I rarely ever try to put my ideas into what you guys hear. What I hear in my head I dont know how to do, and is not even possible with Reason 2.5, so I just build ideas off of things I fool around with. The most I can do is decide to make it heavy or pretty, and normally theres a mixture of both. Its all tonal colors when I compose.

I compose by writing the song on an acoustic guitar. Writing lyrics and adding the lyrics to my guitar part. Practice the hell out of it. Record it with just a guitar and vocals. Then go to town on pro tools and overdub everything else. I usually add drums, bass, organ, cello, ebow, and anything else I find laying around. Until it starts to sound like an actual band. Tweak it, sprinkle it with fairy dust and call it done, and hope people don't hate it.

to compose i only need a pen and a paper sheet

all i need is my favorite finger.

Finally I gave a new try to Logic. I find it really really bad when compared to Cubase SX (and ugly too, by the way, but it's not important).

Although I agree that Cubase SX is not perfect (I'm now trying to find another prog), Logic is definitely not the right alternative for me. Maybe Samplitude or Fruity Loops?

My heart still belongs to Cubase!

PC or mac?

The PC version stopped being developed before Cubase went into SX territory.

As you can imagine, the mac version is sightly different.

oh okay.

pc.

Haha I like it.

I made a big chart on a piece of large sketch book paper and I put all the steps in of the compositional process in a circle around a central picture of a treble clef. This you may know as mind mapping. I ALWAYS start with the largest view of the process possible. I begin with the form such as intro Verse Chorus chorus verse chorus chorus bridge verse chorus chorus end. I always want short four measure intros. I never write two verses before the chorus. Sometimes I start with the chorus or a double chorus. Then I work down toward the details. I first write the melodic rhythm before I even put in a note. I always start the melody in the chorus on the down beat etc...

More later,

Gongchime

I still compose the way I was taught years ago. My teacher would play 4 notes on the piano each week, and my assignment was to write a song using those 4 notes in the exact sequence. I had the freedom to write in any genre or tempo, and create my own chord progression. I still use that method today. I start a motif and save it in my composer software and go back to it when the mood strikes. When the song is completed (usually on piano), I edit it and then add other instruments. ( Anything from a small jazz combo to full symphony arrangement )
harborman