One of the most popular music styles in the last decade is the electronic and techno genre. A lot of the famous dj’s and producers got started by playing in their basements on their computers or electronic keyboards with very little professional equipment. Learning has truly become easy through the internet and computer. Applications and tutorials exist for nearly everything. Sometimes it becomes hard to know which application to choose from a sea of possibilities
VirtualDJ
It is one of the most recognized DJ software around the world. Like many programs of the last few years, VirtualDJ has strived for more intuitive interfaces; one of the main areas where that shows is the drag & drop utility. With that you can easily add different tracks, mix them in a variety of ways and have yourself a remix. Within the software you can use a feature to emulate the scratching board of a real set, which sounds just like the real thing. All the effects such as backdrop, loop, beatgrid are all there and many more. Some very well-known djs have used this software, such as Numark, Hercules, Gemini. The latest version has a beatlock feature will make sure your track stays with the beat. There now is also a video engine which lets you mix music videos or make karaoke’s easily. The community is easily the largest among all the dj software ones. This leads to a lot of customization benefits such as different skins and add ons for mixing. Either you want to mix some songs or are already known how to dj this software is for everyone, novice to expert.
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Windows Live Movie Maker
This is the latest update of the simple humble video editor by Windows. Its simplicity is a pro but also a hindrance. If you want to do some really in depth editing this is not the software for that. If you want to do some quick easy cropping, converting and adding a few effects, this will do the job. This is also great for youth because of it’s easy to understand interface and fun functions. The interface is really simple but it achieves what you want to it do while you create layers and playlists, a lot of other programs could learn something from it. If you want to do some casual editing this is the editor for you but if you want to get more serious there are many other programs for that. The best thing about it other than it being simple is that it is completely free.
Sony Vegas Studio
This is one for the big boys, if you want to get serious with editing and formatting your videos, this is it for you. The program requires a good CPU to use with ease, its functions use a lot of the live ram, so one thing you do need unlike Windows Movie Maker is a good PC. Also if you are willing to get this serious you should know there are some monetary fees ahead. Depending on the version and license you get the price may vary but generally speaking this is a program made with professionals in mind so the price is nearly always high for someone just looking to test it, although there is a 30 day trial for it. If you want the best possible rendering and formatting for your video this is the software for you but be prepared to spend some time learning the ropes.
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Capturing what’s going on your screen can be important; some people make helpful videos for others or just to have fun. Either way what you want is software that is capable of capturing your work while not interfering within it or slowing it down.
Camtasia Studio
One of the best video capture software out there, its performance and reliability are unbelievable. The software at first glance looks complex but it is very easy to get into, it also comes in with an in depth tutorial for beginners and even with some tricks for more advanced users. Camtasia has one of the best audio recording systems and most recordings without any tweaking will run at a solid 30fps. One another thing it does is rendering, not only video capture have this feature, many users will have to use another program such as Sony Vegas to deal with the rendering to reduce the massive size of these videos but Camtasia has this feature built in. A few of the negatives are that you cannot add effects within the software; you need another application for that. That might not be such a big deal but the price for Camtasia might be too much for some who just want capture footage casually.
Fraps
This is another software that is very well known but for very different reasons than Camtasia. Fraps’s interface and design has no complexity but that doesn’t mean it lacks the features to make it a great program. One could even argue the simple design of the interface is better than the more complex and professional one of Camtasia. Fraps will deliver the same quality that Camtasia does, it has a wide range resolutions it can capture all up to 30 fps. Another advantage for Fraps is it’s relatively cheap price compared to the $300 of Camtasia. The most recent version of Fraps will cost you only about $37. Fraps doesn’t have many other capabilities other than capturing the video unlike Camtasia. A negative for Fraps is the many browser plugins it tries to install during the installation process, you got to be careful if you don’t want intrusive search bars in your browser.
There are a few other applications for capturing video but these two are the very best in my eyes and with the experiences I’ve had with them. Hopefully this helps you choose a video capture software.
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