Software suggestions please

[Checkmate]

Hello, I'm looking for some 'not too expensive' software to achieve the following...

1. Interface with Mrs Checkmate's electric piano to record and edit MIDI files.

2. Creat music loops for use in my home movies.

I've been looking at Magix Music Maker, but doesn't do the MIDI interface. Magix Movie Studio does this, but does it have the power to create the loops? Would I need both?

Also been looking at FL Studio Fruityloops edition, but a little confused now

Would really appreciate any advice or suggestions

[Chuck Engels]

I had a home studio about 15 years ago and was doing lots of stuff with midi.
You will need a midi cable to go from the keyboard to the computer, make sure the keyboard has a midi out port.
Then, check to see if your sound card supports midi, if it doesn't you will need to get one.

As far as software goes I highly recommend the Cakewalk products
http://store.cakewalk.com/b2cus/Product ... MC4.00-20E
http://store.cakewalk.com/b2cus/

[Checkmate]

Many thanks Chuck. The keyboard has MIDI In/Out and a friend has lent me a MIDI/USB adaptor. My sound card plays downloaded MIDI files, so should be OK there. Will check out Cakewalk.

[Bill Hunt]

Magix has two programs that overlap a bit. One is Music Maker, the other is Music Studio. I have both and use them a fair amount of the time, when I'm not in Audition. In my version of Music Studio, there is a module, MIDI Studio (IIRC), that does the MIDI interfacing. Since I do not use MIDI input, I cannot tell you how good it is. Gave my brother a copy for his birthday, and it seems to work with his Yamaha keyboard nicely. I do not believe that Music Maker has direct MIDI input support, but is better on the loopology end of things.

Hunt

[Bob]

I have Magix Movie Maker 12 and it can record and edit midi. Create a midi object and open the midi editor then press record. It has a Piano roll interface, but not musical notation or tablature view. There are better packages available if you mainly want to record and work with midi. I haven't been keeping up with what's out there. I'll let someone who has make the recommendations.

[Bill Hunt]

Bob,

Thanks. My version is 11, so I guess that they took the module from Music Studio and added it. Version 11 had MIDI playback, but the recording was very limited. I think that the version of Music Studio, that I bought for myself and for my brother, was 10. I'm not even sure if this exact application is still in their catalog. It was getting hard to find, when I bought the second copy for brother, and I have not gotten any e-mails from Magix about it - only other apps, including Music Maker, what is it now - 13?

Hunt

[Bob]

I had to look, it's up to version 14 now. Same here, no emails or contact even though I registered. It checks for updates frequently and never a word about new versions either. Guess they aren't that interested in upsales.

[Bill Hunt]

I have found that with Magix, unless one is using the GR version of any of their programs, there are no updates - only new, for $ versions. Somewhere in their mix, I have hundreds of "points," but they have never responded to numerous e-mails about what those "points" can be used for.

They have good software, but if you have a question, you are totally on your own. Their forums are a poor joke, except for people wanting to post their use of the software. Glad that sites, like this, exist, so people can get some sort of info.

Version 14, eh? Well, I must have missed an e-mail, or two. Still, good software, so long as you can figure it out, for yourself and need no support. Even with Babblefish, translating my questions to GR, they do not bother to answer, other than to suggest that I need to buy new software.

Hunt