Jan 18

Most of us will have had some really great nights out that were made perfect by the music selections of the DJ. You may even have looked up enviously at the DJ in his booth, expertly flipping records to the adulation of the entire dancefloor. If you have ever felt a desire to actually be that DJ, the good news is that you can – you’ll just need to learn a few things first. Fortunately, it’s quite easy to get started and, yes, it is a lot of fun too…

If you have your own record collection already, then there’s nothing stopping you from buying a couple of decks and a mixer and throwing a few tunes together. At the most basic level, that’s all there is to it – you just have to play the right music and make sure it fits together nicely.

There are a few important things to watch out for, however – not all turntables are created equal, so it pays to do a bit of research before you splash out on some new DJ decks. Actually, a lot of decks out there aren’t designed for DJing at all – most low-end consumer models are belt drive units and don’t have enough power for even the simplest of scratches. What you really need are a good set of direct drive decks, which have much higher torque ratings and are much more powerful than consumer belt drive turntables.

You’ll need this extra power later on when you start to learn to scratch, and it’s good even for basic beat matching tasks as it helps to ensure that your records maintain sync. If you want some extra info about what to look for in your turntables, have a look at this DJ Decks page, which provides a few examples of good decks and explains vital features such as pitch control. A good pitch control function is vital for beat matching, and if you decide to become a DJ then you’ll be using it a lot.

If you don’t have any records already, and don’t really want to go out hunting for all your favourite tracks on vinyl, then don’t despair – you can still be a DJ without a trunk full of old LPs. Many modern DJs use special CD decks, where you can put in a standard CD and then manipulate it using a special round pad interface on the top. This is a digital simulation of how vinyl DJs operate, and you can basically do all of the same stuff in pretty much the same way – it’s just a lot more portable.

Another way you can go is to just use your mp3 collection – you’ve probably seen DJs in pubs and clubs with their laptop open. You can get special DJ software (such as Native Instruments Traktor DJ) that will simulate all the features of a traditional DJ rig, so all you have to do is hook your computer’s audio outputs into the PA system and off you go. For more info on various techniques of DJing, have a look at the Online DJ tips site.

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Jan 16

The main reason people quit making beats for rap music is cost. Do you know that a real rap beat maker cost about ten thousand dollars? However, thanks to the invention of online beat making software that cost only a fraction of that. Now, almost everyone, anyone that has the desire to make his or her own beats can do it right in front of the computer.

All you will probably need to invest is about $30 and has the power to create unlimited beats online. There are two types of instrumentals online; web based and PC based. Web based beat maker allows you to access the beat maker with any web browser and start making and saving your beats. PC based instrumentals on the other hand requires you to install the software into your PC.

Whatever your choice is, online beat maker allows you to have everything in one friendly interface. You don’t need to buy separately the synthesizers, mixers, controls, tempo adjuster etc. as all of these are built in your beats maker.

Now whether or not you are going to create great beats with the online beat maker depends on the right beat making software you chose. So, how to choose the best beat maker online? Having tried tons of these software myself, let me shade some lights on how to choose the best beat maker to make instrumentals online.

Now, first check if the sound bank that the software comes with, contains all of these: drumbeats, snare drums, percussion, bass guitars, electricbass, piano, organ, timpani, orchestra, tabla, combos etc. Well, the more variety of these the software has, the more unique beats you can make. This is important because certain software only comes with about 3 to 4 of these, thus limit your beats mixture and uniqueness severely.

Okay, then check to see if the software control features was complete. You must have access to playback, pause, stop, rewind, fast forward or backward and most importantly the ability to save the beats that you have made. Take extra note on the file format that you will be allowed to save the beats. File format like MP3 allows you the flexibility to share your beats as MP3 can be played on almost all media players and you can easily burn your beats into a CD. This is important because I have come across online beat makers that can only save beats into format that must be played using the beat maker software alone and no other program.

You must also ensure that the editing feature like mixer, sound control etc. is included in the software. Basically, the more editing control you have, the more tweaking and twisting that you can make on your beats.

One of best online beat maker to make instrumentals online that comes with all of the above important features that I have come across is Sonic Producer. It was amazingly simple to use and the sound quality is comparable to that of studio made. Click Here to listen to sample beats and decide for yourself. It has become an indispensable tool to my beat making career.

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Jan 16

Every musician on one occasion or another has opened up their web browser and used their favorite search engine to search for free products. If you are into making rap or hip hop beats, then you have probably searched for free rap beat making software. Is it worth your time searching? Here are a few tips as to why it may or may not be worth your time searching.

You will get millions of results if you use any major search engine on the net to search for free music programs. Some of the programs that come up will truly be free downloads and others software that you need to pay for.

Let’s first tackle the actual free programs:

Great for someone just starting out and wanting to learn how to make beats. It gives them the opportunity to not have to spend any money, but they can try out many different programs to see if it is something they will enjoy doing. If you’re looking for rich features, then this is probably not the best route for you to take. Most free software is very basic and hard to use (not in all cases). Most free rap beat making software will have no end user support. If you serious about making music you will at some point to some technical support. Where is a good place to download? I would recommend starting out at a website such as Sourceforge.net.

Now let’s take on paid software for making beats:

There are too many programs available to musicians today to even try to start listing them. Before opening your wallet to buy anything, you should first see what your needs are. Do you need software that has a sequencer, real-time effects or tone adjustments? You should definitely think about your budget as well. Don’t buy a product that is going to break the bank! Something else you need to think of, is do you need this program to integrate with another piece of recording software you are using? Also, what instruments will you need to be able to hook up to it? Most programs you pay for have a demo you can check out first. Most paid products will also provide free technical support. This is great if you’re in the middle of a recording session and you get a weird error. You don’t need to waste valuable time troubleshooting yourself, just pick up the phone and call tech support.

Be sure to take these tips into consideration when either looking to get some free rap beat making software or actually making the decision to buy.

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Jan 15

If you’re an ambitious and imaginative musician, then you may wonder how to make a musical instrument. In truth, this is a task that is much more difficult than it sounds. Sure, you could make a simple instrument out of pretty much anything. The challenge is creating an instrument that actually sounds good. Then, of course, you face the challenge of keeping costs down. After all, why make your own instrument when you can buy a superior instrument for a low cost? Here is your guide to making an instrument at a low cost.


Generating Good Sound


First, unless you’re an expert electrical engineer, an electronic keyboard is out of the question. Similarly, if you aren’t a master craftsman, you shouldn’t even try to make your own woodwind (unless you’re making something really simple, like a reed flute). I would recommend trying to build a guitar as a starter instrument. The reason is simply that more guides are readily available for affordable guitar building than any other instrument.


Additionally, you may even be able to find a kit that will give you everything you need to build a guitar. Finally, guitars are good for independent builders because you can easily tune them, allowing you to ensure that you are creating notes, not noise.


Saving Money


When you purchase the parts for a guitar, remember that keeping down costs is essential. This is just a learning instrument, not a masterpiece. After you build a cheap guitar or two, then you can take on the challenge of a more expensive project. The reason, of course, is that if you mess up on a cheap guitar, the costs won’t bankrupt you. If you spend $1000+ on guitar parts and mess up, that can be a hard cost to swallow.


If you really want to build an inexpensive musical instrument, it’s recommended that you check out your newspaper’s classifieds section or a used guitar shop. By purchasing used parts, you can save a significant amount of money. With careful, selective shopping, you should be able to get all of the supplies you need for less than $250.


No matter what kind of instrument you decide to build, remember that you will want something that plays music well. Otherwise, you’ll have a hunk of junk that just takes up space until you throw it away. To summarize my main points in this guide, here are the things you should remember most:


First, no matter what instrument you choose to build, don’t build something that you know is more complex than what you’re capable of building.


Second, make sure that you have some means of tuning the instrument after you’ve built it. That is essential because it will allow you to build it first, and then worry about the way it sounds afterwards.


Finally, do not spend a whole lot of money on your first homemade instrument. If you’re willing to spend more than $300 on a project like this, you should just buy a pre-made instrument.

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Jan 15

Are you looking to get started in the world of making your own hip hop beats? I’ve known many people who have caught a passionate interest in creating their own beats. They were people with a little bit of, but not much music experience who just wanted another way to express themselves. Before long they were making hip hop beats just as sick as any I heard on the radio.

Myself, I’ve been making my own hip hop beats and instrumentals for years now. I started when I was 18 years old my senior year of high school. I got a program called FL Studio and I toughed out the learning curve and figured out how to do a few things. If I could go back, I would have started with a membership to a website called Sonic Producer. It’s a website that lets you make your own hip hop beats online.

The best part isn’t just that you can make your own hip hop beats online, it’s that the membership is a one time fee of $29. This is revolutionary in the world of music production, where making your own beats used to mean at least $5000 at the studio or $500 on desktop music production software. Even I spent $150 on FL Studio back in the day.

The problem with desktop music beats software is that it’s highly technical and very difficult for beginners to get started making their own beats. The learning curve for these programs is very steep. Sonic Producer’s music sequencer is top of the line: 16 tracks, 8 dj pads, piano sets, adjustable tempo, huge preset beat and loop library, and mp3 export. It has all the most important features, but leaves out the extraneous technical fluff that only 1% of users will ever use.

What if you decide you don’t want to make your own beats anymore, that its not for you? Well if you buy desktop software you’re out of luck, whereas if you go with a membership to Sonic Producer you can get a full refund if you are unsatisfied. Especially in today’s economy, I like to get the most value for my dollar, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t either: for $29 Sonic Producer is the ultimate solution to making your own hip hop beats online.

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