MIDI composer software for beginners?
 

Hi all,

I'm looking for MIDI composer software that's easy for beginners but in the end will also remain to be somewhat useful for experienced users. Since I don't own a MIDI keyboard it needs to function without. Maybe it has a onscreen keyboard that allows you to enter notes by hearing? Don't know if that exists. I can't read notes myself, hope that's not a problem :)

I just want to compose some known game music into MIDI tracks for fun but I'm always thinking of expanding, so it would also be nice if you would know of a professional MIDI package to work with after I get more experienced.

Thanks!

Learn to read sheet music. There's no way around it.

I have no idea how to read sheet music at all, but I get along fine and write complex tracks using TabIt. I guess you're better off using this program if you're familiar with guitar tablature.

@Roph
TabIt is pretty good, thanks :)

@Arainach
Yeah I guess your right. There's just no way around notes in the professional world. What kind of sofware would you recommend me on that area?

The most popular notation apps are Finale and Sibelius. In all honesty, it's really a matter of preference as to which you use. I prefer Finale myself, but Sibelius is not bad by any means.

Y'know the guy who made Cave Story? Seems he's also making a music editor. It's not MIDI, but if you feel like puzzling through Japanese software, take a look at this.

If you have access to a Mac you should try out Garageband. With it you can turn your computer keyboard into a virtual piano and play around.
For PC I'd recommend FL Studio. I know a couple of beginners who are composing in it without the use of a MIDI keyboard and the results are very impressive.

An inexpensive (~$40) shareware option is NoteWorthy Composer. I expect it's not as feature-rich as the big guns, but it has served me well for over seven years.

http://www.noteworthysoftware.com/

Thanks guys, you've been a great help! :)

I dont have a Mac sadly, Garage Band sounds quite interesting. I mean, PC keyboard becomes real keyboard? Awesome. Haven't tried FL Studio but I've worked with the older Fruity Loops and I liked it, though it was mostly for beats and trance stuff. Some ppl recommended me to master FL Studio in combination with Acid Pro while others say I should replace FL Studio with either Reason or Jeskola Buzz. I don't know what to take but I think i'll try FL Studio. For now i'll play with MIDI since I want to make some simple stuff fast and for fun :P

NoteWorthy is a good tool indeed. But if you ask me, the best software for music creation is undoubtly..? FLStudio, Way too Powerful.

Check it out.

anvil studio w/ a midi keyboard does the trick, and I haven't the slightest clue on how to read music (alright, maybe the slightest). Drums are really easy to program for it too.

And yeah, I gotta agree with null as far as FL studio. It's seriously some of the best software out there.