Personally, after reading all the free information I could find I was still stuck because I didn't have adequate TOOLS to get started. So I went searching for a system that had the complete package - I didn't have to read a lot of books that gave me the basics but none of the nitty gritty, and I didn't have to download 5 different software programs (that didn't integrate) and was difficult to get a decent sound together.
I didn't have a lot of money to buy studio time (and I didn't have the experience straight away to justify the cost of this) and I certainly didn't have the money to purchase a whole heap of equipment to get going so I went looking for a good software download that could do it all.
There are some great beat making software that you can find online - I highly recommend finding one to download onto your computer because it is a lot faster to use from your own PC and you can upload your own sounds to incorporate into the software and make your beats sound fantastic!
I also found that it was a lot quicker to start making beats online fast with one powerful all-inclusive software program than trying to Google all the different questions I had, sort through the responses and keep going with banging out beats.
What you need to look for is a software program that already has everything integrated to start producing your own rap music, hip hop beats or any style that you want.
It will need to include a lot of different quality samples that you can put together - you don't want to be limited in your creativity because you didn't have access to quality samples. You should also be able to add embellishments into the music such as special effects - fade outs, reverb etc.
You also need a sequencer! A sequencer is where you can integrate you drum, keys, voices etc into your timeline. Good beat making software should have a sequencer that can allow you to import your own sounds AND also include quality mastered libraries - and by quality I mean AT MINIMUM 44.1 stereo 16 bit.wav files.
Don't go looking for MP3 music production software either. While it sounds okay, it is already second generation compressed sounds so when you compress them down further to MP3 to have your 'master' - do you think the sound quality will really be any good? I doubt it, definitely not what it can be. And if you are interested in selling those beats to someone? Think again, they will not take you seriously.
You also need to consider your drum machine panel and your sampling keyboard - some beat making software have a keyboard trigger assigned to it which means that you can bang out your beats on your drum machine and sampling keyboard using the keyboard that you type on which is pretty awesome.
Also make sure that the software you are using has a pretty comprehensive tutorial package. While making your own beats is awesome fun, you will still need a few lessons to get going and if you find the right software that has great tutorials then you will get going in next to no time.
Oh and before I forget... make sure that the software that you start using has frequent updates! One thing that I found annoying with some software packages is that they didn't update their sounds with any fresh content... I never thought to check for that because I thought all software packages would do that but they don't. You need access to software that is always offering you fresh quality sounds.
Finally, all you will need now is to be able to burn your sick new beats to CD! Then you can show off your hot new sounds to anyone and everyone. If you are interested in selling your beats then get them out there! Radio stations, music producers, You Tube, DJ's for their club music, even put your own voice on it... the possibilities are endless.
Go and start creating some awesome beats - find yourself a hot beat maker online and maybe we will be hearing your hot beats over the airwaves soon!
