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I need help choosing a good music composing program for my games. I want to create some high quality music (for example, Super Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart Wii, etc).

I know of some programs that can produce this type of quality, but they're usually around $600 or more. I'm looking for something less than $100.

Eh? Still no response? Is it something I said?

this forum is pritty dead these days

less then 100$ huh!

well if you dont like composing and just want to throw music loops together to make a song then you could try magix music maker 10+(im sure they have newer versions by now)

that will allow you to buy the program for 60$ bucks and spend 40$ on loop packs you can buy from there store.

do you want to make midi music? Just the basic stuff? like snes type music then you can try my free programs i made from darkbasic.

goto www.downloads.com

and search 'qmidi' and you will find a basic midi maker for free

if you want something of better quality its gunna cost you more then 100$ unless you can pick up something used from ebay.

No, sorry, don't know anything in that price range.
However, standard notation software capable of midi putput can yield very nice sound with a good enough soundcard, soundfonts or a sampler.

I think you can get a free version of the Kontakt sampler from http://www.native-instruments.com. It probably doesn't come with a great load of samples (sounds) though, but then you can always spend your initial money on sample packs instead.
Although those are usually the really expensive things.

Flstudio Fruity Edition is only 99$ (i have producer edition ), you get all the features except for audio recording and automation with automation clips. But what you get is more than enough to start making music

You don't need any extra sample packs or anything to start out with because flstudio comes packed full of samples and goodies, but you can just buy some later, and you can upgrade to Producer edition later

http://www.flstudio.com

Thanks for your suggestions, I'm going to download the trial for MAGIX Music Maker 15 Premium and see what that's like. I've seen some example songs on Youtube and it sounds good!

Remember that examples are always made to demonstrate the strengths and hide the weaknesses of any piece of software. And with music sequencers, they may be using external sample libraries that you'll have to pay more money for.

Try out as many of these demos as you can until you find something that you are comfortable working with. I'm using Logic Studio 8 right now, because I tried out the sequencer alone, and really liked the interface for drawing in automation, as well as the MaxMSP-style Environment window for routing audio and midi data.

Another thing to ask yourself is what styles do you see yourself composing in?

Here's some sequencers and sequencer-based DAWs(digital audio workstation):
FL Studio has already been mentioned, and is probably going to get you the most bang for your buck in terms of included instruments and effects.
Reaper($60) - Sort of the inexpensive alternative to those $600 programs you mentioned (only $60). This is also the software that will have to be used when producing tracks for Harmonix's upcoming Rock Band Network. The demo also never expires, so it's possbile to get a real feel for it before you buy.
Sonar Home Studio($139, or $209 for the XL version which comes with a bunch of instruments, effects and tools) - Is a more affordable, less-powerful version of Cakewalk's massive Sonar DAW.
Sequel 2($99) and Cubase Essential 5($149) are two of Steinberg's entry-level products for music composition and production.


Here's some trackers and tracker-based DAWs - they're similar to a typical sequencer, but instead of a piano roll view you get a list of note events, which can be easier and faster for some to interpret and create. I've just started learning to work with these since I come from a traditional musical background, but I find they are typically more suited toward electronic composition with a beat. More fluid styles of composition are possible but personally I don't find these to be as efficient for that purpose:
Renoise - I believe this is the only one that costs anything, $75
ModPlug
Jeskola Buzz
MadTracker
Psycle
Skale Tracker

Others:
Anvil Studio - I put this below here because it really is its own beast, I never used it much myself but it's a very capable midi sequencer/notation program.


As you get more into producing music on your computer, you'll find that more of your money is spent on sample libraries than anything else. Download as many trials of these and other products as you can and see what you find yourself to be most productive in.


[EDIT] Wow, I didn't realize Kellog sued Image-Line because of Froot Loops

I'll check out the other demos because I figured that MMM 15 wouldn't be right for my games. I want something that actually composes music.

I tried the FLStudio demo and installed it, but afterwards my antivirus caught a dialer/trojan virus... Anyone else had this problem? When I uninstalled the demo, the virus was gone.

Also, which program was used to make the sample songs that came with DarkBASIC Pro (in the "C:\...\Dark Basic Professional\Media\Music" folder)?

i wasnt aware that dbpro had any sample songs.... maby the cd version? Anyways the stuff that db classic has is just general midi and you should be able to find something free or close to it to compose that stuff.

I installed DarkBASIC Pro through Dark Game Studio, so maybe the music only comes with that. It would still be nice to know which program was used to create the music in DarkBASIC Pro, because that's the type of music I want to make for my games.