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I’m looking for software for making music, editing mp3’s, and making beats like hip hop or techno. What is a good professional software I can use?
There are LOTS of choices, ranging from free to thousands of dollars. It all depends on how serious you are. You did not mention what operating system you are using so i am am assuming PC. I’ll give you a few options. Which is “best” is always a matter of preference. I have heard really good and really bad beats made with all of these options. i included multiple options because your production style will help determine which works best for you Simple to use software: Sony Acid Free - available from acidplanet as a free download. It is a bit of a one trick pony but does that trick reasonably well considering it is free. If you are brand new and wish to work with mostly sample loops, it is an ok place to start. It is very limited and I gurantee you will outgrow it in about a week. It does do a decent job of mtaching sample loops if you are clueless about such things. It’s free so you lose nothing by checking it out. Sony Acid Music and Acid Pro- Both are much more powerful since they allow you to add effects and instruments. they also allow the use of midi. Pro has more features than Music but that of course comes at a price. I think pro is running about $250 these days and Music is about $99. I have used Acid pro and it is very capable, BUT and it is a very big but, I would only choose this option if you are leaning towards sample manipulation It is capable of a lot more. i have done whole albums in Acid. However, i find some things are easier to do in other programs around the same price. The big plus with Acid is it is a lot easier to use than most programs. FL Studio( i think it’s PC only but not sure) ( formerly known and stilll commonly called Fruity Loops)- A very popular software among beginners, yet very powerful in it’s own right. Fruity is great for techno and hip-hop. yes it can be used for other styles, but it seems to shine more with these two. It is great for people who prefer “grid” style sequencing that is built via steps and patterns. It handles vst instrmunts well and the comes with (depending on which version you get) some very good soft synth s well suited to dance music and hip-hop. price ranges from about $49 for the most stripped down version to about $250 for the advanced version. If your focus is primarily on making beats, this may work for you. this one is probably the most drum machine like…but a sampling drum machine on steroids. Reason(PC and mac)- another all-in-one package. reason is generally seen as superior to Fruity (although many will beg to differ) and probably used on more commercial releases. I don’t regulalry use either so i can’t give a fair opinion. i have used both. My take is that Reason does what it does better than Fruity BUT is is far more limited because it has a closed architecture. you cannot add synths or effects except what is built in. The built in effects and instruments 9includes a multitude of drum machines , syntnths and samplers) kick ass. Thor is a beast of a synth. However, if you want different sounds you are stuck unless you rewire to another program. it is very stable and capable. i think it is about $400 now Ableton Live(PC and mac)- many people swear by it, but i have limited experience. i do know that it works better live than all the programs mentions so far. Like the last two mentioned it has the ability to manipulate samples and has effects and synths . abletone is more popular in dance music than hip-hop though. Reaper(i think a mac version is in the works too)- Reaper is unique in that the price of it depends on what you are using it for. The price for non-commerical use is $50. that is not a typo. For commercial use it is $250, which is still a bargain. reaper, overall is arguably more powerful than everything i have listed so far but also more complex to learn. Don’t get me wrong. It is fairly intuitive and you can probaby crank out a beat in no time using it. it just has so many more advanced options than those previously mentioned. It is also more capable than the others mentioned for more than just hip-hop or techno although it does both well. It’s biggest weakness when it comes to making beats is it does not come with intuitive beat making features. Short term, you will crank a beat quicker with the others, but long term, reaper might shit on all of them. Another plus with reaper is that the trial is fully functional forever. they use an honor systemn to get paid. Cubase(PC and mac)- one of the oldest music production software systems. It is extremely full featured. Overall it probably has more features than Reaper, but costs at least three times as much. It is however wel lrespected and well documented. there are light versions in the $99 range that are very capable as well Sonar- Sonar comes in home edition ($99), studio and producer editon and is priced accordingly. like Cubase, Sonar is ridiculously powerful and has everything you need too.
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