Hardware fun vs. DAW productivity

Hybrid setup is gold for me.

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As much as I love working with my DT and 404, I definitely get better results when focusing just on Push and Ableton or MK3 and Maschine. Being able to do everything start to finish in one place is always pretty nice.

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I will always have some sort of hardware to goof around on. Just hopefully never again - too much hardware to drown in. I think 2-3 pieces is the comfortable amount for me.

I admit, I do enjoy buying and trying out new hardware fairly regularly. I have long since given up the idea of finding The Perfect Setup™. I think I’m done feeling guilty selling stuff that doesn’t work for me. Sometimes no matter how much effort you put into a machine, it just doesn’t resonate with you. Move it on to someone who will love it. There are far more expensive hobbies than buying/selling a couple pieces of hardware per year, unless we’re talking Jupiters and CS-80’s of course.

  • Side-note - I still remember the time around 2003 I had the chance to buy a non-functioning CS-80 locally for around $1,000. Ouch. Seems like quite the bargain now.
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it’s just a HARDWARE or a VST, which appealing to you … And bring you Joy to design sounds and making music. If the “thing” is not resulting of what I’ve just say - it just not work for you and there’s no shame to sold it …

Also too much things result in a “lost” - like a dj nowadays the young comes with 2 terabytes of tracks - I still only use an reasonable amount exactly like the days I playing vinyls so 150/200 tracks maximum depend on the venue and how long I play. no need for more also I know very well what I have with me :stuck_out_tongue: and don’t need a search field to assisting me to find something.

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I’d be happy to move to an itb setup for sake of simplicity, but I simply need some knobs to turn when sound designing. I’ve tried to use Ableton Push as a Vst controller, but it just never really does it for me. Until someone comes up with a perfect Vst midi controller, I need some hardware in my life. But my lord, how much easier isn’t it to make and finish a track just using ableton live? :stuck_out_tongue:

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You said it much better than me. Feel exactly the same way. Exactly why I’m keeping some hardware synths - for hands-on sound design, and then just sequence everything in Live.

I think some people at Ableton realize that sound design on Push is fairly convoluted. I think that’s why they have put some effort into releasing those simpler max4live devices recently - like the newer drum synths. For the most part they don’t go beyond the 8 parameter immediacy of Push’s knobs.

I would love to see more devices in the future made specifically with Push in mind. Not all, because complicated instruments like Wavetable and Operator are incredible. But a lot of the more convoluted Push sound design chores are with older established instruments with page after page of parameters to wade through.

Some new devices could be very similar to Elektron’s interface actually. A carefully curated menu of screens consisting of 8 parameters = 8 knobs, and so forth. Maybe this could be a different “category” of Live devices - custom made for efficient and quick sound design within Push.

Also, I think Ableton (not leaving it up to 3rd parties I should add) should make an editor that allows users to work with Ableton devices and 3rd party plugins to craft custom Push interfaces. I want to have full control over order of parameters, naming of parameters, colors, icons, etc. Why isn’t this a thing yet? Huge missing piece of the puzzle if you ask me and holding back Push from ascending to the next level of greatness. :mage: If I could customize my interfaces I’d sell even more of my hardware. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Yes, that’s a shame

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I have a situation today that applies to this topic.

There’s an upcoming year long OT science lab. I’m still a beginner on the OT for the most part, but it’s getting there. One possible objective within the science lab is to finish a whole song inside the OT. No external fx, just send the stereo out to the DAW when then song is done so you can upload it.

I decided on doing a vocal only jam. The only samples I’m allowing myself are sounds I can make with my mouth into a mic, straight into my OT. Got a drum track I like a lot, then resampled to one track, same with a pad (3 vocal parts, resampled down to one), bass and a lead sound. Wrote lyrics and started singing as well. Messed up a couple things, but it’s more or less working. Taking a long time though. Typically, I go crazy on the OT, then record everything, one track at a time into Logic and piece everything together like a jigsaw puzzle until I have a song.
Trying to stay within my objectives of doing everything inside the OT. Deep enough in to the piece to know I can do this, but still not convinced why I should. This is my ‘Hardware fun vs. DAW productivity’ dilemma:)

There’s a facebook group where a guy maps out Vsts for use with push. I can link it tonight. Lots of Vsts mapped. My problem with push is I don’t like the encoders at all, so stiff and slow to turn, they just don’t feel right to me. Kind of a petty complain, but I’ve just never adapted to them.

But in general, I don’t understand why someone doesn’t make a midi controller with knobs that has screens by them, that you can map as you wish, as you say. The novation slmk2/3 is somewhat close, but kind of finicky and too many bells and whistles I don’t need.

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same. I wish there was a Push without screen and encoders, just the Pads :slight_smile: I know I’m describing a Launchpad pro here, but the Pads of Push 2 feel far superior. And it has sustain pedal input that the LP pro lacks.

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Some of my push 2 encoders arent stiff. I wonder if it’s possible to loosen them up a bit

Oh man, I know that feeling. I just moved the last of my stuff that I had up for sale. It feels good.

For hardware, I’ve decided pretty much to just keep my DT and guitars (+amps, pedals), which are what I want to focus on.

I’ve always been the most productive when I just work with one main machine (either an MPC or just the DT). I have gone hybrid now though, so I’ll have plenty of cool sounds to feed the DT, but no messy cables to deal with. I can’t explain how excited the lack of a million cables makes me feel.

My time is so limited these days, I have to have a very streamlined workflow or I’ll never do anything. The DT has so much to explore that I haven’t even tapped into.

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hehe :grinning: i was feeling much lighter when stopped constantly fiddling with software, optimizing laptop performance and downloading / trying / managing plugins :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: (because i really didn’t need hundreds of them, especially on stage)

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Lol, you should see mine. A few encoders are perfect, a few are extremely tight, and a couple are so loose they feel like they’ll fly off at any moment. I wish for consistency at that mid-level tension more than anything, as far as build quality goes. Everything else seems top-notch.

I am very curious as to what a Push 3 would be like. But, knowing Ableton it could be years down the road.

2-3 different configurations and sizes of the Push would be nice. Kinda like the Maschine series I guess.

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Hell yes. I have to remember this feeling for whenever I see the hardware table inevitably start to get too crowded again. :wink:

And another… hell yes! Same here. Maybe I’ll get more gear in retirement, but for now, no time for all that. Or maybe I’ll dive into modular. Beats bingo and shuffleboard.

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:smile: I fully understand! I’m not a clean freak but cables everywhere does my head in!

In hardware, I’m down to an OPZ, OT and A4. Haven’t touched any for a while now. Don’t see myself parting with the OPZ or OT but the A4 is sitting looking worried…!

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@chaocrator Good point. But I guess too much of anything can hinder productivity and that feeling of lightness and fun. I might have a few extra plug-ins here and there, but my plugin folder looks pretty spartan compared to a lot of folks.

I think when hardware starts to multiply like rabbits on my table, it gives me more stress because in general, it’s a lot more money sunk into those machines sitting around neglected.

If I don’t have time for music for a couple weeks I tend not to worry about software since a lot of it comes with my DAW, or is cheap, and sometimes even free.

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What kind of controllers are you using? And how have you mapped them to Vsts? :slight_smile:

agreed to disagree