If you dream of nothing but making music, then making sure that you get your hands on the right tools to do just that is key. Aside from the instruments that you might play to perform pieces or to make samples, there is a whole range of digital gadgets that are helping to change the music production scene. If you want to get truly creative and discover your own sound, then experimenting with the right toys can help.
Here, we’re going to look at a range of gadgets that can get your creative juices flowing, get the beats rocking, and get the pot stirring with new ideas.
The right output
One of the biggest problems that music producers face is not having the quality output they need to hear every single facet of the tracks that they’re producing. So much effort is going into making smaller and more portable output devices that it might seem hard to find those that are better suited for quality. However, there are audiophile speakers out there that can not only make sure you’re hearing your tracks in the highest possible fidelity, but that the audio output is being adjusted for the acoustics of the room so that you can hear without distortion.
Good music production software
It might surprise you to hear that some of the most expensive equipment you might use for your production efforts has no hardware to come with it. Music production software is installed on your PC, Mac, or whichever digital device you are making your music on. There are various options you can choose, many of which include features like piano rolls, drum editors, and more that can give you all the basics to compose and edit your tracks to perfection. Used by almost every professional music producer.
Playing without a keyboard
Being able to play out a few notes whenever you want is always going to be a valuable tool for a music producer. However, you might not have a keyboard at the ready, nor have the space for one in your production space. To that end, there are other ways to make music using your hand, like the Remidi T8 gloves. These are gloves that work alongside a motion-sensing bracelet to detect the subtlest movements of your hands and, alongside an app, use the sensors to read and translate your movements into music.
Have total freedom over your loops
Another ability that is crucial to a music producer is the ability to create, edit, listen to, and combine loops. That is precisely what a good looper pedal is all about. You can create and edit multiple loops that you record over a period of time. Not only can you save these loops for later use, but you can also mix your tracks live, often with the help of in-built controls that allow you to adjust the volume and dubbing of individual loops. As vital as it is for exporting and recording songs as it can be for live adjustments of your performance.
A good mic (and a good mic shield)
You need to make sure that you’re using the right microphone for picking out the sounds that you’re putting up. The microphone you use for capturing vocals might not be the same that you use to capture the sound of your guitar. As such, choosing the right mic is something that should be done with care and you should make sure that you’re not picking up anything that you don’t want in your track, too. For that reason, you should be looking at a microphone isolation shield that enhances the quality of your output, too.
Sample with passion
If you’re into any kind of electronica, hip-hop, or a dozen other genres that make heavy use of samples, then you need the ability to play with samples at a whim. There’s nothing to stop you from creating excellent tracks using just samples, and hardware samplers can be a lot more convenient, not to mention fun, tham playing them over on your software. These devices store the samples that you record, make, or rip, and allow you to play them at the press of a button, to make loops using them, and to edit the sound in all manner of ways.
There might be no telling which of the gadgets above is the one that will start to really get you creating. However, if any of them sound like just what you need, don’t hesitate to give them a try. You can always return them if they don’t do the trick.