At its most basic level, a DAW is a program that you install on your computer which allows you to record music into it from a variety of sources (microphones, guitars, electronic keyboards, etc.), and then lets you export your project into an audio track (MP3 or WAV format for example) that can be played or uploaded wherever you want. And yes, that means it's pretty essential if you want to get your music from your head onto your computer. What's a DAW, and Why Is It So Important?Ī DAW is important to a recording musician like a canvas is important to a visual artist. With the rise of prominence of the Digital Audio Workstation - often shortened to DAW - what once took hundreds of thousands of dollars, lots of space, and hours of work from multiple staff members, now takes a few minutes, a computer with a few gigabytes of available hard drive space, and a couple hundred dollars. The idea that entire recording studios would be available at one's fingertips would've been considered absurd twenty years ago, but that's precisely what has happened.
