subject: Make Beats on Your Computer [print this page] Make Beats on Your Computer Make Beats on Your Computer
There are many programs available today to create beats with, the question is which one is right for you. Are you a beginner, have you ever used a music program before? Perhaps, you have seen a screen shot of beat making software, but have never actually used one yourself. Maybe you are familiar with the basics and are simply trying to find a program that fits your budget and skill level.
No matter what your situation is, there are plenty of programs to create and save beats with, and that is where the confusion begins. If you have never used music software before it may be a wise choice to start with a program that has the basics. Some of the more advanced programs, such as FL Studio, are feature rich but quite expensive. Depending on your budget and needs you might find the learning process a lot easier to absorb by using a simple program that doesn't sacrifice on quality.
To begin, you need to learn the fundamentals. Understanding the layout and basic functions of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) or music creation software is important. Actually, once you get a feel for the beat making environment of one program you will find adapting and making the transition to more advanced programs is easier. However, if you have no idea what a bar, track or timeline is or what its purpose is you may quickly lose interest out of frustration.
For this reason, if you are new to beat making it is highly recommended that you start with a program that offers simplicity and quality. Start by laying down some drum tracks in 2 bars, add the kick, snare, hi-hat and claps to get a feel for where things should be on the timeline. Then play your arraingement back at different tempos, or beats per minute (bpm). Get comfortable with how to draw and drag or click and drop in the timeline. Depending on the program you are using, try adding new bars to lenghten your song then copy and past the beats you have into the new bars.
Now, these are basic functions that most beat making software has, however there are some programs that are extremely limited. When creating beats, you want to have at least eight to sixteen tracks to work with and more than one bar of four beats that only allows you to loop the same sound over and over. Why is this important? Well, if you want to add a hook or bridge where your beat breaks off and then returns to the original flow software that only allows you to loop one bar makes this a time consuming task. Also, you don't want all the effects, mixers, plug-ins and so on if you are learning, but you do want some flexibility.
The next thing to consider, is how you will save your beats. Some programs have limits on file types and the size of the file you can record or save. For example, you may only be able to save your beats in the popular .mp3 format. It is worthwhile to read and learn excatly what the MP3 format is because it does affect quality. If you intend on selling your beats online, or sending in a demo CD to be remastered file type does matter.
Assuming you are new to beat making, the first step is choosing a program that you can learn from that is simple to use and budget friendly.
