Have you ever heard a new song and wondered how it was made? More people throughout the world are trying their hand at music production thanks to recent breakthroughs in music technology, social media, and file sharing. Aspiring producers have unprecedented access to software that produces professional sounds without having to purchase expensive equipment such as mixers, synthesizers, effects boards, and multitrack recorders. All of this software can be contained on a laptop hard drive and carried around in a backpack. Learning how to use these complicated programs has become easier thanks to the internet. Youtube is filled with detailed tutorials showing how to create very specific sounds from popular songs, as well as general tutorials on composition, mixing, and mastering. All of this information is available for free at the click of a mouse. Once a track is finished it can be shared with millions of listeners via social media sites such as Soundcloud, Reverb Nation, and Beatport. Promoting ones own music is easier than ever. Musicians no longer have to rely on record companies and agents to promote their music thanks to social media and targeted advertising.
As the world changes, the once highly restrictive field of music production is becoming more accessible. Artists aren’t as pressured by record companies to produce what sells, and the growing number of producers is causing music to evolve at a rapid rate. If you are still curious about how music is made, you can go and watch some tutorials on youtube, or even find a demo version of a popular Digital Audio Workstation (Logic Studio, FL Studio, Cubase, Reason, Ableton Live, Garageband) and find out for yourself. Just remember that despite being increasingly accessible, there is still one thing about producing music that hasn’t changed. It is a lot of work.
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Great post ! I have noticed a lot of my favorite artists independently producing their work. I also am a big fan of Noisetrade, which has a good mix of bedroom productions by small artists and works by emerging and established artists.
ReplyDeleteI've also noticed crowdfunding being used by these artists to produce their albums. Pledgemusic and Kickstarter are the first two platforms to come to mind but I am sure there are many more.
I will check out your Soundcloud and Facebook.
Very informative.
ReplyDeleteVery well written! Thanks for post!
ReplyDeleteGood read. It's nice to hear that music production is becoming more accessible. I briefly majored in audio production (13 years ago) and it was a hobby throughout high school.I owned and used Pro Tools and a MIDI "production center" keyboard. It's nice to hear Cubase and Reason are still in circulation. Soundcloud and similar programs are great, wish they were around when I was into it. Really helps people get their sound out, and inspire them to take their hobby to the next level.
ReplyDeleteI think its amazing what's coming from the independent music sector.
ReplyDeleteNice! My brother has also gotten into a lot of self-production for bands he's played in as well as helping record stuff for his friends' musical projects. I definitely personally love using soundcloud and bandcamp for posting my own music. Keep it up! #DIYorDIE
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