The license costs $100 for one song, and $250 for unlimited use. However, if it is for profit or used in an advertisement for something that’s for profit, then you need to purchase the commercial-use license. You are also free to share your creations on sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and SoundCloud. You are free to use your creations for free as long as they’re not for profit. There is one negative factor that I feel needs to be pointed out, and that is use. Who knows, you just may have a happy accident and create something that sounds good just from experimenting. Even if you’re not exactly musically inclined (like me), it’s easy to experiment with the different loops. The drag-and-drop nature makes the software very easy to use, even one-handed. They may not be free, but given the overall sound quality, they’re worth it. Plus, you have many loops to choose from, and there are more to download from the Catooh marketplace. The sound quality is very good, the loops are well-made, recorded well and at high quality. You can also use the built-in mixer to adjust the loops in a multitude of ways. You can move them to another track, if need be. You can also stretch and shorten the loop to your liking, adding as many loops as you want as long as they don’t overlap in one track. To use a loop, you click on it once to listen to it, and if you like it, you can drag it into the arranger. The software primarily uses loops, sound clips of vocals or any instrument that can be played in a seamless loop. On the bottom, you have media pools which showcase your sound clips. On top, you have your arranger, which is like a timeline, but instead of just one track to work with, you have an unlimited number to work with.

Music Maker’s interface is fairly straightforward. Overall, installation of the software and add-ons took about 25 minutes, give or take. Music Maker 2013 Premium gives the user a host of features, including over 6,000 sounds & loops, rock drums, string ensemble, bass machine, world percussion, a mastering suite, and the ability to work with unlimited tracks. I love it! If I knew beforehand I would’ve purchased Plus or even Premium. Normally media editing software that cheap isn’t very good. Initially, I was skeptical because it was only $70. I did and subsequently bought the software.

An acquaintance on Twitter, Constantin Gabor suggested I try Movie Edit Pro. I needed better software than just Windows Movie Maker. I first came across MAGIX, late last year while returning to video editing. Thankfully, MAGIX has come to the rescue with its Music Maker series of software, letting you “ Make Your Own Music.” Unfortunately, not all of us are musically inclined, so that makes things tough. I’m sure at some point in our lives, we all want to make music.

Magix musikmaker 2013