There's lots of misinformation going on this this thread... but i think Skitchy is the closest person to making sense...
sequencers:
ACID: is mostly used for composing short pieces for television and radio work.... such as syncing a short speach phrase with a short loop etc... it's not really very good for composing original full length songs.
CUBASE: the latest version (Cubase SX) includes many VST instruments (so called - soft-synths)... and it is quite possible to create music without any keybaords attached to the computer. Cubase is mainly a hobbyist sequencer and you wouldnt really find it in that many studio's
LOGIC AUDIO: i CANNOT believe nobody has mentioned this! i personally use this and i think it's much better then cubase. You'll find this in many recording studios specialising in dance music (but it's not so hot for recording / editing live bands)... the latest version (5) is now mac-only.
NUENDO: is basically a beefed up version of cubase.... with surround sound support & video tools aswell.
PRO-TOOLS: now this is the daddy of the music world.... you'll find this in EVERY professional recording studio out there. The makers (digidesign) boldly claim that every CD in the top 40 at any time has been touched by pro-tools at some time in it's development.... they're probably right :) A complete Pro Tools HD3 package will cost you about £15,000, again, mac-only...
CAKEWALK: holds a very small market share.... mainly due to that fact that it doesnt support VST (Virtual Studio Technology), however the next version will through a DX-VST wrapper (i personally dont think this will be very stable though)
DIGITAL PERFORMER: another mac-only program, ive never used it.
FRUITY LOOPS: is a fun little program with a cult following.... it's really easy to use and you can get some decent results... i'd reccomend it to anyone on here wanting to write tunes for their games. (PC only)
REASON: Reason is a weird one, it's completely different from your traditional sequencer, i hate it personally but alot of people swear by it.. as skitchy quite rightly pointed out it can be combined with cubase via rewire... which i hear is a powerful combination.
SIBEILIUS: this is more for classical music and the like
wave editors:
SOUND FORGE: from the same people who brough you acid. It's a decent enough editor... all the functions you'd expect, except for VST SUPPORT! :( this is probably the most popular wave editor.
WAVELAB: from the people who brought you cubase and nuendo.. i think this is much better then soundforge... it's got a much nicer interface and it does more stuff.
COOL EDIT: another popular one, probably not as professional as soundforge or wavelab, but it's decent enough, i believe it DOES support VST plugins.
some VST plugins also worthy of a mention:
KONTAKT: Skitchy was quite right to point this one out, it's the don-daddy of all samplers... hard or soft. EXS24 and Halion are also good samplers.
FM7: is a really nice synth using FM synthesis... it's a bitch to program but you can get some nice sounds out of it.
Absynth: one of the best synths out there... great for atmospheric pads and stuff.... also a bitch to program.
ES2: Probably the best soft synth on the market right now.... it's exclusively for Logic Audio.
WAVES BUNDLEs: a top quality selection of DX plugins.... including the C1 compressor, L1 ultramaximiser, C4 multiband compressors, Q10 parametric EQ, IDR dithering etc
soundcards:
if you're only writing music inside your computer with no external gear, you can get away with a standard soundblaster. But the minute you add a keyboard or sound module... you'll need to get a better soundcard (soundblasters are not professional quality - even the top of the range audigy). Pro soundcards vary in price from about £130 up to about £1000. The terratec mentioned earlier in this thread, assuming it's the DMX6FIRE, is a decent budget card for around £160. Other budget cards worth a mention are the M-Audio Audiophile (£140), Delta 44 (£160) and Delta 66 (£200). Top of the range soundcards would be the Creamware Pulsar 2 (£550), MOTU 896 (£999) or the TC Powercore (£700)
hope thats cleared a few things up
sequencers:
ACID: is mostly used for composing short pieces for television and radio work.... such as syncing a short speach phrase with a short loop etc... it's not really very good for composing original full length songs.
CUBASE: the latest version (Cubase SX) includes many VST instruments (so called - soft-synths)... and it is quite possible to create music without any keybaords attached to the computer. Cubase is mainly a hobbyist sequencer and you wouldnt really find it in that many studio's
LOGIC AUDIO: i CANNOT believe nobody has mentioned this! i personally use this and i think it's much better then cubase. You'll find this in many recording studios specialising in dance music (but it's not so hot for recording / editing live bands)... the latest version (5) is now mac-only.
NUENDO: is basically a beefed up version of cubase.... with surround sound support & video tools aswell.
PRO-TOOLS: now this is the daddy of the music world.... you'll find this in EVERY professional recording studio out there. The makers (digidesign) boldly claim that every CD in the top 40 at any time has been touched by pro-tools at some time in it's development.... they're probably right :) A complete Pro Tools HD3 package will cost you about £15,000, again, mac-only...
CAKEWALK: holds a very small market share.... mainly due to that fact that it doesnt support VST (Virtual Studio Technology), however the next version will through a DX-VST wrapper (i personally dont think this will be very stable though)
DIGITAL PERFORMER: another mac-only program, ive never used it.
FRUITY LOOPS: is a fun little program with a cult following.... it's really easy to use and you can get some decent results... i'd reccomend it to anyone on here wanting to write tunes for their games. (PC only)
REASON: Reason is a weird one, it's completely different from your traditional sequencer, i hate it personally but alot of people swear by it.. as skitchy quite rightly pointed out it can be combined with cubase via rewire... which i hear is a powerful combination.
SIBEILIUS: this is more for classical music and the like
wave editors:
SOUND FORGE: from the same people who brough you acid. It's a decent enough editor... all the functions you'd expect, except for VST SUPPORT! :( this is probably the most popular wave editor.
WAVELAB: from the people who brought you cubase and nuendo.. i think this is much better then soundforge... it's got a much nicer interface and it does more stuff.
COOL EDIT: another popular one, probably not as professional as soundforge or wavelab, but it's decent enough, i believe it DOES support VST plugins.
some VST plugins also worthy of a mention:
KONTAKT: Skitchy was quite right to point this one out, it's the don-daddy of all samplers... hard or soft. EXS24 and Halion are also good samplers.
FM7: is a really nice synth using FM synthesis... it's a bitch to program but you can get some nice sounds out of it.
Absynth: one of the best synths out there... great for atmospheric pads and stuff.... also a bitch to program.
ES2: Probably the best soft synth on the market right now.... it's exclusively for Logic Audio.
WAVES BUNDLEs: a top quality selection of DX plugins.... including the C1 compressor, L1 ultramaximiser, C4 multiband compressors, Q10 parametric EQ, IDR dithering etc
soundcards:
if you're only writing music inside your computer with no external gear, you can get away with a standard soundblaster. But the minute you add a keyboard or sound module... you'll need to get a better soundcard (soundblasters are not professional quality - even the top of the range audigy). Pro soundcards vary in price from about £130 up to about £1000. The terratec mentioned earlier in this thread, assuming it's the DMX6FIRE, is a decent budget card for around £160. Other budget cards worth a mention are the M-Audio Audiophile (£140), Delta 44 (£160) and Delta 66 (£200). Top of the range soundcards would be the Creamware Pulsar 2 (£550), MOTU 896 (£999) or the TC Powercore (£700)
hope thats cleared a few things up