Included with all Mac computers, GarageBand is a part of Apple's iLife software suite and can serve as a full-feature, digital-recording studio. If you choose the traditional route, you can plug a guitar or keyboard into the computer to begin composing. You can eschew instruments entirely and make beats with the computer's keyboard. Over 1,000 loops of pre-recorded music samples -- including hip hop, rock and roll and world music sounds -- can be customized. GarageBand also features tempo and pitch adjustment.
FL Studio, formerly known as Fruity Loops, is a dedicated beat-making and -recording software package that offers users the ability to record up to 104 dedicated tracks at once. Each track can have up to eight effects applied at once. FL Studio supports a litany of music codecs, including WAV, MP3 and OGG. Users also can record physical instrument sounds directly to the computer. Beats can be constructed from the 30 synthesizers included as well as 40 effects, such as chorus, phaser and reverb.
Jam Studio is an Internet-based beat-making website that can be used directly from your web browser, bypassing the need for software. It allows users to manipulate up to eight tracks at once, allowing a fully fleshed beat to be composed. Users can alter the tempo from 62 to 151 and choose to record in any available key. Eight sets of instrument sounds are available, including guitar, bass, synthesizer and piano. Users can even choose a beat's desired genre, which allows rock, alternative rock, country and techno effects to be applied to digital instrument sounds.