I want to make beats and i want to mix songs together and basicly all those DJ things like making beats and recording and revising the song. Does anyone know any program like this. Thank you.

I used to do this too when i was a bit younger. I didnt actualy try very many but i was very happy with the Magix set. They basicly have whats called Magix music maker where you can mix samples and loops together. Then there is like Magix Techno Maker or Magix Hip-Hop Maker which is bascily all the same program except they give you diffrent sounds to fit better with the genre. then they have these cds called sound pools that have all the beats on them. you can basicly use them with any programs for making music. You can also record really well with this and make your own sounds with a drumkit and a syth and stuff like that.

Then i dont know if you have a mac but theres also GarageBand which i think is realy good. as long a you dont have a really slow mac like a mac mini or somehting i think its good. There you can play literaly ANY instument with your keyboard or its better if you get a midi-keyboard but yeah its good. You can have infinite layers like in the magix versions and also has pretty nice recording.

you might wanna check these links out:
http://site.magix.net/english-us/home/music/
http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

I like a piece of software called FL Studio 6. It's not free, but you can download a trial edition from the internet somewhere. Very fun!

fruity loops is very good. also there are programs like cubase, reason, and the one i use the most ableton

very good programs however cubase and reason are more technical and complicated.

for beginners fruityloops and ableton arent too bad in terms of difficulty.

if you just want to mix tracks and record them probably the easiest app is atomixmp3

I believe that what you are looking for is a program called ableton live. You can get a really good demo from them from their page:

www.ableton.com

There are a lot of video tutorials on the same page and all over the internet. This program has won the award for best dj program a lot of times. It really is a good product.

Studio in a box

I would suggest to start with the Fl Studio Producer Edition. There really isn't anything that you can do on other programs that you can't do in Fl. It's pretty much "out of the box and you're good to go". The Producer Ed. also allows you to handle vocal tracks and has a lot of VST (virtual studio technology) support.

Propellerheads Reason offers modules and synths that ressemble real hardware but the cord patching can leave you in a tangled mess. A MIDI controller is also strongly advisable. Samples have much better sound quality but there is no vocal track support.

Ableton Live has the best sequencer I've ever seen. A lot of digital djs rely on this program. I haven't invested much time into it yet but Darude's music gives you a taste of its capabilities. If memory serves me right, the popular club track "Sandstorm" was built on Live.


Accessory programs worth considering or to use in conjunction with boxed studios

Propellerheads ReBirth is a program designed for creating techno beats.

If loop based music is your thing, try ACID made by Sony. It's the easiest program to use but don't expect to become a full fledged dj with it. Also, expect to shell out cash to buy loop packs - not worth it, in my opinion

For editing and producing only, go with Sound Forge. I personally accept no substitute.

Steinberg Cubase has the steepest learning curve I've ever seen. I gave up on in for the time being. Perhaps you might have better luck.


Programs that are also worth considering but that I've yet to try cause I really don't have that much time or money

ProTools, Cakewalk, Nuendo... that's all I can think of for now.



My final verdict

Start with Fl Studio and see if this is what you really want to do. As you get more into song writing/editing/producing or dj'ing, you'll learn that hardware is the way to go and that no matter how close programs come to the real thing, a real drummachine or synthesizer is just in a class of its own.

Good luck

When it comes to editing software for music, the best product hands down is Fruity Loops, or FL Studio XXL. It is literally a recording studio in a box, if you buy the boxed version. You can donload a demo with limited functionality at http://www.flstudio.com/. There you can also download the documentation and learn about how this powerful program is threatening to take over the digital audio workstation (DAW) market. With FL Studio, you can go from the basic sound track or drum beat to a professionally mastered and finished product, including your vocals and any instruments you know how to play. The program is powerful enough using the right computer to record multiple tracks at the same time, although I wouldn't recommend doing it that way.

The best thing about programs like this is that they let you isolate instruments and voices in the mix at any point from recording to mixdown. Mixdown is when you have recorded several "tracks", and are mixing them together into a two track final mix for mastering and conversion to "playable" formats such as CD or MP3. Isolating voices makes recording simpler, because a mistake by one artist at any point does not affect the performances of any other artist or voice in the mix. Every instrument and vocal is a "voice" in the mix, by the way.

The next best thing about programs like this is that they are totally nonlinear, No rewinding. Just point and click, and you are at any point in the timeline. This is a very important time saving feature. Next is automation. You cannot imagine how convenient automation is until you learn how to use it. The best DAWs are fully automated whenever the user wants them to be. They remember every setting in the mixer, all the effects settings, buses and sub mixes, EQs pans, and other important features of every envelope in the mixer. This is vital for consistent mixes and speed in setting up a session. You can start or stop anywhere in the creation process, and pick right back up where you left off, the next time you initiate a session.

FL Studio, has become the star in the DAW arena. The program offers the most bang for the buck with all of its integrated features, ease of use, documentation, and support. It can help you accomplish a lot in a little bit of time, with quality that is totally pro level at all times. Projects created and recorded on FL Studio are professional in every way, giving absolutely no hint whatsoever that they were created in a garage or basement, as opposed to a $100 per hour professional studio with Neve or SSL Boards. The huge variety of VST plug-ins that are available today just enhance your ability to turn out high quality songs every time using FL Studio.

Now, having said all that, please do not think that because you have FL Studio, you will instantly be capable of making great music. I don't want to misinform or mislead you. You have to be a good musician to make good music. Period. If you are like me, a mediocre musician, your music will sound good but still sound mediocre at the same time. Take it from me. Practice makes improvement, and another good thing about DAWs like FL Studio is that they allow you to chart your progress over time. Noting is better than opening up one of your early projects after a few months on the console, and hearing how bad you were, compared to the more accomplished musician you have become. DAWs are no joke.

I always feel that sound forge is one of the best...

With support for numerous file formats and a wealth of sound-processing tools, sound forge still is the Swiss army knife of audio production...

also you can use fruity loops... this is very much useful if you want to create sounds....

My vote is to Sound Forge is its audio.