Found a wonderful new online resource to while away the hours.
Noteflight is an online score editor. It is able to create wonderful musical scores, including lyrics, that can be printed or exported as .wav or midi files.
I certainly know how my weekend will be spent. I’ll let you know how I get on with it and do a more thorough review in the coming days.
Here’s a great little apllication to help with learning guitar chords. It has a nice and simple layout, and with the added sound you can even see how close you’re getting to the actual chord when you attempt it.
Need to try out a quick tune but don’t have your USB keyboard with you?
Then pop along to kisstunes. This little app turns your computer keybaord into a music keyboard at the load of an app.
It can even record what you play! What more do you need when the inspiration strikes.
Just when I thought I could concentrate on getting some work done. Along comes this wonderful online sequencer. It feels like I’m back in the 80s, albeit via a flash interface and firefox.
Plug and play and have lots of fun
This is truly amazing.
Take a group of unrelated youtube videos, mash them up and turn them into complete video / music tracks.
Writing, art and music are three staple areas of creativity. There are plenty more but these three will often come out if you ask people what areas of creativity they are involved in. With this in mind I thought what tools are available to help people in these areas. In fact what software is available, and then, taking it a little further, what free software is there?
So I present to you the three pieces of software that IMHO are the three best, free programs for creative writing, digital art and making music. These are all available as Windows programs, and these are the ones I have used and tried, so if anyone want some add some MAC programs then please do.
Free writing software
When it comes to creative writing the best piece of software out there is the wonderful yWriter. A beautiful database that has been pulled together by a writer for his own use and shared with the whole world. The software is currently up to its fourth incarnation and allows you to create characters, scenes, chapters, notes and so on… there is far too much functionality to list here. It is far better than any other writing software package I have seen. if you want to write that novel, then yWriter is for you.
yWriter
Free art software
When it comes to free image software there is only one name to bother with. The open source Gimp project is photoshop on a budget. A budget that is so small it costs nothing. So you may think becasue it is free that it isn’t as good. Well it doesn’t come with all, the bells and whistles, but then that also means you don’t spend a whole day trying to work out why you can’t add a gradient fill to a shape (yeah, okay I used the manual in the end). The point is the Gimp gives you all and more than you may need. It is powerful and extendable. If you want to make some creative computer art then start here.
Gimp
Free music software
Again as above, when it comes to recording some music Audacity is in a world of its own. This is pro powered software. It will let you create loop-based music or record your own from scratch. It is extendable with plug-ins, of which there are many, and is so simple to use it is frightening.
Audacity
I do want to add an almost free package here. Well, it is free although technically you need to buy a magazine to get it. Computer Music magazine has been giving away a free music creation software suite of programs for several years now and it is fantastic. It can handle audio just like audacity but it is also a fully fledged VST (virtual intruments and effects) player and sequencer. In fact it comes with its own drum machine, sampler and effects. You can order a copy of the magazine, enjoy the content and ads and then fire up the superb music software. It even runs from a USB stick if you really want it to.
Computer Music
I hope you enjoy… go and create.
The creators of some of the best virtual instruments on the planet are making available, for free, their kore player. This is both a stand-alone and VST instrument. It comes with some basic sounds but is also expandable by buying Kore Soundpacks.
Personally I love Native Instruments, I already use their Xpress keyboards and this new addition looks set to add firepower to my virtual arsenal… now all I need is the musical inspiration; time to look up Eno and his Oblique Strategies.
Webspiration