FREE REFILLS

VIRTUAL ANALOG SYNTHS – 140 MB
DJ SAMPLES (drums & fx)
LEAD EXAMPLE
BASS EXAMPLES

FREE SF2

NORD LEAD – Full version of Nord Lead from Multisamples Leads 1

NORD LEAD SF2
NORD LEAD EXS
3 BASSES – 3 Basses from Multisamples Basses

FREE MIDI

Free 3 midi HOOKS

FREE LOOPS

VINYL LOOPS – 12 free loops from Vinyl Loops
LOOPS OF DREAMS – 8 free loops from Loops of Dreams
TRIBAL LOOPS – 12 free loops from Tribal Loops
FX COLLECTION – 17 fx-sounds from FX Collection

FREE DJ SAMPLES

KICKS vol. 1 – techno & trance
KICKS vol. 2 – techno & trance
ELECTRO KICKS
GATED KICKS – hardstyle
CLAPS
GATED CLAPS
HARDSTYLE VOCALS
HIHATS vol. 1
HIHATS vol. 2
CRASH & CYMBALS
PERC & SNARES
FX SOUNDS

REMIX VOCALS (40 MB)

Kate Lesing vocal examples

***

ALL SAMPLES FOR MAC USERS (273 MB)

MAC users download here

Rocket Piano

Overview: Rocket Piano is one of the more popular courses to learn the piano as it goes through a 165 page beginners book, a 65 page intermediate book, and an advanced book with 59 pages. One really cool included feature is the “Rocket Piano Jam Tracks.” This feature allows you to play along with professionally produced tracks with an option to play without an accompanying piano. Rocket Piano is literally PACKED with other course materials and bonuses.

Bottom Line: With an immense amount of quality material, it’s no surprise as to why Rocket Piano is so popular among those looking for beginners piano lessons. Check out their site to see just how much material and substance this program contains.

Click Here to Try Rocket Piano!

Other Rocket Piano Reviews:

Sonart Audio has just released another freebie! The “Free Loop Pack 2009″ contains over 70 free wav samples and loops. The samples and loops are taken from various sample packs sold at Sonart Audio including Electroclash, Elektro-House, Elektro, Minimal, Electro Housexy, and Cherry Club.

FREE LOOP PACK 09  |  DEMOS:

This is the third and most recent version of the Thor Sound series of ReFill’s for Reason. The sounds are geared towards the genres of house, electro house, minimal, trance, but I’m sure you can find use for this in any style of music.

Thor Sounds Volume 3 includes:

• 406 Thor Patches
• 172 Combinator  Patches
• Groovebox Patches

Rocket Piano

Overview: Rocket Piano is one of the more popular courses to learn the piano as it goes through a 165 page beginners book, a 65 page intermediate book, and an advanced book with 59 pages. One really cool included feature is the “Rocket Piano Jam Tracks.” This feature allows you to play along with professionally produced tracks with an option to play without an accompanying piano. Rocket Piano is literally PACKED with other course materials and bonuses.

Bottom Line: With an immense amount of quality material, it’s no surprise as to why Rocket Piano is so popular among those looking for beginners piano lessons. Check out their site to see just how much material and substance this program contains.

PianoForAll

Overview: The PianoForAll program is a huge course containing 10 eBooks, 500 audio files and 200 videos. From what I’ve gathered, the course is very simple to follow as everything is laid out in a step-by-step approach. After looking over the material, it seems as though this course is geared towards those taking their first steps in learning how to play piano. Though by means of gradual learning, the course actually touches upon some advanced techniques.


Bottom Line: This course contains a plethora of material, ranging from beginners piano lessons to advanced chord structures. What seems most promising though is the amount of praise it has received from content customers. Below are some quotes taken from the pianoworld.com forums:

“The documentation and the abundance of audio files are certainly top tier. This is the best value in piano instruction that I have seen anywhere.”

“I actually understand, for the first time, how to finger a chord, not by memorizing finger position, but rather by the logical way PFA explains how the chords are constructed. “

“Bottom line, I’ve only waded into the first of many eBooks included, and I’m very impressed with the method. At $39.95, it’s certainly a no-brainer as either a supplement to a teacher, another course, or as a standalone.”


There you have it. If you want to learn how to play the piano, these are two top of the line resources that will help you meet your goals. Personally, I am still amazed at the quality of resources these programs are offering for such low prices.

Learning the piano will enhance your music

From listening to other producers, it is quite easy to tell who has a background in musical study. These producers usually contain a unique quality within their songs, as their knowledge of theory allows freedom within musical bounds. Also, by adding human-played piano parts in a piece, it allows the producer to break away from the conventional and generic sound that classifies many novice producers. On the same note, by capturing various elements such as sustain, velocity, staccato, etc… these piano parts will add expression and feeling to your pieces.

Learning the piano opens your musical perspective

Even if you gain some type of general knowledge of the piano, you will be amazed at the abundance of new musical ideas that you would have never thought of before. In return, this makes the process of production much easier and allows for more innovation within your pieces. Your knowledge will allow you to generate necessary ideas for your pieces such as chord progressions and melodies.

Though it is not required to know how to play the piano if you want to produce music, it provides a skill that will drastically improve your musical ability. There are many resources online that will help you with the basics of learning the piano. As of now, I am looking for the most efficient and trusted online lessons and will update this post when I find them.

It seems as though many people who wish to make beats online believe that they must purchase an entire audio workstation to effectively create beats. Though it is possible to create some killer beats with these expansive workstations, there are alternatives out there that will give you the same results for a fraction of the price. The reason I am reviewing Sonic Producer is simple; for those who are interested in beat making, this program has the greatest value compared to its competitors. With top notch production quality, an extremely easy to use interface, and a ridiculously low price, this is the best investment an aspiring beat producer can make.

Making Beats
The way beat creation works in Sonic Producer is quite ingenious. It is possible to select sounds

You can drag notes from the Keyboard and Drum Pad onto the sequencer.

and “paint” each note manually on the sequencer. However, the most effective way is to utilize the keyboard and drum pads. Let’s say you have a killer sound equipped to your keyboard, but you want to play it in different pitches throughout your beat. All you have to do is click the note on the keyboard that you want to use, and drag it over to the sequencer. It’s that simple.
The drum pads may be used in the same way, although you may prefer using them in a slightly different fashion. Personally, I have found that the easiest way is to simply hit the “record” button, and tap out the beat with your mouse.


Sequencing
Ah, yes, the sequencer. The primary component of any beat making program. The sequencer on Sonic Producer is divided into 4/4 (4 beats per measure), a time common to most all hip hop beats.  The numbers on the left side of each row correspond to its channel number in the mixer. This way, it is easy to chose a sample/sound from the mixer and have it show up on the sequencer. The sequencer can hold up to a max of 16 sounds and samples, enough for most complex beats.


Interface
The interface includes the following:

Sequencer:
The workspace for all beat creation.

Mixer:
The 16 track mixer is used to adjust volume levels in each channel, and to assign samples/sounds to the sequencer.

An overview of the interface.

Keyboard/Drum Pads:
As mentioned earlier, you can create beats with the “drag and drop” feature of the keyboard and drum pads or simply use them to preview samples.

Toolbar:
The toolbar allows you to save, load and record projects. It also has functions that allow you to rewind, play or stop your beat and an area to alter the tempo.








Bundled Samples
There are hundreds of samples and loops that are included with the program. The sound and quality of each sample are actually quite impressive. The website also offers more downloadable sounds in the “members area.”


Price
The price is a one-time fee of $29.95. This includes access to on-site tutorials, software instruments, beats, cash contests and more goodies. I have seen some other beat production programs in the same price range, but none come close to matching the professional sounding beats you can create with Sonic Producer.



Concluding thoughts
I would recommend Sonic Producer to those taking their first step in beat production. If you feel lost as to where to start, then I assure you, Sonic Producer is definitely what you are looking for. You will be amazed at the shockingly simple workflow and the professional sounding beats that you will be able to make.

http://www.stonewashed.net/sfx.html (a directory of sound effect sites).

http://www.soundhunter.com/

http://thefreesite.com/Free_Sounds/Free_WAVs/index.html (some good sites posted on here).

http://www.grsites.com/sounds/

http://www.partnersinrhyme.com/pir/PIRsfx.shtml

Enjoy.

FL Studio comes bundled with everything necessary to record voice/instruments, create music from scratch, manipulate audio, and become a world famous musician (okay, well maybe not the last one). So sit back, relax, and enjoy the review.

Price
For a professional workstation, FL Studio is one of the most economical solutions out there. Directly from Image Line, the prices are:

FL Studio XXL – $399
FL Studio Producer Edition – $299
FL Studio Fruity Edition – $139
Though the prices seem very competitive, you can find it yet even cheaper if you look at various vendors.


Sequencing
There are a many features that have enticed me to use this workstation. The most attractive, however, has to be the unique sequencing style. The “pattern-based” sequencer allows for total control. The ease of painting, moving, or erasing pattern blocks and clips is a huge plus. Audio clips, patterns, and automation are all arranged within the “Playlist,” keeping the workspace

The Step Sequencer with a simple drum pattern applied.

simple. There are no limitations that inhibit your workflow in regard to arrangement. The freedom within this workstation is something you may not find in other competitors.












Piano Roll

I could have easily slipped the Piano Roll into the sequencing section, but this feature is so amazing it deserves it’s own sub-review. The Piano Roll is the tool that transfers creative ideas

Each block indicates a separate note.

from your head to the computer. It does this in the quickest, most efficient way possible. The left axis contains a vertical keyboard (for those of you who play the piano, this will take a little time to mentally calibrate), and the right axis represents time. From here, notes may be placed next to the desired keys in an intuitive manner. The beauty though, lies within the MIDI support. Each note recorded through a MIDI controller instantly appears in the piano roll and is readily accessible for editing. Though a MIDI controller is not necessary for taking advantage of the Piano Roll, it sure does make producing a heck of a lot easier!


Mixing/Mastering

The Mixer window with applied effects on the selected channel.

FLS8 contains a 64-track mixer. The mixer allows for effects to be added to each track. The effects include everything you need (Compressors, EQ’s, Reverb, Filters, etc)… The technical process of mastering, however, can be a bit tedious. When a sound is added into a new channel in your project, instead of assigning it to a new channel in the mixer, it assigns it to the master channel. This may seem like a minor flaw, but after assigning channels over and over again, it can get a bit annoying.


Interface
The main components of the interview include the:

Step Sequencer
- Used to assemble drumbeats and simple melodic parts.

Piano roll
- Useful tool in composition, as previously described.
Playlist
- Allows for the arrangement of Patterns, Audio clips, and Automation

A small section of the Playlist of a song I am currently working on.

Mixer
- Used for mastering, adding effects, and recording audio input.

Sample Browser
- Allows the user to quickly browse and access audio, samples, plug-ins, presets, and other FLS files.

The interface to some may seem obscure and difficult to follow. I will admit, it took me a little bit of time to get used to. However, after you understand all the functions of the various windows, FL Studio will be the easiest and fastest way to transfer ideas from your mind to the computer. Though the interface at first may seem threatening, there is a large reward for patience and the willingness to learn.


Audio Recording and Editing
Originally, recording audio was done by creating Clips in the Playlist view. A relatively new plug-in, Edison, allows for a smarter way to record and edit audio. Edison can be applied to a channel in the mixer as an effect, and in return, audio may be recorded through that specific channel. After recording the audio, you are able to edit the Clip with some nice effects. Edison offers convolution reverb, spectral analysis, noise reduction and some other features. These effects will also work on any Audio Clip, whether it was recorded or not.


Bundled Generators and Samples
FL Studio comes with some slick generators. A couple of new generators have been added to the newest version. Slicex, a tool for sample/loop manipulation, and SynthMaker, a new… synth maker, have been added to the family. The preset samples that come with FL Studio 8 are not exceptional, though they get the job done. However, after some time with these samples, you will find yourself looking for some new, higher end samples to use in your compositions.


Concluding Thoughts
FL Studio 8 is built for Windows, but will work flawlessly on an Intel Mac running Boot Camp (and is even encouraged by Image-Line to do so). The price is unbeatable, and Image-Line treats its customers with free upgrades for life.

To sum things up in a few words, FL Studio 8 represents Freedom, Control, and Innovation within the standards of digital audio workstations. If you have not tried this program yet, then you are missing out.

If anyone is looking to buy Fl Studio, below is the lowest priced vendor I have found. If you find a place with a better price please let me know.