Free VST - TAL-NoiseMaker

TAL-NoiseMaker is an improved version of TAL-Elek7ro and has a completely new synth engine and a lot of improvements in sound and usability. The synth also includes a small effect section with a reverb, chorus and a simple bit crusher effect.

A display shows the knob and slider values. This allows more control over the synth. A ringmodulator and a syncable triangle are also part of this synth. TAL-NoiseMaker includes new filter types as the self resonating 6dB low pass and a notch filter. Its improved amplitude ADSR is very suitable for slow pads as for really fast envelopes. 128 factory presets included, 80 made by Frank "Xenox" Neumann / Particular - Sound.

Download TAL Noisemaker

Audio Production Tips - Fixing Samples

Those of you using programs that can play back WAV samples like FL Studio may have run into the problem where som WAV files play back in loop mode or pitched to a certain key when used in the pattern but sound perfect when previewed.

This is caused by cue points, tempo and root note information being stored in the sample. It is ignored by the previewer but used in the sample player.

There are a few ways of correcting the problem. First you can disable the various settings in the FL channel properties that use these cue points, tempo and root note data.

Here is a video from Warbeats that shows how it's done:




the second way is to run a program to remove the points and resave the sample without them. This would be very useful if you find that a drum kit you are using has a lot of these embedded points.

Enter the freeware Wave File Stripper. A free program from Optostudio to remove these unwanted cue points and markers. Simply drag audio files onto the GUI for processing and continue working.

To make a great program even better, you can donate to the developer and he'll send a proceed of that money to the relief effort in Haiti. How great is that!

Download WFS from Optostudio

Beat Making Software - 18 free beat making software links

If you're looking to make your own beats but just don't have any money at all to spend, you might find this list of legal beat making software very useful. This music software list does not include plug-ins and I did not try out each one of these. I did the research to find them, you can do the research to find which is best for you. :)

Note that some of these beat making software versions are "lite" versions and have commercial version as well. Have fun with this list of music making software!

Digital Audio Workstations

ACID Xpress (windows)- This is a 10-track version of ACID Pro software. It can do music recording, editing and mixing. Making beats is easy with this loop based software. ACID Xpress has an excellent ability to match the tempo and pitch automatically. I was a big ACID Pro user when I first started and it helped me to visualize how audio can be arranged. I didn't use the audio recording much back then. This is one music making software that I will have to revisit.

LMMS (linux/windows) Linux MultiMedia Studio - it looks like FL studio but is not FL Studio compatible. It can run on Linux and Windows based computers. You can make beats, compose melodies, mix master and more with this cool little freebie. Music making software like this is a welcome find.

Koblo (mac/windows) A very new player on the block. It's another free open sourced audio recording and music making software. It has some unique online collaboration features, because it's connected to the Koblo cloud. You'll be able to work together with other musicians or band members across the planet.

Anvil Studio (windows) Can do audio and MIDI sequencing. Looks a little old, but hey of the audio sounds fresh, who cares what it looks like!

Kristal (windows) This music making software has been around for a few years now. it hasn't been updated in a while from what I can tell but it has a lot of features.

Music Studio Independence (windows) has a great number of functions for every part of beat making, such as composition, arrangement, audio recording, mixing and mastering. It handles MIDI and audio. One awesome looking music making software.

MultitrackStudio (windows) This is an audio/MIDI multitrack recording software for Windows. It combines a multitrack audio recorder, a mixer, lots of effects and a MIDI sequencer in one package: everything that's needed to turn your computer into a digital multitrack music recording studio and beat making device.

MU.LAB (mac/windows) Marketed as an alternative, state of the art software application for OSX and Windows, transforming your computer into a real music studio! It does not overwhelm you with a complex feature set, in which you can get lost. Sounds perfect for a new beat maker.

Quartz (windows) This is one I have heard about but the website product page was down when I researched it. The home page makes a reference that it runs under Vista so I assume it still being developed. I hope to learn more abou this music making software.

MusE (linux) is a Linux based MIDI/Audio sequencer with recording and editing capabilities written by Werner Schweer. MusE aims to be a complete multitrack virtual studio for Linux, it is published under the GNU General Public License. MusE has among other things support for MIDI, Audio Effects, etc.

Ardour (linux/mac) is a digital audio workstation. You can use it to record audio, edit and mix multi-track audio recordings. You can produce your own CDs, mix video soundtracks, or just experiment with new ideas about music and sound.

Rosegarden (linux) is a well-rounded audio and MIDI sequencer, score editor, and general-purpose music composition and editing environment. Rosegarden is an easy-to-learn, attractive application that runs on Linux, ideal for composers, musicians, music students, and small studio or home audio recording environments.

Audio Recording and Wave Editors

Quick Audio (windows) A full featured audio recording and manipulation program that lets you edit, play and record digital audio as well as convert between various popular audio formats. It has standard audio editing features, multiple undo, audio spectrum analysis as well as support for up to 24 VST plugins.

Wavosaur (windows) is a free sound editor, audio editor, wav editor software for editing, processing and recording audio sounds, wav and mp3 files. Wavosaur has all the features to edit audio (cut, copy, paste, etc.) produce music loops, analyze, record, batch convert. Wavosaur supports VST plugins, ASIO driver, multichannel wav files, real time effect processing.

Freecycle (linux) is a beat slicer running on GNU/Linux platform using the QT toolkit, providing amplitude domain and frequency domain beat matching / zero crossing algorithms. It exports sliced audio chunks and generates a MIDI file which can be used to play the sliced loop, or you can jam with it as soon as you’ve made slices using a midi keyboard or sequencer.

WaveSurfer (linux/mac/windows) is an Open Source tool for sound visualization and manipulation. It has been designed to suit both novice and advanced users. Probably not as useful for your average beat maker, but the price is right.

Sweep (linux) is an audio recording editor and live playback tool for GNU/Linux, BSD and compatible systems. It supports many music and voice formats including WAV, AIFF, Ogg Vorbis, Speex and MP3, with multichannel editing and LADSPA effects plugins.

Audacity (linux/mac/windows) This is more of an audio recording editor but it can do multiple tracks. it's open source and can run on Mac/PC (Windows) and Linux. It has many advanced features and can use plug-ins. This is probably better used a sampler for you beat makers out there. For free music software this is the best wave editor out there.

Beat Making Software - FL Studio

Fl Studio is a all-in-one DAW that has a strong appeal for sample based beat makers and composed style beat makers. FL Studio was formerly called Fruity Loops but because of the negative connotation of the term "fruity" it was renamed.

FL studio has been used in commercial recordings from artist such as Jay-Z, Destiny's Child and Mary J. Blige. FL Studio has a very strong following on the rap and techno genres.

The current version as of this writing is version 8.

The Good

FL Studio is extremely powerful. Creatively FL Studio can deliver just about anything you can think up. It has a very strong support for sample manipulation. This is one reason why sample based beat makers are find it so useful. I would say it has the best sample editing capabilities (recording, chopping, slicing, tuning, etc..) of any DAW on the market. Truth is it blows hardware like the AKAI MPC out of the water when it comes to manipulating samples.

FL is relatively easy to use from the start as it starts you off in a sample based pattern editor. Point and click beat making at it's finest.

FL Studio audio processing is among the best out there and has shown consistent top marks in comparison testing.

MIDI support is also included.

The relatively low price ($199) and the lifetime updates are two very strong reasons why newbies to the beat making game go for it. When I originally purchased it it was $99 and I have had updates ever since. Many new features are added with each release and new major releases tend to come out about once a year.

FL Studio has the ability to use VSTs for both effects and instruments which makes getting new sounds from it, easy and affordable. The sheer amount of free VSTs out there make it especially appealing to the beat maker on a budget.

The Bad

FL Studio has a bad rap because of the stock sounds that come with it. They are not as polished as something like Reason and there is some confusion as to how to load the various sounds from the library. This can be easily overcome however because of the number of free and commercial plug-ins and drum kits that FL can use.

Most notably for the beatmaker is the absence of top notch drum kits. Again, this can be corrected by supplementing the library with other sources.

Some advanced functions can be difficult to use. There are advanced things like automation controllers that can be driven by mathmatical functions. Don't be scared by this however. I like to think of it as more bang that I can use if I need it, but is not neccesarry. There are many video tutorials on the FL Studio site that can help and one of my favorite FL Studio tutorial sites, Warbeats.Com is another excellent resource.

The Ugly

Some people say the interface is a sore spot for the program and it can be. Many of the controls are tiny when viewed on high resolution displays. This can be a source of frustration when trying to dial in that knob to just the right place.

FL has a primarily dark color theme which some people find not as easy to view for long periods of time when compared to light based themes.

Conclusion

Whether you are a sample based beat maker or prefer to compose your own beats from scratch, FL has all the toold you will need. Be sure to get familiar with plugin sites like KVRAudio.com and tutorial sites like Warbeats for maximum enjoyment. The lifetime updates insures that 10 years from now you will still be on the latest and greatest.

Beat Making Software - Reason

Reason is a popular software for making beats for some very good "reasons". The current version as of this post is version 4. One of the most famous Reason created beats is T.I.'s "What You Know Bout That".

The Good:

First, Reason has a great sound to it. Part of making beats sound good is the quality of instruments and effects processing. Reason does not disappoint, this is a quality program.

Second, it comes loaded with enough sounds and a great variety of sounds it will keep all you beat makers inspired for a long time.

Compared to other DAWs, Reasons sequencer is very similar as is the main mixing console.

The Bad:

Reason does not offer extensive sampling / recording tools. This might be a minus to sample based beat makers. But if your needs are simple, it shouldn't be a big hurdle to overcome.

Third-party support comes inthe form of instruments and patches for existing Reason intruments. The common VSTs type instrument or effect is not supported.

The Ugly:

As with all beat making programs, there are some minor issues in my opinion. The biggest one is that in an effort to make all the sound generators and effects look like real hardware rack equipment, it makes a very poor use of the screen. I also found that routing instruments and effects was confusing at times.

This is a minor gripe though. Many people are making beats with Reason and love the fact that it makes them feel like they are using real hardware.

Conclusion

If you are NOT primarily a sample based beat maker the Reason is a good option. If you really like to tweak samples and manuipulate audio look elsewhere for your fix. The great sounds mean you can get a nice start on your beat making but the lack of support for the VST standard will leave you out in the cold as your non-Reason buddies all brag about the new plug-ins they can use.