It could be argued that music technology has seen more growth in the past hundred years than it has in the past thousand; the development of electronics and computers has fuelled much of this development. It seems that music technology in the digital age is closely bound to Moore's Law - many of the facilities only available in multi-million dollar recording studios twenty years ago can now be run on laptops or on other readily affordable outboard equipment installed in the corner of a bedroom.
The rise of the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) has opened up a new range of audio production opportunities, as has the decreasing cost of electronics. Musicians can now access a huge range of virtual instruments, effects, samplers and sequencers simply by loading up software on their computer. Alternatively, they can create their own instruments from physical components, or by devising their own software in modular programming environments such as MAX/MSP.
The concept of music technology is intimately connected to both musical and technological creativity. Human beings constantly strive to devise new forms of expression through music, and physically create new devices to enable them to do so. Because of this, our definition of what music technology encompasses must continually expand. Although the term is nowadays most commonly used in reference to modern electronic devices, it is worth noting that the piano and guitar - and any other instrument - are also examples of music technology. In the computer age, the ontological range of music technology has greatly increased. It may now be mechanical, electronic (firmware and hardware), software or indeed even purely conceptual.
The rise of the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) has opened up a new range of audio production opportunities, as has the decreasing cost of electronics. Musicians can now access a huge range of virtual instruments, effects, samplers and sequencers simply by loading up software on their computer. Alternatively, they can create their own instruments from physical components, or by devising their own software in modular programming environments such as MAX/MSP.
The concept of music technology is intimately connected to both musical and technological creativity. Human beings constantly strive to devise new forms of expression through music, and physically create new devices to enable them to do so. Because of this, our definition of what music technology encompasses must continually expand. Although the term is nowadays most commonly used in reference to modern electronic devices, it is worth noting that the piano and guitar - and any other instrument - are also examples of music technology. In the computer age, the ontological range of music technology has greatly increased. It may now be mechanical, electronic (firmware and hardware), software or indeed even purely conceptual.
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