Choosing A Music Sequencer To Produce Dance Music Tracks

So you are mixing music tracks and want to use a sequencer program to help record your tracks, import audio from other files, and arrange your music in a specific order, as well as playing effects and instruments? If this is correct then a music sequencer software program is ideal for you.

When looking to get a sequencer, there are the usual considerations that you need to make, namely your price range, the features you need and the operating system your using, (windows or linux etc). Most of the sequencer programs come in a basic version which can be upgraded to a full version later and whats more if you are a beginner and aren’t going to use the more advanced features of the sequencer then there really isn’t any point in paying for the full versions. Many MIDI keyboards will come with a ‘lite’ version of a sequencer so look out for deals like this and also if you can try before you buy with a demo of the software. Its best to make an informed decision on the sequencer you want without spending too much money on a hunch.

The main programs are Ableton Live, Cubase and Sonar. In the sequencer software itself, they are all almost all laid out in a similar design fashion with a linear time line in the main window, with other windows detailing samples and other audio file and plugins that you may want to use, such as mixers.

Most of the above software programs come with some level of plugins and synthesisers, that will help to distort your audio sounds, they will also be able to user third party plugins and synths that you may want to use, with the common format being Audio Unit and VST. There are various online plugin databases available that have more on VSTs and freeware plugins.