8. Bring on the Music
Now that you understand digital audio and have possibly even downloaded one or two audio programs, you need some music to play with. Your options include:
Music you've already got -- Your CD collection, your tape collection, your record collection, your um, 8-tracks . . . Your CDs will be the easiest to work with, since they are already in digital form. Just rip the tracks you want straight into your computer with Blaze Audio RipEditBurn Plus and go from there. Tapes and records (and 8-tracks as well) can be converted to digital files easily using our tutorial on the subject.
Record your own -- Use digital recording programs like our Wave Creator to record yourself singing or playing an instrument. Record your band. Record your choir. Record an interview. Record your kids. Record the daily pedestrian noises on your street. Record that great story your grandfather tells so well. The world is full of sound waiting to be captured..
Music from the Internet -- While illegally-copied MP3’s are of course illegal, there are plenty of legit websites offering free MP3's. Generally these mp3's are put out by the artists themselves, often emerging artists on the cutting edge of the new music scene. Click here for a short list of websites you might try on the mp3 trail. Another option is to join online music communities and discover new friends that share your musical tastes (and might want to trade mp3s with you). Various conglomerations of record labels and big tech names are starting to offer paid music subscriptions, but most of them are not off the ground yet. Try emusic.com to get an idea of where the industry is headed.
MIDI files, both with karaoke attributes and without, are also widely available. A couple of good websites for karaoke files are listed on our Karaoke Resources page. As always, using the search engines with search strings like "MIDI files" or "mp3 _artist name_" is another good way to find music.
As always, be aware that these are external sites - they are not under the control of Blaze Audio, nor do we take responsibility for their content. Use your virus-protection software and your common sense. Happy hunting!
