Music Production Software For Beginners
Hey everyone!
Whether you’re looking to venture into the world of music production, start a podcast, learn a useful skill, or buy a gift for a loved one in this season, knowing what software to use to achieve your goal is key to learning quickly and avoiding headaches in the future!
When looking at potential music production or recording software, it’s important to keep your end goal in mind. The software you’ll work in changes depending on whether you’re looking to create tracks or beats, write songs, record a podcast, or maybe record a live band. Hell, maybe you’re looking to record the sounds of the geese at your local park (just kidding, we’re not gonna talk about that in this blog).
So… what do you need for each kind of goal?
Well, first things first; if you’re new to recording, and you’re a Mac user, my immediate recommendation would be to explore GarageBand. It comes free with Mac computers and is a great place to learn how to operate a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). If you’re on a PC, this can be a bit trickier since Windows doesn’t have a native audio recording system. But there are inexpensive and easy softwares like Reaper that will allow you to easily learn how to record on your computer.
What about where you’d go from there?
Let’s explore the main softwares used for recording and each of their strengths and weaknesses.
1. Garageband
Pros. GarageBand is incredibly simple to use, and comes with a tutorial on how to operate each section of the software. It’s intuitive, and the best way to get your feet wet when it comes to recording. It’s great for beginners looking to record podcasts, simple songs, and explore music production. It comes installed on all Mac computers.
Cons. While GarageBand is a great way to start learning how to record and produce music, it does come with a few cons. The software is limited to Mac operating systems and isn’t available on Windows based computers. The software is limited in its capabilities, and you’ll definitely run into roadblocks when it comes to editing and exporting audio if you need anything more complex than a simple export of your track. It’s definitely a great place to get started, though!
2. Logic Pro
Pros. Logic is the... logical... next step after GarageBand (see what I did there?). It takes the simple interface of GarageBand and expands it to include the professional features that are found in other recording softwares. If you’re an artist who knows a bit about recording and are looking to get a bit deeper into the recording and editing process, Logic is perfect for you! It’ll run you about $319.99 (Aussie Dollars) and your license for the software lasts a lifetime.
Cons. Honestly, Logic doesn’t have too many cons. I’ve had friends who have said that they prefer to mix audio in different DAWs because Logic doesn’t have the best feeling interface for mixing, but in my opinion, if you’re an artist or a starting producer, Logic is great. The only con I can think of is that the software doesn’t have a Windows counterpart. There’s also no free trial of Logic, but if you’re used to GarageBand, the step up to Logic is incredibly intuitive.
2.5 Audacity (honourable mention)
Pros. If you’re looking to simply record audio, Audacity is a great way to go. It’s literally the only useful thing in the program. If you’re looking for an easy budget solution to recording a mic, I would use Audacity. It’s compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems. Sometimes, when all I need to do is cut the beginning and end of audio, I’ll use audacity since it’s fast and light on my computer’s CPU.
Cons. Recording and simple edits on audio is literally the ONLY thing Audacity does. If you’re trying to mix audio, please do it somewhere else and save yourself the massive migraine you’ll gain trying to accomplish it in Audacity.
3. ProTools
Pros. ProTools has been the industry standard for mixing and mastering for a while now. It’s a great DAW if your focus is audio recording and editing. If you’re recording a podcast and need software that lets you get super nitty gritty in edits, ProTools is the way to go! There’s a free version too.
Cons. ProTools has a pretty steep learning curve, and the interface isn’t the most intuitive. However, you can learn the basics from a few YouTube videos. If you’re an artist, your best bet would be to go with a DAW that focuses on maximizing creative space like Logic. ProTools is a great DAW to learn, but it might not be the best fit for you if your main focus is creativity!
4. Ableton Live
Pros. Ableton is great for producing electronic music and making complex edits to audio. Depending on the version you get, you’ll have access to a whole suite of audio editing tools that can help you pull apart audio and put it back together again. If you’re a more experienced songwriter and looking to get into the world of constructing tracks or beats, Ableton is a great way to go. It’s also a great software for live playback if you ever need to perform to backing tracks.
Cons. I’ve found Ableton to be the hardest DAW to learn simply because the interface isn’t conventional and there are a lot of hidden features. It’ll take a while to learn how to navigate inside Ableton, but after familiarizing yourself with it, there’s a bunch of stuff you can do! Ableton caters to a very specific type of music (mostly music made from software-based virtual instruments) and is geared towards a heavier music production environment. So if you’re just looking to record acoustic songs, I’d definitely recommend Logic instead!
Still tracking with me? (oh look another pun)
Basically, there are a bunch of options to choose from! My suggestion is to get free trials for them all and feel out which one feels right for your workflow! Choosing the right DAW is a big decision, BUT rest assured that regardless of what software you choose to record in, you’ll be able to get to your end goal one way or another! If you need any guidance you can head here to set up some lessons with me. I’d love to help you reach the next step of your creative journey.
As always, keep killing it,
Spike