TIME SAVING TOOLS
The Swiss army knives of software on your hard disk
We desktop producers are a fortunate bunch. We have access to every musicmaking, music-mixing, and music-polishing tool imaginable at little or no cost. We are free to play with ‘em in the comfort of our own home studios any time the mood strikes without worrying about racking up exorbitant studio fees. It’s a grand life.
Nonetheless, one commodity seems ever elusive... time. Most of us are ‘part-timers’; weekend warriors for whom music is a hobby pursued in our rare off-hours away from the daily grind of job, family, and household chores. We work hard to earn a crust and, if we’re lucky, manage a few crumbs of each paycheck to splurge on the latest virtual instruments and effects in the hope that they will accommodate our muse when inspiration strikes.
How frustrating it can be, then, when the flexibility (and thus complexity) of the very tools upon which we depend stands between us and the realisation of our ideas, potentially dousing the spark of creation before we’ve had a chance to fan the embers into flame. Music is organic and vital, yet many of the tools we use to make music are anything but. Marvels of innovation and technical wizardry, yes, but they often demand far too much time and attention to detail when we should be in the flow.
Fortunately, many developers are keenly aware of the workflow problems endemic to desktop music production. As such, there exist a number of software programs and plugins designed to get complex jobs done and in a hurry – without sacrificing power or quality.
We at Computer Music have scoured the scene, collecting the best time-saving tools we could find. We’ve rounded up our favourites for your edification and singled out a few for special attention in step-by-step walkthroughs to give you an idea of how they might be used. From virtual co-composers and auto-samplers to simplified workflow enhancers, they’ll help you get your ideas from brain to ear as quickly as inhumanly possible. Let’s crack on, then!