djst wrote:
The same kind of reasoning can be applied to many other creative environments, but studies have shown that this isn't the way the brain works. It needs a lot more nudging than we're often willing to admit.
For example, why is it that studies have shown that people are more focused if they simply leave their mobile phone turned off in a separate room, compared to leaving it turned off in the same room that they're in? How can such a small and illogical detail make a difference - the phone is turned off in both of those cases? Or why is it that studies have shown that the way you design offices can lead to different types of creative conversations among colleagues? It's the same colleagues, same incentives and same compensation, yet our brains seem very receptive of nudging in the most trivial ways.
The reality is that there are so many aspects of how the brain works that may seem illogical, and neuroscience is still a relatively young field. But we know that these things make a massive difference. So, while you are theoretically correct that it should be possible to be just as disciplined in any environment, the reality of how the brain works means that it isn't true in practice. The more your environment is optimized for the output you're looking to achieve, the more likely you are to achieve it. You have to find what works for you and just because someone else is more productive in a, to you, seemingly less than optimal environment, doesn't mean that they are lazy or lack self control.
I love this post..!!
Some people think that we want the arranger or the new mixer because we are simply being lazy and don't wan't to use the MPC as it is. While that's not true at all.
The truth is that we can be productive with the MPC as it is but let me give them an example that might complement your post:
For example we can build or beats just by using the grid editor (Thats the way I do it right now). To copy my first 16 bars to bars 17 to 32 I'll either have to:
1) select all the notes and copy them and before I hit paste I have to be sure to have the ruler at bar 17 and also make sure that I've tapped the right note before I hit paste or else I'll have to transpose all those notes either upwards or downwards.
I could also:
2) Go to the main view, go the sequence section, hit the pencil tool and go in to the "copy bars section" and set it to copy bars 1 till 17 after bar 16 (and keep my fingers crossed that I didn't mess up while setting it up or it might lead to an messed up beat).
In example 1) I'll have to be careful not to hit paste before I set the ruler at the right position and and not to hit paste before I hit the right pad.
In example 2) I'll have to leave grid editor mode and go to a totally different section of the MPC to get it done.
In both examples it feels like I have to take unnecessary steps where I might lose focus to reach a simple goal.
Now here comes example 3:3) If we had arranger mode I could zoom out to a helicopter view of multiple tracks select the bars that I want to copy and paste them where ever I want. And because I've got a helicopter view of multiple tracks in arranger mode, I can also copy bars from one track to another.
As Andy Mac would say:
'Now that's powerful!'And here comes the bridge to your post:
Example 1, Example 2 and Example 3 are all methods to reach the same goal but all trough an different approach.
Tough all three of them are different, example 3 gives me the possibility to quickly experiment with copying and pasting bars in the same track or even between tracks that might lead to an totally different outcome than examples 1 and 2. And I don't even have to leave the mode I'm in to accomplish that.
It's the same MPC but because of the way the environment (software) is optimized for the output I am trying to achieve, it can lead to different types of creative results.
Arranger + new mixer = supreme workflow enhancement.
