“In high school, I was making songs on my laptop that sounded fully professional”: Ninajirachi on the democratisation of music technologyEDM artist Ninajirachi has shared her thoughts on the democratisation of music technology, and how advancements allowed her to make music at a professional level without a studio.
With an ever-growing market of budget friendly plugins, DAWs and freeware, music making to a high standard is becoming more and more within reach of up and coming artists and bedroom beat makers.

READ MORE: Billy Corgan thinks Pro Tools made music worse: “It brought a lot of people into the music business that really have no business being in the music business”

Speaking to MusicTech for a brand-new cover story, Ninajirachi – real name Nina Wilson – reveals her early ventures into dance music began with Lady Gaga: “I was in primary school when Gaga was kind of blowing up, and she was my hero. My 12th birthday was Lady Gaga themed.”
She went on to discover Skrillex, Madeon, Deadmau5, Flume and her absolute favourite, Porter Robinson via YouTube. “I had no idea about clubbing,” she recalls, “but the sonic palette was so crazy and made me feel so euphoric. Also, just the dynamics of it — the tension, the build-ups, the drops, were just so thrilling. I would just listen to it on the bus to school in my headphones. It was such a solo endeavour. I would never really be [given] the AUX [cable], because I was the friend with the ‘wob wob’ taste.”
Nina’s own journey into music began at primary school, when she began tinkering with iMovie and GarageBand, and in turn was later gifted the full version of FL Studio at 14 by her mother. She later adds, “In the past, someone would have to spend 20 grand on a studio, an engineer and a mix person to create something that people would deem consumable.
“When I was in high school, I was making songs on my laptop that sounded fully professional. With a computer, you can hypothetically make any sound. That’s so awesome,” she concludes.

In other news, producer Jack Antonoff recently unveiled early plans to make accessible studios across America for those who would not normally be able to afford to use them. Arguing that while at-home production tools are brilliant, there’s no experience like a real-life studio. As part of his mission, Antonoff wants to begin by launching these within LGBTQ+ youth centres.
The post “In high school, I was making songs on my laptop that sounded fully professional”: Ninajirachi on the democratisation of music technology appeared first on MusicTech.