I just read through the ‘back in the box’ thread. Many of the arguments seem to be less about ITB vs. OTB than about Arranging vs. Performing.
Some people prefer to ‘draw lines’ to plan movements (which I denote as “arranging”), others prefer to perform movements live. I think it doesn’t matter if you do the first or the latter ITB or OTB, both are possible. It’s more of a different mindset.
I always come back to performing, just sounds better/more energetic when I press record and perform something live than when I plan out things. Even in Ableton Live, my workflows almost always focus on live performances, even when producing tracks.
Some people always come back to arranging, be it in the Arrangement View or with p-locks etc.
Regarding results, I think some live performances (on youtube, spotify etc.) sound just awesome with unmatched energy, others just boring, whereas planned arrangements from tutorials etc. mostly sound average to good, maybe less risk but also less fun.
Which of the two do you prefer when making music, which when listening? Why?
It prefer Arranging since I’m a perfectionist and ITB I can kind of perfect every transition. Most people would never even notice these minute details but its for me I guess
It’s so hard to choose. There are happy mistakes I’ve recorded and released that I just love. On the other hand, I’ve tried to make live performances so complicated I lose my mind.
I still have a soft spot for the love given to live-tracked songs though. That said, I don’t think I have a strong biased towards either.
Summary: If I’m sitting at a computer sending emails, entering data, etc. all day… I probably just want to jam out on my gear vs. move around loops and edit midi data.
Could you please elaborate more on the “sticking / paralysis point”? What did you find out? I also think a lot about this point, that’s why I opened this thread.
I like my arrangements to have abrupt changes in rhythm, key, tempo, ect. So prearranging is necessary. But I can do that on the OT arranger easily enough plus it has some tricks whereby you can jam and improvise. Having said that, sometimes I get fed up with trying to write something and just jam. But I definitely tend more towards arranging.
I like both, what I like with the Octatrack is that you can very organically arrange patterns and do weird stuff with it. The arranger mode can become a performing tool by itself.
I prefer performing, because it is much more fun to do, BUT arranging has a very significant importance for where I want to do stuff not possible to perform, or if I just want a flawless take. The downside to arranging is the tedium of it, although some systems in hardware and software (obviously) allow performance to be captured in the arrangement, then edited after if needed. Of course the other solution is to record a performance as audio then make any needed edits after. Still, nothing beats a good performance where you get a great take, IMHO.
Performing for sure,the idea of coming with something new/unexpected,not thinking vs using the mind constantly when arranging, building perfect blocks from memory full of overused arrangements.
Im skipping when I see overpopulated euroracks in studios, prefer minimal (balanced) setups.
And Im interested in generative music too.
Arranging/“Composing”.
I get most excited when starting with a clean slate and make a track from nothing. I’m more a “studio guy”
For performance, I prefer playing a guitar or bass compared to doing electronic sets.
But it’s still fun as well.
I sometimes think about buying some roland boutiques or similar, cause it looks a lot of fun jamming with simple drummachines and synths that don’t do a lot, but do it right.
Performing with deeper machines like elektrons usually need a lot of preparation.
Since I spend all day programming (software engineering), I have a strong urge to be as close to perfection as possible in what I produce. That, as a logical approach, can conflict heavily with the creative music making.
That’s why I like playing real instruments, but my playing isn’t really good enough a lot of the time, for the recordings I really want to make. Hence, it’s easy for me to get stuck.
The way around it for me, a lot of the time when programming dance/chill at least, is to use a fair bit of slow moving LFOscillation to add movement. Sometimes it can be random values per note trigger. Could apply to lots of parameters, like envelope attack or volume, for example, on a note trigger - creating more of a humanised feel.
Depends on the purpose of making my music … I make use of both.
Since childhood I am a “performer”. I learned to play instruments the traditional way. Playing out my own created music … as I feel it in the moment of playing an instrument … tends to become 10 to 30 minutes of improvisation on ideas, which somehow may tell a story, but I also like to float between emotions and ideas, change something, try something new, experiment, repeat etc. and I do this almost only for myself and for fun.
If it comes down to produce a track, which shall be played and hopefully liked by others, arrangement becomes important. Ideas, which have been created in my personal chaotic improvisational way are broken down to elements and structured to create consistency and coherence. Sometimes a recording of floating ideas is good for more than one track
Find performing much more enjoyable but the type of music I make requires lots of fiddly arrangement.
Making tracks usually begins with jamming around and having fun, the rest of the process is ITB arrangement and feels like work with the occasional satisfying breakthrough.
Performing live I spend time beforehand making sure I have a basic structure of how I want the set to go and what parameters I want easy access to but then allow myself to be very free and change things up, jam, have fun in the moment.
Basically most electronic music that I enjoy requires a balance of both
For me always the main goal. The moment when it falls into place can be so rewarding and make me smile for days when listening to the finished thing on repeat while having a walk
Loved playing piano as a kid but gave it away for reasons involving an angry nun.
Coming back to music as a grownup, I was seduced by a piano roll into making poor choices and as such, never really developed any kind of musical chops. Compositions got better but it all still sounds too lifeless.
Newer stuff I’m working out the compositions/arrangements using keyboard AND piano roll; then performing & recording the majority of the final multitracks once I’m happy with it all. Seems to be working so far.
(for better or for worse 
)