If you are interested in making beats then you may have looked up what famous hip hop producers are using. Typically they will use a costly drum machine to make their beats, but for most of us spending a lot of money just to get started is out of the question. That being said there is a large number of people on the internet who have figured out how to make beats on computer, sometimes even selling their beats. So if you are looking to get started without the fancy gear here is what you will need.
The first thing you are going to need are samples of the various drums, instruments, and song parts that you will be using to compose your beat. Samples are available everywhere, and there is free software for cutting up and recording sounds such as audacity. There is something you do need to worry about though, and that is whether the samples that you are working with are legal for you to use. Make sure that you understand your rights, and beware of public domain unless you are one hundred percent sure.
As far as software goes there are numerous choices out there. In my opinion if you are just starting out is to go with something simple. You could spend thousands of dollars on a package with a gazillion features, but if you don't understand how to use it then it's not worth anything. That being said some key features to look for are real time recording, the ability to bind drums, and keyboard keys to the keyboard, and of course the ability to use samples from outside of the program. I can't emphasize how useful being able to record in real time, and being able to drum, and play instruments directly with the keyboard is.
The final thing you will want to make sure of is that whichever way you go you have the instruction to know how to use the software that you choose. Ideally the software will come with some training, and if it doesn't then that could really run up the costs. Sites like YouTube can be very useful in this, but often it's a mixed bag. If you are unsure of whether or not you can figure things out then the easy thing to do is make sure the software has a money back guarantee that way if they don't provide what you're looking for you won't be out of cash.
