I have a few questions...

1) Would someone please recommend some good MP3 sequencers/synths? Finale 2004 just isn't up to par with what I want my music to sound like... :( I listen to songs by Uematsu and especially Mitsuda, and the quality of those MP3s is just outstanding! Why does it always seem so impossible to reach that quality? (Both musically and mentally) I mean, I doubt that Mitsuda, for example, used even 2 or 3 tracks with actual acoustic instruments on the Xenogears (for example) Soundtrack. So how do his songs sound so great if they're all synthed? My songs aren't even comparable! :P (Not to say that I'm a completely inadequate composer, but I just wonder if I'll ever be able to get that good...) Some people might say endless revision would improve almost any song... But how long could Uematsu have spent revising To Zanarkand, or how long could Mistuda have editted Lost... Broken Shards?

2) Every time I listen to a song I've made... I always feel like it's never good enough! Or at least most of the time. Or I think I repeat something too much or I could've manipulated something a bit better or something... I'm almost always thinking negative things about my songs. Perhaps I'm just my own worst critic? Am I alone in this, or is every composer his worst enemy? :P

3) Do you compose music to compose music or do you do it to express yourself or do you do it for another reason, maybe? :) I just do it to compose, to try to better my musical knowledge and experience. :)

Gnomish, you read my mind. =P

As for the the frist question.. yeah, it is impossible to reach that quality. You know why? Because they have professional teams of musiciants and recording studios. So unless you have loads of money, you can't get that quality.

However, I'm proud of you because you follow my example :) "Compare yourself to the very best" is what I've said plenty of times in various composition threads, and you clearly show that you've done just that. That's the key to success.

Live in someone's shadow, outgrow that person and get a shadow of your own.

1) Yup, what Noir said, you'll need professional equipment and a good producer. However, I think there are some stuff you can buy which you can still use at home, within a reasonable price limit for what it's worth. These home kits may help your song sound just as professional as the real deal, but only if you know how to use it!

2) Not every composer realizes that, heh. The only way to get better is to understand how bad you really are ^^ Sure, you can compare yourself to the very best, but don't forget that you are comparing yourself to the very best. So sometimes, you have to be realistic, but as long as you continue to work hard it'll pay off in the end.

3) There's a thread somewhere discussing that =P

Ok, thanks, guys! :P You're about the only 2 I actually expected to reply... :P

So do you guys have any software MP3 sequencer recommendations? :P
If anyone thinks that Finale 2004 is good... they mustn't have heard the violin soundfont! Lol!

Look, it's not "Finale's" violin soundfont, it's your MIDI soundfont. No matter what MIDI program you use, the MIDI sounds will be the same.. (that is, if there is no extra MIDI-add on thing coming along with the program)

I was referring to Finale 2004's "human playback" WAV synth/editor... It's not a midi file. It only does MIDIs if I turn off human playback. :P

Geez, that's rough. I like replying to stuff like this too. FIRst of all, Music like that, as Noir said, comes from a studio, and since I am poorer than dirt :drunk:, I can't do that either (besides, it's a DIFFERENT sound, not a worse one). SECOnd, Don't trash yourself! Think of it as, "I'll wait for someone else to trash me!" When no one does (or gives you the exact opposite :worshippy: ) Then you have no grounds on to which your complaints and/or criticisms are based. So, therefore, you did a good job (I'm telling you, i'd make a good psychologist). And THIrd, there IS a forum for why you compose. I personally do it because I suck at inventing, and that gratification only comes from something you create. This also tying back to the second question, I do the same thing when I write, which is why I've never completed anything more than 20 pages in my life.

Just wanted you guys to know about this software I found out about. It's called GigaStudio, and this relates to the first question on this topic. Lack of studio and producers? This godly program will replace all that. It's quite expensive though, but some evil evil evil people tend to fix stuff by downloading.. :shifty: Anyway, here are just some samples of the quality you get for your compositions:

Guitar, drums & bass (http://www.nemesysmusic.com/sounds/mp3/GuitarDemo.mp3)
Choir (http://www.nemesysmusic.com/sounds/mp3/qup/symphonic.mp3)
Different kinds of Strings (http://www.nemesysmusic.com/sounds/mp3/strings_contemporary.mp3)
Acoustic Bass (http://www.tascamgiga.com/sounds/mp3/Upright%20bass%20solo%20demo.mp3)

Indeed... godly.