AKARSH SHEKHAR
INVENTIONS
THAT CHANGED
MUSIC CREATION
FOREVER
From synthesizers to DAWs or from CD players to smartphones, the landscape of music has changed and is very different from
the days of your parents. So, this begs the question, how did we get here? The invention of these instruments played a major role
in bringing us here.
Phonograph
Invented in 1877, the phonograph brought music into the
living rooms of people across the world. Live music was only
for the elite before that.
The phonograph was the first device that was able to
reproduce recorded sound, even encouraging the rise in
popularity of genres like jazz and blues.
Electric Guitar
Where would we be without the electric guitar? How many
of your favourite songs include an electric guitar? Created
in 1941 by Les Paul, this instrument changed the musical
landscape forever. The electric guitar also ushered in the
nastiest and most rebellious genre of popular music, rock n'
roll.
Multitrack Recording
are power tools with countless sounds that very literally
ushered in decades of wavy tracks. Try to name ten pop songs
from each decade, starting with the 70s, that don't incorporate
synthesizers. Yes, you will most likely struggle to do so.
MIDI Controller
If you do not have a synthesizer, you probably have a Musical
Instrument Digital Interface or MIDI. This technology allows
users to hook up to a computer or another musical device to
play multiple electronic instruments simultaneously. With
a midi controller, you can be playing piano one minute then
shift to a guitar or harp without skipping a beat.
The MIDI controller allowed musicians to have access to a
host of sounds that would be otherwise impossible and too
expensive to purchase at once.
Auto-Tune
Something that is easily taken for granted, multitrack
recording was like the introduction of the rocket to space
travel in the realm of music. Though it is hard to imagine such
a time because everything is digital now, musicians and sound
engineers had to record a full track in just one take. Love it or hate it, but auto-tune changed the landscape of
music in the 20th century and those effects are still being felt
today. The introduction of the Vocoder allowed musicians to
bend and manipulate their voice, almost to the same extent as
an instrument.
Multitrack recording enabled songs to be broken down
into sections, one piece at a time, allowing more room for
experimentation, and time to perfect songs and albums. Turntable
Effects Pedals
Though it may be weird to think of it now because most of
these effects can be recreated digitally, effect pedals were
hugely popular when they were introduced into the world of
music. Effect pedals allowed musicians to add effects to their
music: things like distortion, reverb, and chorus to different
components of a track.
Synthesizer
The creation of the synthesizer was born out of the desire to
create or even replicate the enormous sounds found in live
orchestras. Astronomically expensive when new, synthesizers
The next phonograph? Not really. But the turntable was a
crucial component to one of the, if not the most influential
genres in the world right now, hip hop. DJs across the globe
started using the turntable to leave their own touch on popular
songs, leading to the rise of house and techno as well.
Personal Computer
A very obvious influence on music creation, the personal
computer created a host of bedroom talents, some of them
went on to become superstars. The PC allows just about
anyone with a computer to step into the arena of music and
create without a studio or even instruments. You can fire up
your PC, install the required software and start creating music
right away.
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
41