The Audio Nomad: How To Produce Music From Anywhere In The World

Dance music has long been associated with touring and partying in idyllic, far-flung places. But it’s not just those on the DJ circuit who get to benefit from a jet-set lifestyle. All year round, many music producers have found their feet as digital nomads. These aptly coined “audio nomads” have overcome the obstacles of making music for a living while simultaneously exploring the world.

Aside from AudioMentor’s useful list of portable hardware that every producer living out of a suitcase will need, here is a rundown of the software and hacks to keep your flow uninterrupted, anywhere in the world.

Sharing Without Borders

Mixing with an international crowd can expand horizons, connect with new music styles, and foster collaboration with a fresh pool of diverse talent.

This doesn’t come without barriers, however, with online security often compromised in Airbnbs and co-working spaces. Downloading ExpressVPN for Windows, alongside their Apple-compatible version, can safeguard all work against online theft.

By hiding the computer’s IP address, using a VPN also means musicians can connect with collaborators back home without differing country restrictions scuppering their transfer and release of data. 

Remote Recording

Laying down recording-quality tracks with artists back home can seem impossible, yet due to the normalization of remote working in almost every industry since 2020, untethering your studio to one place is now more feasible than ever.

Source-Connect allows producers to record track-ready work with any other user around the globe, as long as they are also subscribed to the platform. The service can be run as a plugin in most DAWs to streamline workflow, recording in real-time from the source’s input straight into the producer’s workstation, as if in the same room. 

When high-end quality isn’t always necessary, Source-Nexus Free is a zero-cost solution from the same provider that links up DAWs to browser-based sessions. For this version, only one person needs to hold a free account. 

Collaborating Remotely

While Source-Nexus Free may also be a useful tool to riff ideas in the songwriting stage, Zoom now has capabilities that surpass its previous reputation as practically incompatible with music creation. 

More recently, some solid improvements have been made that address the infamous issue of music cutting out, mistakenly processed as background noise. Still, it all comes down to the right Zoom settings to configure at the start of every session, to allow for high-fidelity audio and ensure those 40 free minutes of collaboration run as organically as possible. 

Portable DAWs

Producers may have to cross out their beloved, yet giant, desktop display from their packing list, but it doesn’t mean they have to downsize their workstation when on the move.

Logic Pro X has done a good job at developing the iPad’s versatility as a second screen, allowing users to work from both their Mac and iPad simultaneously, with the latter useful for holding windows like mixer and audio editing.

In May 2023 Apple also debuted Logic Pro for iPad, to surprisingly high praise. Don’t be fooled by its aesthetic similarity to GarageBand, however. This is powerful stuff. Incorporating the Apple Pencil enhances the intuitive interface, for example when editing MIDI data, EQ, and Flex-Tune. Not to mention, DAWs like these were graphically inspired by analog mixers. So it even feels right to use a finger when operating visual functions such as faders, just like in the old days.

Conclusion

These hacks leave the gate wide open for uninhibited ideas, connectivity, and creation to flow for audio nomads. With the right security and software, dance music producers are free to bring their studios wherever the wind takes them.