Maximum PC - USA (2022-02)

© TECHIVATION ON UNSPLASH

Stepping into

music production

1

THE DAWN OF THE DIGITAL AUDIO AGE

Before we go any further (well, backward technically) we

first need to understand the fundamental elements of the

digital audio workstation (DAW). Pretty much most music you

hear these days will have been composed or produced in some

way with the help of a DAW. Thanks to its ease of use, format,

efficiency, and productivity, this technology has superseded

most other traditional methods of music production. When it’s

this easy to produce music, it just makes sense to go down the

route of DAWs.

OVER THE PAST DECADE, the way we listen to music has fundamentally changed. No longer tied

to physical forms, such as vinyl discs, cassettes, or CDs, downloading and streaming services

have taken music collections away from our shelves and placed them on our desktops.

The rise of digital audio is largely responsible for this change. Products such as the original

Sony Walkman and the Apple iPod delivered music on the go, but these were eventually

superseded by the smartphone, which can now deliver many thousands of music tracks all day,

every day, from your rucksack or pocket, making music more accessible than ever.

The same can be said for music production. Whereas once you needed a band or an orchestra

of musicians playing instruments, studio time, and expensive recording equipment, these days

it is possible to produce a song, publish it, and listen to it from the comfort of your desktop. With

a smartphone and software, you can even do this from the palm of your hand.

Here, we will take a look at how music production has changed over the years, the software

you need to get started, and how you can compose your own musical masterpiece. –SAM LEWIS

YOU’LL NEED THIS

WINDOWS 8.1, 10 OR 11

At least 4GB RAM, at least

4GB free disk space

>> So then what is it? A DAW is a piece of software

that lets you manipulate audio recordings in a multitude

of different ways. A DAW lets you record audio, loop,

compose, sample, edit, master, mix, and more. You can

use it to create music, master audio for video production,

commercials, YouTube videos, you name it [Image A].

The possibilities are endless.

>> In its simplest form, a song is simply a layering of

sounds in a specific order. A DAW lets you control the

layering and allows you to choose the order of sounds.

A

66 MAXIMU MPC FEB 2022

R&D