RECORDING Field Notes - DAW—More Than Just Music Creation

Into the Wild

Witness the DAW in the wild. See it in its natural habitat, in all its glory. Its interface is a mesmerizing display of virtual knobs, buttons and sliders, resembling a colorful plumage, each element carefully crafted to unlock the boundless potential of music creation itself...or not.

Once you start exploring off the beaten path, a DAW can perform many tasks besides composing, mixing and music production. Things like sound design, spoken word, album sequencing, creating/playing backing tracks for live performance, teaching/demonstrating audio concepts, practicing your instrument, A/B comparisons, null tests, audio to picture (besides music), and more.

This month, I want to focus on a few of the more common tasks—A/B comparisons, null tests and sound design—and offer some tips and tricks along the way.