DAW comparison
For my album I will be using a DAW, or a Digital Audio Workstation, to compose, record and mix. As I will be taking on the roll of producer and mix engineer, I will be looking for a DAW that gives me the ability to be an 'in-the-box' producer; a DAW that can allow me to program MIDI (a way to record notes played from a piano or drum pad), that has built in mixing features and the ability to record from microphone or audio interface. To get a good idea of which DAW is best for my project, I will be selecting DAW's that I have used before and comparing their features to decide which is suitable.
FL Studio
Fl Studio, designed by Image-Line, is a popular DAW in hip hop and electronic communities because its considered an 'in-the-box' workstation. It has an easy to understand playlist, piano roll and channel rack (Image-Line's step sequencer), and is very versatile for on the move producers. It has huge automation capabilities, useful for filtering and effects. Somethings to consider about Fl Studio is that it is only available on Windows OS, and there is no current version for Mac OS. However this won't affect me as I use Windows OS. It appeals to hip hop producers because it's great for loop based composition, which is why I am highly considering Fl Studio as my choice of DAW. I also have the most experience with FL Studio, as I have used it extensively in other projects.
Ableton Live
Ableton Live is a DAW that is popular with DJ's and live performers, due to its live sound capabilities. Musicians are able to play loops tracks and samples live on stage via Ableton. It also has complete functionality as a proper DAW, and a huge range of ways to tweak ever sample, loop and instrument, meaning the producer has full power to make every sound their during the composition of a track.. I have personally only used Ableton once, and do not feel it is adequate for my project as it's more for live sound producers and musicians.
Logic Pro X
Logic Pro by Apple is considered to be the top DAW exclusive to the Mac. It has an intuitive interface, comes with tons of plugins, VST's and instruments (51 Gb of content), and is exceptionally easy to use for hip hop and rock music. It also has two apps that help live musicians to record and perform through the DAW. It's intuitive and very easy to learn quickly. I have used Logic a few times on my course, however not enough to be confident in my ability to use the DAW, and, because it is only available on mac, I may decide against using Logic.
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is one of the most recognisable DAW and has been for the last decade. It's an industry standard workstation when it comes to recording capabilities, and is great for solid mixing and mastering effects. However, it isn't great with it's catalogue of plugins and add-ons, and only in the past 10 years has it become user friendly. It doesn't have huge MIDI recording capabilities, and isn't amazing at sample and loop work, but it excels at live sound recording. I have used Pro Tools during my course to record vocals and live musicians. I'm considered using Pro Tools as a mixing and mastering station, due to its great abilities to do so, whilst picking another DAW to actually compose my tracks.
Conclusion
In conclusion, from all the DAW's I have evaluated, I believe that Fl Studio has the best capabilities for what i'm trying to achieve. It has a MIDI step sequencer, which will allow me to program drums in a 4/4 time easily, great plugins and is the DAW I have most experience with. Ableton is more for live performers, although it does have the ability to be a great producer station, and I have the least experience with it. Logic is also a great workstation, but again, I haven't used it much and don't feel my skills with it are good enough for me to use it for the whole project. I may use Pro Tools to mix and master my tracks, but that is all dependant on time and availability to use the DAW. (1, 2)
Skills and Techniques
During my time on my course I have learned a lot of techniques which will help my in my project. Things like compression, mixing effects and audio filtering are all techniques a producer needs to know to add a level of professionalism to their tracks.
ADSR Envelope is function that most DAW's and synthesizers have which allow the producer to change the attack, delay, sustain and release. The attack controls how quickly the sound reaches its peak volume after the note has been played, giving either plucky sounds or sweeping rises. Delay is how quickly the note drops to the sustain level after the notes peak. Sustain is how long and loud the note is played. The release controls how quickly the note dies out after the note is released. (3)
Compression is the technique that allows the producer to lessen the dynamic range between the loudest and quietest part. this is done by attenuating the loud signals, and boosting the quieter ones. Compression is usually done to make room for the kick, allows instruments to punch through pads and synths, and is good for vocal mixing. During compression, the threshold is set to a certain level, and when the signal hits the threshold level, the compression is applied. the ratio is set to decide how much compression is applied, for example a 5:1 ratio means that when the signal crosses the 5 Db limit, 1 Db is applied to the output. This is just a simple explanation of how compression works. (4, 5)
Audio Filtering (EQ) is a way to control the tone of the song, cutting or boosting certain frequencies. Most EQ is done though filters, and the two most common filters are a high-cut filter and a low-cut filter. Both filters do basically what they're named; High cuts all of the high frequencies of the song, taking away any hissing or sharp sounds from the audio, low cuts all the low end frequencies, like when the bass is too loud. (6)
The music theory I have learned during my course will help me build my tracks. I have learnt about major and minor chords, scales and chord progression. One thing I have found out about music theory is about broken notes. In happy songs, progressions will follow a specific pattern to create a happy melody and harmony, however, I like to add in an off key note to add suspense and tension to my compositions, which I feel is the style of music I am aiming for as a musician. (7)
In my personal development as a producer, I have spent a lot of time learning about hip hop drum patterns and feel like that is my best strength. Hip hop music often follows the same sort of patterns so once the formula is learnt, it's relatively simple. It includes using ghost hits, snare and hi-hat rolls and offsets (drum hit's on offbeat steps). (8)
LFO's, or Low frequency Oscillators, are functions that add extra audio signals to a synth or sample. It lets the producer add bass frequencies, which is especially useful for pads and synths to add depth to the. It can also be used to route panning functionality, automation and phasing. (9)
Reverb is the effect of adding reverberation to audio. This means an echo effect, but not like a delay, instead reverb is thousands of small echos that add depth to the original sound. This allows a producer to make audio sound really far away or in a large venue, or really close by in a small room. I will be using reverb on the drums a lot to give them a punchy echo effect.(10)
Delay allows the producer to add a delayed effect to a sound, similar to reverb, but more pronounced than reverb. In delay you'll hear each delayed hit clearly, and this is very useful for drums, as it can be automated, for example one snare could be a solid hit, and the next one is delayed. It works amazingly with hats to create a shaker feel. (11)
ADSR Envelope is function that most DAW's and synthesizers have which allow the producer to change the attack, delay, sustain and release. The attack controls how quickly the sound reaches its peak volume after the note has been played, giving either plucky sounds or sweeping rises. Delay is how quickly the note drops to the sustain level after the notes peak. Sustain is how long and loud the note is played. The release controls how quickly the note dies out after the note is released. (3)
Compression is the technique that allows the producer to lessen the dynamic range between the loudest and quietest part. this is done by attenuating the loud signals, and boosting the quieter ones. Compression is usually done to make room for the kick, allows instruments to punch through pads and synths, and is good for vocal mixing. During compression, the threshold is set to a certain level, and when the signal hits the threshold level, the compression is applied. the ratio is set to decide how much compression is applied, for example a 5:1 ratio means that when the signal crosses the 5 Db limit, 1 Db is applied to the output. This is just a simple explanation of how compression works. (4, 5)
Audio Filtering (EQ) is a way to control the tone of the song, cutting or boosting certain frequencies. Most EQ is done though filters, and the two most common filters are a high-cut filter and a low-cut filter. Both filters do basically what they're named; High cuts all of the high frequencies of the song, taking away any hissing or sharp sounds from the audio, low cuts all the low end frequencies, like when the bass is too loud. (6)
The music theory I have learned during my course will help me build my tracks. I have learnt about major and minor chords, scales and chord progression. One thing I have found out about music theory is about broken notes. In happy songs, progressions will follow a specific pattern to create a happy melody and harmony, however, I like to add in an off key note to add suspense and tension to my compositions, which I feel is the style of music I am aiming for as a musician. (7)
In my personal development as a producer, I have spent a lot of time learning about hip hop drum patterns and feel like that is my best strength. Hip hop music often follows the same sort of patterns so once the formula is learnt, it's relatively simple. It includes using ghost hits, snare and hi-hat rolls and offsets (drum hit's on offbeat steps). (8)
LFO's, or Low frequency Oscillators, are functions that add extra audio signals to a synth or sample. It lets the producer add bass frequencies, which is especially useful for pads and synths to add depth to the. It can also be used to route panning functionality, automation and phasing. (9)
Reverb is the effect of adding reverberation to audio. This means an echo effect, but not like a delay, instead reverb is thousands of small echos that add depth to the original sound. This allows a producer to make audio sound really far away or in a large venue, or really close by in a small room. I will be using reverb on the drums a lot to give them a punchy echo effect.(10)
Delay allows the producer to add a delayed effect to a sound, similar to reverb, but more pronounced than reverb. In delay you'll hear each delayed hit clearly, and this is very useful for drums, as it can be automated, for example one snare could be a solid hit, and the next one is delayed. It works amazingly with hats to create a shaker feel. (11)