10 good reasons to start making music on a computer

Plus, should you use a Mac or a PC?

Computer Music Specials, Tue 21 Oct 2008, 10:25 am UTC

10 reasons to start making music on a computer

A simple system doesn't have to cost the Earth.

7. You can upgrade at your own pace
The biggest mistake that any beginner can make is to go and spend loads of money on gear before knowing how they want to work and what kind of music they want to make. So start out with one piece of software and take it from there: you'll soon discover what you need to buy to improve your creative experience. There are countless add-ons and peripherals on the market, but you should only buy the ones that you're sure you'll need.

8. You can use the same tools as the pros
Many of the tracks by your favourite artists might have been tweaked and polished with outboard hardware, but the chances are that they were put together on a computer using the same sort of software you have access to. For example, did you know that the drum track on Rihanna's Umbrella, one of the biggest selling singles of 2007, is just a beefed up version of a loop that comes with Apple's GarageBand software?

9. Music-making is a sociable activity
Making music on your own is great, but you can get even more out of the process if you involve a friend or two. You can work together in the same room, communicate via online communities and send files back and forth via email – what's important is that you're bouncing ideas off each other and interacting. Work hard enough and you might even end up as an in-demand production outfit for other artists.

10. It's fun
Very few are talented, committed and lucky enough to make a living from music, but there are thousands of people out there who do it just because they love it. Starting out, your aim should simply be to enjoy yourself; if you're doing that, you can be pretty confident that you'll spend more and more time creating tunes and that their quality will keep improving.