Online Music Tools

You don't even need music software on your computer these days it seems. There's a growing number of online sites that offer up all you need to compose music online. Here are a couple of my favorites.

• Soundation -  app for creating loops, samples and sound effects. It has a sequencer, 11 real time effects, 3 synthesizers, a library of over 400 loops and a drum machine.
• Audiotool - online virtual studio featuring 808 and 909 drum machines, TB303 and ToneMatrix synths, and tons of stompbox type effects.  
• Avairy's Music Creator -  a multi-channel drum machine, beat maker. Has beat mode and can edit velocities.
• Jam Studio - has a little bit of everything. Create beats and add chords and harmonies.
• Drumbot - An online drum machine plus sequencer, metronome and more.

There are also quite a few apps that you can download for free that will help out with all of your audio and composing needs.

• Audacity - a free audio editor and recorder with tons of features.There are others out there but this one is arguably the best.
• Reaper - while not free, it's extremely cheap. The best thing about this software is it almost does everything all of the top of the line sequencers do at a fraction of the cost. Plus it's extremely efficient even on older machines. 

Here are my favorite sites for music theory, business and general info.

• artistshouse music - a great site for music business and career advice.
• Dolmetsch Online - an older site but tons of info on music theory and composers.
• How To Practice - tons of info to make your practice session more productive.
• Musictheory.net - another great source for theory. Has tons of lessons.
• The Modal-matic - find guitar chords and chord progressions within a given mode.
• MyMusicTheory - another site with tons of theory lessons.
• NorthernSounds Forum - has both the orchestration and jazz course online.
• The Orchestra - a basic users manual of the symphony orchestra.
• Theta Music Trainer - a music trainer with all sorts of exercises.
• IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library - still your best source of online free sheet music and scores.

There you have it. Have fun.

The Real Life Of A Musician

I read a great quote a long time ago that said ‘a musician doesn’t do just one thing, a musician does many things’. Great words of wisdom. Unless you’re lucky and hook onto something immediately, you’re going to end up doing a lot of things to make ends meet and ultimately become successful in your career. Instead of just going out there and just getting 'any job to pay the bills', it may be in your best interest to really think about what you want to do and how to go about getting there. Something that you should take into consideration when trying to figure out how to get into the industry is (oddly enough) 'industry related' jobs. These are better than your regular run-of-mill jobs because a) in some cases be a greater source of income than your standard part-time wage b) it may be something you're already skilled at, and most importantly, c ) it may create excellent opportunities that take your music career to the next level.

About

The Blog

'Getting There' is all about the trials and tribulations of making music and life in the music industry. It's practical info on becoming a better musician, better organized and better at the business of music.

We focus more on the music making, motivation and practical business tips than marketing or industry news. There are more than enough of these online and I've included my favorites in 'My Blog List'.

Included are practical tips on:

1. becoming a better musician - better at writing and composing, practicing and performing
2. motivation and inspiration - info to keep you focused, creative and productive
3. music business - keeping organized, informed and profitable

The Composer

My name is Robert Maddocks. I'm a composer/producer who owns and runs InTense Productions, providing songwriting and composition services to the music and film industries.

I studied classical performance and composition at university then not satisfied that I knew enough, I went on to study jazz and popular music at college. I taught at both institutions before going on the road for a couple of years playing all types of music (from rock to country) trying to make it as a working musician. I then opened an independent recording studio where I worked with everything from single songwriters to full bands. Most of the time it was singer/songwriters who would come in with a song and I would then produce the rest of the track.

This experience allowed me to hone my skills in a number of different genres and styles. I then used those skills to produce a music library encompassing a number of different styles. The library now has over 30 CD's in everything from rock to jazz to hip hop to full on symphonies.

The Company

InTense Productions continues to work in film and TV along with various solo artists. The music library continues to grow and there are more and more titles being added all of the time.