How has software effected your songwriting?
There have been many advances in digital music technology in the past decade but has it had a positive effect on your music?
You can create a song and by using digital instruments, midi and other tools immediately produce audio that resembles your idea in a matter of minutes, but does this music contain the same kind of power as it would if it was recorded organically with real instruments and musicians?
In my experience, aside from a handful of exceptions, I often find myself spending more time wrestling with technology than using it in a beneficial way to make music. Often, the feel of the song is lost because I find myself using loops and synthetic sound to make my tracks sound big and full too early, this draws from what should be my goal… writing a powerful song.
(This experience pertains more to the singer songwriter than to other genres which may embrace software to create other forms music. Often leading to big/powerful sounds in those genres.)
I have learned that the big and powerful feel of a song has more to do with the writing than the production. A song must have a driving force. Dynamics can greatly improve my chance of achieving this and more often than not it is difficult to attain real sounding dynamics (in my genre) with software.
Technology does aid in pre-production by allowing me to quickly jot my idea down with the use of midi and other tools. Listening back to a bare bones track can often provide me with a good starting point. I find it easier for me to reflect upon partially finished audio than to hear the vague idea in my head, by recording the skeleton of a track I am able to have a more subjective perspective.
I would recommend using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) or porta-studio to hash out your song before committing to the structure, tempo or lyrics.
After I am happy with the song itself a comfortable use for software emerges.
I will most often record to a DAW. I may subtly add synthesized pads or effects to add depth or interest to my track. I also find mixing with software is simple and convenient. Especially if I would like to recall my settings the next time I come back to my project.
For me technology has never positively effected the creation of a song, only the finished product. My inspiration may be stifled by the cumbersome flow of most software, the repetitiveness of perfect rhythm or the digital sound of artificial instruments, it is however extremely useful to record and mix audio with software.
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Filed under: Audio production