Music Composition DUMmIES

the future. At present, it doesn’t offer a lot in the way of compositional tools.

Pro Tools is said to be unparalleled for cutting, pasting, and otherwise pro-

cessing audio recordings. Pro Tools LE runs approximately $500.

Logic Pro................................................................................................

http://www.apple.com/logicpro

Apple’s Logic Pro is a complex and very deep program that aspires to be

everything in one package. It offers sophisticated notation, scoring, layout,

and printing tools, audio recording and editing capabilities, MIDI production

with sample and synthesizer plug-ins, excellent cut-and-paste arranging and

compositional tools, and more. You can even burn CDs and create MP3 and

AAC audio files right in the program.

Logic Pro has a fairly steep learning curve, but most people who have tackled

it find it is worth it. It is a popular program for electronic composition, sound

design, and music composition for film and video — and is as popular in the

studios of Europe as Pro Tools is in the U.S. Many of the notated figures in

this book were created in Logic Pro. At the time of this writing, Logic Pro is

only available for Macintosh computers. And it’s not cheap: Apple Logic Pro

7.2 runs around $1000.

Cubase ...................................................................................................

http://www.steinberg.net

Cubase is similar to Logic Pro, though with less power in the scoring printout

area and fewer compositional features. Cubase is easier to learn than Logic

Pro, though, and it’s available for Mac and Windows machines. Cubase 4 runs

approximately $1000.

If you are already using a music-composition program and feel comfortable

with it, there’s no real reason to change your routine. However, if you’re

planning on moving your work around a lot from place to place or studio to

studio, you might start learning how to use Pro Tools, especially if you’re

doing a lot of audio recording of performances. If you’re also doing sound

design or electronic composition, need music printed out, or if you work with

loops(repeated samples or recorded sounds that run through part or all of a

composition) in addition to working with audio recordings of performances,

Logic Pro may be your best bet.

Chapter 2: Tools of the Trade 19

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