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Geek Culture / what software makes great music

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 8th Feb 2005 05:48
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just read the subject if you wanna no more

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Phaelax
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Posted: 8th Feb 2005 06:00
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acid pro(or is it sound forge?), fruity loops, voyetra music write. I've used all those and think they work great. The Voyetra is much more restricted in features, but works fine for simple midi orchestra pieces. There's also Cakewalk, which I hate with a passion.

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Hawkeye
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Posted: 8th Feb 2005 08:29 Edited at: 8th Feb 2005 08:30
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well... It's not isasmuch the program you use, it's how good an artist you are I like ModTracker myself, though if you prefer loop basee creation I'd use the Acid Pro demo

http://www.modplug.com
http://mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/products/acidfamily.asp

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Van B
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Posted: 8th Feb 2005 18:04
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FruityLoops Studio is pretty nice, it's well suited to people who don't really want to get that involved, just wanna make some decent music. The demo version is very generous, you can't save your work, but you can export it to a mp3. It's real easy to use as well.


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Lukas W
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Posted: 8th Feb 2005 21:26
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Reason is probably the best (and only) i know about. but it is so expensive.

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Robin
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Posted: 8th Feb 2005 21:53
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My brother has Reason - He makes music for my games

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adr
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Posted: 8th Feb 2005 21:54 Edited at: 8th Feb 2005 21:56
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It sounds unconstructive, but as someone said, the software doesn't make good music, the composer does. Take a look at some of the old games; Spy vs Spy for example, has some really cool music - but the music will have been hardcoded in assembly and only uses beeps. So,

By the phrasing of your question, it sounds like you're expecting the software to allow a musically challenged programmer to produce magnificent, epic masterpieces.....

Given what's been discussed, I wouldn't bother trying to "make" music to be honest. I'd buy the music sample DVD which TGC resells and then put it into something simple and free, like ModPlug Tracker. I've bought it and it's fantastic - I mean, the music won't be ground breaking, but it certainly gives the action a more polished feeling.

http://www.thegamecreators.com/?f=sound_essentials


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Ian T
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Posted: 8th Feb 2005 23:29
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Adrian here beat me too it. There is no software in the world that will turn you into Danny Elfman. Sorry

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bitJericho
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Posted: 8th Feb 2005 23:30 Edited at: 8th Feb 2005 23:30
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How about software that turns me into spiderman?


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Jeku
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Posted: 9th Feb 2005 04:16
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Reason is great. I've been using it for 4 years and I'm still discovering new ways to make great sound!


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BearCDPOLD
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Posted: 9th Feb 2005 11:38
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FL Studio pwns for straight no-hassle game music.

If you have a bit of a budget and a midi keyboard try Cakewalk Home Studio or Sony Music Studio.

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Mattman
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Posted: 9th Feb 2005 11:52
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This is the life - If anyone can tell me the connection between this thread and those 4 words then i love them

I use powertabs. Guitar based MIDI editor, and then I record my songs to my 4 track with my band

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 10th Feb 2005 06:31
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i can make music - i just want the quality better - real violins instead of midi synthesised - you know what i'm talking about
and how about music maker 2005 - can that make nice quality music - does it need anything else and what are the requirements?
thanks in advance
p.s. is fruity loops demo free or is it trial version (30 days, 60 runs etc..) and where's the link?

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Fallout
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Posted: 10th Feb 2005 06:41
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I would recommend becoming an expert game developer, developing a kick ass game, then asking an expert musician to produce some tunes for you.

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BearCDPOLD
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Posted: 10th Feb 2005 07:02
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^^^like that guy^^^


Fruity Loops is a free demo with unlimited runs and mp3/wave export, you just can't save projects so once you quit the program your work is gone except in the form of a rendered sound file.
http://www.fruityloops.com
(Google is your friend)

You can find some good music sounds in your soundcard sometimes if you have a Soundblaster or something, I forget how though.

If you are looking just for sounds you want a sound library. All the free ones are usually poo, so you'll have to invest in something like Kontakt Player, Garritan Personal Orchestra, or a midi keyboard with built-in sounds.

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Flindiana Jones
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Posted: 10th Feb 2005 08:49
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you know, for fruity loops, a very handy tool is the "export to MID" feature. though you may not want an MID, you can then import the MID, then copy whole pattern and paste the different piano rolls into the instruments you want. it's almost like a save, only more roundabout.

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Mr Underhill
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Posted: 10th Feb 2005 09:33 Edited at: 10th Feb 2005 09:34
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Well, I'll join the chorus and say I like Reason, too. I've had it for about 6 months and I still havent discovered all its secrets.

As for MIDI, I'd say Anvil Studio is the best. Very simple, very clean, works like a charm. What more could you need?

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blanky
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Posted: 12th Feb 2005 04:54
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Cu!Base! S!X!

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 12th Feb 2005 06:03
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thanks bear crazyy donut thingy... i really appreciate it (the link too)

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 12th Feb 2005 06:06
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cudn't agree more underhill - anvil studio is the best

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QuothTheRaven
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Posted: 12th Feb 2005 07:07
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I never liked Reason, the whole thing is so pointlessly confusing. Plus it doesn't have external VST or DXi support, so I'll never have a need to use it.

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SageTech
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Posted: 15th Feb 2005 05:16
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FL studio Demo is by far the best, its free, and has almost all the features of its normal version, thiers no save, but thier is a little thing called minimise.

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 15th Feb 2005 06:18
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too bad its 30 megs in download - i only have 56k modem

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 15th Feb 2005 06:19
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but how do i make halflife and deus ex like quality music huh?

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Mr Pointless
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Posted: 15th Feb 2005 06:30
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Well, you'll need the right instruments for your weapon of choice (by that I mean the software you pick). Try places like Steinberg's site, that sort of thing. And as much as I hate to say it (because it's annoying), Google is your friend.



Don't hurt me for saying that, Bear Crazy Donut etc.

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SageTech
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Posted: 15th Feb 2005 07:58
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wow, i forgot FL studio was that big, but i have a 56 k modem (Why god, Why!) and i downloaded it.

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soapyfish
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Posted: 15th Feb 2005 08:18
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I'm on 56k but managed to dig out an old demo disc that had FL Studio on it. It's set out pretty well and if I ever bother to buy any music editing/making software this would be it.





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BearCDPOLD
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Posted: 15th Feb 2005 08:46
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Quote: " but how do i make halflife and deus ex like quality music huh?"


You study music theory.

Mr. Pointless- it's all good dude. It's not like there's a single link you're hiding from him. Btw, to make life simple you can just type Bear; Crazy Donut Productions is the name of the dev team.

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 16th Feb 2005 05:47
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no - i meant how do you get those realistic like instruments - compare to midi midi is crap!

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BearCDPOLD
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Posted: 16th Feb 2005 06:12
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If you're looking for the techno-y stuff in there FL Studio is your best bet. Otherwise you'll have to fork out some money for some sound libraries. That can get a little complicated though. If I were you I would just stick with FL Studio.

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Flindiana Jones
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Posted: 17th Feb 2005 03:21
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Mr Pointless
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Posted: 17th Feb 2005 03:35
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@ Bear:

Ah, OK, sorry.

@ DeHonCha:

Also if you have any coverdiscs from magazines about computer music, there's bound to be something on one of them that'll interest you, like samples, instruments, etc.

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Fallout
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The trick to getting a good sample library is to sample everything you're allowed to or can get away with. It doesn't matter if you like the sound or not, eventually you might have a use for it.

Rip sounds that make transitional effects, ambience or individual note plucks of instruments. Don't rip riffs. Rip sounds from DVDs, other music, sounds you hear of the net, the WAV files you find in computer games, free samples off music mag covers, sounds from internet libraries. It's a bit naughty, but so long as it's not distinctive and nobody could recognise it as their sound, nab it!

With your sample library, use your sample editor to clean up, trim and crop, edit, pitch and time stretch your samples so they're prestine and exactly what you want. Use Cool Edit or something. Above all though, sample everything you can and work to creating a really well indexed directory full of every sound you record.

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Hawkeye
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Posted: 17th Feb 2005 04:21
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Quote: "You study music theory."

Amen That's the key to creating great music.

Listen to fallout, he really knows what he's doing/saying here. http://www.invisiblechainsaw.com/menu-music.php Check out some of his (seriously awesome) music and you'll see what he means about samples. Sounds that you wouldn't think would fit in a soundtrack work wonders when actually applied.

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Fallout
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Posted: 17th Feb 2005 04:33
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Thanks for the props man. Much appreciated.

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Jeku
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Posted: 17th Feb 2005 05:43
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Hey Fallout --- cool music! I especially like the way you start Run Silent Run Deep... if you have time you should check out some of my stuff. http://www.jeku.com/audio/ -- I recommend Isolation...


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Fallout
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Posted: 17th Feb 2005 05:58 Edited at: 17th Feb 2005 06:17
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Really chilled stuff there mate. Clearly not written as game music, but I could see your music lending itself to any of those 'down-time' moments in game. Back at base, entering a new mystical town in an RPG, etc. That's how I visualise music in the context of this forum anyway. I like your love of pads and strings too. I like generating an atmosphere with wide pad sounds.

EDIT: Jeku, I just uploaded this for you. It's a new tune I started a while back and is still no where near finished, but I think you might like the spacey pad section in the intro. http://www.invisiblechainsaw.com/temp/spacer.mp3

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Jeku
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Posted: 17th Feb 2005 13:13
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Hey Fallout--- that's quite a cool song you've got going there! What software do you use? I've been using Reason for years and it's pretty much the only one I know how to use. I have it hooked up to my Yamaha keyboard through the midi port which makes it way easier than plotting every single note individually by hand.

When do you think you'll be done that song?


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adr
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Posted: 17th Feb 2005 17:18 Edited at: 17th Feb 2005 17:22
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I still like Fallout's scimitar. Not too fond of the harsher stuff. ... smiley representation of hard DnB.

Quote: "how do you get those realistic like instruments"


I wasn't joking when I suggested "...buy the music sample DVD...".
It's a DVD with music samples. It has single instrument samples, like a violin, a snare drum ... except there's several GBs of that stuff on the DVD.


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Hawkeye
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Posted: 18th Feb 2005 00:26
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Quote: "Thanks for the props man. Much appreciated. "

That's only because you rox0rz.

Personaly, I like the lighter tracks Fallout has--cacoon, time machine, and hesiate. But for some reason I can't seperate myself from sushi Maybe it's the idea that you can call a slow industral track somthing like "Sushi", dunno really...

Quote: "I wasn't joking when I suggested "...buy the music sample DVD...". "

Failing that, go visit a free sound effects libary on teh net. Great way to get started.

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Fallout
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Posted: 18th Feb 2005 05:57
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@Jeku

I use Skale tracker. An old styled, free, beta tool, developed by one guy with crap english, and it's unfinished. I use it because it's a modern clone of fast tracker 2 with vst support and all that jazz, and I was brought up on FT2, so I'm most creative in it. It's not a patch on Reason, but it does the job for me.

That tune is likely to get finished eventually, but not anytime soon. I'm just not writing music at the moment as I'm busy all the time, but when I get in the mood again, I might pick up and continue that one.

@Hawkeye

My girlfriend was making an animation for her computer animation course which was some industrial scene where mini people go along a conveyor belt and eventually get eaten in a Sushi restaurant. She never used the tune, but that's where the name came from.

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 20th Feb 2005 04:16
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too bad i'm a poor boy !

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Mr Pointless
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Posted: 20th Feb 2005 04:23
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Eh? So that means you can't afford... ???

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 20th Feb 2005 21:23
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yeah kinda - what i actually meant was i can't afford to BUY stuff

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 20th Feb 2005 21:24 Edited at: 20th Feb 2005 21:31
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DeHonCha
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Posted: 20th Feb 2005 21:27 Edited at: 20th Feb 2005 21:30
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forgive my doouble post

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DeHonCha
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Posted: 20th Feb 2005 21:28
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okay - started download on FL studio - only 3 hourse 56 minutes and 4 seconds to go ---

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Jeku
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Posted: 21st Feb 2005 04:29
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@DeHonCha - Don't be a dork and post several times in a row. It ticks off most everybody. Use EDIT POST.


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DeHonCha
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Posted: 21st Feb 2005 05:52
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funny thing that happend - my inet connection was slow so i ended up stopping and retrying and finally saw the result - so i tried to patch it up with some apologies - any way - apologies for double posting so much!!!



p.s. i'm not making this up

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The Monkeys Ate My Soul
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do a google search for a program called midig, it can make your midi files sound very real, I can't work out how to make them into wav though(it is possible) so if anyone figures it out tell me how please
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