Woop woop

had not much to say the last times but now puahh... ;O)

i m thinking of selling all my hardware except my daw related stuff,
that means to give away my digi mixer, my synths, my drummaschine etc.
i mean actually i was curios bout that hardware thing, and did some gigs and theatre stuff with it

but i feel quite limitated by the stuff, also the sequencing has always been running in the box,


so why not do it all by using controllers etc.

so what do you mean?

goode idea or idotic?

 

Do whatever suits you, it's all about you and your workflow, so do whatever makes sense to you

 

the computer is hardware aint it , you use hardware because it has a specific chip set or something that makes it , IT , thats why you use a dedicated hardware piece , it does what it does because no other computer or digital software has it , thats what made deamua5 stand out , he used specific pieces of tech that only had that sound or function , most modern comps can recreate sounds in theory but its that chip / mobo , or what ever little elves in the box you knows

 

I would encourage you to do so. Unless you have really good hardware, it may be better to go completely computer-based. Invest all the money that you get from selling your hardware into a better computer (or invest in good monitors). I feel like when I went this direction that it helped to streamline my workflow. Get a MIDI controller that has what you need to improve your workflow--there are so many options out there. Maybe hang onto a synth if you really like working with it. Good luck.

 

The secret is...wait for it..................to use both!!! It sounds like you already have a hybrid setup. So you can switch to hardware when you want to, and use just software when you want to. Or you can use both together in a song if you feel like it. Choice is good. I would think you'll be "limiting" (your words) yourself more, if you sell every piece of hardware you own and forced to use only your computer. See how the story changes when you think about it differently? You're blessed enough to have some cool gear and decent software too. Just enjoy it.

PS: If your reasons are financial, then this would be a perfectly acceptable reason to sell the gear.

 

Ye throw that computer out the window.

 

hardware.. software... its all about MATHEMATICS... nothing less, nothing more... todays CPUs can process as many operations, as, for ex, 100 some hardware synths same time. Nothing can beats the mathematics and equations. All other depends on your skills and knowledge, and of cours - your TALENT. All other is bullshit ) No hardware unit will made you superstar or genious musician jaust because you own it. Be smart. Learn.

 

I've just got back into using my hardware again and I love it , my virus synth was collecting dust till I just purchased mystery islands virus editor and I love using it again now I've got full control , buying the software turned my virus xl rack into a ti synth with the extra banks it came with its a great piece of kit I've also just got a novation nova synth and that's great aswell , I also use my Macki desk for mixdown stage I like the analogue sound it produces but I do love my software to native instruments stuff , rob papen stuff to much to list . I like to use both hardware and software I disagree with hardwares dead maybe it is in the wrong hands but I just takes time to learn how to use it properly . I intend to buy a lot more , Keep your hardware you'll use it again one day when you feel inspired

 

Last edited: Sep 25, 2015

The best studios in the world may not use much tape anymore, but most use analog hardware for signal processing before it ever gets to an A/D converter. I'm sure there's a reason for that, just saying......Of course, they use top grade gear most of the time. Also, when dealing with real instruments in real time, it does away with any latency or compatibility issues. Any time an analog signal goes through a transformer or any other electrical device, including cable, it affects the sound. Anytime a signal gets converted A/D or D/A, it has to go through a wire somewhere.

 

Last edited: Sep 26, 2015

@ Mono_Byte

I think at Abbey Road Studios doesn't agree (so in every other studio where the analog "philosophy" is a way to live). We live a digital era but everyone of us is trying to find a way to get his own "music" sounding a little bit "analogically warm", even in EDM (adding saturation, distortion etc). The clean digital sound produced via software (ie VST) is nice but, year after year, it seems too "designed" and "cold". I suppose even at Abbey Road Studios there is a PC and/or a MAC and someone use a DAW but I am quite sure they prefer using hardware stuff more than we could think.

 

Very hard to say...
I see more and more ppl with hardware at home and only computer/controllers live.
Because they design their sound at home, but how many ppl are playing them LIVE directly on hardware ?
In live, "we all press play" (Deadmaus...again ;) ). There are very few ppl needing to intecract with ALL their synths, effects... live.

Even big bands with roadies, like Depeche Mode, play a lot of sampled synths. Their OWN samples, of course, but samples anyway.
Their "Playing the angel" show was mixed on Ableton in real time (to use snaphots, morphing and such).
In the studio, they have a bunch of cool things ;)

So my point is :
Do you REALLY need all your hardware live ? If not, keep it at home for now, sample it, make rompler patches with Sample Robot/equivalent... and use only computer/controllers for live (apart may be effects/mixer). And so, no more "synth count" limitation. You can make/layer as many tracks you want to.
Doing so, you are migrating your hardware from "perform tools" to "design tools". It may change your point of view ;)

 

I will always keep my old analog gear, but when I'm composing I mainly use soft synths, Amplitube and Addictive Drums, all in the box with a CME X Key 25 midi keyboard for simplicity.

 

Last edited: Sep 26, 2015

I know Gary Numan ditched hardware a long time ago, and he was one of the electronic pioneers.

 

I can't advise or debate anyone on what might be "better," but I've gone from recording on 4-track cassette tape (and also 16-track studio, Ampex tape - but never mind that) to doin' the DAW today, and I really wish I'd had this newfangled compeewter stuff when I was a kid. (Just another example of why I'd been born decades too early, but never mind that). NI's Guitar Rig 5, itself, makes me tremble with excitement: all those effects, sounds, cabinets, amps, processing features, and virtual acoustics sure save me a lot of money that I'll never have, and they enable me to get "that" guitar sound (after about 10 hours of cruising around the controls, but never mind that). I prefer being able to do all sorts of stuff "in the box," with a computer and a tube-preamp interface and a couple different mics, rather than to have a roomful of outboard gear to maintain and keep track. By that token, it's a good thing that I can't afford all that stuff, eh? If I could, I'd spend the money on travel experiences instead. Really - no "sour grapes" here; doing a lot with a little has always been my modus operandi.

 

i tried working with just in the box stuff but found that, for me, it could never replace the warmth and feel of actual hardware even if it's virtual analog. it wasnt just me who missed something in my music, my label and a few friends that i send my music to as prelisteners also thought it lacked something. when i remade the tracks with my external gear it got that little extra that it needed, maybe for some it's ok but i cant do without actual gear.

 

I am selling off all of my guitars and moving to Sugar Bytes Guitarist.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 26, 2015

so what i actually mean is that, my synths does not sound better or warmer (eq?) than any of my softs,
my mixer is good but digital i cannot afford an ssl console do any of you have the equipment/outboard the abbey has?
i love my drumcomputer, i always do as much as anyhow possible live,
and think doin all i do in one box is much better than having two flightcases full of stuff to carry
and i would never sell my grand piano, to use native instruments vienna....
thats of course not the case,
its more about middle expensive hardware,
i like the knobs, i like the feeling...
and i still prefer my pc, push is also cool, what about maschine?

i m more interested in smarter ways of integrating my workflow than to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds

 

"i m more interested in smarter ways of integrating my workflow than to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds".

We all do what we can all do, circumstance bearing the brunt of our actions.

 

That's the problem with all the "analog/hardware" hype : you need high end products to really hear improvment.
Buying a Behringer analog mixer is not going to push anything, and digital desk no more.

Example : if you use a DX7...sell it and buy an FM8. It will totally kill it. Because DX7 output stage sucks.

You like analog feeling ? You can still use small/cheap/good external effects, like filters/overdrives/more...
You like tweaking good knobs ? There are very good controllers with good knobs, made with wood, metal and such.

- do you tweak ALL you hardware live because you like controls feels ? Replace by good controllers and sample your hardware.
- do you like pure hardware sound, like real time filter tweaking ? Try to replace synths by a separate filter and sample your synths filters opened.
- do you like analog sound ? Separate mixer/overdrive can solve "dryness".
- do you simply separated functions/sounds ? You can buy several controllers for the price of a single synth.
- do you want different workflow ? Push, Maschine can change this. But they are (to me) really beatmaking/single hits oriented. Look at Arturia controllers for keys.

I can't tell you more ;)

 

This is so spot on. I'm beginning to feel a point where I start to sense a certain boundary I feel I can only push if I take the step and invest in hardware equipment. After years and years of proclaiming that producing inboard only is possible with the same results in terms of quality.
Some stuff is also not possible with the vst versions of certain synths. E.g. the beats between the two oscs of the real ms20 don't happen with the vst version. Stuff like that may be just the icing on the cake but if can make all the difference.