they cannot express themselves and are relying on canned generic material to write a song. So, no, Garage Band can't do emotion if used how the OP would use it by definition.

Synths are for sure tools, musical instruments that need too to be learned how to play just as piano, guitars and trombones, hopefully also learned how to be programmed to further ones creativity in conjunction within the context of composition. On just your say so has me "hating on new ideas and concepts to song writing", but that couldn't be further from the truth. What I disagree with you is on the idea of, in the vein that the OP or anyone else could possibly express their deepest emotion by firstly using bland clips of someone else's making, and secondly that using Garage Band the way you yourself so stated is just the same as working with studio musicians as a producer in a studio. Balderdash I say!

 

I don't know how you label someone 'real' musician or not. How does Katy Perry fit into your definition?

 

Katy Perry, love her or hate her, plays the guitar (seemingly in the video a Martin 000-17) and has either written or co-written very many of the songs she has recorded and played live during her career. She also briefly studied opera. She seems to be a very accomplished artist. How do you label a musician?

 

?
Pulse never got above 60/min.

Who is Katy Perry?

Just kidding. For me she's more like an actress. But I do like her songs from time to time.

A little excursion back to topic: I use Scaler from time to time.
But I really won't say it's a "songwriting-plugin" but a little helper when one is stuck. A real musician - and I'm not one - most likely won't need that help. I don't think, say Rachmaninov needed Scaler nor any helpers.

At the end, it's a matter of taste what is called music at a given point in time from a standpoint of a non scientist.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" or in the ear respectively.

 

They're not clips of someone else's making, these are intelligent pieces of software designed to either analyse existing structures and build on them, or create afresh based on vast libraries of theory driven chords and scales, selectable by the user on a key/mode basis. It's a theory book on steroids.

They just put out a progression based on your ear and/or recommendations that it provides (Hence why i aligned it with you being the producer). Once you have that MIDI data it's up to you what to do with it, you can put into a score for real musicians to add their magic to, you can record in via acoustic instruments, you can feed it straight into a VST, you can feed it through ARPS that have expressive patterns such as found on Yamaha Motif's, the scope is huge.

If i put together a progression that fits the idea of a song in my head and applied lyrics - you'd have no clue as to whether that song was written by man or machine. Because at the very core of Musical Theory is math - and that's what computers are very good at.

 

I sometimes use RapidComposer, Cthulhu... and a max4live device Schwarzonator with pleasing results.

 

Well, there's the problem. She's a bonafide musician that would put most internet 'know it alls' to shame. Yet she'd never be classed 'real' enough for them in such debates due to ignorance, you've said it yourself thinking she's an 'Actress'.

To use someones elses line "It's pretty obvious that you have little to no clue on Katy Perry" lol

So let's stop trying to tag music/musicians as 'real' or not, and respect them. There will never be a NEED for 'real' musicians and 'real' music, it will just exist and flow how it always has done - if that culminates in an entirely interactive form of media where AI reacts to your mood via brain sensors - then so be it.

We've got thousands of planes in the sky flying themselves, cars that drive themselves and in the future music that writes itself. You can't really stop it.

Chances are a fender guitar will be something you buy digitally for use in your 'pay-monthly' VR simulator which encapsulates your entire social experiences since everywhere has been turned into compartmentalised single accomodation blocks with high speed internet and fluid/food tubes that plug straight in!! (Provided you keep your monthly payments up).

And thanks to the newly patented 'authentifeel(tm)' technology, that digital Fender feels just like the real thing, look how it shines in the light as you move it around... Even string resonance is perfectly simulated. And it includes 4x 6 hour plectrums providing you 24 hour play from point of purchase.

...You do remember the 'real thing', right? Haha

 

I would expand the search for "software" instead of just plugins. There are some apps that export MIDI. IMO it's not that important to write within a DAW . . . just write! Yeah, being educated on music theory would be wonderful . . . along with being a concert pianist, but the member is asking about plugins. He doesn't need a lecture.

 

So tired of people going nuts when someone asks for opinions on plugins to facilitate music production or songwriting. They ask because they want to know about the plugins, not your opinion whether it is bad using them altogether. Many people use these plugins listed and they have their pros and cons, this is what the op is asking about. If you have tried them help out by answering ops question, otherwise, start your own topic on how bad it is using plugins to facilitate songwriting and music production. This is simple forum ettiquette. Geez.

 

EZKeys
Really simple to use, and the "Use Browser midi" can change the default midi to various styles.

 

Did you answer the OP question, "what the OP is asking about"? Can anybody answer the Op's question?

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2019