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Songwriter, DJ and producer
"Cloud tools such as Splice and Gobbler help collaboration between producers and songwriters. One user can upload an entire session to the cloud and another can log in and make adjustments to the project, much the same as with Google Drive. The streamlining of basic tasks in the studio definitely helps to fuel creativity. On the live music front, hardware such as the Novation Launchpad and Ableton Push have created a great hybrid that gives you the editing capabilities of a studio but are stable enough to be integrated into live performance."
Co-founder and CTO, SoundCloud
"Mobile is going to be the key growth area in music over the next ten years, for production as well as consumption. Technology has entirely changed the way music can be made, thanks to the sheer scale of opportunity now open to anyone. The ease of use of many modern tools has lowered the barrier for entry, which may have been prohibitive to aspiring musicians not so long ago. The social web has also changed the way music is promoted and consumed. Creators can discover fans, interact with like-minded people and collaborate on new projects."
Artist and creator, Beats By Girlz
"Tech has changed writing, marketing, distribution, sharing and discovering - no facet has gone uninfluenced. The tech I find interesting is the type that lets my creativity lead while allowing me lots of functionality. With non-linear digital audio workstations like Ableton and associated hardware like Push, I find the workflow to be liberating and tactile. Tech has significantly lowered the barrier to music-making already and I believe that will continue - we'll see much more activity in schooling for all ages and even more saturation in the field."
President and COO, Beats Electronics
"When I started making music, I would ping-pong stems of tracks from one cassette to another and then play along, building up a song. It generally sounded horrible and required a lot of time. Now I can pick up a guitar and record a demo using Music Memos on my iPhone, export to GarageBand, plug in an iOS Fender Stratocaster for overdubs, use CME X-Key controller to arrange strings and Addictive Drums to create a drum part then plug in a USB mic for vocals. This ecosystem enables musicians to focus on writing - where all great music starts."
Composer
"Accessibility will continue to improve as memory becomes more affordable. Today's samplers are getting more powerful and precise - a composer's only choice used to be analogue tape and modular synthesis. Sampling tech, in tandem with a keyboard that can be programmed to control the sample, brings a pianistic approach to electronic music. Tech gives a more intuitive approach to performance: I can notate music as a five-line staff, helping to make my odd electronic sounds performable to anyone who can read music."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK