A DAW is a software program that allows you to record, edit, and mix audio files. DAWs typically include a variety of features for adding special effects to songs, such as:
* EQ (equalization): EQ allows you to adjust the frequency response of a sound, making it brighter, warmer, or more muffled.
* Compression: Compression reduces the dynamic range of a sound, making it louder and more consistent.
* Reverb: Reverb simulates the natural echo of a sound in a space, making it sound more spacious or distant.
* Delay: Delay creates a series of echoes of a sound, adding depth and texture.
* Chorus: Chorus creates a doubled effect, making a sound thicker and more lush.
* Flanger: Flanger creates a "swooshing" effect by combining a sound with a slightly delayed version of itself.
* Phaser: Phaser creates a "warping" effect by sweeping a notch filter across the frequency spectrum of a sound.
* Tremolo: Tremolo creates a "pulsing" effect by varying the amplitude of a sound.
* Auto-tune: Auto-tune corrects the pitch of a vocal performance, making it sound more in tune.
DAWs can also be used to create loops, samples, and other musical elements that can be used in a song.