I know a few things about a good program to make beats; ironically, I have been making beats for about 7 years now (I started back in Jan of 2005, dang time flies), so I guess that makes me somewhat of a veteran of sorts, even though I'm only 29. I have made every mistake that a newbie producer could make, and I have bought pretty much every program to make beats on the market, literally, and I was doing this to compensate for three detrimental traits that every producer should possess and strive to obtain: skills and knowledge, and a vast production I.Q. concerning making beats.

I thought that because I couldn't do this snare roll or that drum flam, or because I couldn't emulate some of the production techniques that I was hearing on the songs that I was jamming to back then like “Go Crazy” from Young Jeezy's first album, or like “Heard Em Say” from Kanye West's Late Registration, I felt as if it had to be the software that I was using that were the cause of my lack, like the programs weren't written for hip hop production or something.

Well, you know that ain't true. While one program to make beats may be marketed to the hip hop crowd, like lets say for instance, Dub Turbo, that's not to say that by using Dub Turbo, you can't make a fire Pop genre Britney Spears type of track. It doesn't really matter what you use, you only need to possess the knowledge and the skills that it takes to produce music in the given genre. So with that said, let's discuss a few things that you should look for in a program to make beats, to help you make sure that you are getting off on the right foot with your production equipment, and that you are not getting in over your head. Stupid learning curves and going broke are enough to make you want to quit, trust me!

1. Simple To Use - Can A beginner Get Up and Running Quickly?

And i'm talking about in one day's time of you firing up that program, you should be making beats. Period. It should not take months for you to master a program to make beats just so people can tell you that your beats still sound wack; you need a program that is intuitive, offers video tutorials so that you can learn what to do visually, and the program should also be inspiring.

Meaning, as you tap along on your keyboard, the sounds that you hear coming out of those headphones should put that smile on your face and make you want to make a beat. Too many a program to make beats lack these simple aspects, but new producer still go for the big names that they see on TV or because they have a friend who has a friend that uses this particular software, instead of looking around. Learn yourself something grasshopper.

2. Fresh Sounds and Hard Drums - Is The Sample Library Dope?

Hear me now and hear me loud and clear: a producer is only as good as the sounds that he uses. You will need the best of the best, sounds and samples that is, and you will also need to continually expand upon your sound library. It won't hurt to learn a lil' sound design either. If you do that, it will ensure that your sounds are original and not duplicated, as well as you'll be bringing something new to the game.

Think about when Pharrell and the Neptunes produced Noreaga's “Superthug!” No one had ever heard a sound like theirs, and therefore, the Neptunes became game changers and were in high demand by the Hip Hop who's who list. That could be you someday, and me as well. So make sure that your program to make beats comes with a strong sample library from the get go, that will help to put you ahead of the game. Yeah buddy!!!

3. Affordability – Will It Knock Your Head Off To Acquire It?

Boy, production equipment can add up REAL quick. The average functional home studio has about $15-20k worth of equipment nowadays, from Synthesizers, to monitors, to the computer, to audio interfaces, hard drives, power strips, compressors, limiters, MPC's; you get the drift. That's how much I have spent over the last 7 years, and sadly, these days the only thing that I use to make my beats is my one program to make beats, my laptop, and some headphones.

I throw these three simple items in a bookbag and I can get it in wherever I am. Now, I have literally wasted about $18k+ (minus my Macbook Pro, that was a good purchase) because all of that other gear I don't need. My one software program to make beats does EVERYTHING that I need it to do to complete my tracks, all in one application. Don't make the mistakes that I made thinking that you need this, that and the third to make your beats sound dope. You only need to learn your software, learn your craft, and stick to making beats everyday. Gone and get to it y'all. You can do it, I see ya playa... Better beats ahead.