Software

[jasonmcareedj]

Is anyone using software these days or are ye still battering rocks off goal posts?

[playthatbeat]

Software is over dude.

It's back to machines, and has been for a while.

You can try to get the 'feel' of machines, by using gear like the Arturia range, and this can go a long way towards helping You hit something more inspired. This is best for people who never knew machines, or don't understand why machine and hands-on contact are so important.

As the years roll by, You can see the survivors in the music making field are all in hardware now, more then ever.

Software still has it's place - as a recording device for audio, and as a control method. that's something people all agree on. You need to use a computer and software to sequence things, record and edit things. BUT, the days of 'desktop studio' product are long gone, unless You want to sound the same as everyone else that is!

Music has ALWAYS been technology-driven. So, if You want to form an opinion on which way is best to make music, then look at the reports coming from NAMM or MESSE - what are the new devices that exite You? are they bollocks plugins? or are they sub $500 squak boxes? i know what side of the fence i am on.

Here, check these guys out: https://www.youtube.com/user/sonicstate/videos - spend a day on this channel, and i assure You the software they review will become less and less impressive the more hardware reviews You see.

Another thing to keep in mind is Software is worthless. It's like a ticket to a gig - once the doors open, it's worthless. Hardware on the other hand is tangible. You can sell it when You get bored with it. Try selling software - it's hard work when you can torrent it for free.

getting the picture?

[jasonmcareedj]

Yes, massive points raised there! Tho ive never actually used any hardware bar obviously the keyboard and at that i just record it in roughly and then click and fecking drag and re arrange everything. Id love to get into a studio and actually have a look at all the hardware.

plus with work i dont think i have the time to invest in a load of hardware and barely use it, im only putting out about 2 tracks a year. need to get a serious ass kicking and up the output

are you still putting out tracks? you must have a ridiclious amout at this stage, actually found voyager cd when i was rooting through my closet over home the last day! what a track

[playthatbeat]

I'm stockpiling tracks at the moment.. thats how i do it - i work until i get bored with a direction, then i go back and try and make a collection of the best tracks for whatever is most suitable. I still spend up to 3 12 hour days a week in the studio, and i still use machines 100% of the time because that is why i started this whole nonsense - so i could play with machines all day

Yes, i know the concept of going hardware is daunting when You have none, but that's just another one of those hills to get over. You need to think it through - you need to CONTROL the hardware, so You need a MIDI cable for your DAW machine, and hardware that can be controlled by MIDI, or by MIDI-CV (and then obv. you need a midi to cv convertor) - and You need to get the audio from the hardware into Your DAW - so You need a soundcard.

Think about this scenario:

You want to make a VERY analogue tune, with absolutely NO bullshit virtual VST wankery. You want to sound like mid-70's kraftwerk, or pre-81 Human league. That means no drum machines, no S&S synths and lots of sequencing.

You need:

* a DAW that can generate MIDI and handle audio (plenty of free ones and trials, or torrent up a cracked one for research purposes before parting with $500+)

* a "no driver required" USB midi interface from china

* A brand-named semi-pro soundcard (or a piece of crap from china - you may get lucky and find one with a low noise-floor)

* A used Novation BASSTATION RACK (or any subtractive synth with MIDI)

* a Midi cable & an audio cable

You have 2 basic choices here. You can use the synth to magic up all the noises You need - starting with drums, moving on to bass sounds and lead sounds and fx, sample them and use the DAW's sampler engine, played by the DAW's midi sequencer to make Your track. OR, You can set the sound up in the synth, use the DAW's midi sequencer to play the synth and record a pass of the sound in realtime into the DAW, track by track.

For me, the 2nd option is best.

Why? because if you let a kickdrum sound you made on an analog synth run for 7 mins, the tiny variations in each hit will make the track sound more alive and more loose when compared to capturing a 1 bar loop or a single hit and triggering it. OK, that in itself is a sound some people crave, and it's seductive when the timing is tight as a nun's knickers and the sound is obviously a sample, but for the task on-hand - to rip off Kraftwerk or League (pre linndrum/tr808/MC4) you need to go for the 'full track' method. This also forces You to MAKE A STAND when you are laying down tracks. so no fuckery like changing your mind about a sound later and ruining the piece - once the track is layed down, and you change the synth to make another sound, it IS WHAT IT IS. LIVE WITH IT. and GET IT RIGHT BEFORE YOU COMMIT TO A TRACK PASS.

Am i making any sense?

This means you can make a HARDWARE TRACK with only 1 synth. Just make sure it's a good one you choose at the start, and it will be Your friend for ever.

[Jason Hatchell]

Great post, I recently took a break from production for about a year as i got fed up working with vst's. When i started (1997) i used Cubase VST on Windows 95 with a joystick midi lead into a friends Casio Keyboard and triggered back the sounds on different Midi Channels but i really haddn't a clue what i was doing So i taught it would be a good idea to go an buy myself the Korg Electribes EA1 & ER1 and a Koas Pad but I hadn't a clue how to use them. Then i seen that a guy in Dublin was selling a Roland MC303 so i went up met the guy, bought it came back to Wexford set it up and again hadn't a clue how to use it Time went by and i bought myself a legal copy of Cubase as i had been using the infamous Cubase 5.1 AIR (im sure we all know that) so i got stuck into production, i very rarely used any hardware in my production and i have up to 200 tracks produced, the thing is i don't really like any of my tracks anymore and im totally fed up hearing them back, so lastnight i went 100% hardware, went back to my roots and produced a 160BPM Hardtrance (90s style) using Cubase as my master clock with the MC303, ER1, EA1, SP404 and a Waldorf Rocket and boy did i have fun using all my old hardware. Now 20 years later i finally understand how these little fuckers work both as described in the OP using Midi to trigger or programme a loop and dump the Midi file back with the recorded audio. Buying these was a blessing in disguise as they have just brought new life to my studio and my productions, now i want more hardware and maybe venture down and get me some real analogue gear.

Jay

[playthatbeat]

The best way to put this is: Your brain and mood determine how what you create sounds like, and how it is created.. IF you are squinting at a monitor and fiddling with a mouse, or whatever, youare DETACHED from the sounds - separated by a layer of bullshit in your brain that is dealing with what You are experiencing. This ties up valuable brain that could be used to FEEL how things are, and should be.

More importantly, You make different connections in Your head when you link tasks to physical activity, and the rewards are greater and longer lasting, chemically.

Laying your hands on something and having it make noise is MUCH more fun then slaving over a screen :/

2 quotes:


IF YOU WANT A PIANO SOUND, USE A FUCKING PIANO


and..


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