For learning or producing music, doing some repetitive tasks are needed. Like practicing, testing and learning favorite softwares, selecting samples, reading books, watching tutorials, etc. Suppose you have a sample pack that contains all of the instruments' samples in it. You have 2 choices. One is focusing on composing or producing by using just that pack. The other one is searching and searching similar packs on the web. This is also true for DAWs, plugins, etc. I always choose the sufficiency. I mean, I prefer to just focus on adequate and limited materials because for example, all of the DAWs are doing the same things but just the work flow differs. I see that most people are wasting their time on selections. They are never getting satisfied with their properties and love to ramble inconsequentially around every where instead of doing the major task (music production). No offence. Some times I do it too but at the end I'd get nothing because I am doing some unimportant repetitive works. I wrote this passage just because all of us are included in these 2 categories. Which one is so close to your personality and are you happy with it? Last edited by a moderator: Feb 1, 2016
Very true, it's even worse when you're spending money on shit you already have, fortunatly i got out from that endless path without a big hole in my pocket thanks to our lovely sister. But still time is money so if you're wasting time you're wasting potential money. Good luck with your music everyone
You need to catalog the stuff that you have, keep a notebook with relevant info about types of sounds, etc.
I totally agree, and I've been saying this for a while now. R2R going internal was just about the best thing for me. Like everyone else, I was caught up in the hype of shiny new synths and effects. When they stopped releasing to the public I resolved to make it into a positive thing, and it has become a more significant advantage than I can even express to you here. When you're lusting after new toys, your whole frame of mind is lack, and want, and inadequacy. When you it gets released, you get a sense of relief for a while, but then you see a commercial for something new, and it's back to feeling like something is missing. This is why I strongly recommend buying your tools if you can afford it. It gives you a connection to the things you use to make music, and when you really get the frame of mind down, you can feel awe and gratitude about the those tools. I use Serum and Omnisphere to make most of my music. That's not cheap, and I'm not rich yet. But when I open my legit Ableton Live Suite and load up a legit instance of Omnisphere I get excited. These things represent my commitment. These aren't some tawdry black market toys that you just...download; they are prized possessions that pave the road to your ambitions. You can't appreciate them properly if they come so easy. And if you don't appreciate your tools... your creative process, and by extension your music, will reflect that. Few things are more inspiring than gratitude. I'm not saying that if you can't afford to buy this stuff you're doing something bad, or your music will suffer. But if you do buy your tools, you will know what I'm talking about. It adds something to the process.
If I'm honest, I like to try out the presets (Synth & FX) as I am hugely influenced by sound, and new ideas regularly pop into my head through this process. Something must be triggering at the subconscious level as my brain references the internal musical memory
If you're saying you like to try shit out... nothing wrong with that at all. I may have come across too strongly, I don't truly believe there's anything wrong with warezing a bunch of shit (from a creativity/productivity point of view) as long as you don't need new shit all the time to feel whole. I just think there are significant extra benefits to buying your stuff
It's just when I need some inspiration Actually music history is sprinkled with the sounds of synth presets, other people must share the same affliction
@Cav Emp some of us are addictive personalities here man... but I got control of my hoarding issues after I got tired of buying 4tb externals every month or so.. thinking about starting a 12 step program for Z disease... feels good man
You could say I've gone in a different direction altogether. I decided to go the hardware route and move away from the computer. I find I'm much more productive, even though I'm somewhat restricted in what's available in the way of sounds. I like the hands and ears approach that it gives me and very little in the way visual feedback apart from when I'm programming the sequencer.
Don't know what you mean by that. My comment has nothing to do with the topic, only with that quote where foster states that he has "focus".
this cracks me up.. really.. @kourous you are a smart guy obliviously...( see what i did there? ) .. can foster focus on his means of music production ? clearly he's a young pink panther.. why don't you mentor him...
"Don't stand in the way of progress," is what I tell myself. If the juices are flowing, I'm not going to try to waste energy with funneling them into this or that jar. Seeing as it supposedly takes 10,000 hours to master something, why waste it on non- or counter-productive flow-stemming? I had just updated Logic Pro to 10.2.1, and opened one of the stock templates, which I seldom do. I started playing something with one of the Alchemy tracks, using its preset, and immediately got an idea for a song from the sound of the instrument. I didn't fret over whether the sound I was using could be improved or switched-out for another synth – what I was using to build the song was mainly the feeling I'd gotten. Later in the production, I added or altered things – but also tried not to worry whether "preset" sounds would be glaringly obvious to other Logic users. Don't interrupt the flow, nor lose the feeling.
@stevitch ... it'seems just the opposite for me...don'the loose the feeling nor interrupt the flow. Can we agree to disagree?
Turn of the computer, get a piece of hardware, shut yourself in a room with no internet or books, and use your ears and hands to make some music.
