soundtrack scoring software
 

I hope this is the proper forum for this....

I am looking for one or more pieces of software (if it exists) that will -

1) Allow me to analyze a piece of simple music (or sound) and turn it into musical notes (more or less).

2) Take a simple instrumental score and use MIDI or computer synthesizer to turn the notes into music so as to turn into loops.

I may suffer from being musically instrument challenged but I know that if I can get the pieces I can put them together (ala Soundtrack or GarageBand) into something musically pleasing.

Thanks for your help.

Jeff Price

Hey Jeff -

Unfortunately, note recognition software has never really gotten off the ground. The math for recognizing notes and ignoring their timbre is just ugly, and in the case of something like an orchestral sample where there are many different timbres, the task is even more daunting.

Your best bet would be to get a MIDI orchestral plugin (i.e. Garritan Personal Orchestra), which will allow you to use MIDI notes to control orchestral instrument samples. When used with a sequencer, you can easily write loops and record them to disk as WAVs or AIFFs or whatever you need.

What do the Media Venture guys like Hans Zimmer use? They seem to frequently write scores that are all on computer.

If you want a program that lets you write and record MIDI information and then use that to either control real midi instruments or virtual synths (software on your computer), check out Logic, Digital Performer, and friends. I'm sure there are counterparts on PC, but other than Nuendo and Cubase, I am unaware of what they are.

The applications that do this are myriad. For scoring, Cubase, Nuendo, Logic, Musicator, SONAR, Acid, Voyetra,...all are commonly used. I use Sonar most of all, but using Acid 6 now that it's got significantly better VSTi and midi support.
As far as note to midi, I use this a lot too. The trick is that it needs to be a mono instrument, or find a way to EQ the instrument/melody line you need so that it sticks out of the stereo or mono mix better. Mono mixes are by far the easiest to extract from.
Midi-Converter works "OK" but given that it was designed to extract bass lines from MP3, it works very well. Intelliscore is probably the best there is. Check out SoundtoMidi and Autoscore as well. I hear DigitalEar is good, but haven't ever used it, myself.

Loop and patter based
 

Hmm, you might actually try using Cake Walk Project 5, see if you can sneak a demo around somewhere. It's "pattern" based sequencing, whcih means you take midi phrases or loops and assign the sounds to them. Personally I can't figure the program out, but I've been brought up the traditional way, pen paper and a timing sheet. But do try, it, might suit your style. Speaking of Zimmer type scores, Mr. Zimmer I believe uses Cubase to write with, and the sound comes from his custom recorded orchestral samples, I think. I tried them all, doesn't even begin to sound like the Gladiator Waltz (the mockup version.)