Those of you who follow what I do regularly (and — just a reminder — my writing and podcast are now on Substack) will know that I often write about the problems in the world. The world has many problems at the moment, and good news seems to be hard to come by.
This is why I am pleased on occasion to share some good news, or at least, something to be positive about! This is a little bit different to what I usually write (hence why I’m writing it on my blog), but I think it’s worth sharing.
Over the last year, I have started recording songs for Church with UTB. Given my experience over the last year, I think I am now safe to say that there has never been a better time to make music.
There are a few reasons for this. For one, musical instruments and audio equipment are much more affordable, and even the ‘budget’ range (which is my territory!) is of reasonable quality. Microphones, guitars, audio interfaces, all of it — you can get what you need without breaking the bank. But it’s not just paid-for stuff — there are an astonishing number of resources available for free. This includes virtual instruments and audio tools (e.g. compressors), plus videos teaching you how to use those tools. If you know where to look, you can get a lot of high-quality stuff without paying a penny.
Note: I will include a list at the bottom of some suggestions!
The point is, the ordinary bedroom music producer now has an embarrasment of riches available. The biggest limiting factor these days is not money but creativity. This is what I’ve found time and again – the problem was not that I had poor quality tools, but that I needed to learn to use them properly. If you are musically gifted, there is no reason to stop you from getting great-sounding results.
Why am I writing this? A couple of reasons:
- Everything we hear about music is so depressing at the moment. Rick Beato (one of the biggest music YouTubers) occasionally does a video where he’ll go through the top ten songs on Spotify. His comment on the last one I watched (where three of the top ten were from K-Pop Demon Hunters) was “it’s good if you like that sort of thing.” In general, pop music today is nihilistic and depressing — you don’t have to be a music guru to see this. But why should we be reduced to simply consuming? Why not CREATE music? The best antidote to bland, depressing, nihilistic pop music is to actually create something worthwhile.
- Creating music is genuinely enjoyable and good fun. The Bible often speaks about music positively, and I think this is because there is something very ‘human’ about making and enjoying music. It brings us closer to God. If you like music, and if you’re a musician, then why not try making some songs? I promise you that you’ll enjoy it, even though it might be challenging! I have been making a song every week since I started last year, and I genuinely find that it’s the highlight of my week.
My hope in writing this is to inspire some of you to think, “maybe I could start making music…” When I was younger, I always felt like I wanted to get into music production but I always felt too intimidated. Don’t make that same music — I wish I’d done it years ago. You won’t regret it.
Top picks
You will need a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). My preferred DAW is Reaper: it doesn’t look as pretty as some of the others, but it is full-featured and you can do everything you would want to do. Plus, it’s a fair bit cheaper than some of the competition.
There are hundreds of good videos on YouTube about how to mix music. If you use Reaper, Kenny Gioia’s channel Reaper Mania has everything you need to know. (There’s an index of them on the Reaper website, including a tutorial on making your first song).
I would also like to mention YouTubers Sara Carter, Streaky, In the Mix, Nathan James Larsen, and Dan Worrall plus many others who regularly produce top quality videos about how to make music. If you start exploring those channels, YouTube will suggest more to you! But they have produced some of the videos I’ve benefitted from the most. If you’re looking to learn guitar, check out Justin Guitar (who basically taught me everything I know on guitar).
When it comes to other software, I have few recommendations. Firstly, the Bedroom Producers Blog has a whole section dedicated to free VST plugins. (For some reason I didn’t come across this until recently, it would have been handy knowing about it when I first got started!). This list brings together the best of different categories of free audio plugins — and, believe me, there’s a LOT available for free. I’d like to add Airwindows to the list, those plugins don’t look like much but they SOUND amazing. (I have heard people say his tape emulation – ToTape – is the most realistic you can get, even better than the paid plugins).
You can also get a lot for free by keeping an eye out for giveaways and deals. Over the last few months I’ve amassed several hundred dollars’ worth of plugins and virtual instruments through promotional giveaways. I’d suggest subscribing to Plugin Librarian on YouTube, which will keep you updated whenever there is a new giveaway.
I hope that you find this helpful — if there’s anything you’d like to add to the list, please drop a comment below. Other than that, happy exploring, I hope this inspires you, and if it does I’d love to hear about it!
