When I first started out trying to learn how to make beats, there were many different choices for a beat making program that anyone could choose from, even though the idea of using software alone to strictly make beats was not yet widely accepted.

You had Pro Tools, Logic Studio, Reason, Cubase, FL Studio, Sonar, Digital Performer, and Ableton Live just to name a few. And these weren't beta releases, each of these programs were well into their respective development stages back in 2004-2005, but yet and still, there was not a widespread respect for the power of software beat making programs, let alone what they could do for a production setup.

When I would let other producers hear my beats, they would say that the output of the wav file sounded too “clean” or too “digital” even. Clean and digital was exactly what I wanted concerning the sound quality of my beats, but I know that many of those old hardware heads were stuck on that old, gritty analog “warmth” that was added from your MPC converters onto their beats. But in my opinion, the warmth did not make the beats sound better. The digital sound did, to me.

So, fast forward to 2013. Software beat machines are more prevalent than ever in both the home and commercial studios, and the results from the use of software beat machines are all over the radio as well, and you have young producers coming into the game smashing everything in sight, all from the comfort of their homes, sitting in front of a laptop. Who would have ever thought that you could top Billboard charts from your bedroom? Just look at Jalil Beats and Lex Luger.

I did, I have always felt that software was better than hardware for music production purposes, simply because the use of software just made more sense to me. If all I needed were my laptop computer and some headphones to get up and make some beats wherever I was, why would I waste time plugging and unplugging all these cables and MPC plugs and turntables just to make a few beats away from home?

I didn't like the idea of being stuck with having to wait until I got home to make beats, I always wanted to be able to create music no matter where I was, and to be able to create it efficiently. Software music production tools has provided me with those capabilities.

Software is more versatile, it's way more affordable, and almost all software beat machines come with full featured tool sets to where you can create a song from concept to completion, all within one box, without the need to purchase any other equipment. This is usually not the case with any hardware setup, you can almost guarantee that you'll be driving back to Guitar Center to pick up that forgotten cable or the right mixer with enough inputs. I know this because I've been there too, trying to help the hard heads who insist on building hardware home studio setups. I guess hardware and hard heads go hand in hand.

If you aren't using software music production tools to make your beats, don't allow technological advancements to continually pass you by. Embrace the future of music production that is right here, right now before us, and get down with the software beat making. Once you make the switch, I'm sure you'll be glad that you did. Better Beats Ahead.