It’s always a tough decision whenever you make a decision on a new purchase. Not only do you consider cost, but you also think about the quality of your product, its durability, how long you will use it for, in short, value for money. Making that decision when it comes to beat making software has just become a little bit simpler. The BTV Solo is a fantastic addition to the world of music making technology. It hits all of the targets that you need in a product and rather than seeing it as a “purchase” you should consider the BTV Solo an investment in your future DJ career!
So here’s a neat little review on this great product which will give you an evaluation of this highly acclaimed piece of software (including all the nitty-gritty details) and you can decide for yourself.
First off, when looking at beat making software you should look at one that is level appropriate. Word of caution, the BTV Solo is not the simplest starting point (and may even be a little overwhelming for the beginner beat maker), however it is the software that has one of the greatest range and ability to grow with you as an artist. BTV Solo users range anywhere from a somewhat experienced beat maker to professional music producers like the world-renowned Dallas Austin. Imagine that the great Billboard hits that you hear from this magnetic man is produced with the same software that you poke around on your computer with!
The BTV Solo has a simple and easy to use interface that lays out all of the functions for easy maneuverability and convenient access. Precise editing capabilities are a big selling point for this software (because who wants to make music when you can’t get the exact sound you want?). Here’s a short list of the BTV Solo’s star qualities:
Studio Quality Sound – this should be a given. It’s (almost) standard in any piece of decent beat making software, including the inexpensive ones, and so you should never accept anything less. This is a very useful
feature as you can get the maximum experience out of your music and really hear it as you make it. More importantly, the sound needs to be clean if you’re ever going to share it. Nobody plays sub-standard sound quality music!
Easy to use Interface – this one has already been said, and this point is really more to stress emphasis on its importance and share some neat things about why it’s so simple. Music making is an intuitive process and so it’s essential that all the editing functions, volume, synthesizer, instruments etc. are all within easy access. You have to be able to find each function quickly because even music making software with the widest ranging functions are rendered almost useless if they have user-unfriendly interfaces.
MIDI Controller Enabled – The BTV Solo was very sensible in designing its MIDI controller with a simple hookup. Added bonus? You can even import MIDI files to your computer. Just connect and go!
44.1 Stereo-16 bit wav in/out – so an important feature of the BTV Solo is that it allows you to import WAV files (high quality bits of sound). This is how you build your sound library and expand your musical possibilities. With this feature, you can add any interesting sound that you come across on the internet and make it a new component (or even the central component!) in your next song.
First class, precise editing capabilities complete with computer keyboard triggers and shortcuts. In addition to allowing you to cut or manipulate any piece of music you desire, the BTV Solo provides for simple sample
trimming and chopping. Gone are the days when you have to launch a separate editing program to use those samples that you have imported useable. This beat maker lets you choose where you want to start and stop the sample, or play around with them with features like reverse, resample, and normalize. A neat little feature is the Auto Chop which simplifies the process for you. After you add the sample to your music library, the program does exactly that, Auto Chops, the piece and then assigns it to one of the BTV pads. Your sample is now ready for your mad music skills!
8 Octave Keyboard/Banks – An essential for any good music maker. This great keyboard has a full range of capabilities that will allow you to push your own boundaries. The BTV Solo designed this for easy use—your keyboard’s keys relate directly to the keys at the bottom of the interface. For instance, when you push A, that will trigger the left most key on the music board and it will make a sound. The BTV Solo also gives you the possibility to manipulate the pitch, octave, speed, and whatever else you like, so you get the most out of your sound.
Instrument sounds include guitars, square waves, and so much more. This is an essential component to your music making experience—features for you to explore your music and find new sounds!
One board Effects Kit for each sound which means that there’s no waiting around while you change your kits. Just a couple clicks and you’re good to go!
Upwards of 1,000 inspiring sound samples – some of which you should recognize from famous music hits! So like it was mentioned above, famous music producers are also quite partial to the BTV Solo. They trust it to
make their music hits, what more evidence do you want? The sound library is outfitted with all the tools and samples that you need to have the same potential to make the smash hits like the professional beat makers.
Import capabilities. That’s sweet music to any beat maker’s ears. The BTV Solo gives you the chance to import any sample that you fancy, from drums to kits or whatever else that you like. This feature opens up your creative possibilities to the amount of unlimited!
Customized skins. Get your own BTV Solo look! The BTV Solo lets you change the look of your interface any time you want so you can rock out with something a bit edgier or a funky skin for those hip hop grooves. You can have whatever you like!
Low Price! The BTV Solo is priced under an affordable $50. Can you believe that famous music makers utilize a piece of software that can be had on a small budget! For such a low price, the BTV Solo will take you from about the beginning stages of your music career right up to the peak. It’s the most well spent (under $50) investment you’ll ever make.
Easily Downloadable. You never really think about it but it makes all the difference when you’re trying to get started. Music making software are often large programs and so an important characteristic is that it can be
easily fitted on to your computer without complications. And next to this it runs on PC and MAC.
Our conclusion:
So we’ve gone on and on about how great the BTV Solo. And of course, nothing is ever perfect (even if it just a tiny flaw). The drawbacks to using the BTV Solo as a beat maker is that it’s not the easiest piece of beginner’s software to use, particularly if you have no experience with music. By no means do you have to be a proficient musician in order to use the BTV Solo, but it does make the introduction period easier if you have a somewhat musical background or some familiarity with music making software. However, if the BTV Solo is the software that will grow with you, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get acquainted with its capabilities early on in your music career. Another disadvantage is that as the BTV Solo is a large piece of software, it’s not easily accessible anywhere you go. It’s downloaded on your computer and so you will only be able to access it from there.
The BTV Solo is the premiere choice for musicians of all levels. With studio sound quality, exceptional features, limitless import capabilities, and all at a low price, this beat maker is the best value for money among the beat making software. Whether you’re into hip hop, rock, pop music or whatever else this is the right music production software for just about any user. You can produce slammin’ hits and all of the unique sounds that you want with the BTV Solo. So……when will you be kicking off your music career?
