People who do music: PLZ HELP

Discussion in 'Make It So' started by Starcrossedsky, Aug 29, 2015.

  1. Starcrossedsky

    Starcrossedsky Burn and Refine

    TLDR; I have a stupid writing idea that would require me to put out follow-through and actually learn A) some music theory b) to compose in a program of some variety. Does anyone have suggestions on (free) stuff to enable this?

    Longform idea ramble under the cut (idea bouncing courtesy of Void) if you're actually interested in that thing;

    [Nai]:also, writer problems: when you accidentally fall face-first into a character concept that is GREAT but which you don't have the skills to execute. In this case, a character who has synthesia and perceives magic-sense as sound.
    [Nai]: it would be great as a Homestuck-style comic with a music aspect, but, HOW DO MUSIC????
    [Void/Rave]: Music program and trial and error
    [Void/Rave]: Or hire music person
    [Nai]: #money
    [Void/Rave]: Yep lmao
    [Nai]: I mean I also don't feel my art skills are up to par to be adequate but
    [Void/Rave]: A comic is a good way to practice
    [Void/Rave]: You get better as you go
    [Void/Rave]: I know several artists who have just redone pages later after their skills improved
    [Nai]: yeah that's kind of the vague idea
    [Nai]: I've got a setting concept that I'd been half tooling around with for a long time but this just really nailed in the concept of the MC
    [Void/Rave]: I think it sounds like a fun comic idea
    [Void/Rave]: I love when people push the boundaries of what a comic is
    [Void/Rave]: Its why I love homestuck
    [Nai]: I think I might try some screenshot redraws first? to get what i've been thinking of as the style figured out
    *** [Void/Rave] thumbs up ***
    [Nai]: it's a comic with a large emphasis on block color (like Homestuck) and no facial expressions (because my brainweird HATES them) so I really feel like the music aspect can help to add the mood element that might be missing bc of the expression thing?
    [Nai]: I mean not every page will have music obviously and sometimes it'll just be like. a tone.
    [Nai]: or a Standard Sound Effect
    [Nai]: because some things feel like that
    [Void/Rave]: The lack of facial expression might turn some people away but the music aspect sounds cool
    [Nai]: well it's very much.... the way I'm envisioning the cuts of the panels isn't heavy on expression anyway?
    [Nai]: it's large-body action
    [Nai]: basically: my perception of things as per my own brainweird
    [Void/Rave]: That makes sense!
     
    • Like x 1
  2. Kaylotta

    Kaylotta Writer Trash

    I've really been enjoying noodling around with LMMS - I have a digital keyboard plugged into my computer so I can just browse the sound library until I find something I like and then poke the keyboard until I find sounds I like. All the WIPs on my SoundCloud (as well as Going Wodwo) were made by messing around in LMMS (the others were made by slightly more planned messing around in Logic). I'm a classically-trained singer, so I've got training in music theory, but I don't use a lot of it when I'm playing in LMMS - I've never been very good at thinking out a composition, if that makes any sense.

    oh - if you don't have a digital keyboard or a way to plug it in, you can use your computer keyboard too.
     
  3. ingloriousHeist

    ingloriousHeist Shen an Calhar

    I tend to use Finale 2000 or Finale Notepad for music things, but I don't know how much help that would be for you, as it's mainly a notation program. A basic knowledge of music theory is required. http://www.musictheory.net/ should get you to that minimum, and then even past that.

    I mostly use it to transcribe my flute noodlings, so I don't know how helpful it would be for your purposes, either.
     
    • Like x 1
  4. Exohedron

    Exohedron Doesn't like words

    A thing about LMMS (and most fully fledged Digital Audio Workstations) is that you don't even need to use the keyboard; you can draw in notes instead on the piano roll. Not as good for noodling, but sometimes better for getting things done. I am totally not good enough at timing that I can play music, so I just draw everything.
    Another thing is that if you are sticking with LMMS, try opening up the synthesizer controls and screwing around. My synaesthesia doesn't really notice things like melody, but boy does it respond to timbre. Which, unfortunately, most things calling themselves "music theory" don't really cover that much. So if you want more reading, maybe try How to Make a Noise, although that book is kind of big. Here is a short-ish post I made 4 years ago about making synthesizers do stuff.
    Berklee Music on Synthesis seems to have a decent series of video lectures on synthesis. Haven't watched the full series. The synth looks different from the LMMS synth, but most of the controls correspond.
    Or you could just use samples, which have their own issues. Synthesized versions of physical instruments vary in accuracy. Synthesized "guitar" tends to not sound like samples of actual guitars, and synthesized "vocals" tend to be pretty bad. Synthesized string instruments in general are kind of wonky compared to samples of actual string instruments, but not as bad as guitars or vocals. Samples give you less control, so there's a trade-off.
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2015
    • Like x 2
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