The Most Influential Tools in Electronic Music

Dec 30, 2015 The Most Influential Tools in Electronic Music

Technology has tremendous potential to revolutionize; no wonder, digital revolution has reached everywhere on the planet. The electronic music industry is no exception. With music becoming more and more technology-dependent each consecutive day, there has been incredible revolution in music production tools as well. With every update, music production artists find a new way to use the available tools.

The ‘80s generation that was raised in the digital revolution expressed themselves by means of a sonic palette. Similarly, generations during the ‘90s, ‘00s, and ‘10s also embraced the then technology’s revolution, resulting in a completely new wave of electronic musicians.

However, none of these artists ever thought to come over the most iconic tools that form the base of electronic music.

Synthesizers Minimoog and Roland TB-303 utilized the synth the best possible way.

Minimoog was the very first integrated synthesizer. Released in 1971, the instrument was portable and featured knobs and buttons that controlled sounds. It’s a fact that the Minimoog can produce only one note at one time but the incredibly high sound quality still manages to lure new gen musicians.

Designed particularly with a quasi keyboard button interface, Roland TB-303 was the first instrument that allowed users to put the note data into the sequencer. It could record and play the bass accompaniments often desired by solo guitarists. Though 303 was known to have a peculiar oppressive sound but due to endless opportunities for adjustments, it gained popularity.

Drum Machines and Samplers Roland TR-808 and Akai S1000 are considered to have utilized the samplers in the best way.

The Transistor Rhythm 808 was released in 1980; with the intent of enabling artists to replicate drum kit, record, and then play back the beats. By the early ‘90s, TR-808 became an iconic tool in the electronic music industry. The add-on perks include affordable pricing and impressive quirky sounds, which make it a popular tool in the EDM world.

Dec 30, 2015 Akai S1000, released in the year 1988, had an ability to splice, cross-fade, and trim music in the 16-bit CD quality. It can also stretch time without compromising on the pitch. Especially popular for drum & bass DJs and jungle, this tool is of immensely high quality and userfriendly.

CDJs and Turntables Technics SL-1200 Series & Pioneer CDJs are the best iconic tools in the category, till date.

A typical DJ set-up consists of a turntable and a mixer. With evolving technology, DJs are seen armed with suit and turntables such as the Technics SL-1200 series. Moreover, a feature-packed CDJ such as Pioneer CDJ-2000 has now become the mainstream.

The sounds produced by the basic categories of tools including synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, CDJs, and turntables are highly influential, and cannot be forgotten no matter how much the technology advances.

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