Move over GarageBand and make room for MAGIX Music Maker MX

Music creation software has something of a poor reputation, with many people regarding it as being expensive to buy and complicated to use. This is a reputation that MAGIX is trying to change with its Music Maker program, and the latest version, MAGIX Music Maker MX goes a long way to achieving this aim. While the program is incredibly simple to use, the music creation you produce using the software can be made as basic or as complex and involved as you like.

Used at its most basic, MAGIX Music Maker MX provides you with 64 audio tracks onto which you can arrange a series of samples to create the skeleton of a musical composition. If you want, you can leave things as they are, but even the least musically minded of people could not resist tinkering with special effects, dropping in a few loops here and there, and then there is the drum machine to play with. Before you know it, you have become fully engrossed in the process of putting together a piece of music -- and it does not matter that you’ve never picked up an instrument in your life.

Creating music using the building blocks of readymade loops and samples is the easiest way to get started with the program, and even in this way it is possible to create something quite impressive. With samples covering everything from hip  hop and rock to dance and electronic, there’s sure to be something that inspires you. A wide range of drum and melody loops means that a completed track is never far away.

Of course, to get the most from the application, it is necessary to take things to the next level, and MAGIX Music Maker MX has a fairly gentle learning curve that enables you to take things at your own pace. You can learn how to use individual components of the music suite and each will enable you to come up with something new that can be added to your current project. One such a component is the Lead Synth which is an analog synthesiser that can be used to create your own melodies. Used in conjunction with a selection of realistic Vita Solo instruments, the results can be stunning.

Dance To Your Own Beat

Few tracks would be complete without some sort of percussion being present, and this is where the Drum engine comes into its own. Whether you are looking for a basic beat to keep things going, or you like the idea of recreating a classic drum sound, all the tools you need are available to enable you to do so.

The MX part of Music Maker’s name stand for Media eXchange and is a reference to the fact that it is now easier than ever to share tracks between different MAGIX products. For example, if you use Music Maker to record yourself playing an instrument, there may be unwanted background noise. It is now quick and simple to transfer the recording to Audio Cleaning Lab for enhancement before passing it back for use in your music project. Music Maker need not just be about creation stand-alone music; it can also be used to create soundtracks for videos. If you have a video project that you have been working on in Movie Edit Pro, it can be imported into Music Maker so you can get to work.

While the program is very easy to get started with -- if you are not the most musically minded of users, one of the best ways to learn about the various tools is by trial and error -- there are a number of online video tutorial that can point you in the right direction if you get stuck at any point. But the point is that MAGIX has made its name by producing software that makes potentially complicated things, such as music creation, simple for anyone to try their hand at.

Premium Edition

While the standard version of the program is packed with features, there is even more to work with in MAGIX Music Maker MX Premium. If you were worried that the 64 audio tracks available to you in the standard version of the software, the Premium version gives you 96 top work with as well as a wider range of effects, samples and instruments. BeatBox Plus is an enhanced version of the MAGIX drum machine, while tools such as the analog compressor and high quality synthesiser allows for great experimentation. To help with the process of creating loop and samples, a dedicated audio editor as well as a MIDI editor are available. Going Premium also unlocks the ability to work with 5.1 surround sound and includes a mastering suite to help with the production of CDs.

Whether you opt for the standard or premium version of MAGIX Music Maker MX, you are investing in a quality program that will service your music creation needs well. You can find out more and download a free trial of the program by paying a visit to the MAGIX Music Maker MX download page. The software runs on Windows XP/Vista/7.