10 WEB APPS FOR THE ASPIRING MUSICIAN
If you have a good sense of melody and have always dreamt of
being a composer, you might want to try a few of these online tools that will
help you write musical scores with notations, create your own DJ mixes, and
even compose and arrange multiple instruments to your original tunes. Ashutosh
Desai and Savio D'Souza tell you about...
SING TO COMPOSE
Do you have a tune in your head, but don't know how to lay down
the track? Many of us might be musically inclined, but might not be able to
read, play or write musical notations. Thankfully there are web and mobile apps
that require you to sing out your tune into a mic and then, automatically
converts it into notes or accompanying musical tracks.
ujam.com | Hum, whistle, or sing the tune into your microphone
you can even upload a voice recording and this web software converts it into
music for your song. You can choose what kind of instrument you would like for
your playback ranging from guitars, percussions, piano, an entire string
section in an orchestra, or wind instruments. Of course, you can also make
changes using its track editor. For your voice track, it gives you different
effects, including large-hall acoustics, a bathroom, or choral arrangement.
Finally , when you're happy with the instrumentation, you can
merge your vocals with it to create a full production. Beginners can use UJam
to compose music even if they don't have musical or technical knowledge, while
trained musicians can use this digital studio to try out their ideas, edit
chord progressions, song structure, the main melody, backing instruments and a
lot more.
After you save the file, you can access it on your UJam profile
page. You can even click on `Save & Share' and download it as an MP3.
chordbuff.com | With this website, you can create guitar chord
structures by humming your tune into your mic. The site analyses what you've
sung and automatically generates a variety of complimentary chords from which
you can select. This makes it easier for you to lay down multiple guitar chord
options for your original composition with minimum fuss and little fine tuning.
hum-on.com | The next time you get a fresh idea for a new tune,
use this app on your Android device and sing your melody . HumOn will then
convert that ditty or riff into music notations. You can playback that music
and then enter the edit mode to modify unintended notes. You can also edit the
pitch or duration of a note, time signature, and tempo of your song. The
written notes that you get from HumOn can then be used to score your music on
websites such as MuseScore, Flat and NoteFlight (see below).
SCORE YOUR
MUSIC
Being able to read music is one thing, but writing a musical
score can still be a very demanding task. Thankfully , you can now use these
free websites to help you write your tunes, engage with other musicians, and
also draw inspiration from their oeuvre.
musescore.com | Here you will find free software, MuseScore 2.1
for Windows, which will help you author music compositions. You can start
writing fresh sheets from scratch, edit your existing composition, or use
scores written by other composers. The software sup ports multiple formats
including MusicXML files, MIDI, Guitar Pro format and Capella files. If you are
a beginner, you can refer to its video tutorials that will help you understand
the software and all its features. MuseScore lets you write pieces for multiple
instruments, and it even has a playback feature to help you fine-tune your
work.
This website is also home to a database of music sheets that you
can import, study , and use as a starting point to derive your own work. It is
also home to a community where musicians can share their creations, privately
or publicly , through downloads.
flat.io | Unlike MuseScore, which takes the form of a
downloadable software, Flat is a web app that allows you to write down
notations and compose tunes in your browser. It lets you select multiple
instruments and write individual parts for each. Note-after-note, your
modifications are saved in your account. If you lose connection, the website
synchronises your work once you are back online. When you're done, Flat plays
out your music for you.
The website even has an active community of musicians. You can
collaborate with others, and also study their work. If you see a melody you
like, you can download the sheet, or the music in MP3 and WAV formats. Flat
even lets you import scores in MXL, MIDI and XML formats.
noteflight.com | Similar to Flat, Note Flight lets you start
writing your score from scratch, or import a MIDI or XML file. You also get
access to a library of musical scores that you can browse through, or select
from `recent' and `all time' favourites.
Hit the play button after selecting, and you can hear the music
being played as the onscreen marker moves over the notes. New users will find
its Help Videos and User Guide (displayed on the top panel) extremely
useful.These will teach you how to write and edit scores on Note Flight; add
guitar tabs, text and lyrics to your compositions, and more.
CREATE YOUR OWN
MIX
If you are not comfortable composing music with notation then
you could try your hand at mixing tracks with these online DJ services that let
you create musical mash-ups with free samples and loops.
soundation.com | You start off with a basic two-panel layout
which consists of a mixer and a music library . The mixer can contain any
number of “channels“, one for each instrument or sound sample that you source
from the library . You just have to drag-anddrop a file along the timeline, and
hit the play the button to hear how it sounds. Each sample's position and
duration can be adjusted, and you can even add effects like reverb, distortion
and tremolo. Soundation also has a Learn section where you can familiarise
yourself with all its features. The free account does not come with online
storage, but you get over 700 free sound samples and it allows you to save your
work to your computer as a WAV or SNG file.
http:www.audiotool.com | This web app is similar to Soundation,
but it offers greater flexibility to create music and experiment with mixes
that have been published by other Audio Tool users. You can even download the
songs made by others in MP3 and OGG format.
The user interface looks a little intimidating, with the
multiple synth boxes and drum pads connected to the main 16-channel
mixer.However, Audio Tool's quick tour, online tutorials and video guides
should help you cross this barrier. You get a searchable music library , the
ability to save your project as a draft and you can even import your own
samples into your composition.
COLLABORATE
WITH OTHERS
Besides composing music online by yourself, you can also jam
with other artists and musicians around the world.
bandhub.com | You need to introduce yourself while you sign up
for this service with a link to your YouTube channel (if you have one), along
with information on your choice of instrument, how often you play , the artists
that represent the type of music you are into and the bands you like. This
helps Bandhub give you suggestions on the collabs that fit your style.
All you need is a webcam and a mic to capture audio-video and
Bandhub's recording tool. You can start a jam from scratch, but as a new user,
it is recommended you first build your network by joining open sessions.
The “organiser“ starts a jam session, invites members, organises
the tracks and publishes the final song to the website. The compiled video
appears with clickable tiles, each one leading to the individual artist's
profile.For each collab, you can configure everybody's contributions adjust
equaliser, volume, mute, pan, etc within the web browser itself.
kompoz.com | Unlike Bandhub, this service does not provide any
software to record your voice or instrument. Instead, all the recording (and
mixing) takes place offline with Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software
like GarageBand, Pro Tools, Reaper, etc of your choice. Also, you become a
team member only when the collaboration “owner“ approves of your initial
contribution.
The Kompoz community is a bit more professional as the intent is
to work on original compositions, rather than covers. Also, when you start a
new collaboration, you can upload your ideas, sample tracks and discuss the
project with members so that they also understand your plan before pitching for
the role of a bassist, lead vocalist, etc.
A free account lets you publish three of your own
collaborations, but you can still participate in an unlimited number of
ensembles.
TOI8JUL17
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