Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Real Sounding Percussion Through Beat Making Programs

By Anthony Carter

There is a lot to consider being a solo music artist in this day and age. The pressure to make a quality sound is great, and it often requires a good deal of money. It's not even cheap to have a beat back your music. So, if this is you, you have to think of ways to save. Any musician will tell you that having a live drummer beats automated loops any day, but these programs are improving all the time so that it is becoming cost effective and comparable to replace an expensive live drummer with beat making programs.

But what exactly are beat making programs? Well it really is as simple as it sounds. Programs and software that has been specifically designed to allow people to make realistic and unique beats to accompany their music.

There is an ever-increasing amount of these programs, and to be fair, most of them work rather well. I have compiled a list of what ratings and reviews have labeled as the best on the market right now. They are not in any particular order, because side to side, these programs are all basically neck and neck.

Many people consider this first program to be the beginning and end of beat making. That you need to look nowhere else but with Fruity Loops to make quality beats that rival what you hear on the latest CDs. The software boasts an ease of use based on its general set up. For the more advanced functions and options, there are extensive tutorials for the users to abide by. You can literally take this software and make great beats within a few hours if you take the time to learn what you are wanting to do. Check out a trial version here: http://flstudio.image-line.com/documents/download.html and if you are impressed, expect the full package to cost somewhere between $50 and $100.

Another popular program that many are backing comes from the bright minds of Sony. The program is called Acid Pro, and to date has come out with seven versions that all increase functionality and ease of use with every passing revamp, perhaps the most common of these being Acid Pro 4. 0. The software not only allows for an incredible array of options with beat making including sounds of different kits and the impressive assortment of drums, it also allows you to record on top of that. Which adds another dynamic for the solo artist or hip hop producer by allowing them more options to make the sound their own. You can try out this product from:http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials but if you buy this software, you can expect it to cost you somewhere around $175.

The first two mentioned programs were exclusively for those running PCs. The only drawback to this is the increasing popularity of Mac computers. So I had to include software to make beats that can be used on a Mac, and this means Reason. This is the highest recommended recording software for Mac, and among the highest rated overall. It boasts an exhausting library of available sounds for beats including specific drums from specific kits and other odd sounds. Similar to Acid Pro, you can record on top of adding percussion which makes it a lot more diverse.

So why aren't you already making beats?

So now you know. Making beats is as simple as a download. This means that with a little bit of work and dedication to what you are learning, you can be making some industry standard beats in no time at all. And that sure beats the money you could spend on a real live drummer in your studio.

About the Author:

0 comments:

Post a Comment