What is music technology?

 

What is music technology?

What is music technology?

You’ve probably heard that you can make music on your PC, an instrument, or even using beer bottles. But what exactly is music technology? The answer to this question is simple... Music Technology refers to the methods and tools used to create, record, produce, distribute and perform music. It includes instruments (such as guitars or keyboards), recording devices (like mixers or effects pedals) and software used in recordings (such as Ableton Live).


Blog List:

1. What is Music Technology?

2. How music technology has evolved over the years

3. Why learn music technology?

4. The different kinds of music technology available for production

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1. What is Music Technology?


What is music technology?

Music technology is a field that covers the study and application of electronic and digital technologies in music. While the term usually refers to music created with electronic technology, it may also include music which is performed using electronic instruments or through audio processing. What we call "music technology" today has evolved from decades of invention and development by pioneers in the field of electronic and computer music. The huge advances in technology, along with methods for quickly and easily appreciating music, have fostered the expansion of the field of music technology and provided music creators, engineers, and sound engineers with tools that enable them to express themselves and to build their art.

 Back in 2007, Jay-Z and 50 Cent teamed up to create a song, “Illmatic.” It took four years for Jay-Z to write that song. It took him almost a year to record the song. It took him almost nine months to tour it.


The musical components used to make “Illmatic” could have been created centuries ago. They were created using the same kinds of musical instruments that we use to play modern versions of the songs. These include the piano, organ, drums, record player, harpsichord, strings, keyboards, and electronics. There are many more components needed in the US today, but these are the biggies that we use to make music.

 

 But these pieces were not created to make music. They were created to make art. The pieces were made to be consumed and played with. Want to learn more about the evolution of technology and how it affected music? Then you should check out this excellent book by Michael A. Standiford entitled The Long Photograph. The book takes us on a fascinating journey of how technology has affected the art and science of music and their patterns.

 But that’s not the only big tech advancement that has had an impact on music.


2. How music technology has evolved over the years


What is music technology?

Music technology has evolved tremendously over the years, with innovations making music creation, production, and distribution easier than it ever has been. One of the most important instruments of the modern music studio is the MIDI controller, which is used to control soft synths, virtual instruments, and plugins inside of your DAW. 


What’s important about computers that create music? They are cheap and easy to use. If you’ve been in a song studio and you see a whole room packed with instruments, you’ll probably wonder how people are supposed to learn and participate when the teacher is surrounded by keyboards and impossible to reach the final notes of guitar chords. Focusing on the creative uses for computers that create simple yet powerful sounds is the best way to climb the musical ladder and become a true expert.


One of the great advantages and unique aspects of playing these instruments on a PC is that at its core, a PC is just a giant keyboard. The most basic innovation is the USB tech which allows you to plug in and play any type of device, or computer, on the same computer. Advantages of this include:

Decrease costs: With a PC, you can get the latest features and devices at a great price. Reduce your risk of cluttering your desk and your bags with extra hardware.

Ease of use: Simply plug in and you will be on your way to playing any musician’s song and have it available on your MacBook at the same time.

Learn faster: Rather than wasting your time climbing the ladder of musical mastery by learning how to play guitar chords or typing typed notes while starting a little too hard at your empty chair in front of you, learn simpler and far more productive methods of music creation and execution with the help of automation, software and editing features built into a PC.


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3. Why learn music technology?


What is music technology?

Here are some of the most common reasons people choose to learn music technology: 


1. Technology has become the dominant medium for music. If you want to make or perform music, you’ll need to know how to make music with technology.


 2. Technology allows you to make music without learning an instrument.Using technology, you can learn to play the piano without having any musical training.


 3. As technology is becoming more versatile, the role of music technology is expanding. More roles are opening up for music technology such as SEO, allowing for more creative ideas. 


4. As you become more successful, more opportunities for technical and musical advancement open up. 


5. You can learn without doing any actual learning. You can structure a piece of music in a way that is deemed 'correct’ by your teacher (or technology) without doing any of the work.


 6. Technology is becoming more affordable. Some of the best teachers are free or for very cheap.


 7. It can be a terrific career change and you are more likely to get your dream job when you get good at it. 


8. It can make or break your marriage. 


9. It can make or break your career. 


10. It’s that time again. (It's the spring/summer season, folks... when studios, clubs, organizations and music stores all start to need new members)


 So, if you happen to know what a mandolin is, you’re in luck. There are some pretty cool tutorials and even sheet music online to get you started.


You may be surprised to learn that, in my somewhat random musings, I'm a violinist. Putting on a concerto, playing all the correct notes, jumping off the stage and putting my head down as the audience gasps makes me very nervous. But, I love being able to teach others how to do something I think is quite esoteric. Play 5 notes on a mandolin, play 7 notes on a violin...


4. The different kinds of music technology available for production


What is music technology?

Music production is a competitive industry and it’s important to stay up to date on the different types of technology available for production. One of the most notable changes in recent years has been the shift from analogue to digital. The availability of affordable music software and hardware means that it’s never been easier to produce your own music.However, it can be a bit overwhelming for first-time or even intermediate-time producers. Everyone has their own ideas of what they think music technology should look like, and even more importantly, everyone has their own approach to mixing.


 Along with the option of using Garageband (Microsoft’s music creation program), there are a variety of other music creation programs on the market such as Nuendo, Xinmpoo, Blue Cat, Mixcloud, etc. In the following article I want to outline some of these different programs and demonstrate how they can be used to mix your own music with ease. Although they are all different in their own way, they are all interdependent, and a more in-depth knowledge of each one can be useful. Hopefully this article will show the beginner some of the basics and also give the intermediate some of the more advanced techniques. Note: We will be focusing on using Garageband for this example, but the same principles can be applied to any of the programs listed.


 INTRO TO BASIC MIXING


 As I mentioned above, the accessibility of gadgets in the music industry has increased rapidly in the past few years. With a plethora of options to choose from, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to decide which software to use for mixing.


 As a first step, the choice is often based on perception. Often, (especially for relatively unknown) music producers use what they see as ‘best practices’ and feel comfortable with these applications. When you show someone a mix (or an album) they may instinctively understand the level of mixing or mastering that is going on to make the piece sound ‘good’.


Conclusion: Do you want to create your own beats, record your own albums, or just play around with some new sounds? Whatever you want to do, there is a way to get it done using music technology.


Whether you want to create your own beats, record your own albums, or just play around with some new sounds, there is a way to get it done using music technology. You can use synthesizers to create new sounds and loops and mix them together to create a song. Or you can use drum machines to create beats or loops or use samples of different instruments and then build your own songs out of this material using your musical knowledge.


 The kinds of music technologies that have the most widespread use are probably samplers, virtual instruments, and samplers/concert emulators. All of these examples are focused on music, but could be applied to anything where you need to play one note before listening for the next and so you can play one piece of music while hearing other pieces blend.


 Sampler - A sampler is a type of synthesizer that uses software to record a sample of what you play. The software uses this sample and breaks it up into 16th notes (you control the pitch) for each sample. When you play the sample, each note is exposed for about 0.1 seconds but can be heard for longer, as explained in this tech review. Samplers allow you to mix 3 different samples to get a song.

 Virtual Instruments - Virtual instruments are usually paper combinations composed of wooden blocks with wires connected to them. The connection points can be removed depending on what you need to play, but this opens up a world of potential sounds.

Some examples of common virtual instruments include:

*Classic* Tuba

*Vintage* Mandolin

*Modern* Violin

 In the modern age of technology, most technology is incredibly simplistic. And it is this principle that creates a lot of the amazing innovations in musical technology. Everything in our world of technology is based on an idea or procedure that only works because it is simple. The musical world has used this principle for centuries.


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