Sunday, November 15, 2009

Real Sounding Percussion Through Beat Making Programs

By Anthony Carter

There is a good deal to think about trying to get a music career of the ground when you are a solo artist or a hip-hop producer. There is not only a lot of pressure to produce an industry ready sound; you have to think of practical ways to keep your costs down. There really is no comparison between the instincts and responses of a live drummer, yet software that has been developed is quickly being comparable to having a live drummer without the incredible cost of keeping one in the studio for a few hours. You might try considering these 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 no shortage of these programs, and they range vastly from functionality to price, which the two usually coincide. I have compiled three of the most popular program based on ratings, reviews, and other means of public opinion. They are not ordered based on being the best, all of these programs stand about the same to the average consumer.

Perhaps the growing favorite among hip hop producers and beat makers of all types is the software known as Fruity Loops. They have already made five updates to the software through new additions since the software was released early into the millennium. Fruity Loops is recommended most on its simplicity of use and extensive tutorial modes. This allows even the newest people to the software to start making quality beats fast. You can download a trial version of the software from: http://flstudio.image-line.com/documents/download.html, but purchasing the software for full functionality will generally run somewhere between fifty to one hundred dollars.

Equally popular to Fruity Loops is the extensive program developed by Sony known as Acid Pro. While the most common version of this product in circulation is 4. 0, Acid Pro has released seven versions of this popular software which offer a lot of options for the budding solo artist or producer. Basically, you can choose a vast amount of drums and sounds of kits to pick exactly how you want these beats to sound like. Acid Pro takes samples from popular kits both of the past and of today. On top of all of this you can record things to accompany with your beats, which makes it all inclusive software for a solo artist and a powerful tool for a hip hop producer. This generally ranges around $175, but you can try out a version of 7. 0 here: http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/download/trials

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?

Making beats is as simple as getting the software. Either route you go within these programs, you will still likely find it cheaper than affording a good drummer to come sit in your studio. At any rate, these are great places to start.

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