Audio Production Software

Technorati Tags: audio production software, music editing software, music making software, music mixing software, recording music software

I am unsure if i want to use external equipment or Pc based audio/midi sequencing software or use them together some how.

Equipment/instruments

I have a simple usb interface for midi to use with Yamaha NP30 76-key keyboard
Guitar is direct to pc sound card (XFI Xtreme audio pci) through line in. Limited connectivity

I am considering buying a mixer "Boss BR-600 Digital 8 Track Recorder"

Software

I did find a copy of cakewalk sonar, but i found it to advanced for starting out.
Now tending towards Cubase sx

I used demo of both these programs years ago on a old Future Music cover disk and made some good music with them.

Any comments welcomed and some advice on starting out and getting kit together.
Would it be best to stay away from computers or make it all work together
Thanks for advice so far, some good links too

Still no mics for recording Jumbae, voice , acoustic guitar,
The Br600 does have mics reported to be quite good…
Guitar is semi acoustic - that is it has a pickup
i also have a Acoustic and Electric PRS copy

The problem with 8 tracks is there’s only 8 tracks which limits what you can input into a song. Computers are good because you can have unlimited tracks depending on your memory and as long as your interface has a good pre-amp it’ll sound good too.

Computers may be harder to understand and work with but that’s the direction i would go because you can fiddle and change songs with way more effects and editing tools than an 8 track. If your going to spend more money it might be a good idea to upgrade your interface to one with a better pre-amp.

If you just want to plug in and play then go for the 8 track, can’t beat them for simplicity.

That’s the extent of my knowledge (which isn’t much) but i hope it helps in some small way.

The famous artists have the facilities of recording their songs in their own studios with all the crew of engineers and technicians helping them with the instruments etc. However, if you are a beginner beat maker, you would need to consider many factors before starting to make your own beats and tunes.

You will need to keep in mind your own budget and the availability of beats and instruments. It is very difficult for the amateur beat makers to take decisions regarding the instruments and the beats they need to buy.

In order to give yourself a start, you should consider buying the beats from the professional artists.

There are many beats available on the internet which you can buy and use in your own songs and tunes. However, you will need to make sure that these beats come from a reliable source and are of good quality. You will need to first consider what style of music you are producing and then you can ascertain the usefulness of the beats you have available.

Also, while making a purchase through the internet, you can first download and listen to the demo beats from any website and if you like their quality then you can buy the beats that you think will be useful for your songs.

There are also exclusive beats available on the internet, which are very costly, but they are of great quality and can be used for the commercial purposes. You can also use these beats to create your demo CDs, which can be sent to the independent record labels. You should record your best songs and tunes on your demo CDs, which will allow you the best chance of being selected by the record labels.

The exclusive beats can be used in your songs; however, you should ensure that these beats are royalty free, which will relieve you from paying the royalties for using these beats in your songs. There are also some non-exclusive beats available on the internet, which do not cost much but since they are non-exclusive it means that anyone can use them. Hence you can only use the non-exclusive beats for creating your demo CDs and they are not for your exclusive right.

After getting the beats you can either use these beats to get an idea from them and start creating your own beats, or you can use them in your songs. You also need to have a music software, which will allow you to produce a variety of beats and songs on your computer, this can be a good replacement of a full fledge studio that might cost you too much.

However, you will need to buy some instruments in order to start producing your own music. While purchasing the instruments, always consider if you really require them and go for those instruments only which you badly need to get start.

In this way you can just start and go on with the beat making and producing music.

Seth Willis Jr.
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/hip-hop-beat-making-731318.html

iPod Basics and Purchasing Guide

So, you are looking to purchase an iPod? Please take the time to read this brief article which will at best help you get the most out of your new iPod, and at the least, help you avoid mistakes and misconceptions. This article is written out of my personal experience with iPods.

1. What is an iPod?

An iPod is a MP4 player, not a MP3 player. Basically, the MP4 format is a proprietary format only recognized by Apple products, such as iPods and QuickTime™. In order for music to play on an iPod, it must be in MP4 format. Apple’s music download site, iTunes™, offers music only in the MP4 format. The iTunes™ software which comes with an iPod will convert MP3 music files to MP4 format, so they will play on your iPod. An iPod will not play MP3 files, neither will Windows Media Player play MP4 files. Both the Nano and Video iPod will store and display photos, but a video iPod is needed to play video files.

2. What is iTunes?

® Apple hosts the world’s largest music download site called iTunes™. As of March 2006, over 1 billion files have been downloaded for use in iPods. Pretty amazing. This site offers music files for 99 cents each, and you need not download an entire album, but can select only the music files you want and download it into your computer. The iTunes™ software in your computer is the vehicle by which files are loaded into the iPod. Simply place your iPod into its dock (which is attached via USB to your computer), start iTunes™ and your iPod is updated automatically with new music, playlists, Podcasts and so forth. I have tried other music download sites and have not found any which I like as well as iTunes™, even though they may offer music cheaper than iTunes™. A basic search will locate alternative music download sites.

There are a variety of other files available on iTunes™ called Podcasts. These are audio or video files which include news broadcasts, informational programs, comedy programs and many others. The great majority of Podcasts are free, and others are not.

3. What You Get

iPods come with the following:

iPod with battery

Earphones (called “earbuds”)

A generic pouch for the earbuds

A docking station (to transfer files and charge the iPod)

iTunes™ software CD

Instruction manual

That is all.

4. What You will Need

Every iPod user will need a case, and we strongly recommend a screen protector.

Both the iPod Nano and 5th generation (5G) Video iPod are susceptible to scratching, and the black units seem to show scratches worse than the white ones. This is true of both the iPod housing AND the screen. Nothing is worse than having your iPod blemished with unsightly scratches, especially when it is easily avoidable by using a case and screen protector. Having your unprotected iPod floating around inside your purse or in your pocket will absolutely cause your iPod to quickly accumulate scratches both on the housing and on the screen. Be warned! This is not really a defect, but just the way it is.

5. Using iPods in your Car

Most people quickly realize that it would be great to be able to have their iPod play music through their car stereo. No longer would they have to mess with CDs or tapes. How many CDs would you have to carry to have your entire music library with you in the car? You can take it all in the palm of your hand with an iPod. So, how does one play music through their car stereo? There are several options.

First, there are cables available for most car stereos which plug into the iPod and the other end of the cable plugs into a port on the back of the stereo. Removal of the stereo is usually required to accomplish this task. Also, the wire used to connect your iPod is exposed. It does, however, sound great! Some car stereos have a line input on the faceplate. In this case, all one needs to do is use an adaptive cable from the headphone jack of the iPod to the input on the stereo. In both of these scenarios, the iPod will run on its internal battery unless a car charger is used as well.

Second, (and by far the most popular) method, is to use an FM transmitter to transmit a signal from your iPod to your FM radio and play it as if it were a radio station. There are a variety of FM transmitters from several manufacturers. We recommend using a unit which is a dock and not a plug into the iPod port. The plug-in units consume power from the iPod battery and seem to produce a weak signal resulting in poor audio quality. A docking unit (such as the Griffin RoadTrip™) holds your iPod in place, charges the iPod and produces a strong signal. The RoadTrip™ also features a removable FM module which allows it to plug into your computer. You can therefore listen to FM radio through your computer without having to install software.

6. Using iPods at Home

iPods can easily play through your home stereo. One can simply use an adaptive cable which plugs into the headphone jack of the iPod and into the stereo input of your stereo. In this setup, the iPod is operating on battery power unless the iPod is also plugged into a charger.

Docking your iPod is the preferred method, and there are a variety of docking solutions available. The iPod docks into a base which charges the iPod, and an output jack on the base connects the iPod to your stereo via a cable. Some units offer remote controls for your iPod and others do not, but often these remotes are weak and have very limited range and field of reception. We have found that some television or stereo programmable remote control units can be programmed to work with certain iPod docking systems, while others work partially or not at all. It is worth trying if you have a programmable remote.

Some docking units also have a video output for use with the 5G Video iPod, which allows one to watch videos or photos stored in the iPod on a television. We have found that the picture quality is poor on large screen televisions, but ok on a smaller screen. Using a dock with S-video output will provide a far superior picture than units using an RCA connector. As of now, iPods do not support high definition.

There are speaker systems which contain their own amplifier and operate as a stand-alone unit with an iPod. These are not all created equal. Our testing has found that a high price does not always equal high quality. We have found $150 systems which in our opinion sound significantly superior to $400 units. It is best to listen to the various systems before making your selection; or if buying online, follow the recommendations of the seller IF they have tested the systems and can provide you with recommendations based on testing results.

There are alarm clock radios (such as iHome™) which allow you to go to sleep listening to your iPod and wake up to it as well. We have tested the iHome™ and others, and found iHome™ to be our unit of choice.

7. Loading Movies into Your 5G Video iPod

When the Video iPod first came out, I gave it a high ranking on the “Dumb-O-Meter.” Who wants to watch a movie on a 2.5 inch screen? However, after having used one, I have recanted my original opinion. It is now my iPod of choice. Unfortunately, iTunes™ and other MP4 download sites usually have little to offer in the way of legal movies which are formatted to play on an iPod. ITunes™ does have some short films, music videos and television shows, but not much else.

An easy solution for this is to convert your own DVDs into a format that the iPod can play. This can be accomplished by means of a software product called a DVD to iPod converter, such as Cucusoft, Lenogo and others. It is a simple process. Put a DVD in your computer, start the converter program and let it convert the movie to iPod format. Then, move the converted file into your iTunes™ video list. The next time you dock your iPod to your computer, it will load into your iPod. Some converter programs will also convert AVI, MPEG, MPG, WMV and other computer video formats for use on an iPod. This can allow you to convert your family videos and view them on your ipod. IPod movies are great for entertaining children on the road, for the business traveler stranded at an airport or for long airplane trips.

DVD converters we recommend are available here.

8. iPods and your PC

The music files for your iPod are stored in two places: in your PC in the iTunes™ program, and in your iPod. If your PC crashes and you loose your hard drive or have to reformat, you will loose EVERYTHING contained in your iTunes™ folder, including all of the songs you have purchased from iTunes™. Furthermore, iTunes™ does not offer the means to re-download songs you have purchased for free. You will have to buy them again. Neither does the iPod come with a means to load files into a computer. Fortunately, there are software programs which allow you to copy the contents of your iPod into a PC or from one iPod to another. These programs are usually titled “iPod to PC”, or something similar. If your computer crashes, you will kick yourself for not having this program to restore your music files back into your computer.

IPod to PC programs we recommend are available here.

Paul McCormick
http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/ipod-basics-purchasing-guide-93924.html

When you consider running a membership site, you’ll need to look at the information you’re going to supply to your members. For more detail go to: www.starting-membership-site.com. Content is always needed for a website, but for many people creating their own product from scratch is too daunting a task. But, there’s an easier solution to get you started, and if you follow this correctly your membership site will be the best it could ever be.

The first thing you need to do is decide what your membership site is going to be about. Once you know what you are offering your members, the next task is to then create those products. Now this is where the majority of people fail, because they have no idea how to create the products. Is there a simple way to create these videos, ebooks, software and scripts, you are asking yourself? The answer is yes. Today, you are going to learn how easy it is to create your own products, and not only that, but have instant products to offer your members.

www.member-site-manager.com

www.awesome-membership-riches.com

Private label rights, is something a lot of people buy, but very few people use in the correct way. You see, when you buy PLR then you should already have in mind how you can convert this to a unique item. Unique doesn’t mean adding a couple of words here and there, but making so many changes that the original creator doesn’t recognized it as the same.

When you buy good products, you will find that the research has already been completed for you, and you can then use your purchases as a platform to create an even better product. You need to decide how to change these purchases and then set time aside to do that.

If you buy an eBook, then you need to consider adding a few new chapters to the book, renaming the title and also the chapter headings, as well as rewriting the rest of the book. Once you have that completed, then you need to create stunning new graphics. For more detail go to: www.secure-member-area.com. Can you enhance the package by adding in a video or audio? You are looking all the time to produce something that is top quality.

To stand out from the crowd, you want to go that extra mile in your production, rather than thinking anything will do. Once you have everything ready, you then need to consider the rights you are going to give your customers.

One of the rights many people are looking for are master resale rights; they want to have a package that is high quality, that they can sell onto their customers without doing a lot of extra work.

When you sell a digital item online, people want an instant download, and you should have already got this in place for your business. There are many companies that do this automatically for you, or you can purchase a script which will help you.

reegan sharma
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/what-your-membership-site-is-going-to-be-about-693280.html

How do i do this?

Buy a converter plug from a local electronics store then plug it into the mic or line in socket..

I like to edit pre-made loops together into songs, but I haven’t found a program that has let me turn a made song into an mp3 file for me to take with me in an mp3 player or something. Does anyone know of such a software, for free might i ad?

Audacity’s no good for your purposes..
It can save as mp3 but it doesn’t use loops.

Garage Band’s fine if you’ve got a Mac.

Third time lucky - Acid Xpress.
The free, lite, loop based version of Sony Acid Pro 7.
Free loop pack from site and the ability to create up to ten loop based tracks.
You won’t get all the functions of the commercial version but hey, it’s free and it works.
Create your track then select "render as" from the file menu.
Select mp3 from the "save as type" dropdown list and select the bitrate from the "template" dropdown list.
128 kbps is generally accepted as the best quality versus size ratio.
More than good enough for an mp3 player.

Acid Xpress:
http://www.acidplanet.com/downloads/xpress/
More free, compatible loops from Macloops:
http://www.macloops.com/ (sign up needed but no catches)

Edit: The RZ mp3 converter won’t cut it either. You’re "saving as" not converting.

I need to know of an easy to use music editing software with good vocal effects.

Sonic Producer has the music editing software, very easy interface and professional sound results, I created all my music using their software, highly recommended!

http://ee5d2ayc1f2qjq6nzmqbvgyl6t.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=SONIC

Sony Ericsson W890i comes in solid bar casing, which has smooth edges and a metal finish. This metal finish handset comes in 78 grams of weight. The light weight device measures 104 x 46.5 x 9.9 mm in dimensions. The TFT screen is empowered with two thousand fifty six colours with the wallpapers and screensavers. The vibrant 2.0 inches screen is integrated with 240 x 320 pixels resolutions. It comes with navigation keys along with shortcut and call keys. The 3G technological device comes with amazing organiser features like phone book, alarm clock, calculator, calendar, tasks, timer, stopwatch, notes, flight mode, speakerphone, vibrating alert and pictbridge printing. This is an ultimate music phone, which comes in an excellent sound quality. This Walkman phone is attracting the music lovers. The 3G phone has the quad-band technology with 2G and 3G network facility. The 2G network facility has the 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 GSM frequencies and 3G network has the 2100 HSDPA facility. This phone memory comes in the 32 Mbyte of shared memory, which is the enough space to save the data in the mobile. The phone memory can also be expanded, through memory stick micro (M2) up to 2 GB card. This music phone gives the full talktime to the users by 9.5 hours of talk time. The battery has strong back up with 360 hours of standby. Its phone book has the 1000 x 20 fields contact entries with photo call option. Its phonebook has the records of 30 received, dialled and missed calls.

The outstanding sound feature phone gives the excellent sound quality. The music features are Walkman music player, FM Radio RDS, polyphonic ringtones, MP3 ringtones, mega bass, trackID, playnow, sensMe, disc2Phone software and Bluetooth stereo with A2DP. The Bluetooth wireless technology allows you to connect the device with other music devices without containing any wire. The built-in trackID can easily select the song from a short recording of the track. The FM radio features allows you to change the mood as per the situation. The web browsing internet facility comes with netfront web browser and RSS feeds. It is integrated with 3.2 Mega pixels camera with 2048×1536 pixels resolutions. Some more features of the auto focus camera are digital zoom, camera settings, video record, video player, video clip, video blog, video streaming, video calling, picture wallpaper and wallpaper animation. The 3.2 mega pixels camera allows you to click or record an excellent pictures. Its messaging features are SMS or text messaging, MMS or multimedia messaging, instant messaging, Email with attachments, predictive text input, sound recorder.
price comparison

Alden Jerry
http://www.articlesbase.com/cell-phones-articles/sony-ericsson-w890i-an-outstanding-device-685782.html

Now that it’s a fact, there is nothing alarming about the number of Internet video/TV watchers that continues to rise. The number of home video and television watchers are still way ahead but a continue rise in Internet video and TV could get very close in the near future. Whether or not the thought of downloading a Satellite TV to PC software to watch all kinds of videos and channels has ever hit home, perhaps now is the time to consider this more seriously.

To do so will mean avoiding the duds and scams by sticking with a top software service. To watch Satellite TV on your PC will means receiving free Internet television entertainment. It needs to be simple as possible while providing legal access and a risk-free, scam-free environment when delivering on a promise made to consumers. As a result, looking over your shoulders, worrying about spyware/adware/viruses, and skepticism are eliminated. To avoid making crucial mistakes, the best way to learn how to use software to watch computer Internet TV is knowing what it can and can’t do.

So what are some of the things that are not being revealed?

Firstly, understand the Satellite TV on your computer myth. Although a top TV on PC software will provide an instant gateway to free Internet TV/Radio/Music/VOD on a PC, it doesn’t offer Satellite or Cable TV programming. At best, it provides the next best thing which is Internet TV with more television variety, savings, freedom, flexibility, and mobility when compared to Satellite and Cable Networks. Therefore, the least of your worries will be a software that decodes or descrambles paid-TV signals and channels–it simple doesn’t.

Secondly, even a top Satellite TV to PC software have flaws which is generally overlooked when hype clouds better judgment. Or when there is not enough information to make a well informed decision prior to paying the small one-time fee. When something sounds too good to be true it’s because the writer, reviewer, or seller are not revealing the flaws. Besides knowing an Internet broadband connection is needed in order for a Satellite TV on your PC software to work on a Windows or Vista desktop/laptop computer, generally speaking more understanding is needed.

Will the software work 100% of the time after downloading/installing it to ones computer?

There is a 20% (+/-) chance of failure. Why? Because of the hardware and other software already installed on the user’s computer. Remember this is very rare, as 80% (+/-) of the time it works very well. There are solutions to these issues, but they are generally left out before making a purchase. Meanwhile, there is a little secret that one can use to test out a top Satellite TV on your computer software that offers no free-trial.

Thirdly, what brings more trust to potential customers is product awareness that eliminates the feeling that something is too good to be true. This is where an unbiased customer review comes into play. This means looking elsewhere other than the merchants website. In addition, one of the few misconceptions is thinking that all merchants handle their own sales/refunds transactions. Knowing precising who handles and processes all sales/refunds is key to getting a refund quicker.

Generally speaking, many of the top and wiser Satellite TV on your computer merchants don’t want to handle this work–since they don’t have the man power or skill to do so. Therefore, most merchants usually outsourced this task to a highly reputable and secured online service such as, ClickBank, Plimus, PayPal, etc. This is more information that needs to be covered to bring more awareness. So reading a good customer review that provides the pros and cons is key to a getting the right software package and service.

What makes a great TV doesn’t mean it has to be paid for or doing anything illegal to get it. When having Satellite TV on your computer through software, it makes accessing tons of free Internet TV/Radio/Music/VOD easier and faster as oppose to doing everything yourself. Newbies get a clear path to discovering the power of the Internet with all of it free media via a computer Internet TV setup, including many perks to enhance more enjoyment and exciting entertainment.

When watching regular television channels becomes boring, sharing a TV-set with others leads into arguments, living without paid-TV means living without, and traveling near and afar creates loneliness, a top Satellite TV to PC software service can add a high number of advantages than just one.

Philip Sumpter
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/satellite-tv-on-your-pc-skyrocket-your-tv-entertainment-through-the-roof-730495.html