What Has the Impact of Computer Recording Software Been on Modern Music?
The use of computer recording software for music producers has had a dramatic impact on the way modern music is recorded. Today, some of the most critically acclaimed records are created in home studios with relatively little or no traditional studio equipment. As a result, more and more musicians can produce quality albums on their own without help from A-list producers.
The price of computer recording software has already risen significantly over the past decade. Over the past decade it has become much easier to get high-quality recordings – but at what cost? Some producers like Jimmy Page have criticized this new technology, saying that with computers it is easier to make mistakes. Even though in reality, using a computer when doing a home studio isn’t much different than using a tape recorder.
How Important a Recording software is in The Life of a Music Producer?
To gain an understanding of the software market, it is important to note that there is a multitude of different programs. The main reason for the existence of a plethora of recording software for music producers is that there are so many different requirements when making recordings in today’s digital age.
A major reason why this is is because of the efficiency of how these recording software packages operate on a DAW. These are all important factors when considering how computer recording software for music producers will contribute to the life of a musician or producer. As time goes on and more advances in computer technology occur, these factors become less and less relevant.
Why Recording Software Has Become So Important to The Modern Music Industry?
Home recording studio owner and mixer, Mike Senior, talks about the “chicken and egg” problem in the music industry. “When you’re a band and you want to record a new album. It’s very difficult to find a studio that’s going to be able to take on the extra workload of recording. However if everyone does their home studios, there is no need for professional studios anymore”. In essence, this is why recording software has become so important to the modern music industry.
Senior’s statement is not only relevant for the music industry. But also for producers who are looking to make a career out of producing music. And then work their way up from there. With computer recording software for music producers – this is much more viable – because it’s so difficult and expensive to start with a traditional studio setup.
Formats That Are Currently Available Recording Software for Music Producers
WAV – A format standardized by Microsoft (FAT32) that enables all computers with operating systems that include Windows, Mac, or Linux and a sound card to read and write WAV files. WAV’s are also the most used format because they encompass the entire sound wave and require no compression. This makes them the best quality format for production.
FLAC – An open-source, compressed lossless encoding format that stores 16-bit samples at 44,100 a second (also known as CD-Audio) or 24-bit samples at 88,200 a second. FLAC files allow for transparency in areas like dynamic range, frequency response, and other technical aspects of audio signals.
AIFF – The AIFF format is used extensively by professional audio engineers when producing music and videos. AIFF files still contain the original information (16 bits per sample). Because of its compact size, it can represent a lot of data in very little space.
M4A – Apple’s lossless digital format used for universal compatibility between multiple applications such as iTunes, Garageband or Logic Pro X. Two alternatives to the M4A format are AIFF and WAV. This is because some applications like Garageband don’t support M4A.
MP3 – The standard digital audio format produced by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), and has been played on digital devices for a long time. MP3 is a lossy compression algorithm, meaning that it can compress the information of sounds and music into smaller files.
Each of these formats comes with benefits and drawbacks. FLAC files are very large in file size but are very high quality. MP3s are small in file size, but only uncompressed data is being saved and not some of the original information in the sound recording – which means that this format will become obsolete if producers start to use better recording software for music producers.
Which To Use?
Computer music recording software for music producers can be expensive if you go for the higher-end packages, and can even be prohibitively expensive if you purchase a low-end package like Garageband on a Mac. That said, a lot of people do use free and low-cost options when producing computer music recordings. However, as this recording software becomes easier to use and more accessible, the low-cost option will likely become more popular.
Conclusion:
Recording software for music producers can be used by both professional and amateur producers to produce high-quality music. It can also help both beginners and experienced producers to start with a lower budget. As this will make it easier for newbies to learn how to produce high-quality music.
This recording software is becoming a big deal in the music industry. It will allow them to produce their music, share it with the world. And cut out many of the middlemen that have been sitting between producers. And the rest of the world all these years. This will allow more musical talents to get a career out of producing music – which is a good thing.
