In this tutorial, I round up some of the popular software that is used by instructors on Envato Tuts+ in the tutorials that they bring you.
Ableton Live
Ableton Live is a powerful Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and music sequencer, for Mac and PC, that has innovative real-time feature, incredible editing capabilities and an extensive library of sounds and instruments
It's software for creating musical ideas, turning them into finished songs and even taking them onto the stage.
It has two views:
- the classic Arrangement View, where musical ideas are laid out along a timeline, and
- the unique Session View, where you can improvise and quickly experiment with musical ideas.
Ableton says Live is a fast, fun, intuitive way to make music.
Distortion Masterclass for Ableton Suite: Part 1
Creating a Studio Mix Using Ableton Live and Rapid Evolution
Cubase
Cubase Pro 9
Used by star producers and musicians for composing, recording, mixing and editing music, Cubase Pro combines outstanding audio quality, intuitive handling and a collection of highly advanced audio and MIDI tools.
Cubase Artist 9
Cubase Artist offers a range of proven editing and sequencing tools based on the same core technologies used and appreciated by musicians around the world.
Cubase Elements 9
With many new features and enhancements, Cubase Elements turns a computer into a complete production system for recording, editing and mixing audio and MIDI tracks.
DaVinci Resolve
Originally designed for Hollywood’s elite colourists, DaVinci Resolve has been used on more feature films and television shows than any other tool. DaVinci Resolve lets you create images that are not possible with other software tools.
DaVinci is the world’s fastest growing and most advanced editing software. With DaVinci Resolve 14, you get Fairlight audio tools specifically designed for film and television post production. It requires a single click to switch between editing, colour correcting, audio mastering and delivery.
If collaborating on a team, everyone can work on the same project at the same time.
How to Apply Adjustments to Multiple Video Clips in DaVinci Resolve
DaVinci Resolve Fundamentals - Introduction
Garageband
GarageBand is a fully equipped music creation studio for Mac. It comes with a complete sound library that includes instruments, presets for guitar and voice and a selection of session drummers and percussionists.
With Touch Bar features for MacBook Pro and an intuitive, modern design, it’s easy to learn, play, record, create and share musical creations worldwide.
Logic Pro X
Logic Pro is a digital audio workstation (DAW) and MIDI sequencer software application for Apple’s Mac OS X and macOS. It was originally created in the early 1990s as Notator Logic, or Logic, by German software developer C-Lab that later became Emagic.
It became an Apple product, eventually known as Logic Pro, after Apple bought Emagic in 2002. It’s the second most popular DAW according to a survey conducted in 2015.
Kong
Kong Drum Designer is not A regular drum module. It's a drum module focused on letting you get exactly that drum sound you're after.
Kong has 16 pads and 16 drums. It’s possible to build drum sounds based on any of the nine different drum modules and enhance the sound with 11 support generators and effects.
You can program automation, create alternating groups and let Reason's powerful sequencer control the beat.
Malström
Malström Graintable Synthesiser is not your everyday synthesiser. It doesn't act like one and it sure doesn't sound like one. It’s the missing link between rocket science and music technology.
Graintable synthesis is neither granular nor wavetable synthesis but a combination of the best of both methods. The results are exciting, controllable and texturally extremely varied.
Quick Tip: Create Radio Imaging SFX Using Reason's Malstrom
Synthesising Sci-Fi Vehicle SFX - Creating Tones
Pro Tools
Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation developed and released by Avid Technology for the Microsoft Windows and OS X operating systems. Pro Tools can be used for a wide range of sound recording and sound production purposes.
Like all digital audio workstation software, Pro Tools performs the functions of a multitrack tape recorder and audio mixer, along with additional features that can only be performed in the digital domain, such as non-destructive editing, using the Undo feature, which allows an engineer to undo any changes he or she does not like.
Reaper
Reaper is a complete digital audio production application for Windows and OS X, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering toolset.
Reaper supports a vast range of hardware, digital formats and plugins and can be comprehensively extended, scripted and modified.
Reason
Reason is a digital audio workstation for creating and editing music and audio developed by Swedish software developers Propellerhead Software.
Reason emulates a rack of hardware synthesizers, samplers, signal processors, sequencers, and mixers, all of which can be freely interconnected in an arbitrary manner.
Reason can be used either as a complete virtual music studio or as a set of virtual instruments to be used with other sequencing software in a fashion that mimics live performance.
Sony Vegas
Sony Vegas was originally developed as an audio editor that developed into a non-linear editor (NLE) for video and audio from version 2.0.
Vegas features real-time multitrack video and audio editing on unlimited tracks, resolution-independent video sequencing, complex effects and compositing tools, 24-bit/192 kHz audio support, VST and DirectX plug-in effect support and Dolby Digital surround sound mixing.
- Version 10, Vegas Pro runs on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10
- Version 11 dropped support for Windows XP and version 12 is 64-bit only
- Version 13 dropped Windows Vista support
On 24 May 2016, Sony announced that it sold Vegas (and most of its "Creative Software" line) to MAGIX, who would continue supporting and developing the software.
How To Use An Expander To Efficiently Reduce Background Audio Noise
How to Use Sony Vegas Pro in 60 Seconds
Thor
Where other synths use one specific form of synthesis and one single filter, the Thor polysonic synthesiser features six different oscillator types and four unique filters.
Thor is the most powerful synth ever created; an unstoppable monster of a sound generator that uses synthesiser technology from the last 40 years.
Vordio
Vordio is an audio post production workflow tool that converts XML exported from a non-linear editor (NLE) video project into a Reaper audio project for audio post production.
Currently supported are XML exports from Final Cut Pro X, Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Editshare Lightworks, Final Cut Pro 6 & 7. Also supported are AES31 and OpenTL formats for use with Nuendo & StudioOne DAWs & Tascam hard disk recorders.
Conclusion
In this tutorial I showed you some of the software that is used by instructors in the tutorials that they produce for Envato Tuts+ Music and Audio.
I have included links to some of the tutorials on each of these products. Use the Search box at the top righthand side of the Tuts+ website to search for more interesting tutorials across a range of topic areas.
