An update: we are 95% of the way to our goal! Yesterday I recorded my ukulele cover for when we hit $15,000, so it's all ready to go :) (For newer backers, I've been celebrating with a ukulele cover every $5000 - here are the first two.) In earlier updates I tackled the oft-asked question of musical influences. Another question composers get a lot is what their setups are like - particularly what hardware and samples they use. This one is for the techies and the aspiring composers out there. The real answer to this is that it doesn't matter as much as you might think it does - what matters most is knowing how to use what you have really well. The needs of a composer also vary a lot from person to person, so what works for me may not work for you. It's also important to remember that these things are just tools, and tools are not creativity. Someone could have the best setup and write terrible music, or a mediocre setup and music that has potential beyond the technical limits of its production. Still, I understand why people ask. When I was starting out, I wanted to know what other composers were using, because I needed some reference. It's a hard thing to navigate on your own at the beginning. And some people just always want to compare - whether they're trying to up their own game or just gather other perspectives, it seems a perennial interest. If you are one of those people looking to start making music on a computer, feel free to ask me questions! I'm glad to help out and provide advice where I can. I've built and refined this setup slowly over time, and I'm sure as I get better and better at what I do and at noticing minute differences in things, I'll continue to tinker with it. I started out very simply, though, and did what I could at every stage with the knowledge I had and the tools I could afford. If you're looking to get started, don't feel like there's a huge barrier to the basics. Hardware Custom built PC (in 2016) OS: Windows 10 CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K Fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO Motherboard: Gigabyte G1 Z170X Gaming 7 Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws V series 32 GB Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC Audio: Roland Quad Capture Case: Corsair Obsidian 450D C Drive (programs): 1TB SSD F Drive (Files): 3TB 5400 RPM HDD E, G, H Drives (Samples): 1TB SSD each Other Hardware Speakers: Alesis Monitor One MK2 Amp: Alesis RA150 Cables: Monoprice Headphones: Sennheiser HD 380 Pro Microphones: Shure SM-57, Cascade Fathead II Midi Keyboard: M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 Full sized keyboard: Yamaha P140 Monitors: an LG and an HP, 1920x1080 and 1600x900 respectively Software DAW: Cakewalk by Bandlab Notation: Sibelius (and sometimes Finale) Samples (for Wildermyth): LA Scoring Strings (particularly the "First Chair" instruments) Indiginus Mountain Dulcimer East/West Stormdrum 2 Bodhran Plugins: Waves Silver Bundle and Melodyne I occasionally supplement the samples above with solo strings from Embertone and Cinematic Studio when I need specific effects. Some of the older pieces use Cinesamples solo strings or even East/West Symphonic Orchestra, and another drum from East/West, though I don't remember which one. I have more sample libraries and some synths that I have used on other projects, but I decided to focus on what I've been using for Wildermyth here because that's what people tend to ask me about. Thanks for reading! I hope this was useful or at least interesting for some of you.
I’ve been asked a few times what my setup is like for composing for Wildermyth, so I put together a post detailing it for anyone interested!












