Time to switch gears on my production

[craig]

@no-thanks

I think in an ideal world there would be a balance between both modes of working, and that’s probably what a lot of us hardware folks are after - the perfect workflow.

In many ways Overbridge is that balance. Recording individual tracks into a DAW from whichever device(s) then tweaking with FX, edits, etc

[djst]

I agree, Overbridge lets you record a live jam while still retaining the ability to edit anything, mix tracks, add effects in the DAW, cut out bad parts and replace with better ones, etc. With some practice with this workflow, it only takes me about a couple of hours to go from a rough live jam to a reasonably mixed and polished track. Then I can still choose to add another 20 hours of polishing, of course.

[BLKrbbt]

This is a good idea. Especially with bouncing in place the drum tracks, summing them in a drum bus and running them through Shaperbox to get some variations.

[djst]

Exactly. I bounce my loops into Dr Octo Rex in Reason 10 which gives similar results. You can then mangle the loop up, reverse, pan and do other fun things to take the idea even further. I find that using the DAW in this way squeezes out the best out of both the hardware and the DAW.

You get the texture, grit, timbre and groove of the hardware synth/thing, but you’re not limited by its capabilities. Best of both worlds and an endless source of inspiration.

[ghostbuddy]

Are you an engineer or a musician? Like, do you want to mix and do sound design or just make music?

[LCVL]

Piano Genius and NEA Jazz Master Keith Jarrett Asks, What is Music?

The first 1’ 30"…

[BLKrbbt]

Yes.

I’m not sure those are mutually exclusive for me.

[BLKrbbt]

I’ll check this out later today.

Thank you!

[ghostbuddy]

Have you thought about separating the two a bit in your workflow? Start with composing, then move on to sound design and mixing later.

[BLKrbbt]

I appreciate the advice!

Just to be honest, I’m almost exactly one year in, and it’s hard for me to make that distinction quite yet, since this is so new, and also quite organic as of right now for me.

For me, the sound design goes with the composition part because of the design of the hardware.

“Choose” a kick. Then choose a snare. Maybe a different high hat. Start a sequence. Nope. Different snare.

Then once a song get going, here is where I get mired in losing focus and being overwhelmed by too many parts and trying to arrange them in interesting ways.

So it’s at this part that I’m trying to not try so hard at. And just try to flow.

Then there’s the second part of sound design with effects and plugins. Which I love for how volatile the project can be.

Lastly, is mixing. Which I have a very basic understanding of, but I’m starting to get into way more since I got izotope.

I use the mastering assistant of course, but I’ve been EQ’ing a lot more. And I just got a bunch all the Fabfilter stuff on iOS. So I may use Izotope as a guide, but airdrop the stems into my iPad for final master using multiple plugins to recreate the mastering chain of isotope if I like the sound.

[BLKrbbt]

@BLKrbbt

It will be a time for celebration when I get over 100 plays!

I’ve hit 100!

Thank you Elektronauts!

[JPM]

This article was interesting! They detail their “process” and it sounds similar to what you mention in the original post!!
Check it out, might give some inspiration

Turning music into a chore is how I became a musician

[BLKrbbt]

Thank you for the article.

I have a photo I took that has a similar composition to your profile pic.

Not the same pic, but similar shapes compositionally.

[silent_k]

Well, I decided to switch it up.

I scheduled 15 weeks of piano lessons.

I own a bunch of Moogs and a Prophet 6,

I might as well learn how to play keyboard.

THIS. You should be prepared for that 15 weeks to turn to 15 months, 15 years, lifetime, etc. Maybe not on the same instrument, or with the same teacher, but in my experience there’s been no better way of focusing my musical endeavors than lessons. A good teacher can help you with all aspects of what you’re trying to do, whether it’s workflow related, a practicing regime, critiques of your compositional and recorded work, and so on. Perhaps best of all, they can help you discover stuff that you don’t/can’t know right now that you want to do. It may take you a while to find the right teacher, or you might luck out right off the bat, but for me having good teachers who are both supportive and challenging has been essential. That you’ve taken this step is awesome, and at least in my book, shows real commitment. Bravo!

[BLKrbbt]

Thank you for that.

Even if I don’t click with this instructor, you are so right about taking on instruction in general.

Plus I feel like I’ll benefit from the structure itself.