With each passing day, creative minds turn to technology to design and inspire. There are many applications, not just on computers, but on mobile devices as well, that open up ways to interact, design, and grow as creators.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to use as many mobile apps as I would have liked during my life. But there are many I have used on computers. Ranging from visual art to sound, I have had my fair share of experience with various computer applications.

 

Being me, and being enamored with things like cartoons and video games and things in that realm of entertainment, I loved drawing. But developing things and finishing things was something that always escaped me, especially since I didn’t have the “professional tools” to really continue working on anything past sketches and more refined pencil drawings. After I finished high school, though, there was one program I’ve always dallied in. Paint Tool SAI, a program used by illustrators to draw digitally. It’s a very commonly used program in Japan, and its easy accessibility makes it a choice program for various American users as well.

The focus on this application is illustration capabilities. In contrast to various photo editing and digital design programs, SAI comes ready with tools and presets that mimic real media, like pens, brushes and markers. Customization of these tools is possible, from weights of lines to textures, to colors and shapes. This allows users to fine-tune the things they use.

The user interface is a bit intimidating at first, but everything is easy to pick up after a few minutes of exploration. Color wheels, layers, clear labels on tools and functions are all visible without immediate need for submenus or complicated navigation.

SAI is a fun, approachable tool to use for anyone who loves to illustrate. It’s a good tool to use to improve things like linework and coloring, and wonderful for developing everything from sketches to fully finished paintings, and everything in between.

 

With sound there are so many different programs people use in order to produce and interact with sound. Music, effects, the whole nine yards. Growing up I was never interested in sound as a profession, but I DID grow up loving video games and the music featured in them. I experimented a lot with GarageBand and MIDI sequences in high school, but when it came time to try at home, where I used Windows instead of Mac, there was one program I turned to: Mixcraft.

Mixcraft is Windows’ GarageBand, so to speak. It doesn’t have every single capability GarageBand has, but it comes with many instrument presets, premade sequences, multi-track capability, and various ways to alter sound, the way GarageBand does.

One of its biggest draws is support for user-made plugins, a feature shared by many other creation programs. Users outside of Mixcraft’s own development team can make their own instruments and effects to share with one another, allowing Mixcraft to grow as a tool.

With Mixcraft I was able to drag and drop MIDI files the way I could in GarageBand way back when. Editing capabilities for MIDIs in particular are very extensive: notes can be edited and even rewritten; instruments can be changed, and effects can be applied to make an arrangement your very own.

Mixcraft is fun to use, fun for experimentation and inexpensive sound production. It could be used as a gateway to more intricate (and expensive) software, or it could be used to make more out of a music and sound hobby.

 

Both programs are, in fact, paid programs, which could be a considerable drawback for some. SAI goes for about $50, while Mixcraft goes for $90 for the regular version, and $170 for the Pro version.  These are one-time-only payments; any updates may not require additional payment, so expenses aren’t too high. The fact is, while not as professional as programs made by companies by Adobe or Sony, these programs are far more advanced than entry level programs, and with dedication and application, can be used to jump start a career in creativity.