- How Good For Making Music Is Free Fl Studio Drum Kits
- How Good For Making Music Is Free Fl Studio Recording
It is worth buying FL Studio if you are making music, whether you are a beginner or advanced. The purchasing options are good and tailor made for everyone, and the design is sleek.
Is this beat maker worth the money? Can it make hits?
Last Updated: June 2020
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In this Magix Music Maker review, we’ll discuss whether or not you can make GOOD beats/songs, if it’s worth the money and if it’s just a toy beat making software.
Then we’ll get into how the software works in-depth.
Quick Review:
Magix Music Maker is an affordable, entry level digital beat making software that packs more punch that most people think.
Rating
4/5 Stars Overall
Recommendation:
Should You Buy: Yes. If you’re a beginner or hobbyist that wants to quickly “get to making music” that actually sounds good, without the steep learning curve and advanced functionality of traditional digital audio workstation software.
It’s streamlined workflow makes it perfect for starters.
Advanced producers and beat makers will find the software useful as a limited “fun tool” to quickly sketch ideas they can import into other DAWs for finishing. They’ll also love the included Sound Forge audio editor and Ozone Elements mixing/mastering suite. Finally, the Premium version of the software supports third party VST Instruments.
How Good For Making Music Is Free Fl Studio Drum Kits
Cost:
- FREE – Limited Trial Edition
- USD $59.00 – Music Maker PLUS Edition
- USD $129.00 – Music Maker PREMIUM Edition (BEST OPTION! Fully Featured and Affordable)
- USD $29.99/version – Limited Special Editions (80s, Trap, EDM, Hip-Hop)
Main Features (All Editions):
- Pro audio engine for high quality sound
- Click-in or play MIDI keyboard to add melodies, chords, etc.
- New MIDI editor and arrangement window
- Apply effects to sounds/loops
- Mixing and mastering plugins included
- In-app store for additional effects
Pros:
- Affordable, Easy to Use/Customize/Learn
- Perfect for Beginners/Hobbyists
- Drag and Drop Functionality
- Compatible w/ MIDI keyboards/drumpads
- Ability to Make PROFESSIONAL Sounding Beats/Music
- Includes Lots of Sounds/Loops – Drums/Bass/Leads/Melodies/Etc
- Export to Broadcast Quality WAV/MP3 Files
- Expandable Sounds/Effects/Loops packs
- Free version lets you try before you buy
Cons:
- In-App store for additional purchases
- Not as flexible for advanced producers who need total control of DAW
- Only the PREMIUM edition contains ALL functionality (other editions limited)
Buy Magix Music Maker If…
- You’re thinking of making beats but don’t know where/how to start
- You need a “pro” beat making software but don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars right now
- You’re a beginner beatmaker or hobbyist
- You know nothing about music theory or making music
- You want to produce popular electronic music easily (EDM, Hip-Hop/Rap, R&B, DubStep,Trap, Dance, Pop etc.)
- You want a SUPER FAST workflow without having to mess around with complicated controls
Magix Music Maker Version Breakdown
Free Edition Features:
- 425 included sounds/loops
- 4 additional “soundpools” (collection of sounds compatible w/ Music Maker)
- 3 VST instruments
- 8 VST effects
- Only 8 available tracks
PLUS Edition Features:
- Everything in free edition
- Additional €265.00 of included sounds
- 1 free Soundpool Collection
- 1 free additional Soundpool
- 3 additional instruments
- 1 “Tiny” instrument
- 4 “feature” packs
PREMIUM Edition Features:
- Everything in Plus edition
- €910.00 of included sounds
- 1 free Soundpool Collection
- 3 free additional Soundpools
- 6 total instruments
- 2 “Tiny” instruments
- 9 “feature” packs
- iZotope Ozone 8 Elements Mastering Suite
- 2 coreFX Mixing Plugin Bundles
- SoundForge Audio Studio 12 (for audio editing)
Magix Music Maker Video Walkthrough – How The Software Works
[COMING SOON]
My Personal Opinion and Experience Using Magix Music Maker
I’m not gonna lie – when I first learned about software like this I thought it was just a toy music maker that couldn’t hold it’s own against software like FL Studio.
It wasn’t a fair comparison, but I looked down on it.
And since we do reviews on this site, I decided I should really check it out because I know a lot of people wonder – can you really make good beats with Magix Music maker?
The short answer is: YES
I decided to sign up for the free version of the software and run it through a typical beat making sessions for myself.
Installation was easy and the user interface does look a bit… toyish… but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The advantage of a simple interface is that you can focus on the most important aspects of making your music.
But is It a “Just for Fun” Toy?
In all honesty, it can be used as a quick, fun beat making toy. BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t make professional music with it.
You CAN make pro music with it. That becomes apparent when you start to poke around the software.
It may not have the bells and whistles of other DAWs (digital audio workstations) but it has all the things you need to REALLY make music in the same way professionals do:
- Third party virtual instrument support
- MIDI editing
- Clip arrangement
- Mixing functionality (levels, automation, effects processing, etc.)
And like I said, the interface and workflow make it simple to use. It’s easy – drag and drop. You can even use your computer keyboard to play the instruments (no need for other equipment).
It really is the best option for people just getting started with making music.
No, it’s not on the level of FL Studio and definitely not on the level of something like Pro Tools, but you can still use it to bust out some bangers pretty easily.
And being limited in scope doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing.
Some of the best, most successful artists in the world have used some of the most limited equipment in the world to create classics (SP-1200 or MPC60 anyone..? Not even close to the level of DAWs we have today).
The Beauty of Boundaries When Making Beats
And here’s another thing that makes me ok with recommending this software – being tied down to a small set of options/controls/sounds/instruments actually increases your creativity because you have a small set of important aspects to focus on to get the sound and vibe you want.
You don’t get stuck because you’ve got too many options (trust me, it happens). As a beginner beat maker that means you get right to making the music you want.
Whether you want to make rap, pop, edm, trap or any other type of music – you can do it with Magix Music Maker. They even have special editions of the software that are cheaper (only $29) and specifically designed for specific genres like trap and edm.
And you don’t have to worry about getting lost in complicated controls of the DAW.
And that’s the beauty of this software.
Am I Lying?
So now you may be thinking oh you’re just saying that because you use Pro Tools and you just want commission from Magix.
Dead Wrong.
When you’re first starting out, you use what you got (or can afford).
My first beat making experience was when I was 15 or so years old. My parents bought my sister a Yamaha PSR keyboard from back in like 1984. I was always into music so when I started to explore the keyboard I found there were 3 “tracks” where you could record 2 bars each of drums, bass and chords.
That. Was. It.
Now you can see why I don’t mind limited options when making music. If the music is in you, you find a way to get it out. Period.
Even though I only had a single keyboard with 3 tracks and limited sounds (no MIDI editing, no arrangement, no mixing) I made it work and had some pretty hot shit.
So remember this – it’s not about the tool, it’s about how you use it!
And Magix Music Maker is a GREAT ENTRY LEVEL TOOL THAT’S HELLA AFFORDABLE.
I Wish…
Real talk, I wish Magix Music Maker existed when I was coming up. It’s a million times more than what I had to start with.
- It includes several high quality sounding virtual instruments
- It has tons of included sounds a loops that sound great
- It lets you arrange your music clips into a full song
- It lets you record vocals if you want
- It lets you polish your track with mixing and mastering tools
How Good For Making Music Is Free Fl Studio Recording
When I finally did start using computer software to make beats it was something called CakeWalk… and MIDI + plugins were so limited that everything you made sounded like a thin video game soundtrack.
It was wack.
And when you don’t have a ton of money to spend, or you don’t know if you really want to pursue music production as a career/business, you can’t afford to drop $300+ on software or $3000+ on some hardware.
So a $100 beat maker (or the $30/$60 options) that can actually do things those traditional DAWs/hardware do is pretty fuckin dope.
But What About…
After graduating away from CakeWalk, I tried FL Studio and eventually Reason as well.
I love both those pieces of software. They’re great sounding and super powerful. And they have very limited versions for around the same price as the full featured, top-of-the-line version of Magix Music Maker.
But FL Studio and Reason are very complicated. There’s a steep learning curve – especially for beginners.
I did end up figuring it out but it took a while, and sometimes it’d kill my creativity and flow because I’d get stuck trying to figure out what a certain feature or tool.
I’d get overwhelmed at the start and it was very frustrating.
If I had Magix Music Maker back then, though….
Overall Recommendation: A Better Way To Learn…
Let me make something clear – I don’t think Magix Music Maker is a “substitute” for FL Studio, Reason, Logic or any other professional DAW.
However, I DO believe this is awesome software beginners can cut their teeth on and hobbyists can use to have fun on without getting lost in the more complicated software.
It’s a better way for complete starters to learn and get proficient.
Learning the basics – looping, MIDI, VSTs, effects, arrangement, sequencing etc – is easier with Magix Music Maker because of the way it’s designed.
You open it up, drag in loops, sounds and instruments, use your computer keyboard like a piano, draw in notes and arrange sections of your song without needing any other software or hardware.
Simple.
Who Should Buy Magix Music Maker
If you’re interested in beat making and want a full-featured piece of music making software without having to spend hundreds of dollars just yet, you should definitely buy Magix Music Maker.
Still not sure? Sign up for the FREE limited version and give it a try for yourself.
Should Pro’s Not Bother With It?
If you’re experienced with beat making and music production, this probably isn’t the best software for you to make your main software. But if you’re looking for a new toy to mess around with and inspire some creativity then definitely get it.
Limiting yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone or natural element can be great to keep the ideas and creativity flowing.
Music Maker by Magix isn’t an advanced digital audio workstation. But it can do all the important stuff the other DAWs can. And you can do it all QUICKLY.
It’s great to quickly sketch something out you can take to another DAW later to finish up.
So even experienced beat-makers and professional music producers can get some use out of it.
Plus the Premium version of Magix actually includes Sound Forge (an extremely powerful audio editing software) and iZotope’s Ozone Elements (an extremely powerful suite of mixing/mastering effects).
Thanks for checking out our Magix Music Maker review! We hope you found it helpful. If you think it could help other people you know, please share this article!