Curently Endlesss.fm and decent sampler with samples from pianobook.com
Polyend Tracker is my unltimate fun box.
Also loving Bitwig + Launchpad
Great answers folks - always love hearing about how others do their thing!
I think something I’ve learned over the last 6 months, is that this is the knowledge I needed to place hardware & software in a workflow that works. The first phase is somewhat different from person, and might be focussed on sound design or coming up with chord progressions or beats (and this can be as simple or as complex as you like). For me, I love the process of playing with samples as the basis of a track, without over complicating things. Then the output of that goes into a DAW and that’s where sound design and more happens. I prefer to play over these base sequences and I find that much easier on a standard MIDI keyboard on a timeline or loop.
For me, that first part of the process has to be stripped down by definition, and in fact I almost want to not think at all at this point. The goal here isn’t so much to create the basis of a track, but a sketch that might (or might not) serve as a basis for more ideas. I suppose you could say this is somewhat like creating your own sample packs from the sounds you’ve gotten or found yourself. Obviously there’s a side discussion there about whether or not this is best achieved with somewhat limited hardware or software - but this seems to really depend on your taste. And on that note…
I agree with @monquixote about the Tracker, in terms of being used as a generative tool. That said, I also think the quality of life they put into their gear such as rendering out stems really maps to how a lot of musicians create now. Personally, I wasn’t totally sold on the Tracker, but now the Play is getting a lot of the same features (delete unused samples, export stems) that device is close to what I think of as the ultimate sketchpad that helps you kick off ideas. Those features make creation with those devices very simple, despite their complexity. The Tracker, having much the same underbelly in terms of features could be seen in a very similar way and even though I didn’t gel with it - but it’s undeniably so well executed. In terms of being generative, these sequencer features feel somewhat like the way you might use an arpergiator or a granulator with randomness and deviations to come up with melodies and sounds you might not alone - only this time using samples rather than synths/chords.
2 Likes
I come up concepts, stories and narratives that i then follow when composing. I kind of need to have a conceptual foundation to get really going. That’s how i get stuff finalized. But 90% is just fucking around with gear, always takes so much time to just play around w/o any pressure to find the sounds or ideas that will form the basis of a finalized track.
I spend very little time thinking about the technical side now. Used to be a bit obsessed with workflow, midi management, building a setup etc. And while it was fun for a while, it takes time away from creating music
1 Like
These 2 ideas are great. I think I might be a bit odd - but the way I write these out is in layers. eg: Drums like X, mid layers like Y & Z, with a pinch of A, B & C.
DFAM is def subconscious state. I am always surprised. Ex: what happens if I do this? Oh snap, ok. That was dope. Now what happens if I do this? Oh… interesting, etc…)
Any raw/warm sounding synth (VST or not) with a good filter and I can get lost.
I am learning more scales etc… but I feel like not knowing exactly how music theory works leads to amazing surprises but it does limit how far you can go once you find something impactful.
Hard to say really. Depends on mood. Music is kind of like therapy. Acoustic guitar, blues tone electric/amp, anything really?
I approach music by primarily having no idea what I am about to do unless I am rehearsing what I can remember from happy accidents.
Sometimes I have an idea because I want to learn a skill, but that is like 1/16th of what happens when I decide it’s music time.
Bitwig allows me to capture/explore and then arrange. Once you are past the “how does this work” a DAW is very fun.
1 Like
3 things:
-
needs to be quick an easy to turn on and get going
-
when you dial into a groove, you know instantly, get a rush and then the fun starts
-
ease of when done after each session having something to listen back to, then it f you dig it, you get another rush of enjoyment
6 Likes
Yea, this. I went off and talked out loud, you got it down to 3 easy steps haha
1 Like
…that magic moment, when some fooling around leads into those various elements that suddenly start to “fall into their places” and the whole thing becomes one thing, creating common ground and sense, when a new piece is born, the track starts to show it’s face and truu colours for the first time…
and suddenly u know exactly where u gotto go, what to do next and next to cross a real first finish line with all of this…
3 Likes
As far as gear, for me this is an electric guitar, or a “mojo” synth like the OB-6. But beyond the gear itself, it’s actually good pre-planning and organization that leads me to a good subconscious flow state. Meaning, a set of templates and/or intentional parameters/limitations that allow for very fast “don’t need to think”-type interactions. I try to separate the building-a-sandbox phase from the playing-in-it phase as much as possible, so when I am actually making music I don’t lose mental overhead on analytical tasks.
3 Likes
For me it’s not even gear surprisingly. It’s when I’m alone in the house and can play loud w/o any inhibitions.
3 Likes
Ableton for me. Creating loops and layers, resampling, repeating. I love it.
Accessibility and immediacy, whatever form that comes in, with limitations to keep out of the endless-options spiral.
An OP1 on its own? A tightly laid out set of Elektron gear? A drum machine and a single synth? A Sub37 on its own with reverb? Whatever works… but if I have to set a bunch of stuff up before I start creating I’ll never do it haha
3 Likes
Changes pretty regularly, but Bitwig (more specifically, the Grid) at the moment
the intersection of having an intention for a track, kind of realizing that intention, but then finding the happy accidents along the way that you didn’t even think of when you first had the idea
4 Likes
new discoveries that make me smile and dance while jamming as well keep it fun. Tonite had fun recordings on my new Virus that brought joy as I can make the sounds like my favorite bands from past 30 years and add my own unique take on it.
1 Like
I like making music with friends.
On my own, I like to make music with my a 4. The combination of the a4 with my western guitar gives me most fun, and best results
I spend most time unfocussed playing my a4
4 Likes
- Elektron sequencers
- Ableton Live + plugins + MaxForLive = endless possibilities. can be overwhelming but it’s also the ultimate playground for sound design