Studio Pak Pro Ultimate Drums Audio Sound Sample Library Review

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(More customer reviews)
Still picking my way through this kit. I got a good collection of sound but it's getting harder to find a kit that comes with the entire kitten kaboodle. I'm very pleased with the kit a good bang for the buck. 500 samples plus the free kit it came with was more than enough. I wouldn't say this kits for people expecting to make push button tracks. You gotta put your work on. I layered some of the drum samples and tweaked him right into my MPC and it came out nasty. for forty bucks the kit was well worth it vs. other kits I've seen for the same price that came with like 32 sounds. I just needed lots of sounds and this kit delivered it for me how good they are depends on how good you are. It's the producer that makes the difference. I've spent hours diggin through records to find one snare or kick I'd like chop cut and edit it. With this kit it was more like a library nah I say like a warehouse of sounds waiting to be customized. I ain't complaining I just need more time to sift through it all.

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Sony Acid Music Studio 8.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)Your level of creativity is the only limit with this great value program.
I downloaded the FREE trial of this software from Sony Creative Software and mucked around with it for a whole month, to see if it would do the things I wanted. I am using Acid Music Studio 8.0 to create sound effects and soundtracks for my YouTube videos and my multi-media video artwork.
This program would suit the home musician or the musician just starting out with a limited budget who would like a professional program to record and mix their music.I warn anyone who is creative, that this software is Highly Addictive. You can spend many, many hours exploring all the inbuilt synthesizer preset programs and tweek them with an infinity of different settings contained within the Fx Effects chains.
You can also use the 3.5 Gigabytes of loops and samples that come with the "purchased copy" (not available with trial), to construct your own music in just a few clicks.
Please note something once you have downloaded the "loops & samples":
In the explorer view tab of Acid Music Studio, make sure you click the View button and tick all options - especially tick "Show All Files", otherwise you may freak out and think that you can't access the loops and samples.
This is a MIDI file based program, actually a very large part of the program. So if you want to make the most of using Acid Music Studio 8.0, then get a MIDI to USB connection so that you can connect a Synthesizer Keyboard to your computer. If you do this, you gain amazing control of the program and can control the inbuilt synth on your computer.
You will have to be patient in learning how to set things up, if working with connected instruments. There are a lot of little settings that have to be set just right for the sound & MIDI files to communicate in both directions. There is a fairly good Help file which will teach you how to do things, but as they say: Rome wasn't built in one day!
This product really seems to have hit the mark this time with Version 8.0
I use it with Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum HD 10 production suite and it works just fine.
I'm not a musician, just a novice.
Whether you are a novice or a musician, I'm sure you will love this program.
Ridiculous value for money - honestly.
I hope this review can help out a little bit.
Regards Dex.
P.S. I had problems downloading from Sony once, however my Customer Support Request was answered immediately and the problem was resolved in just a few hours.

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Cakewalk Studio Instruments Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Cakewalk Studio Instruments are a great foundational set of instruments to add to a persons home digital recording studio. Drums,Bass,Keys,Strings. The salt N pepper that most music requires at a great price and easy function.
I am a confessed Gear-a-holic. I love to find things like the studio instruments kit that don't cost an arm n leg, but that will "Broaden" your color pallet of sound. It's a tool that is fun to use, visually easy to understand and the sound is pleasing. What more could you ask for?


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Can't play bass drums piano or violin? No problem! Just point and click and you are making music. It's that easy!Introducing Cakewalk Studio Instruments the world's first easy-to-use and affordable software instrument collection for Mac and PC. Cakewalk Studio Instruments includes a high quality Drum Kit Bass Guitar Electric Piano and String Section that can be played stand alone or inside your favorite music-making software such as Cakewalk Music Creator Apple GarageBand Magix Music Maker Deluxe SONY ACID Music Studio and more (see list below for complete list of compatible products).Cakewalk Studio Instruments include pre-recorded patterns played by ace session musicians so you can build sections for your songs practice or just have fun jamming along.And Studio Instruments sound great because they're from Cakewalk makers of the most popular music creation software in the world used daily by Grammy® winning musicians and producers. Start making music today with Cakewalk Studio Instruments!Format: WIN XPVISTA/MAC 10.4 OR LATERUB Genre:PRODUCTIVITY UPC:787537171044 Manufacturer No:10-CWSI1.00-10C

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Music Maker 16 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The new Music Maker 16 comes with really cool new sounds and effects. For me the guitar amplifier Vandal se is the absolute highlight on this software! Furthermore I like the new option to play the instruments via the pc keyboard, with this I can play around and try some new melodies, if there is no midi keyboard close at hand.
5* because it is easy for beginners and extensive for pros (pros should have a look at the premium version of this software)!
Cheers

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MAGIX Music Maker 16 turns making music into a real experience. Easily get started and make your own exciting songs from scratch! Use practical info videos and numerous support options to develop your own musical style right away--without any prior skills. Thousands of sounds, realistic instruments, and great effects to create explosive drums, crunchy basses, and super melodies--simply get started in the world of music production.

Newest features to make your own sound
Sound archive with about 1,500 Sounds & Loops The new sound package features new loops and samples from every musical genre, e.g. rock, pop, dance, hip hop, disco house, techno, chillout, ambient, film music, minimal electro, and many more! Over 1,500 professional sounds provide the ideal basis for your sound experiments.
All sound building blocks can be combined without any problems and adjust automatically to the current song tempo--this ensures that you'll always be on the beat to let you concentrate completely on making your own sound.
Vandal SE: Top-quality guitar sounds With Vandal SE, the authentic guitar and bass amplifier, making music becomes a real experience.
Thanks to unbelievable sound fidelity and plenty of effects, your own songs become real hits with fantastic vintage sounds--that makes discovering new sounds a blast.
Helpful learning tools Music programs often seem so technical and complicated that the fun of making music is usually left out. With MAGIX Musik Maker 16, it's a different story: To ensure a seamless start, you may request support starting from the very first step!
The useful Infobox and the new interactive training course help you get to know everything about the program in the shortest space of time. Simply switch it on by clicking it and learn even more about making music during the process!
Get professional audio effects With the new essential FX effects series, any sound can be changed quickly and easily. Effects like chorus or flanger make exciting tones and real sound design a reality. Get the sound of the pros on your own PC--without any prior skills or technical knowledge.
Play any instrument right away with your PC keyboard Get started right away with the new version--play and record all instruments directly via your PC keyboard. Recording your own melodies, basses, or drums and mixing them into your own songs is even easier now!
Practical tools To make your own recordings easier to edit and perfect for your own music projects, every loop and sound can now be cut sample-exactly and positioned perfectly in the song with the object microscope. The object inspector also enables all settings and adjustments to be made directly in the Media Pool, which makes working with sound objects easier than ever before.
Simplified export dialog Exporting a finished song or video is even easier now, since the new export dialog provides a clearly laid-out list of the most important export options!
Transfer your own songs to your MP3 player, cell phone, or post them online on MySpace, YouTube and even on your own website in minutes!
Easy-to-use music composition software
Create your own music: It's easy
1. Select soundsPreview and select sounds in the Media Pool--or import your favorite songs from CD or MP3 and use them in your own song project.
2. Combine themAll sounds and loops can be easily cut, edited, copied, and arranged into your own song.
3. Mix themEasily add effects, vocals, and adjust volume with the new mixer.
4. Publish itExport the songs you create as MP3s, burn them to CD, or publish them on the web.

Easy mode If you want, only the most important areas will be shown to make it immediately clear to you so that you won't have to wait too long to make your first songs!
PLUS! Practical help videos that help you make music like the pros in the shortest time possible.
Over 1,500 Sound loops and samples
Sound archive The new sound package features new loops and samples from every musical genre, e.g. rock, pop, dance, hip hop, disco house, techno, chillout, ambient, film music, minimal electro, and many more! Over 1,500 professional sounds provide the ideal basis for your sound experiments.
All sound building blocks can be combined without any problems and adjust automatically to the current song tempo--this ensures that you'll always be on the beat to let you concentrate completely on making your own sound.
What are loops? Loops are audio building blocks that are edited so that they play over and over without interruption. Melodies or drums are often played in loops to repeat multiple bars.
With an audio program like MAGIX Music Maker 16, slightly different loops can be combined to create your own songs. That's how you can make your own hits in record time.
Virtual instruments: Drums, Keyboards, Strings and More
Virtual Instruments MAGIX Music Maker 16 offers ultra-realistic simulations of real instruments like acoustic guitars, electric guitars, electric basses, bass, drums, grand pianos, electric pianos, power chords, synth bass, and much more
Thanks to the professional sound engine from Yellow Tools, making music with real sounds becomes an acoustic experience!
Get into the details when you want to The practical MIDI editor enables melodies to be simply drawn in and changed! You'll also receive more exciting synthesizers like LiViD, the first-class virtual drummer.
NEW! Play any instrument right away with your PC keyboard
Music Mixing and Sound effect solution
Mixing & effects Use the integrated studio-quality effects to get the most out of your smash hits!
Mix your music like a pro: All of the tracks can be adjusted to suit each other with the integrated mixer, and a click adds enriching real effects--that's how to make your sound brilliant, pumping, and crystal clear! TIP! Thanks to numerous effects and templates, which have been provided especially by pros, it's easy for everyone to find their own perfect sound.
Vintage Effects Suite Vintage effects provide even more possibilities for your own sound!
Make music with a personal touch--thanks to typical effects for any musical style. Numerous professional effects templates make using the Vintage Effects Suite child's play, and exciting results are produced quickly.
Sound effects and custom guitar sounds
Top-quality guitar sounds With Vandal SE, the authentic guitar and bass amplifier, making music becomes a real experience.
Thanks to unbelievable sound fidelity and plenty of effects, your own songs become real hits with fantastic vintage sounds--that makes discovering new sounds a blast.
Audio effects: essential FX With the new essential FX effects series, any sound can be changed quickly and easily. Effects like chorus or flanger make exciting tones and real sound design a reality.
Get the sound of the pros on your own PC--without any prior skills or technical knowledge.
Great all purpose sound editing solution
Music for videos, photos, websites, and much more MAGIX Music Maker lets everyone add their own unique polish to their work, without prior skill and without long learning period. You'll create perfect slideshows, video clips, and much more.
Who wouldn't like it? Hollywood-style cinematic sound, made by you and perfectly tailored to all of your needs. The songs you make will turn your own videos and slideshows into a unique experience.
TIP! Anyone who is already familiar with MAGIX photo and video software will be able to get started with MAGIX Music Maker quickly and easily.
Export your sounds and music to any source
Export and publish Find new listeners quickly--who doesn't want that? Publish songs directly on the web, transfer them to an MP3 player, and create your own demo or album CDs. Everything is possible with one click.
Feature your own songs online on video portals like YouTube or NEW! MySpace--directly from within the program.
Online extras Catooh--the Online Content Library is the online sound archive. Whatever you're looking for--drum loops, instruments, vocals, or sound effects. Direct connection to this massive sound library supports every song idea with the right material. Special tips about audio software are available at magix.info.
magix.info--the Multimedia Knowledge Community: Quick and direct answers to all of your questions about producing music: Simply write the question into the text window and submit it online--you won't have to wait long for the answer!
Fully compatible with Windows 7 MAGIX Music Maker 16 has been tested for operational conformity and functional security in Windows 7.
The advantage: If you switch to the new Windows operating system, you will be able to continue to use this product as usual.

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Acoustica Musician's Bundle with Mixcraft and Beatcraft Music Software Review

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(More customer reviews)I really like Mixcraft. I'm one of the many people who played several instruments as a teen (and younger) and then when I got into college and into the workforce I dropped it (regrettably). And now with all the computer advancements in music, I'm eagerly trying to get back into it.
THE GOOD:
Mixcraft is a lot of fun. It really is very much "Garageband for Windows". Very similar interface, very similar functionality. Like Garageband, Mixcraft has a pretty wide variety of different loops that you can use "right out of the box" as well as virtual instruments that you can use to compose your own music.
It's really nice for things like coming up with some background music for a video project, or a game or something. And in doing so it saves you from having to worry about potentially sticky music royalties and rights and such. Anyone can come up with some decent music with this tool, and there is a very gentle learning curve. I was using it successfully just a few minutes after installing it and watching a couple of short videos from their website.
THE BAD:
The included instruments and loops are not admittedly not the highest fidelity. I'd say quite a bit below Garageband unfortunately. Also when you try to use virtual instruments (either mixcraft's own or 3rd party) they come in at an extremely low volume, which certainly causes problems.
Acoustica's registration is also big problem. It's baffling, and it's flat out broken. For the musician's bundle in particular, they've managed to make what ought to be a simple thing (entering a registration code) into an almost insurmountable task. Don't say I didn't warn ya there.
One other somewhat major drawback to Mixcraft is the omission of a way to play virtual instruments without a MIDI controller/keyboard (like Garageband can). So consider at least an inexpensive Midi keyboard (which will set you back $100 or so) a mandatory purchse if you want to make use of much of Mixcraft's functionality.
Overall I do definitely recommend Mixcraft, although it does have a lot of little annoyances. You'll get your money's worth in entertainment if nothing else, and undoubtedly generate some music that you can be proud of in the process.

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Finale PrintMusic 2010 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had this for roughly a month and I love it. Let me go through my uses and skill level so you understand what I've needed so you can determine if this is the right one for you. (I spent a lot of time debating since there's such a huge price difference between this and the full version, or even Allegro).
First - understand that you can always update your version to Allegro or full via the Finale website for the difference in price. That helped me be even more comfortable with my purchase.
I am a musical hobbyist and (very) part-time instructor. I use Finale to write out my musical ideas so I can mess around with other instruments and parts which I may not have available or even know how to play. Often, being able to SEE what I've written allows me to arrange better--some people need to hear and play, and I am not like this. At least not yet. I also love taken written songs and creating new arrangements for them. I'm a big geek so I love arranging video game songs on piano or guitar. It's so easy to find midi files online and I just open the file in Print Music and viola! I have the whole song written out. Saves me hours upon hours of listening and re-listening and frustration until I'm tired of the song. If I had to find a gripe, the only one would be that the tabbing tool is poorly put together, and that sucks since my primary instrument is guitar. But honestly it doesn't ruin anything, it's just annoying (I'd ding it .01 stars for that if I could).

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Finale PrintMusic is the fast, easy way to bring your music to life - with professional results. The Setup Wizard helps you create scores of up to 24 staves. Note entry is a breeze, whether you enter with a mouse, MIDI device, microphone, or scanner. Human Playback' makes your music sound like it's being performed by live musicians. PrintMusic includes a software synthesizer with over 128 professional grade instrument sounds, plus Marching Percussion from Row-Loff', and can save MP3s for making your own CDs. Enter notes with a mouse, MIDI keyboard, microphone, or scanner. Play your composition, print publisher-quality sheet music, or make MP3s for CDs of your musical creations. You'll be proud of the results you get with PrintMusic.

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Finale SongWriter 2010 Review

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(More customer reviews)They call it Finale Songwriter, and that's who it seems to be aimed at; I bought it to do charts for a friend who is a singer/songwriter, and I found it to be quite up to the task.
I got tired of updating the full Finale program, which I purchased back around 1995; the last update I bought was Finale 2001; updating every year was expensive, some $100 for each year's new update; and it was annoying, too, since each new version seemed like it had to be learned all over again; so I finally stopped getting updates and stayed with my 2001d version. Since I don't do much music charting, it was pointless to keep shelling out money for new updates.
Now, here we are in 2010; I'm using a newer Mac with OS X, and the few times I have to do notation, I have to run Classic Mode in order to use my ancient 2001d version of Finale, and already, the updates are requiring a later version of the OS than I have... so I checked out the various versions of Finale, and found this one; Songwriter 2010 is (I think) the last of the Finale programs that will still work with 10.4... and it's also the least expensive, so I thought I would check it out. There is a fully-functional 30-day trial version available to download, so I tried it out by charting a few of my friend's songs with it.
Even with Songwriter, there is a bit of a learning curve, since music notation is a bit of an involved, detailed process. But I found that all of the important functions are easily accessible, and once you get the hang of what menu they're under, it seems to flow pretty well. All the important functions are present; what seems to be missing is all the customizing capability of the full Finale, such as all the little variations of the Repeat signs. It has Simple Note Entry, which is just grabbing a note with the mouse and placing it on the staff; this can be streamlined quite a bit if you have a MIDI keyboard: you use the numeric keypad to select a note value, and play a note on the MIDI keyboard to place it on the staff. I was thrilled to discover that Songwriter also has the Hyperscribe feature, which starts up a metronome, and lets you play a part into the program in real time. All the important text functions and spacing and layout controls are available too, so you can get a chart looking just right. It is limited to 8 staves, but for ordinary song charting, I can't imagine needing more than 3 or 4.
In my opinion, Songwriter is more than adequate to most basic charting needs, and Finale has an upgrade policy if you should ever need more capability. Best of all, you can try the program for 30 days to determine if it will suit your needs.

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While Finale SongWriter makes it easy to create great sheet music at an affordable price, that's just the beginning. Finale SongWriter allows you to enter notes from a mouse, computer keyboard, or midi keyboard. You can add chord symbols, fretboard diagrams, and multiple verses of lyrics. Finale SongWriter can automatically add two and three voice harmony to your melodies and instantly add a drum part. The music you create sounds great through your computer's speakers thanks to Human Playback and 128 professional sounds. You can import and export MIDI files, create MP3 files, and save your work as a standard Finale file which can also be shared with users of Finale Notepad (a free download). If getting music on the printed page is part of your songwriting project, Finale SongWriter is the perfect collaborator.

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