I am intrigued by this software, but I have had some difficulty getting a handle on it. Anyone gotten good results with it? The videos I've watched seem to move quickly and also seem to skip over parts. Like for instance, they talk about phrase browser. I see it on their screen but I have no idea what they clicked to open it. It just seems to pop up on the screen without telling us what was clicked to open it. I am making small progress, just through fumbling around. The videos I watch kind of confirm what I am looking for, but not actually how it was found. They seem to assume a lot. I will figure it out eventually. It would be nice to have someone get me past a couple hurdles.

 

Perhaps, my humble advice will be going to sound off-topic; however, I strongly recommend you learn music theory rather than rely on these kinds of softwares.

Having an intermediate level of music theory + basic keyboard playing skills will get you anywhere much faster than Scaler 2, Rapid composer and so on.

Yea, I won't claim that these softwares are unuseful. No, it is not the core point. The core point if you will depend on these kind of softwares to compose a melody, things might get bored after a while.

Just let your fingers create the melody but not the softwares.

But, yea, I mean, keep learning the software, any extra knownledge will contribute to your music sooner or later.

 

Last edited: May 7, 2022

It has been my experience that softwares HELP teach theory, and as a matter of fact I put more emphasis on ear training. The ear controls the whole ball of wax. Theory just serves to explain it. I have a handle on the basics of theory I rekon, so yes, your reply misses the mark. It can be good for progression starters, (to be developed). Even having music theory in your hat, does not give you inspiration. I used to be in a band with a guitarist who was a teacher by trade. Every time we threw him an improv section, he fell apart. He was very good at the theory part of it, but when you got right down to it, he was not great at the application. If it was not written out for him he had a hard time with it. I am mainly a drummer who has a decent ear and can hold my own with the ear. So I kind of chuckle at these types of responses. I know enough to know that theory only explains what we are doing and the ear is more important over all.

So if I waited to reach a level of knowledge of theory that would be sufficient for everything, I would never get anything done. I usually do things by ear, and then if I need to explain it, I go to the software to get that info. There is a practicality to this that you've totally overlooked. Come to find out my guitarist friend teaches beginner kids. Really nothing wrong with that, but for me the ear training is MUCH more important. He could not improvise at all and he was studied in this theory. Thanks.

 

One thing that has been on my mind about this is whether or not the copy I got off the sister site is missing things that would be present if I bought it. It might have changed since the tutorials have been made. That would explain why when I tried to do what the videos show, it just does not work like it shows in the video.

Another thing here..... I am a longtime user of Acid Pro. I use a version from back in the 80s. So I kept bumping into people with this mentality of "that's not real music", because it uses loops. I am so glad I didn't listen to these people who are in music to prove something. I can sit down behind a drum kit and prove I can really play if it is necessary. That's the wrong reason to be doing this. There's always someone better than you and it could happen that they would talk down to you and tell you what you should be doing, and how you could be better. That is why this pecking order makes me want to puke. Here's the thing....

The v3 I use is the best audio editor I have ever used. It's why I continue using it to this day and almost never use it with loops. If I had listened to these nay sayers and just put it away without ever exploring it I would not have found that it is great at doing other things than just using loops. In my opinion they shot themselves in the foot to think this way. It's kind of a rediculous way of thinking. It closes doors based on preconceived ideas of how things should go.

I have found that Reason 12 is quite a decent editor both of audio and midi, and so I don't use acid pro 3 as much as I used to. I sure didn't let someone else's idea of real music stop me from my studies of the tools. If I really did pay attention to the off topic feedback, I would just put it away until I "qualify" to do real music. So I may never find out about some very cool thing that rapid composer does, simply because I listend to someone who really has no idea what I am about. As a drummer, I set out to be able to compose alone instead of just doing drums on someone else's composition. How can anyone who has used software to any extent say to learn theory and then move ahead? It's misguided. I have learned a lot about theory from the software. Who here has used any software and not gotten or reinforced music theory? It's really not well thought out response, besides missing the mark. I am trying to navigate the menus. They are confusing. Not sure how stopping my journey to go learn theory will help that.

I do things most people have no idea how to do, and I learned how to do this through experimenting and finding good tools. Be true to yourself and don't let misguided people sway you. We have people who use software and no theory is involved?

 

Last edited: May 8, 2022

The music theory is not a magic stick that will change everything in the twinkling of an eye. I mean, music theory can't teach you how to compose or how to be creative. The music theory knowledge is fuel; however, creativeness, inspration, effort, feelings are the core elements of your steering wheel that will drive you to results. And moreover, you need to practice knowledge over and over again until it becomes a skill.

As I already mentioned on my previous comment, keep learning the software, any extra knownledge will contribute to your music sooner or later. If it really works for you, it means that it is the more accurate way for you to develop yourself.

Knowledge and inspration are totally two different things.

Perhaps, you won't believe that music theory was the only thing that have been dramatically improved my improvisation. But, yea, I mean, it totally depends on you.

To me, at least, according to my experience, counterpoint is a really good means for ear training.

Conclusion: Please don't get me wrong, I'm not against what you do. I merely wanted to share my opinions with you. Guess what? I have Rapid Composer installed in my studio computer I never underestimate the software.

I sincerely wish you the best on your music journey.

 

Last edited: May 8, 2022

I checked this gem of a program but it is indeed to hard to learn. It has tons of features and no "easy mode" so you can do wonders but the learning curve seems steep

 

And it is hard to believe a person could use this and not have some theory rub off on them. Of course I believe it is a good thing to study some theory, but I also believe using the likes of Scaler can teach some theory. At the very least it reinforces it. I suppose it is human nature to have some sort of pecking order amongst musicians, but it is not helpful. It is connected directly to ego.

I am talking directly to those who subscribe to " that ain't real music" thinking. So if I composed a piece using loops, and or midi. I quite often play simple parts on the keyboard by ear. I show vocal scales to vocalists this way by ear.

Ok so if this piece was done using this method, and then you went and got the different parts replaced by players, and then had them perform it onstage in front of an audience, does it all of a sudden become real music? It's all music theory. It's all music. The physics is the same as it has always been. The mothods have changed. I don't work with notation but I could. Just by jumping over to the notation tab. Instead I work with the piano roll. It represents the same thing. It is governed by ear as all music has been since it's inception.

I tend to believe that we put way to much focus on credentials and not nearly enough on the art. The pecking order has no place here. These people onstage doing my arrangement is still doing my arrangement regardless of method to create the arrangement. If the software helps me work this arrangement, it is none the less still me working the arrangement.

One thing that has really helped me in my journeys is to recognize bad attitudes, such as the pecking order. It just gets in the way. You have to get good at recognizing personal politics that could get in the way of being productive. Back in the day, a good amount of ideas in a person's head probably didn't get created because they didn't have the tools we have now.

Having said that, I do also feel that it has helped me to play an instrument, and because I played in bands, I was also a vocalist. I dare say that anything that is created in a DAW could potentially be played onstage, and because of that it is real music, and people should stop saying otherwise. Way too much politics in a lot of people's thinking. They have their thinking anchored to a pecking order. It's natural but not helpful.

 

Agree.
I found that some of the older videos were more useful than the newer ones - and of course RTFM (Read the F#*kin Manual). You have to see past version differences and just get to grips with all the neat ideas in there. The basic ideas were pretty solid even in earlier versions, and I think the videos produced for those were just a bit better done. The implementations of those neat ideas are very quirky, in software interface terms, and maybe that's 'a bit' off putting but so what - if we just focus on the music ideas then it's a great piece of software.

 

then a very quick start guide just to able to start to use it

at first, it needs some scale and progression, progression(voicing) can be edited by the voice editor(what a surprise), to be able to see some playable notes it needs some generator in the arranger area which uses the previously set scale/progression/voicing kinds of stuff,

I've started with a chord one then converted it into an arp (generators can be cloned and customized further with different rhythm/generator etc. related params each has own set) if you modify generator created notes by hand (as I've done it on the video) it becomes a phrase and the generator can't use it anymore(any generator related change destroys the custom added notes/phrase) but variations can be added each of them freely even they are cloned ... lesson one done

so basically it can convert a chord progression to numerous other formats using its further mutated generators and you

 

Last edited: May 8, 2022

I agree with you, and most of what is mentioned in this thread. but i do not completely agree with "at least learn music theory first" no offense. But let me explain, a few years ago during the launch of mixcloud and similar other websites it was a huge deal for DJs like me, so we can upload our mixes there for free and use it for self promotion, then time went on.
During those time and the time b4 we used to key tag our music manually (there was mixed in key and beatunes but didnt have the money to buy it) it was tough but worth while, bcauz i might have listened to the music a number of times and i knew the song structure by heart, and like me most us DJ ed with heart, and felt it was a warm feeling that could only be experienced. I could even play after waking after a deep sleep ready any time, but enough of that.

After a while i bought beatunes which works in conjunction with itunes and it was a pain in the ass software. Key tagging was ok-ish.
Started using traktor pro (cracked) along, life was much easier, didnt have to carry a cd case everywhere i went.
Few years later rekordbox introduced key analysis feature, which was much accurate faster better than beatunes and it was freeeee..
Years passed on and on more and more stuff came along, just like traktor pro evolved. But till now i use traktor pro v2.0.1 Union release with time coded cds or flash drive along with rekordbox 3.3.0. and thats all what i need.

The reason i mentioned DJing Mixcloud and rekordbox and traktor is that,10 or 12 years ago those stuff i mentioned was a huge deal and game changing for people who really needed it. Now there are a ton of stuff with all the features, one doesn't even need, but its just there. It has its Good and Bad all at the same time.
Now making music and releasing music has reached to a point equivalent to releasing a DJ mix.
At the same time one can make music i mean make a hit record just with free software, but getting it heard is a whole different thing Things have changed a lot, Exponentially is the exact term, there is so much BS floating around, that the ones that need recognition has gotten covered deep in that BS.

i use RC specifically for the feature " Phrase transpose" its in top next to grid snap etc. use the drop box and try using different modes, it can do magic esp. notes mode.

Phrase browser is on the top right, click hamburger icon. U can convert midi to phrase what it actually does is it converts midi into phrases like ableton converts midi to als. but RC gives an option to convert it either chord relative or scale relative. i dont use it much.

I still use RC (legit) v3 along with V4, v4 misses the feature local seq option, its automatic but in v3 u can enable or disable it, but v4 has much more new features that v3 doesnt have like generator for example V4 has feature that keeps the phrase shape intact and just regenerate rhythm or just change the shape and keeping the rhythm intact.

RC is one of a kind software that has features that no other products have in one pack. Most of its power lays under the rules. If u are a composer u can make ur own rules. Rules are nothing but a probability for chord generation

Yes, It will take a while to learn the software, but worth it. Like others say here, getting familiar with music theory ll also help in understanding the tool more, or vice versa. use RC to learn music theory.

 

I've been using the manual a bit too, but it is confusing a bit too. I started at the beginning of the manual and reading sequentially (in order). I soon stopped because I was lost in tryng to follow it. For instance the phrase browser was not explained in it. How to access it.

Sometimes I have to re-read things a few times to get what they are saying. That could be my ability to read, and it could also be that they don't represent it well. THAT is how I had a breakthrough with Arcade. At first I didn't get what was supposed to happen. I actually figured it out on my own, just accidentally. Because I didn't give up.

I am not really about placing blame. Obviously if others are using it and I am not, it can be done, so I will take blame for poor comprehension. Hopefully you can see from my posts here that I have a decent grasp of the language. I can usually follow a manual. I will admit that sometimes it is right there in front of me. It does happen that someone will try to help me and say things in a slightly different manner and it helps me get things to work.

I will also say that I would advocate people trying to learn basic theory, but this assertion that attempts to use any software should be foregone until then is just silly. I mean when i am trying to get a handle on menus for software but it comes back to just go learn music theory, and I won't need to learn the menus etc, is just plain a waste of time.

 

Don't depend on the manual alone, Just think of rapid composer as a Daw that has a chord track, but with named notes with scale relative notes with its degree on the note itself.
Start making a track, trust me u ll learn on the way much sooner than u think u can.

Phrase browser is nothing huge, its just generated midi u saved or just midi converted to phrase, which is .rcPHRS file that could only be read by RC like Ableton has .als file.
U can use phrases by converting ur midi packs u have to phrases or generate and save themor just download from kvr forum.
The advantage u have by converting into phrases is that RC gives u the option to convert that file into scale note relative or chord note relative or just absolute notes.
Try doing this as test, But back up the RapidcomposerV4 folder. open Rapidcomposer drop a folder into the phrase browser,(if u drop it into rhythm browser it will be converted as rhythm) with some midi files inside may be a four or five just for testing and see what happens.

(This might help u
Scale note - Blue
Chord note - Green
Absolute note - Yellow
Out of scale notes - red
Scale note regions are shaded
U can change these behavior/color of the notes,)

 

Totally agree with this, even basic stuff like what makes up a major chord( 1,3,5 of your major scale ), or minor chord( 1,flat3, and 5 ).

 

Open inspector with command click doesn't work for me. (i don't have any mouse with right click, MBP Intel Big Sur)
Do you have the same problem?
(edit) Solved by using two fingers on the trackpad

 

Last edited: Apr 18, 2025