The world of music is in constant flux.
New gadgets are coming out every year to prove history’s naysayers wrong. Home and live music production are at a point never thought possible, even a few years ago. High-quality, releasable recordings are now being done in bedrooms and stage performers only need a MacBook and an interface to create mindblowing live shows.
The rise in popularity of streaming services has been a double-edged sword for aspiring musicians.
On one hand, listeners are only a few clicks away from finding your music online. On the other hand, there’s no money in it if you don’t make it big. An artist receives a tiny fraction of a cent per stream on the major services.
Cheap studio prices are still a few hundred dollars per day and the cost of touring with multiple band members is unaffordable. Starving artists have never been hungrier.
The newest music technology is the vessel for these young entrepreneurial musicians, so let’s take a look at a few of our favorite new pieces of gear that have come out in the last year.
Newest Music Technology in Guitars
As we careen into the future, guitar music has taken quite a hit. We’re not ready to say that rock n’ roll is dead, but it’s on life support. Fortunately, pedal companies are more innovative than ever.
One of the shining beacons of pedal creation is NYC’s Electro-Harmonix. They have a huge arsenal of pedals, but one that we’re completely enamored with is the new Mono Synth. 11 tweakable vintage and lead synth sounds in one tiny box make this a great pedal that is sure to inspire awesome new guitar music.
Newest Music Technology in Synths
Incredible new technology goes into making state of the art synthesizers these days.
Many companies are trying to appeal to beginner musicians with their products. The Teenage Engineering Pocket Operator is a sequencer with only a few buttons that anyone can use. Likewise, the Blipblox is a fully functional synth that is marketed to kids as young as three years old.
A personal favorite is the Arturia MicroFreak. The French company made this as an experimental unit with crazy new sounds. It’s like having a dozen synths in one, and it’s incredible.
Newest Music Technology in Production
Again, there are so many new gadgets to talk about when it comes to production. Many artists have been taking their MacBooks to the stage and using backing tracks and MIDI controllers For Live Performance.
Performing with more tech on stage allows you to perform with fewer people. It’s a cost-effective solution to money issues on the road.
As far as home recording goes, really professional sounding interfaces continue to drop in price, allowing anyone to make studio-quality material at home.
Companies like Focusrite and Universal Audio, in particular, are making waves in the interface game.
The Apollo Twin by UA is basically a studio in a box. It has quad-core processors and incredible mic preamp emulations, all in a small, portable unit. Even well-known producers are beginning to admit that this thing is the real deal.
Where It Stops, No One Knows
We’ve come a long way since the beginnings of home and live production. With the amazing power of tech in our synthesizers and laptops, you no longer need to put in your 10,000 hours to become a great musician.
The newest music technology will always keep us on our toes and give us innovative ways to express ourselves.
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