NOTE: This guide can be viewed and downloaded as a PDF here.
Presented below are a few brief and simple steps outlining how a beginner with no prior experience or existing tools can get started composing music using virtual instruments. Listed is a selection of suggested software, sample libraries and plugins which are free to use and compatible with most if not all operating systems.
It should be noted that while there are many great sample libraries and virtual instruments that are free to use themselves, the vast majority of these require the full, paid version of Kontakt 5 or 6 by Native Instruments and will not work with the free Kontakt Player. As such these libraries have not been included here. A more expansive list can be found under Resources.
Getting Started
Remember these are only suggestions for getting started writing music virtually as quickly and easily as possible. There are many alternatives and different work flows.
Suggested Digital Audio Workstation: Reaper
While not free, Reaper can be used indefinitely and without restrictions as a demo. Otherwise, a licence costs a one off $60. Reaper is incredibly lightweight, flexible, easy to use, customisable and quickly becoming the DAW of choice for many. There is also a wealth of information and tutorials available online, with one particularly brilliant resource being the Reaper Mania channel on Youtube which can have you up and running with the programme in no time.
Suggested Notation Software: MuseScore (Optional)
The use of a notation program like the free MuseScore or paid programs like Sibelius or Finale allow for a more traditional way of composing. By writing out the score in notation and then exporting it as MIDI, the user can then import that MIDI data into a DAW and use sample libraries to play it back. Having the MIDI data in a DAW also allows for more options of manipulating and editing the MIDI data as well as for mixing and audio processing.
Software
| Notes | Download Link | ||
| Reaper | DAW | https://www.reaper.fm/ | |
| MuseScore (Optional) | Notation Program | https://musescore.org/en |
Orchestral Bundles
| Name | Developer | Size | Requirements | Download Link |
| BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover | Spitfire Audio | 200MB | Fill in a survey on the spitfire website and receive a download link to get it for free in 14 days; otherwise you can pay £49 to get it immediately. | https://www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-z/bbc-symphony-orchestra-discover/ |
| The Free Orchestra | ProjectSAM | 1GB | Free Kontakt Player | https://projectsam.com/libraries/the-free-orchestra/ |
| Layers | Orchestral Tools | 17GB | Free SINE Player | https://www.orchestraltools.com/store/collections/layers |
| DSK Overture | DSK Music | https://www.dskmusic.com/dsk-overture/ | ||
| VSCO2 Community Library | Versilian Instruments | 3.2GB | https://vis.versilstudios.com/vsco-community.html |
Individual Instruments
| Instrument | Plugin Name | Developer | Download Link |
| Acoustic Guitar | Ample Guitar M Lite II | AmpleSound | https://www.amplesound.net/en/pro-pd.asp?id=7 |
| Electric Guitar | |||
| Bass Guitar | Ample Bass P Lite II | AmpleSound | https://www.amplesound.net/en/pro-pd.asp?id=19 |
| Acoustic Drums |
| Instrument | Plugin Name | Developer | Download Link |
| Synth (Lead) | |||
| Synth (Bass) | |||
| Electronic Drums |
Audio Processing Plugins
The number of free plugins on offer is significantly greater than that of virtual instruments, and so a user can be a lot pickier in what to go for.
| Type | Plugin Name | Developer | Download Link |
| EQ | TDR Nova | Tokyo Dawn | |
| Compressor | TDR Koletnikov | Tokyo Dawn | |
| Reverb | MConvolutionEZ | MeldaProduction | |
| Reverb | Valhalla Supermassive | Valhalla DSP | |
| Delay | TAL-Dub-3 | Tal-Software | |
| Limiter | D16 Audio Limiter | D16 Group | |
| Spectrum Analyser | Voxengo SPAN | Voxengo | |
| Level Meter | YOULEAN Loudness Meter 2 | Youlean | |
| Stereo Imager | Ozone Imager | Izotope | |
| Lo-Fi Saturation | Isotope Vinyl | Izotope | |
| Panning | PanCake 2 | Cableguys |