The Plugin Revolution: How Music Software Transformed the Studio and What’s Next

Guest Post: Peter Gorges, founder of UJAM, and Hunter Williams, a writer and music technology strategist, focus on how plugins have revolutionized music production and empowered a new generation of creators.

These days, we’re completely surrounded by music—streaming platforms, social media clips, and algorithmic playlists — our ears barely get a moment to breathe. There’s more music available than we could ever consume. In fact, former Spotify Chief Economist Will Page noted that more music was released each day in 2024 than in all of 1989. What’s fueling this tidal wave? In part, it’s the increasingly low barrier to entry for music production. Tools that were once locked away in expensive studios are now available to anyone with a laptop. One of the driving forces behind this shift — and what we’ll be digging into here — is plugins (software instruments and effects that run in a DAW). These digital add-ons have turned bedrooms, coffee shops, and tour buses into fully functional production spaces.

From Tape to Plugins: How Music Production Went Digital

So how did we get here? To understand the commercial boom and rise of music software, we need to look back to the late 1980s, when the music industry began shifting from analog to digital audio. As digital technologies advanced, more frequencies and dynamic range could be captured, leading to cleaner, more consistent recordings. People were now listening to music on cassettes and CDs instead of vinyl (which, of course, is now making a retro-fueled comeback). By the early ’90s, many recording studios had started moving away from tape and toward digital audio workstations like Pro Tools, Logic, or Cubase for recording and playback.

Despite this shift, engineers and producers still leaned heavily on analog mixing consoles for final mixdowns — DAWs at the time simply didn’t offer the same quality or flexibility when it came to in-the-box mixing.

Early innovators like Waves and Jupiter Systems stepped in to change that. They began developing plugins for Digidesign’s (now Avid) proprietary TDM format, aiming to digitally recreate the analog gear producers trusted. Soon after, Steinberg introduced an open plugin format called VST, which made third-party plugin development far more accessible. At first, these plugins focused on essentials: EQs, compressors, reverbs, and delays. But things quickly evolved. Developers began building virtual instruments — starting with simple synths and drum machine emulations — and, with advancements in sampling technology, sample-based instruments followed. These let users program full musical parts using a mouse or MIDI controller (no physical instrument — or even the ability to play one — required).

This marked a major disruption in music production. Still, the real explosion in music creation didn’t come until a few years later, when affordable computing and better internet access brought these tools into everyday homes — a shift we’ll explore next.

The Rise of the Bedroom Producer

The rise of the bedroom and hobbyist producer really started to take shape in the mid to late 2000s, as laptops, Wi-Fi routers, and high-speed internet became more affordable and accessible. Music software, which once had to be purchased on CDs or USB drives, could now be downloaded in minutes. Suddenly, more and more people were able to get online, watch tutorials on YouTube, share their tracks on forums, and receive real-time feedback. This helped foster whole communities that — combined with the broader tech boom — became a catalyst for people to learn music production quickly and on a budget. For many, it was through these forums and videos that they first discovered popular music-making software, sparking purchases made in hopes it would help them craft the next hit record.

As more people got into music production, the way plugins were distributed began to shift too. During my time at Digidesign, I remember having long discussions around 2007 about making our virtual instruments available for download. Those barriers fell quickly, also thanks to gaming platforms like Steam. In the early 2010s, digital storefronts like Plugin Boutique, AudioDeluxe, and Producer Loops started offering centralized access to third-party plugins. In recent years, subscription-based models have been becoming increasingly common — a change that hasn’t come without debate, but we won’t go into that here!

Plugin Overload: Making Sense of the Madness

If you’ve been producing for even a short time, you’ve probably noticed the ads. They’re everywhere — on YouTube, social media, in your feed — selling you the next must-have multiband EQ, the one compressor to rule them all, or even a plugin that generates a full chord progression without you needing to know where middle C is. The plugin market is crowded, and clever marketing plays a bigger role than ever in helping products stand out. But beyond the hype, the tools themselves have come a long way — and it can be tricky to know how many you actually need, or whether you need more at all. Today’s plugins aren’t just emulations of vintage gear — they’ve evolved into creative partners, capable of making musical decisions right alongside you.

So, how do we choose the right plugins — or for most of us, how do we know when enough is enough? When do we put the credit card down and just make music already? The truth is, making music is fun. For many of us, producing is our own kind of video game — something we work on to level up, staying up late to improve, unable to put it down. And like any game, we chase the upgrades — the tools we believe will help level up our productions and unlock the next creative breakthrough.

Do we really need five different EQs? Ten different reverbs? Or are we just building up plugin collections while only using two or three favorites, letting the rest sit pretty in our folders? This isn’t a new debate, and the answer varies from person to person.

Perhaps you work with clients and need to stay current with the latest tools and technologies so you can open project files without compatibility issues. Maybe you love how one reverb sounds on acoustic instruments and another on soft synths. These are all valid reasons. But at the end of the day, it comes down to your budget and your goals.

One thing I see often is producers skipping the free trials that plugin developers offer — or not using them to their full extent. Take advantage of those offers, especially if they’re full-featured trials and not just demo versions that blast an obnoxious noise every 20 seconds. These let you properly experience the plugin in your workflow before dishing out the dollars. Download a few similar plugins and test them side by side. Compare their workflows. Ask yourself if the added features of the pricier option are really worth it for you. Try a blind A/B test — listen with your ears, not your eyes — and take notes. You might be surprised by what sticks.

The Future of Plugins: What’s next?

Trying to predict the future of music tech is usually a losing game. Instead, I prefer to look at what’s happening right now and react to where things seem to be headed. And right now, there’s no denying that AI is at the center of most conversations.

We’re already seeing AI-driven plugins that can match EQ curves, dial in compressor attack and release times based on preset styles like punchy, dynamic, or neutral, and hit target loudness levels automatically. There are even plugins that can generate surprisingly convincing vocals, so maybe those singing lessons can wait.

All that to say, making music is getting easier. Sonically, tracks made in bedrooms are now more than capable of going toe-to-toe with those coming out of high-end studios. There are way more examples than just Billie Eilish and Finneas that prove you can become a superstar with just Logic and its factory plugins.

But the real challenge — the one that never seems to go away — is making music that feels true to your vision. For many creatives, the battle isn’t just finishing a track — it’s being happy with it. Maybe you’ve spent 100 hours dialing in every detail, and it sounds polished, but something still feels off. Is it done, or is it just… missing something?

The accessibility of plugins and music software has empowered more people than ever to take that first step — and that’s a good thing. We all have music in us. We shouldn’t let a lack of gear, skill, or experience be the thing that holds us back. Those things come with time. What matters most is showing up, making music, and using the tools you have to grow and keep your creativity moving.

Also Read:

1. Mixing Music on Headphones: Pro Tips for Killer Mixes Without Monitors
2. Why AI Won’t Kill Creativity, But Will Demand More of It