An Introduction to DAWs

# An Introduction to DAWs [TOC] My hopes for this document are that it provides: 1) A brief overview of some key universal features of DAWs, and 2) An exposure to these features through a learning activity. With that having been said, let's dive in! ## 1) ACTIVITY: Trying a DAW I know this is supposed to be an introduction to DAWs, and you might have expected some text or video to start you out. However, we're dropping you straight into music production to start you out. It's okay to be intimidated or confused! Learning by doing is a powerful way to engage with a concept, even when it may be uncomfortable. In this activity, we will be playing around with a DAW file and exploring some of the features of a DAW called Bandlab. #### ***Instructions to "Trying a DAW"*** 1. To access this activity, you must first sign up for Bandlab with an email (it's 100% free!). [Click right here to start](https://www.bandlab.com/sign-up), and come back when you're ready. 2. Now, [click on this link](https://www.bandlab.com/join/gzgioq1) to access a Bandlab file of a small snippet of a simple song I made. 3. Play around with the file and its settings however you want to! **DO NOT SAVE YOUR CHANGES.** I repeat, **DO NOT CLICK SAVE AFTER DOING WHATEVER YOU DO!** 4. Afterwards, respond to the reflection questions that follow. **Here are some suggestions** as to what you can play around with, as circled in color: ![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/DTzg4Me.jpg) * Yellow/Orange: Try clicking on the "Play" button and increasing/decreasing the "BPM". * Darker Purple: Move the colored sound blocks around and play the track to see the difference it makes. * Green: Each "track" (row) an "M" and "S" button on the left of them. Click on them to see what they do. * Lighter Purple: * Red: #### ***Reflections on "Trying a DAW"*** >- [ ] What do you think each button does? >- [ ] Why do you think these features are important when trying to create a song? When would you use them? ### So, what is a DAW? A **DAW** ("Digital Audio Workstation") is a **musical production software that allows users to digitally record, edit, and sequence music on a computer.** Before the creation of the DAW in 1970, recording music required some heavy tools. You may have seen old videos of entire rooms full of metal boxes with gauges and glass tubes coming out of them; that was the norm back then! However, the DAW **consolidates** a roomful of equipment into a single program that can be accessed through a personal computer as small as your phone. If you want more information about Bandlab: >[**Bandlab**](https://www.bandlab.com/) is a free, browser-based DAW. Being free and browser-based, it doesn't have the same features, flexibility, and power that the aforementioned DAWs have. However, it's **FREE**, and it still offers many of the fundamental features that most DAWs offer, so it's a great way to test the waters of digital music production. ## 2) History of the DAW Let's take a brief look at the history of it. Knowing why the DAW was so revolutionary helps us know why it's important through its key features. After all, we didn't always have DAWs, let alone digital music; remember vinyl players? ### Activity: "History of the DAW" Instructions: * Pick 2 resources that you'd like to read/watch/explore. * After exploring them, respond to the reflection question below the resource chart. |Resource|Description| |--|-| |[History of Recorded Music](https://www.musical-u.com/learn/history-of-recorded-music/)|An article covering how music has recorded through history. [From Phonographs to Spotify: A Brief History of the Music Industry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bVketPj5to)|A video talking about video formats. We didn't always have digital music! |[8-bit Keys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d_MgPm8yYQ)|A video demonstrating tape recording. |[Rob Scallion](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI7S5bwxX8w)|Another video demonstrating tape recording by a popular YouTube musician. |[Thinking Outside the Box: The DAW-less Revolution](https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/long-read/thinking-outside-the-box-the-daw-less-revolution/)|A piece exploring why some people in the modern age have rejected using DAWs. ### ***Reflection:*** >- [ ] What are some advantages and disadvantages to the DAW that stuck out to you? ## 3) What do DAWs look like? You already looked at a DAW, Bandlab, but there are a few industry standards for DAWs that exist. ### **Instructions:** 1. Pick 2 of the DAWs below to look at, and click through the 3 links for each of them 2. Respond to the reflection that follows the DAW list. Here are a few examples of what DAWs might look like on a computer: | DAW | Screenshot | Video | | -------- | -------- | -------- | | [Garageband/Logic by Apple](https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/) | [[Picture]](https://images.equipboard.com/blog_content/apple-garageband-xl.jpg) | [[Video]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ondMqiH0cbw) | |[Ableton Live](https://www.ableton.com/en/live/what-is-live/) |[[Picture]]((https://images.equipboard.com/blog_content/ableton-live-11-xl.jpg))| [[Video]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRdxiENEzKg) |[FL Studio](https://www.image-line.com/fl-studio/) |[[Picture]](https://images.equipboard.com/blog_content/fl-studio-20-xl.jpg) |[[Video]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMVwwQqwW64) |[Bitwig](https://www.bitwig.com/overview/) |[[Picture]](https://images.equipboard.com/blog_content/bitwig-the-grid-xl.png) |[[Video]](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ic86ZYA8ovE) ### ***Reflection:*** >- [ ] What common characteristics do you see across these 4 DAWs? Significant differences? *You may have noticed these some common characteristics:* * Rows of different instrument tracks * A "timeline" with blocks of sounds * * A play/pause/record button on the top * *And you might have noticed these differences:* * Aesthetics (colors, fonts, etc) (*VERY underrated!*) * Organization