Welcome to this course! The material for this course was taken from the first part of my larger, 15-hour "How to Compose with MIDI and Virtual Instruments" course that I first released in 2019 (and have since updated with newer software and hardware thoughts and recommendations). I thought that having the first, most elementary and foundational part of the course available on it's own would better serve the many composers who are not necessarily looking for that entire body of content, or at least not all at once.

This course is part of my "Composer Roadmaps" Series, which are courses that focus on the more elementary, beginner-to-intermediate end of the skill spectrum. Like the term "roadmaps" suggest, these courses are also broader in focus and are intended to take you from where you are today to the next point in your composing journey quickly.   

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THIS COURSE AND HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF IT:


This is an exciting time for music creators--the technological advancements in computers and computer audio over the last 10-20 years have revolutionized music production. The tools that beginning composers have at their fingertips today would be the envy of A-list pro composers 15 years ago, and would be hard to imagine existing 30 years ago.  This technology opens up amazing music creation opportunities. With good tools and a solid application of craft, a kid can create great orchestral music from his bedroom. 



In this course you will learn:

  • Basic concepts and terms (MIDI, Sample Libraries, DAW, Etc.)

  • What hardware you need to get started

  • The Software Options you need to get started and how to decide which to use

  • What Virtual instruments to get (and at varying price-points)

  • The basics of setting up a composing workstation and getting the hardware and software to be friends. :)

  • Workstation setup configurations at varying pricepoints


Who is this course for?

  • Those who are excited by the prospect of creating compelling music with computers, but are unsure of where to start with the plethora of hardware and software options that exist today

  • For those with an inner drive to learn on their own and have basic google skills. :) There are many small technical or terminology matters that this course does not cover, and you will have to bridge those gaps with your own learning and initiative.  

  • TECH-SAVVY LEVEL: If you can swapping out a harddrive in your computer (or know how to go about learning that), then you can do this. If you the idea of doing anything more advanced than checking email is daunting, then being a computer-based musician may not be for you. That said, you do not need to be a techie. I am really not a techie at heart (ask my wife). If I can learn how to do this, you can too. And the amount of resources that exist to help beginning composers from helpful articles to thousands of free youtube tutorials is far beyond what was available when I was starting out. 

This course is NOT about:

  •  microphones, acoustic treatment, or audio recording.

  • notation software like Finale or Sibelius

  • how to compose or produce music or use the tools (I have other materials that cover those bases)

With all that said, let's discuss some of the basics concepts behind computer-based composition and what you need to get set up.


LESSON ASSIGNMENT: Familiarize yourself with the course architecture and interface.