Jackbeat lets you experiment with creating music for free

Filed under: Audio

I always like to think that one day, I might make some music. Hey, a guy can dream.

If that day ever comes, I might try to start with free software such as Jackbeat. Jackbeat is, in the words of its creator, "a free multi-platform audio sequencer for musicians and sound artists."

So, you basically get a timeline and a bunch of tracks -- you put a sample on each track, and then throw that sample on the timeline wherever you see fit to make your composition.

The concept itself is nothing new, and that's a good thing for Jackbeat. The program uses a familiar interface so that the learning curve can be reduced for many people already familiar with similar apps. It also means that Jackbeat can be used as a stepping stone onto more advanced solutions that cost money.

The interface seems rather simple. I know that it does far less than REAPER, for example, but at least it looks like something I would be able to approach. Just looking at REAPER's interface makes me feel like I could never make it work correctly.

There are some music samples provided which show off what Jackbeat can do. I listened to a couple and was really not blown away. It's basic stuff, but I guess sometimes "basic stuff" is exactly what you need to get your feet wet without drowning in complexity.

(Oh, and is it me, or is there something odd about the name? Jack ... beat? Just saying.)

Jackbeat lets you experiment with creating music for free originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 07 May 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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