Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
The general setup of the recording studio and the way music is recorded has changed considerably over the last decade, and more and more musicians are opting to harness the power of computer-aided recording and digital production instead of paying the high fees to make use of the analog equipment that made recording studios so prolific in the past. For this reason, the software that you use is becoming more important than ever, so let’s look at some software applications you’ll need in your home recording studio.
Notion
We start off our list with an app that anyone can use – even children learning music can get use out of it on a small tablet for kids. Notion is an app that serves the primary purpose of creating an easy way for users to transcribe music and turn it into charts. If you’re learning music or want an app that can serve as a companion to allow you to produce a chart, line or melody quickly and easily then you’ll want Notion on hand. It can even output to PDF or print if you prefer a paper version.
Reason
Reason finds itself in the hands of electronic music producers as its primary users, but it certainly has uses beyond that. If you’re looking to produce electronic music however, you can almost certainly not be without Reason. The software comes out the box with an incredibly big library of effects and instruments that you can use in your workflow to create music. Most Reason fans sing its praises thanks to its innovative Combinator tool, which allows you to easily combine multiple effects with instruments and racks on a single track. It also uses a pleasing visual style that those who have experience with analog synths and racks will feel at home using.
Band-In-a-Box
Band-in-a-Box is an institution in its own right and bridges a gap between a song idea and a musician. This is because Band-in-a-Box shines most at producing backing tracks or music for musicians who might not be able to play a specific instrument but wants to use it in their song. Its niche is probably more suited towards beginners and songwriters, but it can be useful to anyone who writes music.
Pro Tools
No software is more iconic and more used in professional recording studios and by professional producers anywhere in the world than Pro Tools. It is the gold standard in DAW software thanks to its incredibly powerful multi-track editing and versatility to be at home producing any genre of music at any complexity level. It isn’t the most user friendly and easiest software to use, but if you’re patient and manage to master Pro Tools, you’ll never look back.
Software is the core of the modern recording studio and it’s essential that you make the most from what is available to you as a musician or producer to ensure your product is of the highest fidelity and quality. These four applications just scratch the surface of what’s available to you in your modern home recording studio.
