Soul, talent, perseverance — you possess these qualities as someone who writes and produces their own music. You’d have to in our line of work! But, perhaps, the pieces of the puzzle aren’t connecting the way they should. If it’s taking you weeks to conceptualize and finish your songs, then Sweetwater’s got your back with software and plug-ins to streamline the process. But which ones are the right tools for the job? Handpicked by experts here at Sweetwater, here are some excellent practical suggestions for DAWs, virtual instruments, and plug-ins that can help you turn your creative inspirations into reality.
Buying Software at Sweetwater is Better!
With an incredible selection of the top software brands, instant downloads for super-fast delivery, and an in-house tech support team just a call or click away, Sweetwater gives music makers more than any other retailer. For friendly expert guidance, call a Sales Engineer now at (800) 222-4700!
DAWs: Turbocharge Your Workflow
When you’re bringing a new musical concept to fruition, speed is the name of the game. Capturing the nuances and that spark of energy innate to your creative idea is the first step on your journey to ensuring a polished, finished composition. Unfortunately, without a DAW that’s quick enough to match your experimental synapses, your demo is likely to fall through the cracks without ever having the proper chance to see the sunlight. Here are some fantastic DAWs with interfaces you don’t need a recording degree in order to operate.
Ableton Live 11 Intro features an Arrangement View and a Session View that combine the best parts of a nonlinear DAW with a more traditional interface. Record your takes into the software or utilize the excellent content already included to engage the approach you need to churn out a fantastic demo. Ableton Live functions as a DAW as much as it does a creative tool with an extensive collection of sounds, effects, and processors at your fingertips — use the Ableton Push 2 with Live 11 Intro to add a tactile aspect to your music making.
As for PreSonus Studio One 5 Artist, this DAW is not only wallet friendly, but it’s also simple to use with its 1-window operation. This simplification brings the focus from unneeded intricacies to viable tools that can expedite your music production. You can even control it with an app for remote access when you’re parked in front of an amp or recording vocals.
Image Line FL Studio 20 Fruity Edition provides a melody and loop creation environment that features a piano roll for breezy arranging and sequencing. Thanks to FL Studio’s intuitive browser, you’ll benefit from a super-fast workflow, including the ability to search for sounds by category. Plus, you can arm your tracks with up to eight effects to quickly dial in that sound in your head. When it comes to fostering innovative loops, edits, and mixes, you can’t go wrong with FL Studio.
Last, the Apollo-powered LUNA brings you insanely close to an analog workflow but with DSP acceleration that lets you control your interface in real time. To name a few impressive features, LUNA offers unlimited track counts, autosave functionality, and ultra-solid hardware/software integration — all designed to help you capture lightning in a bottle.
Power Up with Plug-ins
Since the advent of computer-based recording, plug-ins have served as the creative springboard for many artists looking to sprinkle some elusive magic on their compositions. Some plug-ins can take your music to phantasmagorical realms courtesy of vibrant effects and production tools; on a more granular level, some plug-ins can add a much-needed punch to your rhythmic section or touch up a pitchy vocal take, to name two applications. Here are some suggestions that will go a long way toward ensuring your tracks sparkle with the captured essence of your heart and soul.
When it comes to vocals, DIY musicians here at Sweetwater rely on a variety of tools to craft superb-sounding vocals in no time flat. Up first, the potent iZotope Vocal Bundle features Nectar, an intuitive touch-the-audio interface that provides detailed control over your vocals, a whole slew of effects, and AI-assisted processing that can automatically detect and correct vocal problems. This bundle also features VocalSynth 2, which fosters a sea of creative vocal-effects exploration. You also get Celemony’s Melodyne 4 for added pitch and timing correction.
Celemony’s Melodyne 5 assistant provides one of the industry’s top vocal pitch-correcting tools with a quickly adaptable interface. At-home music producers rave about this plug-in’s expert ability to polish vocals by tuning pitches and correcting timing without compromising the integrity of the recording.
With Waves CLA Vocals and Vocal Rider, you’ll be on the fast track to producing professional-sounding tracks. CLA Vocals allows you to control dynamics, tone, and effects; Vocal Rider matches the relative volume of your vocals to the rest of the recordings in the track, helping you quickly nail a perfect vocal mix.
Auto-Tune users will find Auto-Key indispensable. This handy plug-in detects the key and scale of your music and automatically relates it to other instances of Auto-Tune, saving you valuable time in the process.
As for creating impact via effects and mastering, FabFilter Essentials Bundle, iZotope Ozone 9 Elements, and Baby Audio Spaced Out will lend some Promethean-level innovation to your tunes.
The FabFilter Essentials Bundle includes Pro-Q 3, Pro-C 2, and Pro-R. A smart choice for production and mixing, Pro-Q 3 can make your drums crack and your vocals gleam — and everything in between. Pro-C 2 focuses on compression with beautiful sonic character and versatility. And, with Pro-R, you’ll revel in realistic-sounding reverbs that can re-create ambience from Gothic cathedrals to intimate rooms. Built with sophisticated algorithms, FabFilter technology features gorgeous interfaces that are delightfully simple to use.
iZotope Ozone 9 Elements furnishes you with a suite of essential mastering tools. A Master Assistant offers you a starting point to accelerate the mastering process, freeing you up to focus on creativity rather than fiddling with software. For songwriters who need a hand, Ozone 9 Elements facilitates a streamlined process that suggests starting points for targets, signal chains, and processor settings.
Last, Baby Audio’s Spaced Out will put the power of interstellar decadence and the immortal ’80s in the palm of your hand. The wet effects, reverb, and modulation options in this plug-in will make your sonic creations sound just like heaven!
Fill Out Your Tracks with Virtual Instruments
Let’s face it: not everyone can be a virtuoso on every instrument like Prince, and that’s OK. Thankfully, virtual instruments provide excellent options for songwriters who want to add depth, rhythm, and immersive tonal qualities and textures to their music — without the added investment that learning a new instrument requires. On that note, here are several fantastically designed and easily operable VIs that you can think of as virtual musicians at your beck and call.
With the Toontrack EZ Line Bundle, you get EZdrummer 2, EZbass, EZmix 2, and EZkeys Grand Piano. Honestly, you could craft an entire song with these tools, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you can generate ideas. EZbass has the ability to build you an instant bass line after listening to your song. And, with EZdrummer 2 and EZkeys Grand Piano, you can forget about the hassle of finding a session drummer and pianist — crafting drum tracks and piano parts is a walk in the park. EZmix 2 helps you craft a stellar mix in the simplest manner possible; it automatically pulls up effects like compression, EQ, tape delay, and reverb, getting your mix to its sweet spot stat.
Historically, Reason Studios’ Reason has been a reliable DAW all on its own. Now, Reason 12 can function inside of any DAW you use. Lurking within are some seriously killer VIs — spanning from synths to strings — with the opportunity to expand your collection from Reason and third-party developers. Maximum creative potential thrives in Reason 12’s enhanced Combinator, which will bring speed and originality to your demo and music production.
Co-founded by legendary composer Hans Zimmer, UJAM fortifies your toolbox with some of the best drum and string virtual instruments available. Sampled from tried-and-true Hollywood cinematic instruments, these plug-ins arm you with top-shelf sounds — all from the comfort of your own home. UJAM offers viable beat-maker, guitar, and bass-guitar plug-ins, as well.
With over 50GB of content, Native Instruments Komplete 13 Select software production suite will have you weaving through more than 11,000 preset sounds and 16 of their most essential instruments. If you’re looking for one piece of software that does it all while providing fantastically sampled instruments, then look no further. You can even use your Kontrol S- or A-series keyboard controller for quick and easy navigation to produce expertly crafted songs in no time.
Seeking a gold mine of vocal samples? Output Exhale modern vocal engine is a treasure. Form anything from ethereal textures to stutter-like effects from sampled voices of real vocalists. When it comes to creative self-expression, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better instrument than the human voice. Best of all: Output Exhale boasts an astounding 500 presets and is supremely simple to use.
Conclusion
In a world full of expanding musical gear and software, the list of possible tools can seem daunting. If you have questions about any of these products, then make sure to give your Sweetwater Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700. We’re here to help you find the tools that can assist you with transforming your melodious inspirations into finished songs!
