Feeling like dusting off the old tape deck and plugging in your neglected effects pedals? Why not check out these 6 incredible DAWless YouTubers for some inspiration.
Yes, we all know how great DAWs are. They’ve ushered in a whole new generation of artists, engineers, mixers and more into the music world – making the production easier by orders of magnitude.
Easier, however, is not always better. DAWless YouTubers are gaining traction, and yep, it’s pretty damn awesome. Using new tech and old, they’re wowing us with wow and flutter, giving us the warm and fuzzies with sounds that are… you get the picture.
Slenterende Beer
This Dutch duo, comprised of Joep Slenter and Abel de Beer has been filling up the their desktop, mainly with KORG Volcas. They also aren’t afraid to use guitar effects pedals, like those from Chase Bliss Audio, to exploit their ambient characteristics.
They also love getting their hands on various controllers to keep their progressive techno jams evolving. Check out their channel.
Hainbach
Hainbach’s channel is a super eclectic mix of obscure gear nerd-outs, wild experiments and sometimes, more straightforward musical adventures.
He’s the chattiest on the list, but his style is very engaging, authoritative and oozing passion for his craft. His gear collection is to die for and the audio quality is always top notch. Make sure you check it out.
Dawless Jammin’
Pretty obvious from the name right? Miss Jammin’ has accrued a loyal fanbase through highlighting simple setups – most videos are based around one or two desktop synths and the most tasteful selection of effects – showing off the capabilities of the freshest gear releases.
Her music tends toward the melodic, with even neo-classical influences – which is a fascinating juxtaposition against the synthetic tones. Visit her channel, here.
Blicero
Blicero has only a few videos to his name, but this Glaswegian is definitely one to watch. His aesthetic tends more toward the ambient, with simple setups.
The visual aspect of his channel is obviously a priority and watching a the landscape is almost as meditative as the music. Click here to drink in the ambience.
Jogging House
This channel is also on the ambient tip and it’s also clear that there’s a predilection toward tape machines. Four track cassettes and reel-to-reels are the order of the day. This is counterbalanced with a penchant for the cutting edge stylings of Elektron desktop synths.
There’s also a cacophony of patch cables in a few videos – whether or not they’re actually doing anything is anyone’s guess, but somehow, it looks lovely. Follow the channel.
Marc Rebillet
Okay, don’t hate us, but yes, there is a DAW happening here, but it’s really not at the centre of the process. Even if it were though, it would be hard not to make an exception for Marc. He’s obviously already built up quite a following through his absolutely electric performances and mind blowing vocal chops.
The way that he intuitively builds arrangements on his quite substantial loop pedal, using real time effects to create even more drama is truly something to behold. Follow his channel and you won’t be disappointed.
So there you have it! The latest and greatest DAWless YouTubers of the moment. At worst they could coax you into dropping a bundle on the latest desktop synth or groovebox, but more likely, they’ll inspire you to lift your head from the edit window and start engaging with the instruments that you have in front of you.
