What do YOU use to create music for adventure games?

[Mugs]

What software/program do YOU use to create your own music for adventure games?Ã,  It seems that many people have talent when it comes to music-making, but we never get to know what's the tool behind it.

As for me, I suck at creating that kind of stuff, but I'm currently trying to get along with FL Studio.

[Kinoko]

I only have two experiences but, for my first game, I used Anvil to create MIDI music. I'm currently using Sound Club for my current game.

[Phemar]

Anvil Studio. It's the best freeware midi-making tool available.

http://www.anvilstudio.com/

[Ubel]

Hmm... That Anvil Studio looks very interesting. Gonna have to check it out later today. I've been using Guitar Pro for sometime now. I haven't made any music for any games yet though...

[Anarcho]

I have an old copy of Sonic Foundry Vegas and Sound Forge.  It works like a charm.

[Candle]

Been thinking of getting a YPT200 and for $89.99 what a deal.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1334522&CatId=0

Features

61 full-size touch sensitve keys for expressive playing
Yamaha Education Suite 5 (Y.E.S.5) teaches timing, note reading, chords in 7 steps and grades your performance
102 Songs built-in to learn using Y.E.S.5
Reverb and sustain effects to enhance any sound
Portable Grand for the realism of a stereo grand piano
134 instrument voices and 100 accompaniment styles play any type of music
Large backlit LCD display shows musical staff and chords
Stereo speakers, bass ports and Bass Boost System provide great sound quality
General MIDI, MIDI IN and OUT for computer connectivity
Sound effects turn the entire keyboard into a sound factory

[ManicMatt]

I'm kinda cheating because I've just modified music from my own albums that I've wrote. I do intend to make some ambient music for certain scenes though.

The program used is Music 3000. (and a couple of tracks used with the basic ejay clubworld)

[The Inquisitive Stranger]

I use Cakewalk Music Creator and a little Roland keyboard I've had for years. (and have had to buy a USB connector for...)

[Gregjazz]

Cakewalk Sonar 4 (though sometime I want to get Sonar 5...)

Here's a little sample of a song I cooked up yesterday:

http://herculeaneffort.adventuredevelopers.com/doldrums.mp3

No loops or anything silly like that, just 5 instances of RM4, 2 instances of Superwave P8, Manyguitar, and two SoundCell soundfonts loaded up.

Gear-wise, this is a list of stuff I use in making music:

Hardware:

Soundblaster Audigy
M-Audio Ozone (as a secondary soundcard for processing 24 bit, and for the 2-octave keyboard, knobs and wheels)
Shure SM57 (for basic mic recording)
Blue Audio Mic Cables
California Audio 1/4" Cables (I don't use Monster Cable because of their unethical business practices)
Fender P-Bass
Fender Stratocaster
Chinese Erhu (made by Dun Huang company in Shanghai)

Software

Cakewalk Sonar 4
Soundforge (an old version)
Audacity

VST(i) Plugins

ChineeErHu
ChineeKongV2
ChineeWinds
Jamstix (with all the addon drumpaks)
ManyGuitar
ManyStation
Miroslav Philharmonik (7 GB of orchestral samples, whoo!)
discoDSP Phantom
RM IV

...and a bunch of free VST(i)s and Soundfonts.

[ManicMatt]

Audacity! I use that for recording my speech!

[DoorKnobHandle]

I use:

For recording and mixing purposes and effects: Cool Edit Pro
For programming instruments and drums and effects: Fruity Loops Studio 5

My songs usually have a guitar in them, which I record with either my Ibanez electric, another cheaper electric or my Fender acoustic one. I then use a Behringer V-Amp 2 for great guitar effects as well. My drums are usually programmed like all other instruments (piano, synth etc.) with Fruity Loops, then imported into Cool Edit Pro, where I do the final mix.

Works really great if you put a little time into your work!

[Nikolas]

Hardware:

Nothing!
No keyboards!
No mics!
An awfull sound card (but I will buy one for Christmas)

But very good headphones (the best, almost)

Sennheiser HD 600

Software:

Cubase SX
Eastwest sound library Gold (I will upgrade that too...)
Waves Gold bundle
Reason
Absynth
FINALE 2000


Greg: I hope that you will finish that song... Lovely, indeed...

About what programm to use:

I would propose Cubase SE3, which comes at around 150 euros/$ or 99 GBP. It has anything you will ever need. It's own instruments, it can handle midi and audio. It has plug-ins on its own and plus you can get lots and lots of free synths/instruments from the net.

[Gregjazz]

Software:

Cubase SX
Eastwest sound library Gold (I will upgrade that too...)
Waves Gold bundle
Reason
Absynth
FINALE 2000

The East West Symphonic Orchestra Gold library sounds really good. It has a really explosive, dramatic, clear sound to it. Miroslav Philharmonik (what I use for orchestral stuff) is good too, but it's more suited for slower more "emotional" songs.

Greg: I hope that you will finish that song... Lovely, indeed...

Thanks! That guitar solo is played with the Manyguitar VSTi (which I helped do sampling for) using my 2 octave M-Audio Ozone keyboard.

[He-Man]

Hardware:

GC-2 mic
My beloved Les Paul
Behringer ultragain linemixer
Steinberg VSL2020 sound card

Software:

Cubase SX
Reason 3.0
ReCycle
Adobe Audition for mastering

But I must admit for the game music I do I mostly just use Reason. But that'll change in my next game.

[Nikolas]

Actually I'm not particuarly happy with East West (the gold Edition). It lacks some obvious stuff, which you are obviously supposed to compliment with other. Explain: It has pizz only to the violins, violoncellis and Contrabass. No violas, for some reason. The same goes for tremollo and other stuff.

I saw in their site that with an extre 695$ you can get the rest of the missing techniques, but then it is like having paid for the platinum edition (995$), and not getting the 24 bit samples!

Bastards!

But yes, this library is mainlyfor BIG bababoom stuff.

I do have other stuff, but don't use them outside my university.

I have the Garritan strings, all the Vienna Cube, Dan Dean woodwinds and Brass.

I don't use them though. I now only use what I have royalties for... No risk...
But the Garritan strings sound marvelous, where the personal orchestra sucks...

[lo_res_man]

erm... i scower the internet for midi tunes that FEEl right for the rooms Im working on. then i um... USE them.

[Ionias]

I use mods, also known as Mark Lovegrove.

[Haddas]

I use:

For recording and mixing purposes and effects: Cool Edit Pro
For programming instruments and drums and effects: Fruity Loops Studio 5

Me aswell. Cool Edit Pro 2 that is

[Mugs]

For me it's the contrairy, I use Fruity Loops Studio (as you might have seen aboveÃ,  ), but I'm still trying to get the feel of the software.Ã,  I like it because it has a wide selection of sounds, instruments, etc.Ã,  I'm having trouble with the creating part, it's not my ability in art, it's just the way the software works.Ã,  I think I might try a few other things after reading the other posts, alot of them seem interesting...Ã,  Ã,  Ã,  Ã, 

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

SKALE Tracker.  I used Fast Tracker II before that and before that I used Octamed.

Instruments are samples of whatever I can get, though I would like that East West VST and a few others.