For discussion about setting up your studio and advice on the gear and equipment within it.
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By ArKyve-31 Sun Oct 02, 2011 4:38 pm
Coz wrote:I'm a big advocate of learning on the job and getting stuck in with making music wherever possible... there's no substitute for digging in and solving problems as you learn IMO.



I feel the exact same way, For example when people ask, "how do I get drums like dilla or such and such" "how did this guy get that signature sound" And what you stated above is how they accomplished that, but some cats dont wanna take that journey. You and I could set out with the same gear and sample the same song off vinyl and come up with 2 different types of music from 2 different genre's because we came up differently in how we approach the machine the sample and the overall path to the sound we want. IF this trend keeps up everything will all sound the same, its kinda already does.
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By high hat Sun Oct 02, 2011 6:19 pm
i'm not so sure the opposite end of this equation is all that great either. sometimes i feel more like playing with my gear all day than making music. it's like some metalhead tinkering with his trans am in the garage all day instead of taking it out and cruising for chicks

i think the winning combo is passion/drive along with constantly striving to be more "balanced" in your approach. find your weak areas and dig into them. don't let yourself lean on any one bit too much.... and don't forget to HAVE FUN. if you don't have fun, it's all over.

i think a lot of people like the idea of making music, more than they do making music. these sort of people will never have any fun. poor buggers
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By carloboranga Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:30 pm
What i really dont get is people that play (or try to) music without actually listen almost anything... I know many people that have bands or do electronic music not even knowing what happened in the last producing ten years... As music became free cause the net many friends of mine stopped buying records, and they don`t know a thing about since then... As i started trying to play sample based music i alredy had so many cds or albums i didn`t had the problem to find anything... People who start right now basically copy what happened up to the very early 2000 and that`s it, expetially in little cities. Sometimes i feel like music has stopped in that period. Big producers btw sure know every new sound it`s out, but they don`t use them that much... Listeners (and new producers) aren`t ready so to place a hit they don`t move forward that much. Difference between new music possibilities and common taste has never being so big by me. Finally there are countless youngsters that can easily play a song that has been already played millions times... This is really just my opinion...
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By Lampdog Sun Oct 02, 2011 7:38 pm
high hat wrote:sometimes i feel more like playing with my gear all day than making music.

I thought it was just me that did that, lol. I like to try out and experiment with different functions and combinations of functions on the 4k to get me a result that wasn't designed into 1 specific feature/function.

I experiment with my machines more than I actually make music. BUT, when I finally do get around to making a beat
I got all this extra stuff I figured out to try and make happen, it's actually fun.
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By sciguy Mon Oct 03, 2011 12:22 am
I also like playing around with the tools available sometimes instead of making music.

A good example: on a synth tracker program I decided to see if I could make generative speech synthesis, no samplers. I played around, and only after I succeeded (kinda) did I decide to make a song out of it: (unfinished):

This program seems super tedious and stupid at first, but if you actually learn to use it, it can be really powerful. There are lots of people online who say "burr hurr this sucks its impossible to use i cant do anything", but also some who really learn to use it and make better music with this freeware program than some people working on ableton, etc.

Also another good example is how much effort I've put into the homemade synth I'm making. A ton of research both into electronic circuitry to wire it up and also into software, using all the internal timers and other advanced functions of the atmega328 chip the arduino's based off of. Also, researching into the midi protocol and note frequency mathematics. All for a synth that I've only used in like 1 and 1/2 songs so far. I really hate people who use generic preset synths and things, who don't bother to tweak and edit stuff to get an actually original sound.
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By Explicit- Mon Oct 03, 2011 1:17 am
This has always been an expensive hobby of mine...
Though I do like to improve and share my music from time to time.

I play with my gear a lot as well. Sit on the MPC for hours just messing with the sample and never saving a session is a normal thing of mine. :lol:

But I do understand where this thread is coming from...
Too many cats just think they can buy gear and just hit a few buttons without learning anything and somehow magically creating a SICK BEAT. :roll:

Example:
My friends tend to come over and see my gear and always say "yo let me jump on that thing so I can make a SICK BEAT". :lol:

I always respond with... "You think its that easy? Ok bro make a sick beat. Show me." I boot up the MPC and then they ask where are all the sounds?

Obviously they dont know how to load up the sound banks.
Then once I do... They ask how do I record? And so on....
Its hilarious how easy people think it is.

Since I have dropped DJing years ago and I started making beats, two of my friends have followed and started making beats too. One dude which is terrible but I been hearing slight improvement throughout the years from and another friend who bought an MPC about a year ago and it seems he has already given up. :lol:

The one who is giving up...
When he first purchased his MPC2500, this dude actually let it sit brand new in the box for a week and waited for me to teach him how to use it instead of being excited and trying to figure it out on his own. Dude seriously waited a **** WEEK!!!
Beyond me... I was seriously outspoken. Right then and there I knew dude wasnt going anywhere with this shit.
By philphil Mon Oct 03, 2011 8:22 am
Explicit- wrote:The one who is giving up...
When he first purchased his MPC2500, this dude actually let it sit brand new in the box for a week and waited for me to teach him how to use it instead of being excited and trying to figure it out on his own. Dude seriously waited a **** WEEK!!!
Beyond me... I was seriously outspoken. Right then and there I knew dude wasnt going anywhere with this ****.


Hahaha same thing happened to a friend of mine.. He bought his 1K and I came to his place every other week or so to teach him. He was clearly not listening (yawning and looking elsewhere) and didn't want to spend time learning the basics. What stroke me the most is that he would wait for me to come over to switch it on!!

I mean, when I bought my 1st MPC 7 years ago I didn't go out for 2 weeks straight!! My 1st victory was being able to save a beat. I was SO happy to figure that one out... Also, do you 1K users remember when the 1st (and last) major AKAI OS update came out? I don't specifically remember what was so crazy about it since we have been spoiled with JJ but damn that was a good day.

Anyway, I stopped going my friend's place and unsurprisingly the machine stayed in its box. After 6 months of total inactivity I bought it back for pretty much nothing :)
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By high hat Mon Oct 03, 2011 6:26 pm
there are definitely tedious parts too, i suppose, once you start actually making a track instead of just playing around. during these parts i'm not really enjoying myself at all! but i know the result will be worth it..... i imagine you know this well, sciguy. i bet some parts of that arduino have been fun, while others make you want to tear your hair out.... :lol:

when i finally finish some crazy bit of audio, sometimes i feel like i've gotten away with something. like they're gonna come arrest me for having too much fun, if i'm not careful..... "alright lad, that's your quota. we're taking you to a padded cell now...."
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By sciguy Mon Oct 03, 2011 8:19 pm
Yeah, it's not the most fun of times learning of what each individual bit in TCCR1A, TMKS1, TCNT1, and other somewhat cryptic register names in the chip's memory all do, but it's all worth it when a synth program spits out a nice sawtooth chord after hitting a note on a midi keyboard. :D
By Clint Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:54 pm
Coz wrote:
I'm sure we all know a few heads on this board with immense technical knowledge but their tracks aren't the greatest. Right?


That sounds like me, the technical aspect is covered well enough to teach, but I rarely have time to commit to producing a finished track these days. I keep telling myself when I finish what I'm doing now I'll have time to produce a masterpiece.

Maybe I should earn some cash teaching some of these new wannabe mpc500/1000 cats what I know, get a return on my investment. £20.00 an hour should do thank you very much and if you want me to sync your DAW that'll cost you £10.00 straight up.

Don't get me started on the cost for midi lessons...
By dtaa pla muk Tue Oct 04, 2011 12:22 am
i notice the trend even with people who have been around the block on older hardware and then attempt to move into the DAW world. doesn't matter the daw.

actually it might even just be computers and technology in general. people are self-defeating. at my job i deal with people who at the first sign of trouble just throw their hands up. "i'm not good at computers."

well... have yuh TRIED? the only reason i am able to get by as a technician at work is because i've f*cked up royally, hundreds of times, til i know how NOT to screw up.

i can totally feel the "perpetual tinkerer" aspect. i definitely fit that category. always in search of the most awesome, slick, and effortless workflow. it's worth it when i actually do compose and get on a roll. unstoppable. but getting there can be quite the time killer sometimes.

if my love for music technology was just a hair more, i'd be split 50 50 between love of tech and love of music.
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By cyrus Tue Oct 04, 2011 3:18 pm
Lampdog wrote:
scoobylol wrote:They don't know any better, and a bit of encouragement could be the tipping point.

Your right, they (mobile device teens and lazed older cats) don't know better/got lazy. I blame the internet for
making it so easy giving them instant satisfaction and them forgetting or never really knowing what "legwork" is.

The encouragement part of it, been here for a LONG while doing exactly that. Doesn't change my mind or my stance though.
I still help but I've tuned my help WAY WAY down now. And as you said, I too, don't like laziness, I believe if you want something go get it, your brain SHOULD be your first line of defense, not someone elses brain.


carloboranga wrote:...... As a crappy bedroom player i strongly believe that the best part in a travel is the trip!

+1 And to me the trip is the part where you get the experience and know how.


My brain is my treasure, my username is my shield, and google is my sword.
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By cyrus Tue Oct 04, 2011 3:23 pm
Ill-Green wrote:A studio is like a kitchen where home cooked meals are made. I slice and dice tender cuts of loin, dabble some herbs and spices. Then take the fresh vegatables and mix it all up to be fried and cooked.

Their studios are like a microwave in the middle of a hallway with instant meals served on diposable plates.

and if you're drunk it all tastes good.
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By cyrus Tue Oct 04, 2011 3:33 pm
Explicit- wrote:I play with my gear a lot as well. Sit on the MPC for hours just messing with the sample and never saving a session is a normal thing of mine. :lol:


I do that too. :D

I'll flip a sample and say screw it, i dont like it enough!

but ive come to realize that maybe its not such a good idea cause some of them i do save and later they sound good....
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By Coz Wed Oct 05, 2011 9:10 am
clint246clint wrote:
Coz wrote:
I'm sure we all know a few heads on this board with immense technical knowledge but their tracks aren't the greatest. Right?


That sounds like me, the technical aspect is covered well enough to teach, but I rarely have time to commit to producing a finished track these days. I keep telling myself when I finish what I'm doing now I'll have time to produce a masterpiece.

Maybe I should earn some cash teaching some of these new wannabe mpc500/1000 cats what I know, get a return on my investment. £20.00 an hour should do thank you very much and if you want me to sync your DAW that'll cost you £10.00 straight up.

Don't get me started on the cost for midi lessons...




My comment wasn't directed at anyone in particular... it's just something I've noticed in the past. I think we all fit a certain category.

I also have very little time to produce these days, but I still enjoy messing around with sounds and beats. The problem I've encountered over recent years is the critical mind giving the creative mind a total kicking! It makes it tough to finish anything off when you don't think it's much cop on the first place...