As someone who knows their way around a professional DAW, soundtrap has its pros and cons. I use Ableton when working on electronic projects for my composing. I love how it is set up, the effects, all the shortcuts and so much more. From talking to many producers, it really depends on what you feel more comfortable with using.
Now, after using Soundtrap, I immediately cringed. The sounds and their "Plugins" are horrific. In my song I wrote in the video above, I used a tenor sax sound and it sounded nothing like a tenor sax. It is SO slow and I got really frustrated while using it. The song I wrote in the video does not showcase my writing style at all.
There are very limited effects you can use on the audio and MIDI files. However, I did discover the reverse effect I used on the 808's. That added a bit of spice to the mix.
However, as Ableton has it's pros and cons, so does soundtrap. From using a professional live DAW, going back to basics would be something really great for students in schools. If they were to use Ableton for the first time, it would be really overwhelming. As much as I don't like soundtrap, I would definitely use it in my high school programs. I would hate to cut off a students potential just because I don't like to use an online DAW. I also think that limiting a students creative thinking can be an amazing experience for them.
However, even though it is slow, I do like how it is online and they can learn to collaborate with one another. Having to collaborate with their classmates can lead to a lot more learning than if they were to do it individually. In saying that, making music is fun! And including people in projects increases their social skills, relationships and confidence.
If students decide they want to pursue their music into a deeper level, I would show them garage band and then maybe Ableton if they are very serious about it.
At the end of the day, soundtrap is a very easy and fun way to make music and loops. As much as I hate their instrument samples and sounds, does it really matter at the end of the day? Definitely not. Music is music. Students will benefit from it either way.
Nice - glad you criticised it!
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