The modern generation is all about technical and technological advancements for the betterment of humanity. People have witnessed drastic changes in the way they approach their daily life activities with all the progression of technology around them. With all the progress in every other sector, the music industry has traveled a lot in the last 2 to 3 decades. There have been many innovative and creative strategies that have changed the shape of the musical world entirely.
So, let's have a look at the top 8 technological advancements that have changed the dimension of the music industry forever:
1. Auto-Tune
This is probably the most used feature by artists and musicians of today. Every artist is not the same and neither perfect. Hence, auto-tune has helped many artists in modifying their pitch-defective notes to the nearest semitone. You can find artists like Kanye West and T-Pain who use the auto-tune feature extensively in almost every song they come up with.
2. Multitrack Recording
Introduced in the mid-1950s, multitrack recording paved the way for artists and helped them record their songs in the way they exactly wanted. Earlier, musicians used to record an entire song at once. But ever since the multitrack recording was introduced, artists go the advantage of recording a single song in many parts. It also gave them the option of adding multiple layers to a single instrument.
3. Digital Software
This is a technological advancement that took the music industry to a completely new level. With the introduction of digital software like Protools, Logic, and many more, artists and musicians have now got the freedom to write, record, and produce their songs in the way they want. The incorporation of digital software has led many artists to start up their own home studios.
4. Digital Streaming Software
This was a revolutionizing change that happened to the music industry. Platforms like YouTube and Napster were among the first ones that opened the option of uploading music (both audio and video) for free. Nowadays, people can get many other platforms for music streaming such as SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and many others. Music-steaming software has extended the reach and influence of an artist globally.
5. MP3 Players
Although MP3 is actually a format of music, this change brought up a whole new device for listening to songs. The golden era during the 2001s was the time when MP3 players came into the market. Back then, people were rushing to the markets to buy one and store all their favorite numbers in it for listening to them at any time.
6. Loop Pedals
Loop pedals or even known as the looper pedal, has to be on the list when the topic of technological advancement arrives. It is basically an electronic device that assists an artist in creating recordings of musical performances and playing those recordings back in real-time. Ed Sheeran is the most famous name to use this device.
7. Musical Instrument Digital Interface
This feature has helped musicians control electronic musical instruments. This is a technology that has allowed the communication between musical instruments, all while connected to a computer. MIDI has instilled a lot of creativity among many upcoming talents.
8. Smartphone Applications
Well, the last but not the least has to be smartphones. Smartphones play a crucial role in everyone's life. From keeping our songs downloaded to saving our favorite music playlists, they are a constant companion. In addition, smartphones also allow downloading certain applications related to music which have totally changed the listening experience of music admirers.