Jason Merritt is a professional Producer and Musician who has recently returned to Asheville to continue working. I sat down and had an informal zoom discussion with him about COVID-19 and its impact on his work. Right now Jason does not have an official studio space. His initial plan to create a professional space has been put on hold by the COVID-19 Pandemic, but he does have a small home setup capable of mixing in-the-box and on headphones, as well as recording a few tracks if needed. He told me he is glad that he is able to continue to work digitally but that he misses being able to listen to speakers in a good room. When I asked him why he is only using headphones, he told me it’s “the best way for him to mix as he doesn’t have space, nor a room he trusts.” Although he is reduced to headphones, Jason’s ability to work digitally and remotely with a quick setup is one of the reasons he is still able to work with clients. While in Quarantine, he has been working with clients to complete unfinished projects as well as trying to collaborate with musicians on his own work, but it can be difficult to work together without being able to sit down face to face.
Additionally, each member of a project must have some means of recording their instrument and syncing it with previously recorded tracks. As a professional engineer, Jason already has all of the gear he would need to create a song, and the experience using Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) such as pro tools, or logic. Many musicians may not have that capability and setting one up can be very costly. As this is no time for big spending, he and I discussed a number of methods and programs musicians can use to still work together.
There are many DAWs that come with extreme capabilities for a Reasonable price. Pro tools is considered the industry standard in many studios but can be expensive. A full out version will cost $799 USD, but you can get a year subscription for $200. Students and teachers can get it for as low as $8 a month.
https://www.avid.com/pro-tools
Logic Pro X is free for 90 days for a limited time and normally costs $200. Furthermore, GarageBand is a stripped-down version free for mac users.
