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hi,
I'm looking at making some beats and from what i can tell, i can do it with beat makers. what i would like to know is exactly what these beat makers are. how do they work, and do they plug into my computer directly? (USB - sound inputs, what?). also, i only have the onboard sound, so (remembering it is a laptop) what Inputs/Outputs should i get for the sound card.

also can you give me an estimate on howmuch a beatmaking setup, including the sound card, would cost overall?
cheers

lilloco

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pr0gr4m Wed, 02/08/2006 - 12:58

Beat Makers? Never heard of them.

In reading this and your previous emails, it sound like you really don't know how this is done at all.
I'd recommend that you take a trip to your local music store and have their people show you around and introduce you to different equipment so you'll better understand what is involved.

That said, here are some basics.

Beats are generally made using 4 things; drum machines, sequencers, loops and samplers. I guess you could call these things beat makers.

A drum machine is a unit that has internal sounds as well as internal drum patterns. But they also allow you to create your own patterns.

A sequencer is basically a midi recording device. With it you can create drum patterns that can be played back. Since a sequencer just records midi data, you still need a sound source. Generally a sequencer is used in conjunction with a drum machine or a sampler.

Loops are pre-recorded patterns that are recorded a specific tempos. You can sample (see below) them and trigger their playback so that they play in time with your music. Loops could be played as a whole or they can be sliced up so you just specific parts of them.

A sampler is a specialized type of recording device and what is used more than anything else in the creation of "beats". You record individual sounds and then play them back. Some samplers include sequencers to allow you to construct drum patterns. They also may include pads so that you can play or trigger your samples. Samplers can also be used to record loops and trigger them for playback.

Check out the Akai MPC1000. It is a complete production center allowing you to load samples, record midi, play live and yes.....Make Beats.

anonymous Wed, 02/08/2006 - 13:19

thankz for the advice, i have only just started with all the start from scratch stuff, i used to use programs that were drag and drop and no good sample were on it. unitill one day some of my friends said that i am quite good at using what i had. so i decided to step it up allitle and use the proprer stuff and am a bit lost to admit but getting there slowy but surly.
the only problem is there is no real place that can help me where i live or none that i know of.
so realy i am looking for a bit of a mentor to get me started and help me understand a bit better till i can go off on my own and do what i want and be good as i can at it.
it may be asking to much but i guess i will have to wait and see if any one reply back,
thanks again.
Lil Loco

pr0gr4m Wed, 02/08/2006 - 15:30

No problem. I don't do much work in that area but I've been in electronic music forever so I've got some idea of what's done.

There may be someone here who works more in that field and maybe they could get some more specific answers for you.

You may want to check some other sites as well. This one is really more geared more towards recording and less towards production.

anonymous Wed, 02/08/2006 - 23:51

use Fl Studio "Fruty Loops" its called. Should be good for hip hop you just need to find some Vst(plug ins) like sample tank, hypersonic, etc, and use them to make melodies, and about the kicks, snare, etc you can find them anywhere they are usually found with the name of Hip Hop Library or something similar.. i hope this could help you

att:
SHARO

UncleBob58 Thu, 02/09/2006 - 00:21

"Old School" rap used the AKAI MPC series of sequencer/samplers. If I remember correctly, it was the MPC1000. Only 12bit, it has that "dirty" sound that used to be popular. I used it often when I was doing Rap & Hip-Hop sessions, mostly as a sound module, however.

There are lots of beat boxes out there, by Roland especially, which you can check out. You can also check out all of the software sequencing packages with virtual synths and samplers.