In earlier days, music creation and production was considered to be an extreme skill. It was something that could only be fathomed by professionals who have been in the field for long, and have gathered experience. The general idea about the music production process was that of a series of complicated processes, that could only be accurately performed and carried out by trained professionals.

With the advent of newer technologies and massive development in the field of programming we have been able to come up with solutions to problems pertaining to music creation and production. We have come up with the concept of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) or Computerized Audio Workstations. With these DAWs in the scene, music making is no longer confined to experts and professionals. Now, the majority of musicians, who aspire to produce their own music, can very easily and conveniently do so using the several high quality tools and apparatus that these platforms bring to their disposal. The best part about these application based computerized audio workstations is their user interface, which is simplified to an extent that one does not need any specialized knowledge to explore and navigate the application.

These software have often been considered a boon by amateur and struggling musicians as it lets them create their own unique pieces very conveniently and at very less cost, if not completely free of cost. In this article we shall talk about 5 such software that can be used by anyone for the purpose of music production:

1. GarageBand: GarageBand is an advanced sound workstation created by Apple Inc. It is accessible on all iOS gadgets. For those who do not possess an iOS device, they can get it here: https://garagebandforpc.co/. It is a useful application for all music makers, be it somebody expert or novice. Owing to its amazingly easy to use interface, figuring out how to use GarageBand is something that can be handled by somebody who isn’t technically knowledgeable, in essence. GarageBand offers a wide assortment of audio effects, sound control and editing options. Any individual who has the essential thoughts of how to edit a track, cut and join various tracks, can in a matter of seconds begin producing their own tracks. GarageBand has practically all fundamental instruments like guitar, bass, synthesizer, piano, drums and so on. It has somewhere in the range of 250 preinstalled loops for those clients who wish to work with pre recorded tracks. These tracks or loops are such that artists like Rihanna have used them in their enormously famous tunes. GarageBand additionally allows its clients to record sounds with their amplifier and import it to the platform.

2. Waveform free: This is the older version of the DAW, that the company decided to launch for free. Though it is an older version, it has all the necessary and essential tools that were previously offered. Waveform free also offers an unlimited number of audio and MIDI tracks, though it depends up[on the user’s device capability of supporting multiple plugin formats like VST. In this platform, every parameter and section can be scaled as per the workflow adjusted by the user. The panel at the bottom displays all the parameters that have been selected in some other part of the screen.

#Tip: If one is downloading Waveform free for the first time, before they can download the application they will be asked to enter their email id and set a password, in order to create an account. Once they have downloaded and they run the software, they see that it is running in the “demo” mode. It is now that they have to enter their account credentials so that they can access all the features.

3. Fruity Loops: This particular DAW is best suited for amateur musicians who are just starting off with their journey of music production. One can use MIDI keyboards and microphones for recording. Standard editing and mixing of the track can be conducted very easily. Besides these standard protocol based features, there are some advanced features too that can be accessed and utilized efficiently by the user, once they have learnt to use the basic ones.

4. Cakewalk: Previously known as “Cakewalk SONAR”, it was one of the first ever DAW. Cloud music creation platform BandLab, acquired this software from its owner and made it available for free. It is a complete music producing package that is packed with several features like creative song writing tools, advanced mixing and mastering tools with a multitude of other editing tools and an unlimited number of audio and MIDI tracks. Although this platform seems like a great option, especially because it is free, the software is only available for use on Windows 10 environment.

5. Avid Pro Tools: This software is of such high standards that even professionals use it. One needs a certified program to stage and run this software with complete ease. Besides the standard mixing, mastering and editing features, this software sports its own Avid Audio Engine which gives a super fast processor to ensure that there are no lag or freeze related issues during an ongoing session and its own latency input buffer minimizes delay and offers built-in metering. Using the Elastic Pitch feature one can change the tempo and time stretch of any track. This software comes with 70 different effects and plugins and is an absolute favorite of music producers.

These were some of the best software that enable the user to create music like a pro.