Power of the DAWside: Arranging

I know this may seem super obvious to some of you, but it wasn't always to me. Using your DAW--digital audio workstation--to arrange your music is one of the most, if not THE MOST important part of the production. Here's why: 

Imagine you spent the big bucks, or even the small bucks, on recording a song that wasn't well arranged. And when something isn't well-arranged, it's pretty easy to tell. If when listening to music, you've caught yourself saying something along the lines of: 

"Man, this song sounds great, but there's something missing." 

In 9 out of 10 cases, that "something" that's missing is due to poor arrangement. What's the point of having world-class sonic quality, if the song itself just isn't that well arranged--or well-written, for that matter. Check out the video:



 

Arranging is an integral part to the music production process. And being a good arranger is part of what being a good mixer is about. Even if you don't want to be a mix engineer, learning this skill is incredibly important because when your song is well-arranged it's a breeze to mix. 

If you're song is well-written, well-recorded, and well-arranged, the engineer you send it to for mixing--and later, mastering--will have a lot less work to do. 

Less work can equal less money for you to pay, as well as a smooth exchange of services that makes everyone want to do more business with each other in the future. By writing and arranging your songs as well as you can, you set up the people you want to hire to help you produce your tracks to do their best possible work. 

This creates a positive feedback loop of respect, good feelings, and good times: The trifecta of awesome. 

What do you think about arranging? Do you think it's important? Let me know in the comments! 

Thanks for reading! 

Cheers, 

Avi

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