Key Takeaways
- You will not discover GarageBand for Home windows, however Akai’s MPC Beats is a detailed competitor.
- MPC Beats is extra for producers/beat makers than GarageBand.
- MPC Beats has tutorials that can assist you get began and permits you to develop into extra superior music-making instruments.
Whether or not you’re a newbie or a professional, Apple’s GarageBand is a good place to begin a track, from a demo to the beginning of a completed manufacturing. When you received’t discover GarageBand for Home windows, there’s a probably superior choice.
There isn’t any GarageBand for Home windows
As is the case with most software program made by Apple, you received’t discover a model of the favored GarageBand software program made for Home windows. That stated, there are many apps that intention to fill the void left by GarageBand.
The issue is, many of those apps are typical Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs). Whereas these are highly effective instruments, they’re typically meant to be used by skilled audio engineers, whereas apps like GarageBand are meant for regular individuals.
When you received’t discover a excellent equal to Apple’s GarageBand for Home windows, there’s a shut competitor obtainable in Akai’s MPC Beats software program. It’s not a direct substitute, however in the event you’re seeking to get began making music in your pc, there are few higher locations to begin.
What’s Akai MPC Beats?
Akai’s MPC Beats software program is extra aimed toward producers and beat makers than singer-songwriters and lone musicians, nevertheless it’s a robust software for any music maker. Equally to GarageBand, which is, in a means, an try by Apple to get you to improve to Logic Professional, MPC Beats is supposed to show you the Akai workflow and entice you into upgrading.
Akai’s legacy goes again to the digital samplers and drum machines that had been a staple of hiphop, drum and bass, and numerous fashionable digital music types. Whereas MPC Beats opens the door, Akai doubtless hopes you’ll both transfer to its paid MPC software program and even {hardware} just like the Akai MPC One+.
Putting in and Setting Up MPC Beats
Not like loads of different software program made by {hardware} corporations, you don’t want to purchase something with a purpose to use MPC Beats free of charge. The app is freely obtainable, and whereas you should buy expansions that provide further sound choices, all the most important capabilities are included free of charge, and by no means go away.
To obtain the app, head to the MPC Beats web page on the Akai web site and click on the Free Obtain button. After the app downloads, double-click the downloaded file to start the set up course of.
Set up is pretty easy. As soon as the app is put in, double-click on the icon—both within the Begin menu or in your desktop—to launch the app.
If in case you have a MIDI keyboard or management floor you need to use with the MPC Beats software program (you’ll know when you’ve got one in every of these), now’s the time to set it up, utilizing the directions out of your keyboard or controller’s producer. In any other case, you’ll be able to proceed to begin utilizing the app.
The right way to Get Began with MPC Beats
Getting began with MPC Beats is simpler than you might assume, however in the event you’ve by no means used the sort of software program, the preliminary interface you’re introduced with can really feel daunting.
Launch the app, and it’ll immediate you to plug in your MIDI system, as talked about above. Then, the wizard prompts you to determine whether or not you need to arrange a easy or superior workspace. If you happen to’re comparatively unfamiliar with music apps, select easy. Assuming you’ve used music-making apps up to now, the superior mode received’t appear overwhelming.
From right here, you’ll see some starter templates for varied genres of music, like Hip Hop, Entice, or Songwriter. These function beginning factors to begin creating your personal beats and songs within the app.
To actually be taught the MPC Beats software program, you’ll must spend a while with it. The excellent news is, Akai has put collectively a listing of movies within the MPC Beats Academy playlist on YouTube.
These movies will stroll you over the fundamental interface, create your first beat, and be taught chords and scales within the app. When you’ve bought a maintain on the fundamentals, there are different movies that present you find out how to chop your personal samples, create sure genres of music, and create your personal customized drum kits.
If you happen to occur to have a USB keyboard, MIDI keyboard, or different sort of controller, Akai’s movies additionally present you find out how to get began utilizing them in MPC Beats.
Whereas Apple’s GarageBand could also be a barely higher choice for singer-songwriters, many trendy musicians and producers cope with beats and loops greater than conventional songs. If that sounds such as you, MPC Beats is a greater choice, and it’s obtainable free of charge on each Home windows and macOS.
MPC Beats could also be simple to select up and begin utilizing, however there’s a shocking quantity of depth to the software program. If you happen to begin to grow to be proficient with MPC Beats, transferring on to different software program aimed toward producers and even {hardware} like Akai’s standalone samplers needs to be a a lot simpler prospect. That stated, if the app would not look like a match for you, there are different choices for making music on Home windows.
