Artists are very particular people. You can ask 100 artists about their recording process, and you might get 100 different answers. Some use Logic Pro X, and some use Ableton. Some use stock plugins, and some purchase theirs. Some write with a pencil and pad, and others choose to memorize. That’s what makes it so fun when we get a little behind the curtains look at how artists make the songs that we so passionately love. Every artist has their thing.
Many independent artists can be held back financially, so they have to get creative when it comes to how they record. In college, I would make a “sound-proof” pillow fort in my small bathroom on my sink to get the best vocals I could and lemme’ tell ‘ya, it crashed down upon me a few times. If you’re a singer, maybe there’s a tea you make sure you drink every morning to get your vocals in the perfect shape. If you’re a rapper, perhaps you carry around a notebook just in case a clever line spawns randomly. If you’re a producer, maybe it’s that ol’ reliable MIDI keyboard you’ve had for over a decade.
I reached out to a bunch of independent artists that inspire me daily as a fellow creator, but more importantly, people who I’m huge fans of, and asked them one question: what is the most essential tool to your recording process? Below is their list of tools that any creator can utilize and learn from.
Chris Patrick
“Throat Coat Tea is the number one thing I’m using. That joint activates and soothes the vocals for any performance.”
Link to buy: https://shorturl.at/aesGH
Check out their music:
Dende
“My favorite tools to make music are my tea. I drink Throat Coat with a lil’ bit of honey. I also love my microphone the WA-8000, a warm audio replica of a Sony mic, and its amazing. Clean and warm vocals DRY. The last is gonna’ be my favorite DAW, Ableton. I’ve used Ableton since I was a senior in high school and it’s never failed me.”
Link to buy: https://warmaudio.com/wa8000/
Check out their music:
John Wells
“So I’ve always used FL Studio from the beginning, aside from using Audacity when I was like 13-14 lmao. I started making beats when I was 15 using FL Studio. Had a couple people try to tell me I shouldn’t use FL to record over the years, didn’t listen and now everything that people hear today has been recorded on FL. Feel like I’m gonna’ be using it for the rest of my life for real.”
Link to buy: https://www.image-line.com/
Check out their music:
Mike Quill
“When making music, my favorite tool is the Notes app, because in the notes app I can put my silly little voice notes. I can put my terrible drafts of lyrics. I can put my random thoughts and ideas down in this Notes app… It’s my little personal diary. All these different plans of all these different songs, 99 percent of which will never be released to the public. It’s a reflection of the journey that I can carry with me and keep it in my pocket. I use a pen and pad when I can, but the Notes app has seen my best music, and the Notes app has seen my worst music. The Notes app has seen my insecurities. The Notes app has seen my highs, my lows, my wins, my fears my anxieties. My plans that have never come to fruition, and my plans that have and will.”
Check out their music:
Lim0
“Karriem Riggins’ Drums Kontakt Bank: For only $50, Karriem Riggins’ Kontakt Bank is phenomenal value. It includes numerous folders of one shots, curated drum kits, and loops (which sync to tempo) for you to use. You can fine tune each drum sound and really tweak each parameter to your desired tone. Great for hip-hop and RnB beats as well as more live/vintage tracks. Compared to other high end drum plugins (Tympo, Addictive Drums, etc) Karriem Riggins drums provides unmatched value.”
Link to buy: https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/play-series/karriem-riggins-drums/
Check out their music:
Morgan Gold
“My go-to tool for making music is simply the world around me. I’m gonna’ sing and make music no matter what you give me; whether it’s a mic, a beat or a guitar. I’m always drawing inspiration from various points and people in my life. It could be that I’m the main character in the story, or perhaps somebody else’s story inspired me. No matter where the idea came from, I always want my songs to reflect those stories. In short, my experiences are my tools.”
Check out their music:
Reed Starks
“My favorite tool for making music is the whole process. Starting something from scratch essentially just to make it what it is today in its evolved form. Oh, and water. Lots of water.”
Link to their music:
Nito
“My favorite tool to use in the studio has got to be my Shure SM7B! Even though there are ‘better mics’ out there on the market than the 7B, this mic will always make me feel comfortable and ready to go when I’m ready to lay some vocals down in the studio! Knowing that some of the greatest musicians of all time were able to use this mic and create history gives me the confidence I need whenever I need to put some work in!”
Link to buy: https://shorturl.at/ahouU
Link to their music:
André Mariette
“Man. This is such a difficult thing to answer actually haha. I’d say my keyboard, but honestly, without my DAW, what use would it be lol? I think my favorite tool has to be the actual program I make beats in as I am one of five producers who use ‘Reason,’ and also I’ve made over 3,000 beats on it. I’ve been using it for around 15 years and honestly have no idea what kind of stuff I’d be making if I hadn’t been gifted a copy as a kid haha.”
Link to their music:
