Summary: Our Top 10 Beat Making Software List
- Studio One Prime
- Cakewalk by BrandLab
- GarageBand
- FL Studio
- MuseScore for Windows & Mac
- Hydrogen Drum Machine Free Download
- Magix Music Maker
- Native Instruments Maschine MK2 Windows/Mac
- HammerHead Rhythm Station
- LMMS
There are a lot of different beat-making software programs out there, but not all of them are free. To help you find the ideal beat-making program for your needs, the team here at BestMusically rolled up their sleeves to assemble a top ten list of the best free beat-making software for beginners, to help you get started.
Let’s get into it!
Studio One Prime
There’s no such thing as a perfect audio tool. Even the best DAWs have limitations that producers need to be aware of before using it for their projects, but Studio One Prime by PreSonus offers an excellent platform with sound design or recording based on your needs and goals in mind – which means you get all its features without any annoying trial restrictions!
Studio One Prime is a single-window, drag and drop tool for intuitive content creation. It costs $0 with no annual subscription fee or royalty rates! With Prime, you get all the features needed to produce your own music as well as podcasts–including unlimited tracks so there are never any roadblocks creativity wise
It’s time we had an audio program designed around what people want – not some overpriced bundle with lousy support.
Studio One is the only DAW that lets you truly create without boundaries. With free access to all of StudioOne 5’s features, it’s easy for users who are ready to upgrade or move up in their audio-production software needs with PreSonus Sphere–just use its Upgrade button when launching yourself into another world!
- FREE
- Record, produce, and mix easily, all from a single, intuitive application
- Intuitive single-window work environment with quick and easy drag-and-drop functionality and multi-touch support
- Unlimited audio and instrument tracks, virtual instruments, and FX channels
- Powerful Presence XT virtual sample-player for keyboard and synth sounds
- Patterns allow for intuitive drum and melody composition via familiar drum machine/step-sequencer style UI
- NEW! Completely redesigned Native Effects plug-in suite.
- NEW! Poly Pressure/ MPE support for advanced MIDI controllers
- Over 2 GB of bundled loop and musical content to inspire you from day one
- *Studio One 5 is only supported on 64-Bit operating systems.
Studio One Prime is a single-window, drag and drop tool for intuitive content creation. It costs $0 with no annual subscription fee or royalty rates! With Prime, you get all the features needed to produce your own music as well as podcasts–including unlimited tracks so there are never any roadblocks creativity wise
It’s time we had an audio program designed around what people want – not some overpriced bundle with lousy support.
Studio One is the only DAW that lets you truly create without boundaries. With free access to all of StudioOne 5’s features, it’s easy for users who are ready to upgrade or move up in their audio-production software needs with PreSonus Sphere–just use its Upgrade button when launching yourself into another world!
Overall, Studio One is professional-grade software with limitations. If audio recording and mixing are your priority, then this may be the perfect program for you!
Cakewalk by Brandlab
The Cakewalk SONAR platform is one of the most stable and powerful Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) on today’s market. It comes with native plugins, a step sequencer mixer, and third-party plugin support which allows users to create professional-sounding music in minutes!
However, this program may not be ideal if you are just starting because its interface can feel confusing as well asking questions such as “what do I need?” or worse yet – difficult for beginners who want something simple but still productive.
If you’re an experienced producer and want to make beats without spending any money, then Cakewalk is by far one of the most powerful free music production platforms.
It’s limited only on Windows which isn’t ideal if you’re collaborating with other producers that use different operating systems or need access to samples more than just playback capabilities – but thankfully there are third-party plugins available for purchase as well!
GarageBand:
This is one of the most popular beat-making software programs and it comes pre-installed on many Apple devices. It’s easy to use and has a wide variety of features.
This program is a must-have for any musician looking to add some flair. The variety of instruments available will have you covered from classic-sounding records up through modern-day hits!
The easy interface made by notable artists means there’s no learning curve whatsoever – just pick your beat, customize it how desired, and bam: catchy tune ready within minutes
You can download this software on either Mac or Windows computers so long as they meet minimum system requirements which include 500 MHz processor speed plus 32MB RAM requirement
FL Studio:
FL Studio is the brainchild of a company called Image-Line Software. Founded in 1994, Image-Line Software is a Belgian company best known for its digital audio workstation program FL Studio and related plugins such as Sytrus or Harmor.
They make music software that gives you every tool needed from producing to DJing with one seamless interface – no other programs required!
FL Studio is known for its powerful sequencing capabilities and is used by many professional producers.
If you’re looking for a free beat-making software program that will work on both PC and Mac, then this is one of the best options out there. The interface has been designed with ease in mind but still offers plenty of tools to create your next hit!
MuseScore for Windows & Mac:
Next on our list of beat making software is called MuseScore.
If you want to write your own music, but don’t know where to start, then look no further. With MuseScore there’s never been an easier way!
You can use this free software on Windows (both 32-bit and 64), macOS & Linux giving developers full control over what they produce with all their hard work in one place – simply amazing right?
But if you’re still not sure, here are some more features:
1. The ability for users both professional musicians as well people who just fancy writing something themselves–to be able through its easy interface create high-quality scores regardless of experience level;
2. A free and open-source software with a large and helpful community always willing to give support; and 3) MuseScore comes with a huge range of sounds–over 300 instruments–so you can create any sound you want for your masterpiece.
You can check out this video to learn more about MuseScore.
Hydrogen Drum Machine Free Download:
Hydrogen is the latest in pattern-based programming for drum machines. With its sleek design and simple interface, you’ll be able to create professional-sounding beats within seconds!
The only downside to this incredible tool is that it does not have a high-end graphic UI but still satisfies its users with simple UIs and extensive lists of functionalities.
It’s been around since long before Programmable drum machines became popular so you can use them on both Mac OS or Windows systems without any compatibility issues whatsoever!
You’ll be able to make your own percussion parts from start, edit existing ones using various tools like tone & pitch adjustments as well as create custom patterns within seconds – all exportable for use in other music software packages such as DAWs.
Tutorial – Hydrogen Drum Machine Tutorial Free Drum Machine for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Magix Music Maker:
Create your own unique music with the Music Maker Free Edition.
With an easy-to use interface, intuitive tools and new Song Maker AI you’ll have all of this under control in no time! You can take it for a test drive today by downloading it from Google Play Store or Apple App store.
We found the sound selection to be endless thanks to its vast collection on awaits inside including loops ready made beats that can easily be transformed into anything imaginable just by changing up tempos & keys while adding different instrumentations at will.
Create music by following these simple steps:
Step 1: Arrange loops
With the endless loops and samples, you can easily create your own mix using drag-and-drop.
Step 2: Record your own tracks
With everything from drums, synthesizers and traditional instruments at Music Maker – an all in one recording studio that will provide the sound you need.
Step 3: Mixing & effects
With everything from drums, synthesizers and traditional instruments at Music Maker, it’s never been easier to make your own music!
Magix Music Maker Wrap-up:
The Music Maker Free Edition is an excellent tool for creating unique music. Between the user-friendly interface and vast library of sounds, you’ll be creating the perfect track in no time. And best of all, it’s free!
You can download the software today and be on your way to producing your very own beat making tracks.
To learn more you can check out Majix Music Maker Free Edition at this link.
Native Instruments Maschine MK2 – Windows and Mac
What’s Native Instruments Maschine MK2?
Native Instruments is a great free music-making tool for both Mac and Windows systems. It comes with an easy-to-use demo tutorial that’ll get you started right away!
There’s an extensive music library and tons of features that can assist you in creating stunning pieces.
Native Instruments Features Include:
- A sample library containing over 6GB of sounds
- MASSIVE Synth Plug-in
- Optional: Multifunctional Master Push Encoder
- Ability to act as a multi-effect unit, sequencer, VST/AU plug-in-host, sampler, and multi-effect tool
HammerHead Rhythm Station
Hammerhead rhythm station is a free program that only works on windows. It’s part of the category Audio software and was created by Threechords.
With HammerHead Rhythm Station 1.0, you can make unique beats without ever having to pick up a drum machine. The interface is easy with six channels for your percussion needs as well as 16 beat tracks that are perfect if this is just the beginning of what will become an extensive project or song in musical terms of course.
There’s no limit on how many instruments go into making something great after all.
Features Include:
- WAV import
- In-built drum synths
- Polyrhythms and polymeters support
- MIDI support
- Runs as an AUv3 plugin
You also get basic tempo control so it does suit any experience level whether beginner piano player looking forward to your first synthesizer workout or a seasoned professional who has been playing gigs since before most people were born!
Tutorial – HammerHead Rhythm Station
LMMS
LMMS software is a 100% free, open-source, community-driven project packed full of features including:
- Compose music on Windows, Linux, and macOS
- Sequence, compose, mix and automate songs in one simple interface
- Note playback via MIDI or typing keyboard
- Consolidate instrument tracks using Beat+Bassline Editor
- Fine-tune patterns, notes, chords, and melodies using Piano Roll Editor
- Full user-defined track-based automation and computer-controlled automation sources
- Import of MIDI files and Hydrogen project files
LMMS is a great program for beat makers who want to make their music and not just reproduce what they hear. It provides all of the basic features needed, with an easy-to-use interface that will be familiar enough even if you’re a newbie!
The community aspect makes this software even better as many people are willing (and eager) to help teach newcomers how best to do things in LMsecs without much frustration or confusion on behalf of both parties involved – making it easier than ever before possible to create your very own unique sound design using nothing else but these tools.
Final Thoughts
While all of these programs are great for making beats, each one has its strengths and weaknesses. So, it’s important to try out a few of them to see which one works best for you. If you’re also looking at ways to make rap beats, we’ve got you covered.
Happy beat making!