DUBturb Makes Complex Beat Sequences With Garageband Ease

Quite honestly, when I first received this product to review I was a bit skeptical because I had never heard of it and my extensive background as a musician seems to get in the way of what I always desire in applications involving music.  But, I was pleasantly surprised, this application seemed to really have it all.  I was never left with the common feeling of ‘I wish it could do that’ that I get with so many music applications.  In this article I plan on discussing the main points and features of DUBturbo that will allow the average and the musically inclined to make beat sequences and patterns easily.

There are 3 Main components to DUBturbo which separate it from the rest of the other recording and beat sequencing softwares out there, and of course several little things that do as well, but I’ll discuss these 3 big things first.

The first main component of DUBturbo is the sequencer.  The sequencer is the all familar ProTools/GarageBand style screen which shows you the tracks and when they are playing or not playing.  It’s not too special, but what does set this apart is that it’s got 16 tracks.  A drum sequencer with 16 tracks is pretty uncommon because most have far fewer!  It’s not the unlimited that ProTools will give you, but will ProTools run on your netbook?  I don’t think so; DUBturbo will.  DUBturbo lays out all the tracks easily in the sequencer view, I tend to think of this as my home screen.

The next main component of DUBturbo is the drum machine.  It’s obvious that this was very well thought out.  Unlike GarageBand where you are forced into drum sequences, DUBturbo lets you create anyone you like, or modify one that already exists.  It’s limited to just 10 pads per track, but this allows you to ‘type’ in the rhythm by using your computer keyboard as the drum pad.  It converts your number pad into a drum set and you get to define each sound.  There couldn’t be a more customized way of doing this either.  You can choose either predefined drum ‘sets’ or make your own.  To enter rhythms, you can either use your mouse and click on which part of the beat you want sound to happen or type it in on your drum pad/keyboard.  This thing is awesome.

The other main component to DUBturbo is the 4 Octave Keyboard feature.  This is THE thing that sets DUBturbo apart from the competition.  You can insert melodic ideas, harmonic ideas, bass lines, anything with this.  Beats without bass are boring, repetitive and seriously lame.  But add a bass line, or some sort of harmonic or melodic interest and all of a sudden those repetitive beats seem to have some sort of flow and provide interest to your listeners.  DUBturbo also makes it easy as pie to use the keyboard feature.  By using your computer keyboard, you can put the notes in just like you were at a piano.  It’s so easy and simple to do, I wish that Sibelius or Finale notation software were this easy!  DUBturbo allows you to use up to 4 Octaves which is a big range.  To some that may seem limited, but if you separate your tracks it’s difficult to feel limited.

Here are the other things that are really cool about DUBturbo…

There are soooo many sounds you can play with.  If you’ve ever used GarageBand, there are a lot of different sounds and sequences you can use, but navigating them takes practice to learn and it’s not that easy, with DUBturbo, all the sounds are easy to navigate.  They pop up in the middle of the screen, not just at the bottom like in GarageBand.  You can do more with the sounds, you can even change the keys the sounds are in.  In GarageBand you are stuck to whatever key the sample is in, which may not be the key of your beat.  DUBturbo makes changing keys easy.

DUBturbo lets you upload your beats and sell them to other DUBturbo users.  That’s right, writing music is easy on DUBturbo and getting paid for those beats is just as easy!

DUBturbo outputs studio quality sounds so you don’t have to worry about loss of quality when you burn to CD.

Using DUBturbo is easy, even for the non-musical user.  It includes a video tutorial series to walk you through, step by step, on how to make simple beats all the way through advanced user features.  So learning the program couldn’t be easier!  These videos are even great for users familiar with similar style applications because it tells you shortcuts and secrets to make using the program easier.

Honestly, I haven’t seen an beat sequencing application as thoroughly put together as DUBturbo.  It really does have it all and it makes putting together beats from any genre easy and fun.

Ease of Use:  9/10

Quality of Application: 9/10

Features: 10/10

Overall Value: 9.5/10

This really is the cream of the crop application.

 

To access my blog and read more reviews on other music products,  http://cmstuber.blogspot.com

 

 

Find More Software Music Recording Techniques articles

Listen to free previews of Zylascope’s Electronic Music in our music store.

www.zylascope.com | Electronic Music