Taking the D.I.Y approach to songwriting is something that is very popular in todays music industry, with many choosing to avoid high studio costs, and set up some kind of home recording facility. There are products on the market that range from very basic recording software to a full virtual studio set up, which can be added to depending on requirements and budgets. Many of these products are customisable, and once mastered could prove invaluable to musicians, lyricists, and producers, of all ability levels.

Lyric writing software such as ‘Masterwriter’, acts like an online reference library, and will commonly contain a thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, features that display close rhymes and soundalike words, and tools to record and edit lyrics.

Some of the more advanced software options will feature applications like those listed above, with the addition of tools to aid with recording, mixing, and editing music. ‘Finale Songwriter’ for example enables you to print sheet music, transpose into different keys or tempos, enter guitar tabs and chords, and use basic mixing tools. Their additional sound/synth applications also have minimal system requirements something to bear in mind, when you check your computers memory capacity.

Two of the most well known software tools on the market are ‘Logic Pro’ for the Apple Mac, and ‘Cubase’, produced by German company Steinberg for PC or Mac. Both these products use all the latest technology, and a wide range of features to help singers, songwriters, and musicians, produce a professional studio, or in some cases live recording. Features of the Apple ‘Logic Studio’ include sampler instruments, and effect plug-ins, a pedal board, which contains 30 stomp boxes, and tools to easily correct/alter the timings of your recordings. Steinberg produce several different recording software programs, the well known ‘Cubase’ models, which are similar to the Apple Logic, and their ‘Sequel’ programs which are good for beginners, and contain many audio loop and sound samples to encourage creativity.

All of these products are available worldwide, via the web, and in specialist music shops. Some may even have free trials. Look out for the full product specifications, as they will contain details of what features are included, or available at extra cost, what instruments or other equipment (such as mics) you can use with the program, and what system requirements you need to run the software on your PCc or Mac. The only limit then, is your own creativity!