Anvil Studio

Digital music composition has been a thing for quite some time now, which means that software for this duty has well matured, granting artists all the functions they need to create any songs they desire. The fact that an overwhelming majority of music released today is completely handled on computers stands as proof of that.

Everyone knows of the most commonly used software in the industry, such as FL Studio, Ableton, and so on, but they come at a price. If you're looking for a free-of-charge way of creating music, you might want to consider Anvil Studio: it supports MIDI equipment, and allows users to create, as well as print, sheet music.

There isn't anything particularly difficult in getting the software to work: installing it is nothing out of the ordinary, and thanks to its compatibility with older operating systems, you can run it on a 32-bit Windows 7 machine without any problems.

At first glance, the interface might seem rather bloated and busy, but you'll find that the options are all neatly laid out for immediate access. Pressing the Rec button will let you record the audio coming from your MIDI interface right after going through the initial set-up. If you do not have such equipment at your disposal, you can use your computer's keyboard to play the notes.

The music sheet is probably the first thing that you'll notice upon starting the program, and what's most neat about it is that it operates in conjunction with your keyboard. For example, when you input a piano chord, the corresponding note will automatically appear on the sheet. Music theory can thus be applied by the book here: there are different styles, keys, and times you can play.

Users can also enter notes using guitar frets. Tempo can be adjusted to fit your preferences, and the metronome ensures you're never missing a beat. You can also introduce audio effects such as delay and EQ.

Anvil Studio is some well-made freeware software, and it contains just the right amount of features to make it viable to use by casuals and professionals alike.