February 21, 2023
Rihanna is an illustrious artist. She is among the best selling female artists of all time, and was one of the greatest hitmakers of the 2000s and 2010s. She has since grown to become the richest...
Read more
February 20, 2023
Streaming is now the driving force of the music industry, making up 84% of the industry revenue in the U.S. While streaming is much more convenient for listeners, many artists argue that it is near im
Read more
February 23, 2023
Who is the greatest rapper of all time? Is it even possible to crown just one person? Well, Billboard and Vibe did exactly that. And, according to them, that person is Jay-Z. In honor of Hip-Hop’s
Read more
February 18, 2023
Kaytranada (Louis Celestin) is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. He is a highly acclaimed electronic artist, having earned two Grammys and countless other awards for his work. Kaytranada has
Read more
February 17, 2023
What happens when a famous music producer takes an interest in self-help books? The Creative Act is your answer. But who is Rick Rubin? Without a doubt, Rubin has an impressive track record in the
Read more.png)
February 14, 2023
The music industry is a place full of musicians, producers, and creators who have the magical ability to make those perfect sounds we hear everyday through our digital devices. We want to listen close
Read more.png)
February 14, 2023
What do popular video games franchises Super Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Star Fox all have in common? They were all produced and published by Nintendo, and the iconic music themes that you hear in...
Read more
February 8, 2023
Being a successful woman in the music industry is no easy feat. Not only do they deal with the typical trials and tribulations of being a musician, but there are also gender-specific challenges.
Read more
February 8, 2023
“Is it just me, or are songs getting shorter these days?” This is a question I have often pondered, especially in the last few years. It appears that in the era of social media, attention spans are
Read more.png)
February 6, 2023
SG Lewis (Samuel George Lewis) is a rising star in the dance/electronic music realm. He is a DJ/producer turned singer-songwriter, and is known for his disco-inspired, transcendent sound. He routinely
Read more
February 4, 2023
Sam Smith just released their new album “Gloria” on the 27th of January. As described by Pitchfork, “Gloria flips between hyperpop, country, dancehall, disco, 2-step, and intimate, Kehlani-esque R&B”.
Read more
February 5, 2023
Virtual reality and the metaverse have become popular topics in the music industry where more and more technology and music have been combined, creating something that could revolutionize the entire
Read more
Photo: Chugg Entertainment
Does equipment matter when producing bangers– or is it about working with what you have?
Steve Lacy is a singer, songwriter, record producer, and living proof that you don’t need the most advanced or high-tech studio equipment to create music that listeners will love. With something as simple as the GarageBand app on his iPhone, the “Dark Red” artist was able to gain recognition in the music industry. During his TEDxTeen talk, Lacy expressed that he always wanted a MacBook Pro since that’s what his friends used to create art. He never got that MacBook, however. Instead, Lacy created beats with an iPod. “With this [iPod], I’ve got these apps and I’m just exploring this world of sound with this little device in my pocket - and I realized that I didn’t necessarily need what I thought I did,” he said.
Lacy was able to gain traction as the guitarist of The Internet, an Alternative R&B band from LA. One of their songs titled “Curse”, created via GarageBand, was the demo that would go on to lead the then high-schooler into a Grammy nomination. From there, he continued creating music not necessarily having any idea what it was for– “it just felt right”, he said during the talk. He wasn’t even aware that he was producing an album, he was just laying down ideas that he had heard in his head with his friends. This first body of work opened the doors of opportunity for him to work with more people like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar– all just from his iPhone.
According to a Wired feature on YouTube, Lacy records all of his music on his phone. He’s used lots of apps before but GarageBand is his favourite, according to the Wired video. He would start off with a simple drum loop, and then he plugs his guitar into his iPhone using an iRig cable. After, he adds his vocals– Lacy prefers singing straight into the iPhone’s mic, holding a pop filter and getting right up close. As he works, he just stacks the tracks one-by-one in GarageBand.
“I like to, you know, make wherever I am”, he said in the Wired video.
.png)
Besides Lacy, other legendary musicians such as Rihanna, and electronic music duo, Justice, have released masterpieces using GarageBand. Rihanna’s 2007 hit “Umbrella” uses a drum loop that you can find if you search for the “Vintage Funk Kit 03” sample on the app. Justice’s 2007 album “Cross” was produced using the Apple app.
GarageBand and other alternative apps like Logic Pro (Apple), Groovepad (Android), Audacity (Windows, Linux, Mac), Adobe Audition (Windows & Mac), etc. are powerful, yet accessible tools available to new-age artists to create music on. Furthermore, with the emergence of the Information Age, a simple internet search can help young artists get their foot in the door of the music industry.
