The last few decades have seen a dizzying number of inventions in the world of music. Thanks to these innovations, music making is now more accessible than ever. Some of these inventions have helped musicians become more popular, while others have ensured better sound quality. Let’s take a look at four top inventions that changed the world of popular music.
Auto-Tune
Launched in 1997 by Antares Audio Technologies, Autotune is a software originally used to correct the pitch of the singer, especially the off-key parts of a song. The software can be used to manipulate all or select notes. Auto-tune can also make the singer’s voice more robotic or metallic as per the requirements of the song and is often used in the genres of hip-hop and rap. Some of the music industry’s top talents, including Grammy award winners like Cher, Britney Spears, and Kanye West, have used Auto-Tune for their songs. Initially criticized when it was first used, Auto-tune is now widely used in the music industry and accepted practice among musicians.
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
Like Auto-tune, MIDI offers artists a chance to edit or alter a track without having to record it again. MIDI lets electronic instruments and software work together and allows sound effects to be added to a track without actually needing the source of the sound effect. As an example, if you need the sound of car horns, in the days before MIDI, you’d need to actually use a car horn to use that effect in the track. MIDI makes it easier to record the sound electronically. MIDI makes it cheaper for struggling, upcoming artists to record a track and offers them much more freedom.
Streaming Software
Streaming services such as YouTube, Myspace, Vimeo, and TikTok have launched many a newbie musician’s career, while bolstering the careers of established superstars like Taylor Swift. Streaming services help listeners too by letting them listen to and download music from anywhere. Services like Spotify help listeners discover new music based on algorithms that predict the kind of music they might like, based on their previous listening choices. Streaming services make the process of music making a bit more democratic by offering talented newbies a platform to share their music with the world for no extra cost.
Personal Computer/Laptop/Tablet
PCs made song and video recording and editing accessible to the layman. It has also given artists much more freedom and control over their music. A variety of tools today let musicians record from anywhere they want as long as they carry their laptop around. There are also a huge number of apps that can be used on the iPad for music-making and editing. The PC has also reduced the costs of music-making for the average person, helping more talent rise to the surface.
The last few decades have seen an explosion of inventions and innovations that have revolutionized the music industry. These tools have helped boost album sales as well as quality.
