Music Creator - Roc (from Aviary)

http://www.aviary.com
Cost: $0

How it Works

When Roc launches, you will choose to start with a instrument setup or begin your music creation with a demo file. When the file opens, you will see a quick tutorial (with screen bubbles) that let you jump right in and get started! The tutorial points out how to press the play button to review your sample, it points out how to set up beats to trigger sounds, and points out instruments and sounds. 

The easiest way to get started is just to lay out some dots on to the timeline. Have you seen a loop maker or sequencer before? This tool is just that. 

After you’re happy with your creation, or if you’d like to save, you can click “Save As...” in the top right corner. Just a note: Aviary is set up for sharing. So when you create something in one of the tools, you can share it with anyone. 

Here are a couple of creations that I will use in the tutorial presentation. 

http://www.aviary.com/artists/bensmithson/creations/vocoder_major_ambient

http://www.aviary.com/artists/bensmithson/creations/funky_snap_clap_

On the left-hand side, you will see the instrument’s name, along with a slider (hiding in the green pie-circle icon) that gives you access to pan and volume. You will also see a tiny gear (blue triangle, just above and to the left of each instrument’s name) that gets you access to that track’s settings, solo, mute, and other track options. On the right-hand side, you will see the instrument panel (so you can change instruments) and pre-recorded audio files. 

The top of the application shows measure, beat, and tempo information. To change the tempo, click and drag up or down on the tempo. Toward to top-middle of the screen. You’ll also see time signature and “edit modes.” Edit modes goes 2 ways, you can just make a beat a beat, or you can switch over in to velocity mode. Velocity mode allows you to adjust the attack of each beat or note. 

Once you’re to a finishing point, there are several options for saving, sharing, and exporting your creation. Aviary.com will keep your creation for you when you come back. But if you want to export the creation, you have the option to create an exported MP3 or WAV format. After the initial save, you will see a bunch of different ways to share your creation including embedding options, download options, and sharing options. 

Pros: free, web-based, sharable

Cons: Limited features