Inside the Music Studio: Digital Audio Workstation or DAW

There are a variety of tools inside the music studio designed to give us improved performance and recording for our musical projects. This week we’ll be looking at the center of the studio unit, the Digital Audio Workstation, or DAW for short. Read on to learn more about the DAW, what it is, how it is used, and what we use in our very own studio.

What is a DAW

The Digital Audio Workstation is the central hub of the recording studio. It’s what allows music engineers to record, edit, and mix multiple tracks. While many consider a DAW to be a software program, some would say that it is a complete station from a computer, to a midi controller, to audio interference. Whatever side of the what makes a DAW debate you land on, the one thing that stays the same is that it is the heart of the music production operation.

What Can You Do with a DAW?

You can pretty much use a DAW for anything in the recording studio. The list of projects is long ranging from albums, to sound effects, voice acting, podcasts, mixes and remixes, masters, sound effects, scores, and radio shows. If there is audio involved, a DAW is your friend.

Perhaps one of the most common uses of the DAW would be for the recording and arrangement of music. But what if your song needs an instrument that you don’t have or aren’t able to play? The DAW can help. With a variety of instrumental options available in the marketplace, artists no longer need to invest thousands into hiring a full orchestra or acquiring and storing a large catalog of instruments. Many programs today offer a full inventory of sampled sounds to use for your ever projects’ needs.
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DAW also opens the possibility of song making to those without any prior music experience. Because of the equipment’s capabilities individuals are now able to piece together various samples to create a piece of their own. And for those who consider themselves to be vocally challenged, there is always autotune for a quick confidence boost.

Ashcraft Studios’ Setup

Here at Ashcraft Studios, we take pride in the equipment we source. Currently, we house Slate Raven MTi2 Touchscreen Mixing Boards with UA Apollo 8p Hardware, 2 UAD 2 Satellite Accelerators, Audience ASP 800, and UA 4-710 D, 20+ Simultaneous Tracks, and Logic ProX Software. You can see a full list of our studio equipmenthere. Visit us online at www.ashcraftstudios.net today and see how we can help you craft your next audio project today.

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