How to Make Music at Home Without Instruments?

By Mitch Rice

Yes, it is absolutely possible to make music at home without any physical instruments. Technology has already come so far that you can now compose from small beats to a full orchestra right on your computer. This is possible with the help of Musical Instrument Digital Interface(MIDI).

This allows you to play literally any virtual instrument on your MIDI Keyboard(digital or virtual MIDI). In this article, we will be guiding you step-by-step on how to create music without any instruments. 

Music Production Without Instruments

Traditionally, you had to have physical instruments, people skilled in playing those, a studio, and record them live to compose any music. Not only was this expensive, but time-consuming as well. This was until people started composing music using MIDI keyboards that allowed them to use all instruments right in their workstation.

This saved a lot of time and energy, and also gave opportunities for anyone to make music without the burden of finding instrumentalists, hiring, recording perfect takes, and editing.

But that does not mean it doesn’t happen anymore.

The virtual instruments you use on your MIDI keyboard are recorded live and made into sample libraries. Sample libraries are recorded sounds that can be played using virtual instruments on your Digital Audio Workstation.

Free Vs Paid

It is very easy if you are a beginner looking to start making music without any up-front investment. Even if composing music digitally may not necessarily be expensive, you do need to have certain things to get started.

You will need the following things to get started:

  • A laptop with a good CPU.
  • A pair of headphones to start setting up your workstation.
  • And other important tools & software that we will discuss below.

Free:

  • There are many great free software and DAWs available on the internet.
  • Try Free Sample Libraries before spending money on premium, as they are more than enough to get you started.
  • Use a virtual MIDI keyboard that comes integrated with free DAWS.

Paid:

  • Although this requires a significant investment, the results are really impressive. This is best for people who are serious about their music careers.
  • Professional-grade MIDI Keyboards like the Novation Launchkey 61 MK4 easily integrate with premium composing software like Cubase, Ableton, Reaper, and so many more.
  • Other things that you get with them are orchestral sample libraries and other virtual instruments.

Things You Need

The following includes all the essentials you need to get you started making music without any instruments. Some of the things you can get for absolutely free, while some may require an upfront investment.

AI Music Generators

AI music generation tools don’t require you to have any technical knowledge about making music. This allows you to focus on your creativity and experiment with different music.

It is important to check the licenses that these AI tools offer so that you select the best pricing option for your use case. If

Advantages of using AI tools for making music:

  • Make music in a matter of moments.
  • You don’t need any additional hardware, software, or musical instruments.
  • You get downloadable and ready-to-use audio for your project
  • Cost-effective as there is no need to spend money on expensive equipment
  • Wide range of AI music tools to choose from with additional discount codes and offers.

Digital Audio Workstation(DAW)

This is the workstation(software) where you will make all of your music that goes by DAW in the music community. All composing, mixing, making melodies, and beats will be done in the main timeline of the Digital Audio Workstation(DAW). You won’t need to worry about money on this part, as there are many popular free DAWs available today.

Highlights:

  • Get free DAWS like Tracktion Waveform, Ardour, LMMS, Garageband for iOS users, and Cakewalk for Windows users, if you are on a budget.
  • Free DAWs like above are a great choice for beginners who just want to learn.
  • Great affordable DAWS include Reaper, low-tier plans of Ableton and Cubase.
  • If you are really serious about composing music and don’t mind the big investment, then DAWs like Cubase would be great for you.

Virtual Instruments

You can basically play any virtual instruments like Violins, using VST plugins on your keyboard (virtual or otherwise). Some of the best places to get free virtual instruments to kickstart your music career are Steinberg.

Advantages of using virtual instruments:

  • No need to learn real instruments.
  • Synth-based virtual instruments are best for Bass and EDM
  • Easy to switch between virtual instruments when composing music.
  • Gives you more creative control.
  • Apart from synth-based beats, you can also get orchestral sample libraries and use them as virtual instruments.

Some of the free virtual instruments include:

Get a MIDI Keyboard

Note: Having a physical MIDI keyboard is optional, as all DAWs come with a virtual MIDI keyboard built in.

A MIDI Keyboard, even though it looks like a piano, is not one. It uses sample libraries of instruments to play digital sounds, which you can switch between easily.

Even if having a physical MIDI keyboard is not necessary, using the virtual keyboard is very limiting for composing dynamic music and may take more time. MIDI keyboards come in all sizes suitable for all budgets.

  • 25-Key MIDI keyboard: Best for budget and portability.
  • 49-Key MIDI keyboard: Larger than the 25-key variation and more expensive.

The following options are recommended if you are serious about making music without having to learn physical instruments:

  • 61-Key MIDI keyboard: Best for serious composing but offers less portability.
  • 88-Key MIDI keyboard: Full size and very hard to carry around.

Conclusion

One of the best ways to start making music without any instruments is by using AI music generators and virtual instruments in DAWs(Digital Audio Workstations). If you haven’t ever created any piece of music, I would recommend using AI music generators. This method doesn’t require you to learn technical skills and helps you make music at home in minutes.

Data and information are provided for informational purposes only, and are not intended for investment or other purposes.