Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Replacing Your Drummer With Beat Making Programs

By Anthony Carter

There's a lot involved with being a solo music artist these days. To produce quality-sounding recordings, you have to be ambitious as much as frugal. Getting a music career off the ground can take a lot of money, and so you have to think about all the different ways you can save. Even with hip hop music, the effect of having someone literally behind a drum kit in the studio is unsurpassed. But there are many programs that are making great strides to simulate that sound. An essential to a full studio sound is percussion, and if you aim to save money you should consider these beat making programs.

You might be thinking, "what are beat making programs?" Well they literally are exactly what they sound like. Programs and software designed for those who need beats to be able to make them simply.

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 last two programs are for use on a PC only. So if you have a Mac, you might not be able to take advantage of those. You can, however, use one of the highest regarded recording programs exclusively available for the Mac. Similar to Acid Pro, Reason allows you to record a number of different ways and sounds to accompany your beat. The options for the beats themselves are vast and includes a plethora of sounds, kits, and synthesizer options to make CD quality beats with a little bit of practice.

So now nothing should be stopping you.

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.

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