The internet is the most impactful, course-altering, and enriching technological phenomenon in the history of our species. This is easily forgotten in a time where entire generations have grown with and into it. Anything you desire can be found within just a few clicks of a button. When thinking about my journey into music, I can’t ever downplay the role the internet played in unfolding what I have found to be a life purpose. Discovering Audiotool was one of those moments where you feel that everything and anything is possible. At the time, I felt this was a unique experience, but others were going through the exact same process- right next to me.

It’s obvious in hindsight now that I’ve had enough interactions on the site and made friends with my peers here. Our experience is one that has never been possible until the rise of the internet. Those who were interested in music used to have high barriers to entry. Namely, music was physically performed with the implicitly agreed-upon understanding of conveying raw skill and ability regardless of what modality of music it was. Burgeoning musicians- those without teachers, high budgets, and a supportive community- had to scour endlessly for scraps of knowledge and then have a physical instrument with which to apply that knowledge, spending countless hours conforming their bodies to it. The internet, in tandem with new musical technologies, radically changed that. Almost overnight, knowledge that was once gatekept could be shared so thoroughly and rapidly that it lost all of its terrifying mystique. Suddenly, musicians of all skill levels could congregate and share their knowledge at an unprecedented level, alongside technology that allowed for music creation beyond physicality and its restraints. Audiotool emerged towards the latter end of this sociological process and managed to bridge the technology with the community- all for free.

When I began making music, I knew absolutely nothing (shocker). Despite growing up in a musical family, I had repressed my interest and therefore asked no questions. That sentiment changed after I was exposed to electronic music. I was hooked, and something deep within me had clicked. I spent many sleepless nights fervently googling “free dubstep maker” until I stumbled across Audiotool. My first tracks were horrible: cobbled together, chaotic, and- best of all- made entirely with questionable samples and loops. I made friends though, and that’s what kept me coming back. Through comment after comment and like after like (and plenty of rabb.it hangouts), I learned. I progressed and became better because of my peers, and made them progress and become better themselves. My experience here would not have been possible without the internet to facilitate it. Had I at first been presented with an instrument to practice or teacher to be criticized by, I would have turned away. I am a working musician now only because Audiotool allowed me to begin exploring that possibility on my own terms.

The AT userbase is quite possibly the best representation of what the “modern musician” should look like. From networking ability to the nuances of mixing setups, just about everything that a well-rounded musician in the modern age could ever need can be found and/or learned here on Audiotool. For beginner musicians, it functions as a playground for learning and experiencing the deeper aspects of music creation. For more seasoned musicians, it is a powerful tool to create with and disseminate knowledge. The community found in the platform also functions as a motivator to do the hardest part of any creative pursuit- keep at it. We hold each other accountable whether we like or are aware of it or not. We form a pillar, constantly building on top of, around, and out of each other. All of the skills necessary for our success is there. It is up to us to find the clipping point and peak higher than we ever thought possible.

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