Buy music software
Introduction
Whether you're a producer looking to smash up the scene, a rapper wanting to get some beats together or a DJ making your own tunes, even a moderately powerful PC or Mac is enough to turn out pro-quality tracks.
That brings us to your choice of software. This section checks the main packages:
Loop-based programmes:
eJay
Fruity Loops
Acid
Reason
Complete production suites:
Cubase
Logic
Sonar (Cakewalk)
ProTools
Others
"All we've been doing is working hard, stuck in the studios 24/7, no long ting, just working, working, working, trying to get this new sound pumping forward."
Jon E Cash
Black Ops
Choosing The Best
It's important to choose the right bit of software.
Check out two or three - you'll probably find that one stands out as being the most user friendly when you get into it.
If you can get to a music shop and see a demo it's defo worth it.
You really need to try before you buy though, so get along to the manufacturer's website and download a demo.
We've included a link to the manufacturer's site with the description of each package to make it easier for you.
Make sure you check the 'net. You'll be able to find reviews from different cats that have actually used the programmes and forums which will clue you up about the pros and cons of each package.
Loop-based
Most urban music is made by creating loops and short phrases.
There's a whole heap of packages aimed at this style of working.
Ranging from entry-level programs aimed at those just starting out to full on professional production systems for more experienced users.
Some of these systems have add-ins which let you record longer parts like vocals or instruments but you may find one of the pro-based programmes towards the end of this section are better for your needs.
eJay
eJay is all about getting a feel for the basics of arranging and producing.
You move big, brightly coloured blocks of sound around on the screen and your tune makes itself in front of your eyes.
It comes with a selection of demo tunes to experiment with, so you can get creative straight away.
eJay comes in a few packages, depending on what kind of music you want to make. That's because it comes with a CD full of samples you can use to make your first tunes.
Choose the hip-hop version and you'll get a selection of breaks, scratches and bass loops.
Every version has facilities to write your own drum parts, lead melodies and basslines.
eJay is also reasonably cheap - less than £30 - so it's not too much of a risk to buy it as a starter kit and then move on to something more serious later on.
Uniquely, e-Jay is available for Playstation as well as stand-alone computers.
www.ejay-uk.com
Fruity Loops
Fruity Loops, like eJay, is a basic program.
It's not as cheap as eJay but it can be used alongside other music production tools.
Fruity Loops aims to emulate the classic, old-school synths and lets you compose your own loops using drum machines and synthesisers.
It can require a bit of work to start with but it doesn't take too long to get going.
There are loads of helpful features like chord generators which help you get underway programming music without the need to know all the theory.
If you've never had experience of synths before, it can be confusing having to deal with oscillators and voltage-controlled filters.
A great way to find out what all the bits do is to turn the knobs and listen to the results - and Fruity Loops' synths are great for that!
You can also import and tweak samples in WAV format, so you can drop breaks and licks from other sources into your tunes.
Best of all, it's well cheap for what it can do. £80 will get you the full version and it'll be a while before you need anything else.
www.fruityloops.com
Acid
Acid has beat-matching and tempo-detecting facilities and is designed for a cut-and-paste style of music making - more about editing and arranging samples than creating new loops.
So breaks merchants and hip-hoppers will find it useful and you can definitely have some fun with this and the 1XMusic Sample Bank.
It comes with a few synths and drum machines so you can add your own parts alongside the samples.
You can add even more using plug-ins (see the section on these at the end).
The full version is fairly pricey - about £225 - but there are two cheaper options offering fewer features for the hard of pocket.
It integrates well with other software, so you can take it with you if you decide to move on to a system more suited to recording song-based music.
www.sonicfoundry.com
Reason
Propellerhead's Reason is based around a virtual studio with a desk and a 'rack' full of gear.
You fill the rack with a choice of synths, drum machines, samplers and effects processors which come with the program.
Then you put it all together with virtual leads and programme a series of sequencers to make your tune.
Reason does a good job of simulating the old-fashioned synths that the house, techno and trance producers like.
It doesn't have any direct means of recording sounds, but you can play loops back through its virtual samplers.
It's another package that will sit alongside the bigger audio-based programs.
Like Fruity Loops, it's also a great way of getting experience of how synths work.
It costs just over £200 so check it out to see if it's right for you before you buy.
www.propellerheads.se
Complete Suites
The packages we've looked at so far are good for getting a basic feel for arranging and producing but if you want to record vocals or other live instruments then you'll probably want something that gives you a lot more power.
All of the following programmes give you a professional recording studio on your desk-top and are fully equipped to record and edit audio and arrange and sequence MIDI .
The unwritten rule with software is that the more powerful it is, the harder it is to use.
It takes time to learn these packages and the best way to do that is to just get into it.
A mixture of hands on experience, reference to the owner's manual and frequent surfing to tips sites and forums will allow you to get to grips with it.
Getting frustrated goes with the territory, so stay strong brothers and sisters!
The first three packages, Cubase, Logic and Sonar, come in a range of options with a cheaper entry level version or a more expensive fully featured one.
You can upgrade them all, at a cost, later if you feel you're outgrowing the version you have.
Cubase
Steinberg's Cubase is now probably the main PC users' package.
It's got great features for controlling external devices like synths, samplers and effects boxes but it's not as intuitive as some of the other sequencers so you'll need to put in some hours to master it.
Some of the menu options aren't that easy to find and like all software, you'll get along much quicker once you learn a few of the main keyboard shortcuts.
Cubase is one of the original MIDI sequencing packages and its audio capabilities were added much later, when computers had evolved to be powerful enough to handle it.
Some critics of Cubase point out that it's still not as dedicated to audio as it could be but it's still a very cool piece of software.
There are various versions of Cubase, with different features such as the ability to produce musical scores from your MIDI sequences.
The entry-level version will set you back around £270 while the full version retails at around £450.
www.steinberg.net
Logic
Emagic's Logic Audio is now the system of choice for Mac users.
Logic established its reputation amongst PC and Mac producers as being a more complete piece of software than Cubase and also being easier to master.
It's quite simple to pick things up without too much searching around in the menus and looking through the manual.
It's also very slick and solid and it's easy on the eye. Separate - trust!
Logic comes in a series of different levels. Silver is the cheapest - you can pick it up as part of their Big Box package, which comes with a bunch of free extras, for around £180.
Platinum, the top-of-the-range version, will set you back around £550.
For your money you get more tracks, more effects plug-ins and a few less obvious features.
www.emagic.de
Sonar (Cakewalk)
Like Cubase, Sonar grew out of a MIDI-only program called Cakewalk.
The packed screen can be a bit tricky when you're still getting to know what all the buttons do.
You may also feel like you're working in quite a cramped window as the main programming and arranging area is squeezed into a small space.
Cakewalk's MIDI facilities use a few different screens, so it can feel like you're jumping from window to window a lot when you're programming.
But to balance that out, it's very smooth and quite easy to get going.
Like Logic, it uses a toolbar to change the function of the mouse pointer - you draw in notes with one tool and delete them with another - so with both packages you'll save hours if you set your short cuts early on.
Sonar's basic version will cost you around £170. The full version, Sonar XL, currently tips the scales at around £250.
www.cakewalk.com
Pro-Tools
ProTools is arguably the world's leading professional audio software package.
It's made by DigiDesign and their pro systems are found in the biggest and messiest studios worldwide but they also produce systems aimed directly at the home studio user.
That's all good if you're thinking of moving on to a professional career in sound and want to become familiar with the software you're likely to encounter.
ProTools is designed for editing and recording audio, so it has some basic MIDI editing features but nothing like the power of Cubase, Logic or Sonar.
You arrange your MIDI on another system and then import it into ProTools once you've finished it.
The full version is Mac-only but the home studio versions are PC compatible too.
Going down the ProTools route usually means buying their hardware as well as the software.
This makes their basic systems a bit more expensive than comparable packages.
The entry level system, called the M-Box, gives you stereo ins and outs on a USB interface box. It will cost you about £400.
The DIGI 001 package includes a soundcard and MIDI interface and will set you back around £780.
Go for a DIGI 002 and you get a control surface with faders, 8 inputs, 8 outs and a whole bunch of useful features. It costs around £2,000 though!
All of these systems include software and are compatible with both PC and Mac computers.
www.digidesign.com
Others
There are lots of other pieces of software that are great for making music.
For example, there are packages to help you chop up drum loops, copy the patterns and replace the original sounds with your own.
Then there are plug-ins. These are bits of software which work alongside your sequencer.
There are hundreds of them and they can come in many different forms.
Many of them are like virtual pieces of studio equipment, such as samplers, soft-synths, mixers, drum machines, EQs and compressors.
They are often very powerful and can be a fraction of the cost of the hardware versions.
Then there are the plug-in effects like chorus, ensemble, flange, exciters, reverb, stereo delay etc.
These can be used to make your mixes sound smoother, balanced and more professional.
You'll usually get a good size bundle of plug-ins with your sequencer software but updates are happening all the time so check out the 'net for loads more.
More... from How to...
Press CDs
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/distribution/cdsp01.shtml
Home recording basics
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/recording/homebasicsp01.shtml
Home recording equipment
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/recording/homeequipp01.shtml
More... from the web
HitSquad
Shareware Music Machine - find demo versions of many bits of software, applications and plug-ins
http://www.hitsquad.com/smm
ArtistPro
On-line recording courses
http://www.artistpro.com
StudioCovers
All round top tips. Articles from many other sources collected together
http://www.studiocovers.com
http://arts.ucsc.edu/recording
Technical background recording articles
http://arts.ucsc.edu/recording
Future Producers
Advice for engineers, producers, remixers and DJs
http://www.futureproducers.com
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