After spending a LOT of time googling different questions, I noticed one that’s asked a lot is, “How do I start making beats?” and “What software should I use?”. For those of you that find yourself asking the same questions, I have the answer right here.

FIRST
There are millions of ways to make beats. You can do it completely virtually (using software on a PC/Mac), through hardware or equipment (equally efficient, but expensive), or both! There are advantages to each, and each may end with a completely different sound. HOWEVER, whichever way you choose to do, MASTER THE TECHNIQUE FIRST, before deciding to give up on it.

THE BEST ROUTE FOR BEGINNERS

If you are just starting off, and want to learn to make beats, use a software-based studio to help you get started. For example, FL Studio 10 is easy to use, cheap, and has a lot of sounds. You can make quality sounding beats using this software, even if you are new to producing. I suggest you try the demo before buying though. You don’t want to waste your money on something you won’t be comfortable with using - trust me, you’ll be using it a lot. The downside to using FL Studio is the driver. FL comes with a horrible rendition of ASIO driver (an audio driver that emits the sound to your computer), that sucks up a lot of your PC’s Ram. In basic terms, it slows your computer down easily. So, if you don’t have a computer with nice memory, don’t expect to be making Kanye West’s “All Of The Lights”, because, you won’t make it past the horns. Yet and still, here’s the link to FL Studio: http://www.flstudio.com

Another good software based studio is Reason. Reason has been around for a long time, and is also user-friendly if you’re new to producing. My only problem with Reason is this: if you don’t have a keyboard, it’s hard to record sounds. Unlike FL Studio’s Piano Roll, Reason has this small box that’s supposed to represent a keyboard. I HATE that about Reason. Other than that, Reason is comparably well to FL. Here’s the link to Reason: http://www.propellerheads.se/reason

MAC USERS ONLY

If you are lucky enough to own an Apple computer, most likely, you’ve seen that application called Garageband. As a loyal FL Studio user, I began making beats with Garageband. However, when I think about before, the only reason I used Garageband was because I didn’t know how to record on beat. I only loved Garageband for the loops. Garageband does however have a Piano Roll, similar to FL. So if you were like me, and didn’t have good timing or steady hands, stick to the loops on this one. If you don’t have Garageband already, you can find it here: http://www.apple.com/garageband

Now after those reviews, if you still can’t decide which software to use, I would recommend you start with FL Studio. I know a lot of people may disagree, especially the Apple lovers, but FL is really dependable. You can do a LOT within FL Studio, and it’s very easy to use. Look at 9th Wonder! He made it, and his beats are amazing in my opinion. So, there you have it. If you want to learn to make beats, start with FL if you couldn’t make up your mind. Leave comments on how you did, what you  learned, or if you have any insight I should add here.

Peace, and happy beat making!

P.S. Remember! It’s not the program you choose to use, it’s what YOU as the PRODUCER do with it!

Follow Me on Twitter @mycullbeatz for more tips or questions you have on making beats or if you’re looking for free beats.

Check out my youtube: http://www.youtube.com/mycullbeatz To hear samples of what I’ve made in FL Studio 10, Ableton, Reason, and mixing through Pro Tools (All of my beats)

Please RT if you love @MycullBeatz ! I’m #NP on @earbits radio! Fucking HYPE! http://www.earbits.com/s/h5mczCYKnSjwo