Three Great Pieces of Software for Making Music on Windows

Easily accessible computer software for making music has given us the power to be more creative than ever before.

Nowadays these types of programs go so much further than just offering standard sound editing options. We can manipulate and get the most out of our tunes in ways that we, perhaps, could not once imagine.

This article will give you a brief look at three incredibly brilliant and dissimilar pieces of software for making music that all Windows users can enjoy right now.

We’re looking at Magix ACID Pro, Ashampoo Music Studio and NCH Crescendo Music Notation Editor. Each of the three promise to fulfil diverse music making needs, and all come very highly recommended.

So, without further ado, here’s what you need to know about these in-demand pieces of software for making music..

Magix ACID Pro – full Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

• Multitrack recording
• High-fidelity audio
• Flexible routing
• Beatmapper
• Chopper
• Dozens of plug-in instruments

ACID Pro 8 is perfect for recording an entire band session, or for creating loop/MIDI compositions. This is due to several pro-level features, from multitrack recording, high-fidelity audio and flexible routing to beatmapper, chopper and dozens of plug-in instruments.

Music makers get particularly excited about its 24-bit and 192kHz multitrack audio recording capabilities too. That’s before they get to the Chopper tool. This allows the user to slice and dice audio files, so they can re-order, remix and replay at will.

These chopped files can then play in sync with ACID Pro 8 projects. You can even drop events from the Chopper onto the timeline in real time, all by using keyboard commands.

Overall, it’s not surprise that the ACID Pro 8 offering is being dubbed ‘the Swiss army knife of audio editors’. It keeps the UI simple enough for all levels of experience, while also containing a vast library of impressive features and plug-ins.

Learn more about Magix ACID Pro 8 for Windows

Ashampoo Music Studio – Basic Music Editor

• Burn audio CDs.
• Rip audio CDs.
• Convert audio files into various formats.
• Edit and auto-complete metadata.
• Edit and normalize sound files.
• Mix tracks with fading.
• Extract audio from videos.

We couldn’t not include this gem. Tried and tested, Ashampoo Music Studio 2018 is such a versatile application which gives users the ability to rip, edit and burn audio files seamlessly.

It converts audio files into various formats and can edit and auto-complete metadata, as well as normalising and transforming sound files. If that wasn’t enough it can also mix tracks with fading and extract audio from video files.

Don’t worry if there’s missing track information either, thanks to its extensive online database everything will be filled in automatically during quick ripping. An integrated editor also enables users to modify, separate or just remove individual passages after the burning and conversion process.

Not very organised? Well, Ashampoo Music Studio 2018 is brilliant at curating music collections, so you don’t need to be. The built-in cover editor also makes it straightforward to design covers and inlays, using multiple integrated templates from simple designs to mosaic layouts.

Overall, although it could be described as a basic editor, Ashampoo Music Studio 2018 essentially covers most things you’ll need to do in order to make and organise quality sounds. With a warm and friendly interface it will also helpfully guide you through the process too, so don’t be overwhelmed by the scores of features!

Learn more about Ashampoo Music Studio 2018 for Windows

NCH Crescendo Music Notation Editor – Music writing software

• Change the key signature and time signature.
• Add whole, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes and rests (semibreve to semiquaver).
• Create sheet music in Treble, Bass, Tenor or Alto Clefs.
• Assign sharp, flat and natural accidentals to notes.
• Add ties and slurs across notes.
• Create dotted notes, chords, add repeats, and more.
• Keyboard shortcuts toggle between notes and rests.
• Insert text to specify a title, tempo, dynamics or lyrics.
• Drag notes to change their pitch or placement.
• Copy, cut and paste measures to easily insert themes.
• Zoom in and out for easier editing.
• Brace staves together to compose scores for ensembles.
• Preview and Share Your Score.
• Listen to your composition with MIDI playback, or export MIDI music files.
• Print completed music projects for your musicians.
• Print blank music sheets for hand transcription.

This music composition app assists in creating original songs, music, scores and soundtracks. It offers a wide wealth of features to let you produce musical notation, as well as writing, saving and printing music compositions on PC.

Essentially, the user will have optimum control over creating sheet music for their musical arrangements. This is all thanks to a wide array of sheet music symbols, time and key signatures – along with a free-form layout.

Crescendo Music Notation Editor is also great combined with TwelveKeys music transcription software to transcribe music recordings, as well as notating arrangements of your best tunes.

By far the best thing about this software is just the range of things it can do. FileHippo has listed its key features on the individual program description page, but it goes well into double figures!

Overall, this program is perfect for any music teacher, student or composer looking to effortlessly create sheet music with an intuitive music writing software.

Learn more about NCH Crescendo Music Notation Editor for Windows

Final Thoughts

As you will have noted, all of these three pieces of software offer something completely different. However, they’re all similar in getting you well on your way to creating magical music – whether it be audible or in written form.

Put simply, you could create written music with Crescendo, record it with ACID Pro and fine tune it with Ashampoo Music Studio – so you may find that you can use all three to help you on your way!

If you’ve enjoyed reading about our favourite Windows programs for audio creation, don’t stop there! Take a look at Four Brilliant Pieces of Audio Recording Software for Windows to further master your music making skills.

View the whole range of Windows software on FileHippo