After doing some basic MIDI music composing, I''ve had it with SoundFonts. Not because they sound bad in any way, but Creative''s drivers are driving me nuts, with SoundFonts being lost or just crashing when loading. So, I''m wondering if you could recommend any other music software / formats, preferrably free, and where to find some decent instrument samples. I''ve done some tracking before I changed to MIDI. I liked it, apart that most the samples I found felt "cheap", especially in high pitches. I''m only looking to do some basic music pieces, not a movie soundtrack, so it''s perfectly OK if it doesn''t 100% realistic, as long as it doesn''t sound outright bad. Any suggestions?

FREE:
Psycle
Renoise
Buzz Tracker

Not sure:
Audio Mulch

NOT Free:
Fruity Loops


Audio Artist
www.GroovyAudio.com

Hey!

Have you tried Melody Assistant? They make a wonderful notation program. You can use if for free for as long as you like, but just warn you, it doesn''t allow you to change key signatures or time signatures unless you register for a mere $15. The sounds in it are pretty good. I just recieved their Gold CD today which includes very realistic sounding instruments. This is a $35 CD. Like I said, it''s not free, but it''s cheaper than anything I''ve ever seen, and it works wonders! If you''re interested, here''s the website: www.myriad-online.com. Good luck!

Travis Clark