There are hundreds, if not thousands, of websites and blogs that can educate and inspire you and your music making. Whilst it is not possible to list them all here, the following websites have really helped me out in one way or another - from tutorials video to freeware and samples - I think they will help you out too.
Alkota Beats: A boom bap specialist shares tricks of the trade
Alkota is a succesful beatmaker and the genius behind the specialist usb drives featured here. His website, apart from being a showcase for his top drawer selection of sample packs and USB's also has a blog full of great interviews, tutorials and opinion pieces that will educate and inspire the beatmaker, new or old: hiphopdrumsamples.com
BBoy Tech Report: Hip hop, beatmaking, hardware, software and more
Whether you're eager for interviews with some of the hottest beatmakers around, keen to know how to customize your MPC or whether to buy that beatmaking app, head over to 'The intersection where hip-hop and technology meet'. Oh, and The New Beatmaker is lucky enough to guest post there every now and again, too: bboytechreport.com
Be a Better Producer: Hip hop production tips and Industry Advice
Like the aformentioned, this site is run by a sucessful beat maker, Jim Bond. The site focuses on topics such as where to shop beats and how to enhance your chances of having your beats placed. The site also puts an emphasis on sample culture and the 'flipping' of rare records: beabetterproducer.com
Beat Tape Co-Op: Get your fix for beat tapes by both newcomers and favourites
Beat Tape Co-Op is a blog which brings you beat tapes (natch). It's a great source of inspiration and is highly addictive, being updated at a prodigious rate. If you're a beatmaking enthusiast you owe it to yourself to check out this site. You never know, your music could be up there one day: beattapeco-op.com/
BeatTips: Thoughtful, thorough essays from an accomplished beatmaker and MC
Another favourite, BeatTips is the brain child of accomplished beatmaker / MC, Amir 'Sa'id' Said. Sa'id provides in-depth articles on everything from technical know-how, through to the cultural relevance of classic LP's from Led Zeppelin to Illmatic: beattips.com
Bedroom Producers Blog: An invaluable online resource for free VST's and samples
Looking to get your hands on loads of great free vst's and sample packs? Bedroom Producers is the place to head to. This site is an absolute gold mine updated with new plug ins and sample packs seemingly every other second. It is an essential resource for new electronic musicians of any persuasion: bedroomproducersblog.com
Boonie Mayfield: Classy neo soul / hip hop artist with talent and charisma for days
Some people love great music. Some people make great music. Boonie Mayfield does both. Some people ooze talent. Some people ooze charisma. Boonie Mayfield does both. His music and his 'Boon Documented' show are both wildly popular: booniemayfield.com
DSK Music: Looking for good quality VST instruments? DSK is the place
DSK music excels in making VST instrument plugins which are realistic sounding and easy to use. They have a wide range of free plugins, from electronic to acoustic, from classical instruments to drum kits and drum machines. A freeware favourite: dskmusic.com
Dubspot: Tutorials, reviews and features on all forms of dance music and DJ'ing
Dubspot is one of the biggest names in electronic music production tuition. Both a school in New York and online, it features some of the biggest names in electronic music, from house to hip hop, as guest tutors. Check them out on youtube and here: dubspot.com
Essenchill Records: Quality hip hop for the head, heart and soul
The New Beatmaker has been a fan of Essenchill, 'a Hip Hop haven for true-school underground heads', since checking out founders Concept and Ed Rowe's album of the same name last year. If you're into soulful, jazzy hip hop and thoughtful, deft lyricism treat yourself to some Essenchill today: essentialrecords.com
Gear Slutz: A wealth of information on seemingly all things music related
The daddy of music production forums, GS covers everything from songwriting to hardware and software, from set - up to post production. Whether you're a nervous newbie with a low budget or a proud professional mixing a megastar's latest album, there's Gear Slutz forum to help you: gearslutz.com
High Pressure Sound: New music! Diverse music! New, diverse, music!
I have High Pressure Sound to thank for introducing me to one of my new favourite artists, Mecca:83. This blog specialises in one thing, bringing new music to the attention of its readers. Looking for inspiration? Get acquainted with HPS. highpressuresound.com
Hip Hop is Read: Grab a coffee and read great hip hop writing from around the web Bringing together great hip hop writing from around the web, Hip Hop is Read is ideal for those people that miss the late 80's to mid 90's golden era of rap magazines like 'Hip Hop Connection' and 'The Source': hiphopisread.com
ModeAudio: Top-drawer sample packs, free samples; and a cool blog, too
Priding themselves on making the very best music loops, samples, synth presets and field recordings, ModeAudio offers a generous 650MB of free samples when you sign up to their newsletter. Fancy more? check out their blog chock-full of helpful advice and info. modeaudio.com
Music Radar: Tutorials, software and hardware, interviews, magazines and more
From the best free VST's to studio equipment, from tutorials and interviews and covering everything from Rock to dnb, Music Radar has something for everyone. The umbrella site of magazines including Computer Music and Guitar: musicradar.com
Pensados Place: The most popular music production show on the web
I love it! Super mixing engineer Dave Pensado and his manager Herb Trawick host this wildly popular web show. Legendary engineers such as Bob Power, Jimmy Douglas and Chris Lord Alge are just some of the guests who have featured. Dave's weekly tutorials are a must - see: pensadosplace.tv
Point Blank: Music industry veterans share their knowledge and experience
Multi-award winning music school Point Blank runs courses covering everything from sound design to business taught by music industry veterans. Online courses are also available. In addition to all of this, their youtube channel has what must be at least a years worths of tutorials: pointblankonline.net
Red Bull Music Academy: Lectures, interviews, events and more
Known perhaps for it's annual event where selected students get to sit in on lectures with key industry figures and legends, RBMA's site includes not only videos of the lectures, but plenty of other material for the music enthusiast to absorb and enjoy: redbullmusicacademy.com
Samplecraze: Download beats, books and videos from another valued site
Samplecraze offers both music tuition (high quality eBooks and Videos) and sample kits which specialise in dance, hip hop and rnb. A great 'one stop shop' for beat making, with free eBook chapters, a selection of free tutorial videos and free sample pack tasters upon email sign up: samplecraze.com
Shocklee.com: A musical iconclast who made history sets his sights on the future
Hank Shocklee helped revolutionise rap music as part of The Bomb Squad in the 1980's. and this legend is still bringing the noise. This fascinating website covers everything from music, art and culture to technology and world affairs with ease: shocklee.com
Sounds and Gear: News and reviews by a knowledgeable and affable music maker Sounds and Gear provides news and reviews on hardware and software. Whilst the price tags of some gear will be out of the newbie's reach, the knowledge and infectious enthusiasm that the sites author, JK Swopes AKA Saint Joe, has makes this essential reading / viewing for all: soundsandgear.com
Sound on Sound: A leading authority on hardware, software and techniques
Sound on Sound is a musician and engineers' bible. Whether you are looking to buy a mixing desk for the price of a house, or buying a soundcard for the price of a night out, SOS will have knowledge of it: soundonsound.com
Tom Gates Photography: Talented photographer with a diverse portfolio
DSY's Tom Gates is a photographer who can turn his hand to creating stunning photo's of art pieces, architecture and, most importantly for this site, musicians. Get more acquainted with his skill-set at his official web site: tomgates.co.uk
The Recording Revolution: Learn the fundamentals from a skilled online tutor
Another favourite of this site, The Recording Revolution specialises in video tutorials and essays relating to acoustic / rock / worship music. Even if your music falls outside of the remit of these genres, you'll still learn a tonne from the RR. A great, free eBook is thanks for signing up: therecordingrevolution.com
VST Planet and VST4You: Looking for a diverse range of free VST's?
These are plenty of great free VST sites out there which feature free - and most importantly, legal - downloads of VST's, two which spring to mind are VST planet and VST 4 You. They are both easy to use, both split VSTs into obvious sub sections and both are updated frequently: vstplanet.com, vst4you.com
Winksound: Tutorials and gear galore at another favourite of The New Beatmaker
Another site which features great tutorials and hardware reviews. Whilst the features and the gear may be a little in depth and out of the new beatmaker's price range it is still a great way to stay up to date with the industry and to up your game: youtube.com/user/winksound
Image: www.doublejdesign.co.uk
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