If you are a newcomer to the audio scene or simply require guidance on a particular processing method, consider exploring these audio-based YouTube content creators to advance your knowledge.
When acquiring new skills, YouTube is an invaluable platform offering diverse instructional content from numerous ambitious creators. From choosing the perfect microphone and top-notch DAW to mastering audio processing techniques, music production insights, and beyond, here’s a curated list of audio-centric channels to explore.
Free To Use Sounds
Field Recording duo Libby and Marcel from California are the masterminds behind Free To Use Sounds. This gem of a channel focuses on field recording, providing insightful videos for aspiring sound artists that cover everything from choosing the right microphone to audio processing techniques.
The duo travel extensively worldwide, capturing environmental sounds such as street noise, nature sounds, crowd ambience, and sounds from everyday objects. While sharing the many unique locations they visit that build up their audio catalogue, Free To Use Sounds provides a wide variety of content, including in-depth microphone reviews, gear set-up videos, audio-processing tutorials and career prospects in the audio industry.
What’s brilliant about their contribution to the audio world is their appreciation for natural sounds that we don’t usually pay attention to in our everyday lives. With that, they are both very willing to share invaluable advice for individuals looking to go into electroacoustic composition or sound artists looking for unique sound effects for their next project.
Furthermore, Free To Use Sounds also has a website to download royalty-free sound effects. They have free and paid packages for high-quality, uncompressed files. This channel is not one to sleep on if you want inspiration to create unique sounds from the world’s natural sounds!
Featured Videos:
How To Make Drone Sounds Easy With Ableton, Lom Geofon and Free Plug-ins
Field Recording CHnaged My Life! From Hobby to Business
S1gns Of L1fe
S1gns Of L1fe is an ambient music producer based in California. His music has downtempo ambient elements incorporating electronic, experimental and classical elements. S1gns Of L1fe also co-founded the ambient record label Synphaera Records.
Their music is rich in texture, using nature sounds and processing them into synths for the foundation of the works, and what’s great is that S1gns Of L1fe shares tutorials on this captivating music. One of the stand-out elements of his channel is the use of free resources (such as Vital synthesizer) and the encouragement of using natural sounds and turning them into instruments. For ambient lovers, S1gns Of L1fe has highly informative and exciting methods for creating beautiful pads and sequencing tips.
S1gns Of L1fe offers conventional tutorial videos and live streams featuring comprehensive masterclasses on ambient music production. These resources are ideal for individuals seeking a more profound understanding of generative music. Since the process can be lengthy, presenting the entire procedure is advantageous! With an active presence on YouTube and new content released a few times a month, this channel is an excellent starting point for those interested in delving into the realm of ambient music.
Featured Videos
Rachel K Collier
Rachel K Collier is a Welsh singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Rachel began her music career as a singer-songwriter but later shifted her focus towards production. She is primarily known for her electronic dance music (EDM) productions, which incorporate house, techno, and pop elements.
As a certified Ableton Live trainer, her channel consists of track breakdowns, Ableton session videos, Live Looping with equipment demonstrations and production tips. While her channel is primarily focused on showing her remixes, live looping of her works and track breakdowns, Rachel gives us an insight into her compositional and audio editing process. Producers willing to share this type of content are amongst the best. Producers may want to keep their processes to themselves, but Rachel helps share, educate and inspire her viewers.
Rachel is incredibly talented, with a unique and grand sound. Some may think that her music may not be to their taste. However, her content is transferable to other genres with invaluable tips and tricks wherever you may be in your audio journey.
Featured Videos
5 Killer Vocal Production Tips
Sound Design FX Plug-ins that WILL Change Your Life
Nathan James Larsen
Nathan James Larsen is a composer, music producer and educator. With an extensive background in producing music from pop to film and classical scores, he provides essential and creative content to his audience. His channel teaches producers how to make great music in limited conditions. If you don’t have all the money to spend on expensive industry-level hardware and software, Nathan shows you how to use what you have to create pro-sounding music.
Nathan primarily uses Logic Pro X and offers a multitude of tutorials ranging from effects plug-ins, arrangement tips, and VST library demonstrations. What’s distinguishable about his channel is his videos’ blunt yet necessary deliverance. There are some truths that producers may find difficult to hear, such as the hyper-focus on mixing and other technical elements. Nathan believes that success lies within the composition process and the sheer creativity of the production process. It’s sometimes refreshing to be reminded why we want to make music and not to get so caught up in technology!
Featured Videos:
10 Life CHanging Logic Pro X Tips
How to Record PRO VOCALS At Home
Seed to Stage
Seed to Stage is an educational platform that offers courses and tutorials on music production and the music industry. Their channel is designed to help aspiring producers who want to go into the electronic music production pathway and aid industry professionals to help to develop their skills and knowledge.
Their content covers sound design, mixing and mastering, music theory and business and marketing strategies. Having Ableton Live as their primary DAW, Seed to Stage has many tutorials. Some look at specific stock audio effects in Ableton, recording techniques, audio equipment videos and workflow tips. The diverse content available is transferable to many other genres and can spark creative ideas for your music creations or sound effects.
Furthermore, Seed to Stage provides free resources, such as sample packs and presets and a community forum to connect aspiring producers. They strive for an accessible and affordable platform to help encourage and inspire producers of all levels.
Featured Videos
Six things you don’t need expensive plug-ins for (use Ableton instead)
Which Studio Headphones Should You Buy
Bad Snacks
Bad Snacks is a music producer, multi-instrumentalist and music educator based in Boston, Massachusetts. She is known for creating instrumental beats with electronic and experimental hip-hop elements.
If you want to make beats from your bedroom, Bad Snacks is one to watch. She creates brilliant tracks that are a joy to listen to, and the creative processes behind her sound are highly inspiring. Bad Snacks shares insightful videos on creating Lo-Fi, plug-ins to aid your Lo-Fi sound, beat breakdowns of her tracks on Ableton and hardware demonstrations. As well as being a producer and certified Ableton trainer, Bad Snacks is also a violinist who shares content on recording strings, videos on her electric violin and the processing techniques behind her sound.
Like every music producer, Bad Snacks is continuously evolving. Her uploads haven’t been as consistent. However, the videos she already has up are jam-packed and helpful tips for anybody thinking of producing some beats at home.
Featured Videos:
5 of my favourite Lo-Fi Plug-ins
For more on YouTube, check out these articles
