When you start up you will be presented with a blank score page ready for the addition of your masterpiece. Adding music is done with the mouse. Click on the sounds you wish to add and drag them onto the track you want them in and your done. You can play 16 sounds simultaneously, record them and edit to your hearts desire, either individually or as a whole. You have a total of 96 tracks to work with, plenty of space to create event he most complicated music. A whole range of sounds/music is included with the software. Everything from synthesizer, guitar, organ, beatbox, turntable, percussion, piano, etc. All are also editable so you can create your own unique sound. A vast multimedia library is included with the program and on additional disks provided with the package. Audio and video effects can be edited into your piece by utilizing any number of software functions. You can add reverb, echo, resampling, time stretching, pitch shifting, distortion, gater, surround, harmonizer, chorus and on and on. The possibilities are almost limitless.
(Click thumbnail for larger image)
You can use the Song Maker wizard to simplify the process even more. It offers samples, you select the arrangement you like, select "create new arrangement" and viola, you have a song, after customizing it of course. You can use the Song Maker to supplement arrangements you have already made, too. You can place any of the audio samples onto any track and any position with that track by simply using drag and drop or by selecting the audio and hitting enter. You can group audio objects together so that they won't unintentionally be moved apart when you are working on your music. You can listen to individual tracks or multiple tracks simultaneously by using the mute function on the tracks bar.
(Click thumbnail for larger image)
You can import other MP3/WAV files you have on your PC and use the drag/drop principle to incorporate them into your arrangement. Use the explorer window at the bottom and browse to the desired file, click on it and importation begins. Once it has been imported, drag/drop into place.
(Click thumbnail for larger image)
Internet
You can utilize the internet capabilities of the software to download other audio/video effects and samples from the FTP site and also upload your own creations for others to sample. You can upload your music and/or videos to your own homepage or let Music Maker create one for you. You can select "Publish to Web" and Music Maker will post your arrangement on the Magix web publishing area, an online forum. Let others critique your work and you are one step closer to that recording contract. You can also export your arrangements to your PC as WAV files or, if using a video, as AVI. You can burn the arrangement to a CD and listen to your genius on your way to your real job. If you are really proud of your work, you can elect to "save and send as e-mail". This saves the file in windows media format, opens the e-mail program and sends the file as an attachment.
(Click thumbnail for larger image)
Conclusion
I realize I have barely scratched the surface in describing all the options and functions of this program; it would fill up volumes if I tried. I wanted to give you an overview of the operation and highlight the positive and negative aspects. After seriously annoying my significant others with questions concerning the brilliance of my arrangement, I came away with only two negatives. (1) Choices. There are too many. I could spend days, literally, perusing all the options when creating something as simple as a 3-minute piece. This is also one of the best features of the software. You could use the same instruments for 10 different scores and none of them would sound the same. Vary the pitch, beat, tempo, etc. a little bit and you move from Disco to Reggae. The sample I included above is only a little over a minute long. After one and a half hours, I quit perfecting it and decided to leave it where it was. I am well on my way now to filling up an 80-minute cd with nothing but original content, all using essentially the same 16 tracks. No two songs sound the same. (2) Documentation. A great majority of software vendors today are moving towards paperless manuals. I understand the rationale behind it, but I still don't like it. I am a dinosaur in the fact that I want an encyclopedia in front of me when I am working. The manual that is provided is adequate for most of the basics but lacking for anything beyond. There is less than a page on video editing/creation. I would like to have seen more. Overall, you really can't go wrong if you are willing to invest some time into your project. At $60, it's very affordable and extremely versatile. I recommend it to anyone remotely interested in music/video creation.
|
