Useful Audio Links
Audio Equipment & Publishing
Bass Player – www.bassplayer.com
Blues Freepress Publishing – www.bluesfreepress.org.uk
Computer Music – www.computermusic.co.uk
Electronic Musician – www.emusician.com
EQ – www.eqmag.com
Keyboard – www.keyboardmag.com
Mix – www.mixonline.com
Modern Drummer – www.moderndrummer.com
Pro Audio Review – www.proaudioreview.com
Pro Sound News – www.prosoundnews.com
Recording – www.recordingmag.com
Sound On Sound – www.sospubs.co.uk
Tape Op – www.tapeop.com
Good Sites For Breaks & Samples |
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| - 100% Free Loop & Sample Directory | - A hot female voiceover | - Acapellas4u.co.uk |
| - Acid Loops | - Akai MPC 2500 Sounds | - BeatBasics |
| - BeatHive Loop Shops | - Beatluxe – drum loops evolved | - Blue Sound Studios |
| - Cyberworm’s sample blog | - DJ Dance Music | - dj.startpagna.be |
| - Dooley Drums | - free beats | - GotchaNoddin.com |
| - Hardsamples | - House-musique.com | - Looperman.com |
| - Loops4free.net | - Megaloops | - ModernBeats Loops |
| - Platinumloops | - Proloops | - Q-Music |
| - Reason Refills | - Sample CD World | - Samples6M |
| - Silicon Beats | - SoundSwapper.com | - The Chip Collection |
Beat Software on a Budget
So you’ve got software for audio & midi, you might have some software synths, some midi hardware, however, you’re going to need some beat software to create your rhythms.
Beat making software such as Sonic Producer & DUBturbo are the top 2 most popular online programs for creating beats on a budget but with new drum software flooding the market it’s important to know what to look for & exactly what beat maker you’re getting for your bucks…
Quality of Sounds
Without having quality sounds to work with you won’t have any success making tracks. You may get lucky fine-tuning a duff one but why stack the odds against you from the start. When you’re trying to find sounds for your beat software you should consider what sounds good now & go for the best quality.
Music, the same as any kind of artwork, is always transforming and moving with the times, so you’ve got to assume in reality that the sounds you like now might sound dated in a few years.
Unless of course you looking for that classic sound, for example, 808’s, retro synths, funky guitar and bass are some types of classic retro sounds that always seem to be in style.
So always go with drum software that offers the best quality samples & that also has a wide range of sounds to choose from.
Mixer
Your mixer is how you would handle the various tasks of the beat making software. The key reason why you’ll need a mixer is so that you have control over the individual components such as volume & decay. It’s called the mixer because it’s how you mix the sounds together, simple.
Beat Sequencer 
The majority of beat making software includes a beat sequencer. If it hasn’t got it than you won’t be able do much more than play around with loops. You will need to have the scope to move the kick, high hat, snare, or bass, and other things to the suitable beat. If it’s locked in a loop you just can’t do. So a good, user friendly, sequencer is critical.
Track Layering and Overdubbing
Track layering, or overdubbing, is probably the most important facets of any beat maker. Try to use less than 16 tracks so that your tune won’t souns too busy or over complicated. When layering tracks it will be necessary to place each instrument in it’s own sonic position. This can be done with panning and frequency ranges. After you have everything in it’s own sonic position there’s nothing cluttering up the mix and your track should sound perfectly clear.
Mixing Down To MP3
Once you have your killer tune you might want to share your genius with the rest of the world or at least your friends. If so you will want to choose a beat software that enable you to save your song to MP3. Emailing tracks is an effective way to collaborate with friends, other artists or producers that can be anywhere in the world.
Also, this sort of beat software will enable you to work anywhere with a website online. This can be really useful since you are able to develop your tracks wherever and also gives you the accessibility to the their huge online sound banks at ant time.
Well that just about covers the main aspects of the beat software you need. I’ll be getting round to posting a DUBturbo review soon, you can check out my Sonic Producer review here.
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