Review: You're the DJ with MTV Music Generator

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	GALLERY

June 13, 2000
Web posted at: 8:42 a.m. EDT (1242 GMT)

by Brian Wright

(IDG) -- For all you aspiring DJs and mixmasters out there, now you can show off your mad mixing skills with MTV Music Generator. Even if you've never touched a musical instrument in your life, you'll still have no problem producing some block-rockin' beats.

MTV Music Generator lets you create your own rhythmic masterpieces, regardless of your musical expertise. By pasting ready-made riffs from 6 different genres (Beat, House, Drum 'n' Bass, Trance, Techno, and Rock) into the tracks, anyone from beginners to experts will be blasting out tunes in no time.

The included riffs range from rippin' guitar solos to mellow jazz piano grooves and if you're feeling really creative you can dive into the Riff Editor and fine tune your work note by note or create all new riffs from scratch. You can also add a number of effects, such as vibrato, flange, and reverb.

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With the Video Editor, you can create fantastic light shows to accompany your tunes or you can let the program automatically generate a random video for you. There's also Music Jam mode that lets you and up to 3 friends hook up over the Internet for an improvisational jam session.

The controls take some getting used to -- for example, the cutting and pasting isn't quite as intuitive as it could be -- but with a little practice you'll be laying down the tracks with ease. Also, novices will likely be confused by some of the more complicated features.

Still, beginners will appreciate the ease with which they'll be busting out the beats, while more experienced musicians will enjoy delving into the more complicated editing features. Either way, MTV Music Generator is a must-have for music fans everywhere.

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