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[Egren]

Hi there. I'm 16, and I've been wanting to create my own music for a very long time, but I just haven't put any effort in getting started, but now, I thought I could ask some more experienced people about the matter. The program seems complicated, but I think I will have an advantage over your average 16 year old because I have been doing a little bit of programming in lots of different languages, namely C++, Visual Basic, html, pascal, BlitzBasic and AVS, but never done anything serious in any of the languages. Well... Except perhaps AVS, but that isn't a language for programming games, but instead it is used to create visualizations in Winamp (it's built-in and comes with the standard download).

I HAVE been working with Rave eJay and Dance eJay for a couple of years, and made around 10 songs that I can actually call music (the rest are just awful crapload from when I was as young as 11-or-12-or-so), but if you know the programs, you know they only use premade samples, and what i want to do is my own music FOR REAL. BTW, I've uploaded two of my songs at youtube, called Asphyxia and Techno Mission. If you want, you can check them out:
http://www.youtube.com/theerikhallgren

The kind of music i want to create is something in the direction of BigBeat/Aggrotech (see Prodigy for BigBeat, and Combichrist for Aggrotech), but all music I've found on the Milkytracker forum is blip-blop/bitpop. I think that of all the songs on the download page (http://www.milkytracker.net/?download), Strobe's are the ones i like the best, especially the last part of Delusional, to give you a better view of what i like. That's something I'd like to create myself.

I'm thankful for any helpful responses. What programs to use, etc, because I'm not sure at all if this is the right program for me, and I would prefer if the responses were as objective as possible.

Thanks!
// Egren

[usrfriendly]

Well, the first step is samples...  If you don't like chiptune (the bleepy stuff), you'll have to find samples of instruments, or make them.  I use the demo version of FL Studio 8 for making instrument samples (you can load your own, and export a quality .wav sample).  For more complex music, you could try MadTracker or Modplug Tracker (i use the latter, sometimes).

[jivatma]

Yes, first you need Samples, because without Samples, you have nothing to handle with, musically. After you found or created your fav. samples, that you need for your song, you can create Instruments out of this Samples, e. g. tell Milkytracker, that the leadsound should pan between left and right output a bit and vibrate in pitch etc.

What i really can recommend, is the trackers handbook, wich can be found here: http://vc.bc.ca/it/tracker/Handbook.htm. It tells you what a tracker is and how to use it + gives you some tips etc.

Using the FruityStudio Demo to create Samples from the Synths is really a good idea, poguemahon!

Greetings,
Ingo

[Egren]

Thanks for the tips!

I have one problem though. Quite a big problem. How the heck do i get Milkytracker running? I checked the file INSTALL for info, but i didn't get much out of that. Also, i can't open the c++ files in devcpp because they keep saying there are "missing files", but they just check the wrong directory.

[usrfriendly]

OS?

[pailes]

Thanks for the tips!

I have one problem though. Quite a big problem. How the heck do i get Milkytracker running? I checked the file INSTALL for info, but i didn't get much out of that. Also, i can't open the c++ files in devcpp because they keep saying there are "missing files", but they just check the wrong directory.

Why do you want to build from source? There is no reason to do so, just run the binary executable.

[Egren]

Oh, that's just me being stupid. I couldn't find the windows version at first 

I got the program running now, and i've downloaded Fruity loops as well, but i don't get much of it.
In Milkytracker, I've only been able to create a 37 ms long sound that doesnt sound like anything at all, just a buzzing sound, and i actually DID manage to place it in a channel.
I also imported a random .wav sound from a game just because it was the first i could find on my computer, but i couldn't figure out how to play it and use it.

And that guide that Jivatma recommended: I started reading the beginner part. But then i was lost. 4 channels. Okay. Hmm. Check. It says nothing about how i actually *get started* in the "Let's Go" section. It's more like "when you have gotten started, and made a few songs, you can do this and that."

[jivatma]

Hello Egren,

i created a first-steps-tutorial for milky in german and got it to a friend, who wants to translate it into english.  If you understand german, you can have the german version, if not, you'll have to wait until my friend has translated it.

for now, here is a short description, how to start:

- you load or create your own samples or ask someone, if you can use his/her samples;
- create instruments from the samples, if needed;
- go to the first channel and create a drumpattern (a pattern is this page with musical information in a tracker), you'll have to push "Rec" first or hit space;
- you only need to push "y" on your computer keyboard to get a "C-4" Note on the cursors position
- go up and down with the arrow-/cursor-keys on your Computer Keyboard, so you can reach the other positions, where you can place notes;
- if you have a instrument that is a melodic instrument and no drum sound, you can play notes with the Computer Keyboard (use "yxcvbnm," and "qwertzui" for octaves 4 and 5);
- if you need more octaves, hit one of the Function-Keys (F1 to F6 or so);
- the black notes or keys can be found inbetween the two octaves on your computer keyboard;
- if you want to create more then one pattern, you can hit "Ins." and after that you can activate the pattern you want to change and click + or - under "Ins.";
- the green dots are for volume (00 to 40) and the pink and yellow dots are for effects;
- if you need more or less than 8 channels, please hit "Add" or "Sub";
- don't forget to save your song after every big step

if you need example files, please go to: http://cube.gfxile.net/t/index.php?page=journal&journal=Modules&pn=1 and download the .xm files - you can load them into milky with a click on "Load", easy huh?
They sound dark and a bit like Prodigy 

Greetings,
Ingo

[Egren]

Hello Egren,

i created a first-steps-tutorial for milky in german and got it to a friend, who wants to translate it into english.  If you understand german, you can have the german version, if not, you'll have to wait until my friend has translated it.

for now, here is a short description, how to start:

- you load or create your own samples or ask someone, if you can use his/her samples;
- create instruments from the samples, if needed;
- go to the first channel and create a drumpattern (a pattern is this page with musical information in a tracker), you'll have to push "Rec" first or hit space;
- you only need to push "y" on your computer keyboard to get a "C-4" Note on the cursors position
- go up and down with the arrow-/cursor-keys on your Computer Keyboard, so you can reach the other positions, where you can place notes;
- if you have a instrument that is a melodic instrument and no drum sound, you can play notes with the Computer Keyboard (use "yxcvbnm," and "qwertzui" for octaves 4 and 5);
- if you need more octaves, hit one of the Function-Keys (F1 to F6 or so);
- the black notes or keys can be found inbetween the two octaves on your computer keyboard;
- if you want to create more then one pattern, you can hit "Ins." and after that you can activate the pattern you want to change and click + or - under "Ins.";
- the green dots are for volume (00 to 40) and the pink and yellow dots are for effects;
- if you need more or less than 8 channels, please hit "Add" or "Sub";
- don't forget to save your song after every big step

if you need example files, please go to: http://cube.gfxile.net/t/index.php?page=journal&journal=Modules&pn=1 and download the .xm files - you can load them into milky with a click on "Load", easy huh?
They sound dark and a bit like Prodigy 

Greetings,
Ingo

Thanks for the info. I hope that'll get me started, together with the other guide.

Do you think it is a good idea to start making a module of some other music track that i really like, to get started with the principles of the program, and not having to care about being as creative on my first attempt.

[raina]

At least you have a clear musical goal in your first project if you pick to cover a song you know: Recreating at least the melody so that other people can recognize it as well.