Beat Makers N More

Archive for June, 2009

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                                                    A lot of people would look at this article and probably think to themselves that they would be glad to have any one of these music making devices because at the time of this writing they are both worth over 2 thousand dollars brand new. If you had any one of them you would be in position to make some very professional sounding tracks with ease, once you understood how to navigate either one.

This  article is title rap beat maker vs. keyboard workstation because I often get asked by people just getting started what type of equipment would be best to buy. This is sometimes a hard question to ask cause it all depends on what your final goals are and much more…..I also want to clarify that a lot of people look at the Mpc and think it is solely a beat maker, but that is not true……Especially the more expensive models like the mpc 2500 and 5000….this also holds true for similar drum machines made by other companies like Roland and Korg. As with anything else in this world, the more you pay for something , usually the more features it will have. Buy music equipment is no exception in most cases….but not all. Calling the more expensive drum modules beat makers is really an understatement cause the truth is these machines can make music to satisfy many different styles of listening, although I do admit they are more optimized for making beats, not piano playing music. You could buy a keyboard controller and connect it to one of the higher costing MPC machines and do well with making good sounding tracks that require a lot of piano playing style, but you would need a good sample library to use with your mpc in order to get the right sounds. But the bottom line is the more expensive MPC’s will handle this with ease and then some.

The keyboard workstations are more versatile right out of the box of course simply because it comes with keys…..If you play piano you can instantly pull up sound and start playing music, unlike with the mpc…….and you also make beats with the workstation cause most workstations come with a full library of drum sounds and samples now days……

One might ask then why not just get a workstation and be done. Well….a lot of producers don’t care about playing the piano and just want to make beats. So something like the mpc would be fine……and you can save money by getting a cheaper drum machine as opposed to a keyboard that you would never use and may cost more because of keys. Also…..drum machines are more convenient and bettered geared toward making beats than a keyboard work station cause they come with pads and usually  a more elaborate sound set of drum sounds than most keyboard workstations…..although that gap is narrowing more and more every year do to the power of technology. Another reason why you might want to use one device over another is the reason why I still do today…and that’s the sound …….although keyboard workstations have improved there sound quality drastically in the last 5 years, I  am still able to tell when someone has mixed all there music from one keyboard as opposed to having several different keyboards and modules. Drum machine circuits for the most part are built to provide the best drum sounds with punch and clarity and so forth and keyboard circuitry can do the same…..but with a lot of keyboard sounds….punch and attack has to vary on a much wider level, so the drum sounds from a workstation may get swallowed up by other factors that takes away from what you really want……so it would benefit to have a separate device producing the beat.

So which is the best to buy…..I say it depends on the type of music you are doing and where you want to be in the future…..If you are starting out with rap or hip hop and don’t care about playing piano parts…..then go with something like the mpc…..although the more expensive versions will do so much more than make beats…..it would still be a good start for you. If you are more into making r n b tracks or orchestrated type instrumentals…then I would recommend a keyboard workstation……The good ones usually start around 1300 dollars and more….and if you go with the new roland fantom you will have more than you need to start making instrumentals of any kind. It also does a wealth of other things also, such as record audio on multiple tracks like a audio track recorder and allow you to add effects and much more…….so does the mpc 5000……I could go on….but I am sure you see my point by now……Leave a question at the bottom of the page if you have any questions….and here’s to great music making!

                                                         Learn more about the Latest Beat Makers

Making beats is easy once you have the right equipment. You may be asking what is the right equipment?…That depends on you and how you like to work or how you think  you might like to work if you are just getting started.   Programming beats is easy and you can get started with your first beat maker for a real low cost if  you click on the button under the video on this page…..but that is just one beat maker that is out. There are at least a hundred or more different type of beat makers on the market today. The Sonic Producer is the cheapest one we have found yet that sounds as well as it does and offers such an easy platform for programming beats…..However….it does lack a lot of extra features that you would get from a beat making program that would probably cost at least 30 dollars more…..so you have to decide if these extra features are worth it to you at this point…..

By extras I mean features like multiple track recording options that will allow you to record your voice on top of your beat or instrumental. /Effects that can be added to your sounds or voice recordings as you put your production together. /Sequencing capabilities that would allow you to sync your beat machine to other musical equipment like a external workstation or drum machine beat maker.

If you are just getting started…a lot of this may not make sense to you….and that’s fine…..that is one good thing about the Sonic Producer Package…..they explain all of these features and why you may or may not want them when purchasing a Sonic Producer. You can also leave a question at the bottom of any page on this site and we will be glad to answer it.

To make beats there is generally two main ways to do it with a beat program or drum machine beat maker. There is real time programming….and what is called Step Programming…..If you watch the video, My friend shows you both ways with the Sonic Producer. I will explain here again . Real time programming is when you just simply press record and hit the pads you want to sound. Every time you hit a pad the computer or whatever machine you may be using will record that hit and sound it off once the pattern loops back around. How long it takes to loop back around depends on the time signature, number of bars you have set and tempo. As the device loops back around you can continue to add as much as you like to what you have already done because the beat machine will remember every time you hit a pad.

This much easier to do than it sounds….just watch the video and you will see what I am talking about…..But another way to program is called Step mode programming…..It is a bit more harder to grasp and depending on the device you are programming your beat on…it can be a bit challenging ……we have found that devices that offer the grid type of step programming seem to work the best and be the easiest to grasp and program on. Sadly….most beat makers do not offer this type of setup….but we have noticed that lately a lot of companies have started using this type of platform for programming. Roland has been using it for a long time …..since I can remember….and that’s a long time…lol…..Believe it or not ….The Sonic Producer,which is being showed in the video to your right also uses this form of step programming, which he shows you in the video……To explain it would take a lot of writing, but I will attempt to do a short explanation.

Step Programming with a grid simply means you are not recording in real time..like I explained earlier…..but it is done while the device is not even cycling….basically just sitting there while you insert what you want to play into a grid at certain points. Once you are finished inserting each instrument at the time point on the grid you choose…then you press play and you will hear what you have done……You can always go back and add to it….either with step mode or in real time….that’s a good thing…….But what you will be amazed with is how quickly and easy step mode becomes after using it for a little while……trust me ….if you use it a bit….with in a week …you could just look at the grid….(if your device offers grid programming)……and already know what the beat will sound like before ever hitting play……If you notice on the video…when my friend is programming the Sonic Producer …he already knows that the snare goes on certain areas in the grid for the type beat he was wanting to program……Trust me ….this is not hard to learn…….

I want to say that if you have been watching another type of program that seems to interest you when it comes to making music and  you can afford it…..Go ahead and get it…..We use several different types of beat makers here including the Sonic Producer……Its all about inspiration……cause you will be making the music……so what every inspires you to express yourself is what matters most……Good Luck…! 

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I get asked a lot by people wanting to start making beats or producing, if it is worth using free beat making software verses software you can purchase……and the answer is a no brain-er…..just like anything else in life…….You get what you pay for! Of course there are some cases where you may get a good deal on something and luck out…..as is the cases with the Sonic Producer beat making software…although it is not free….it is one of the cheapest beat making software programs I have ever seen that sounds as good as it does and is really easy to use……..but even that program is limited when it comes to features and what it can do, when compared to some of the higher costing software packages for making beats.

So should you use a free beat making software program as opposed to one you have to pay for?  I say , if you are serious about making music beats, and have a little money, go ahead and at least purchase the cheapest version from one of the top beat making software companies and upgrade as you get more money to do so…..If you just don’t have any money and cannot afford to pay for the cheapest version of a program…then consider using the free version. But if you are serious, you should try to purchase as soon as possible.

Getting familiar with beat making programs is one of the most important things when it comes to making beats. In other words, knowing how to use the software. Once you are made aware of all the top beat making programs that are out….its really all about getting familiar with one and then using it to make the type of music you like……Its really not about which program out performs the other once you are aware of all the programs that are considered to be the best. Same goes for hardware beat makers…..although I do think there may be some slight biased opinions when it comes to certain features and the way a particular beat maker sounds..and thats ok….cause everyone does not like the same things…….but for the most part…once you are exposed to the best of the best, its really all about jumping in and using the program to its fullest potential. I strongly believe this point cause I have heard hit records that were used with an Alesis drum machine that only cost 200 dollars back in the day……This just proves that inspiration plus talent is all you need sometimes.

Back to the subject at hand….I say go ahead and use a free beat maker if you just absolutely cannot afford to buy a stripped down version of one of the top beat making programs for your computer…or if you just want to play around to see what it would be like to make beats…..but be aware that you will be limiting yourself  if you do…..and professionals do not work this way…..so I am highly against using free ware of any product for that matter…..when you use free programs…there is usually no support if you have a problem with it….the sounds that come with the free programs usually suck….as well as the sound quality in some cases ….depending on what it is…..If the program crashes your computer or destroys that hit groove you had going on…there is not much you can do about it. Free programs are always limited in some way ….usually in more ways than one…..I do not want to be working on a track and have to worry about whether or not a certain feature of a program is going to work or not….that’s insane!

I guess by now you can see that I am against using free ware…but if you are just having fun and not really concerned with doing things on a  professional level…go ahead and knock yourself out…..it can be fun….and dangerous…lol…..but so are a lot of things in life…..if you want to learn more about the best beat makers to use on a more professional level…click this———>BEST BEAT MAKER REVIEWS and learn more about making hit beats….

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If you are new to making beats and want to learn the best way to do it, then you are in the right place. Let me start by saying that making beats is a term that has changed in meaning with in the last 5 to 8 years. About 5 years ago…the term making beats meant to create just the rhythmic part of a song…or percussion part of a instrumental……But now mainly because of the explosion of rap and hip hop music.and because technology has grown so much…..the term making beats has come to mean creating an instrumental, especially among the younger generation.  Once again this is mainly from the slang that spreads from the rap industry. But it is also because beat making tools have also become so much more powerful and can now give you the ability to make music tracks with just one plat forms…..ie…a beat making machine, or program.

Now if you are new to making beats ….you are probably wondering what is the best way for you to get started….. The first thing you want to look at is …what type of music will you be making…..Hip Hop?…Country?…..Pop?..RnB…..and so on……also ….you will want to ask yourself…do you want to use your computer to make beats or do you want to use a separate piece of equipment to make beats with?  And yet another thing you will want to consider is how much are you ready to spend to get started with……?…These are the three most important things you will want to know before getting started.

If you are thinking about doing mostly hip hop beats….You will not need to spend much money to get started……Hip hop beats and or rap beats in my opinion are the easiest to create and require the least amount of equipment to get started doing…..especially if you already own a computer……but …there is still an art to it. If you are just getting started…..The Sonic Producer which is an online beat maker and the only one of its kind at this time…is the best beak maker I have seen for making hip hop beats, considering its cost……It’s the only beat maker I have seen that sounds as good as it does for such a low price. If you are worried about learning how to use it…..Don’t worry…its easy…..and the Sonic Producer team will show you how to use it once you purchase the right to use it on your computer.  Although I feel it is best suited for hip hop and rap beats…..you can make r n b and pop tracks with it. Also let me say…..although the Sonic Producer is an excellent beat maker…you will still need some way  to record your vocals on top of the beats you create…..If you have a computer I recommend getting a track recording program …like Cubase….or you could even get a free track program by Googling audio track programs. But If you are serious about making good productions I highly suggest you eventually purchase a good track program like Cubase or Pro tools and there are many more to choose from.

If you have enough money to spend….I would suggest going with a keyboard workstation like the new Roland Fantom G series….For a little over 2 thousand dollars…..you will have everything you need to make beats and put your voice on top of your new beat right in front of you …..outside of a microphone and some speakers or headphones, which might come with the Roland Fanthom G…..I know a lot of companies that sell the Roland Fanthom G  that will give you some head phones and a mic to use with it just for purchasing it from them..such as the Guitar Center which you can get to by clicking on the banner above…I want to end this right now…but I could go on talking about this powerful workstation…..it is so much more than a beat maker……Let me say also that another great beat maker that has everything you need to record and make beats with as well as put your voice on top of your creation is the MPC 5000……It has all the features and possibilities you will find with the Roland workstation minus the piano keys…..but you do of course get pads to beat on instead …..

If you are interested in purchasing any of  these beat makers I would recommend you at least check out either zzounds or guitar center by clicking on there banners at the top right of this page. These two companies have the best prices for musical equipment I have seen to date.

For this article…I have used the term making beats as it is used today…. One thing I want to mention is that….this website is dedicated to beat making……which in my opinion is a bit different from what I would call making music or musical instrumentals……reason being…….would you call a broad-way musical soundtrack a beat?  You could….but a so call beat maker could never make a orchestrated  sound track as complicated as a serious musical. Although most beat making tools have become very powerful, you would need to at least know how to play a piano or keyboard to successfully create a complicated musical that an orchestra has made…and even then you would have to be a pretty good keyboard player to get it just right….even with the best sample library……  You might could create a sound track that would be pretty close to a complicated musical track ….but it would take a lot of trial and error , and still would not come nearly as close to the quality you would get from doing it by playing piano ……or keyboard……which would be what I call  making music……not beats.

There are still other programs that are great for making beats that you can use on your computer…and some other great hardware beat makers..some other computer beat making programs are……. Cubase..which I mentioned earlier, got its start for being one of the best computer sequencing programs you could buy for the money…and is still one to the best out today…..but is also an excellent audio recording program….and it comes with a beat maker to…a very good one….although the samples that initially come with it are not as good as the ones in the Sonic Producer, which is hard to believe considering how much more it cost…..but you can always grow your sound pallet …..Other programs that are well known for making beats are….Fruity Loops…..which is also one of the most used beat making programs in the hip hop world…BPM….ACID…..and many more……they are all great….but cost more than the cheaper Sonic Producer…..there individual prices vary….and the features and sound sets are slightly different from program to program…..I have not personally used some of the latter ones……but I do have partners who do.

You can learn more about any of the programs or pieces of equipement I have mentioned for making beats by googling there names…..or by clicking…..this———> more options for making beats main page.