If you have FB
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Pppfffffft, what ever works for you is the best way to go. Each to their own.
Personally I dislike using the computer to make music. Its great for recording and editing, but for making music… give me hardware, analogue or otherwise anyday.
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Agreed. Love my Daw for editing, chopping audio, rearranging, and mix / master. All the more creative tasks are done on hardware. The tactile nature is a joy to work with. I couldn’t be effective without either though.
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Playing with an old friend lately (and a new one), the former is on the laptop while @funkylsk and I play on some (mostly Elektron) machines.
Improvising on a laptop seems a bit difficult, it asks a lot of preparation (kits and sounds) while on the OT or DN I come up with sounds —and happy accidents — pretty fast.
Maybe my friend doesn’t have the right controller, or just there are too many ways with computer… but I find it way more efficient to improvise with two of my instruments ^^
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any chance that Umek‘s first name is Tom?
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Exactly.
I work 8 hours a day at the office in front of three screens. Coming home to sit again in front of another computer is just torture. I much prefer playing on instruments that feel like instruments.
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It’s weird. It’s almost as if, because hardware has to be controlled physically, it’s UI is optimised for essential controls. You really feel with hardware you are shaping sound. With a mouse, I feel like I’m just adjusting parameters - which is fine - it’s just, getting to where you want to be isn’t necessarily as well revealed to u as it would be on hardware, or as focused. Settings and controls are often hidden or obfuscated by some obscure UI. And even if u do use a controller, u spend a lot of time mapping things. A lot of controllers these days do have control of top level macros, but you still have to map that, and I guess more expensive controllers offer read outs and flexible nav across devices or virtual instruments. It’s a different mode of thinking, I think, shaping vs mapping. Lately this just makes me use presets in VSTi’s a lot, because I just want to play, not map, patch, click etc. and I’m thinking I just don’t care anymore, like, about presets, because they let you play and enjoy exploring sounds rather than worrying about creating instruments
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I work with wood all day and when I come home and switch on my Minimoog it makes me feel physically sick.
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Umek is a professional, earning music with this. I think time is essential for him. I also think we all could produce completely ITB. The question is if we want to. If my softsynths, which I use often, would always inspire me the way my hardware does, I would sell it all and just be using 1’s and 0’s. But for me, sitting in front of my gear, turning knobs, twisting buttons, is where I get alot of my inspiration. And to that, some gear I just have not been able to get out of plugins. My Moog and soon my Peak are sounds I have not found in the digital realm.
I also think he produces sample based, where synths dont play the role they do for alot of other people. That makes working ITB easier. I also think certain styles almost need to be ITB. A buddy producer of mine makes brazilian house (I think thats what its called) and he could not live without serum. He has one analogue synth in his studio.
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< rant alert>
Umek… produced face-melting techno bangers in the 90’s but I advise you not to listen to what he’s been producing recently unless you’re into bland, polished, characterless stuff.
</ rant alert>
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imagine you would work with plastic all day dude. you got lucky, dont be so negative! its all perspective. 1st world problems are rough though…
Why would a guy like Umek even bother to make this statement?
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Who cares what other think. People should use what works.
I love my laptop and how I have it set up to make music from sound design to jamming to mixing and mastering tracks.
I also love hardware and what it offers for making music
What I love about modern computing systems is that it gives access to everyone to create with the availability of free and cheap software. Same with iOS. You can experiment with synths, drum machines, modular, effects etc for minimal cost which leads people to buy hardware if they want
Arguing about it is silly though, just use what works
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Never tackles the question analog versus digital, dj vinyls with Technics SL1200MKII versus dj Traktor/Serato in MP3
DO with your budget If no one can see and just listen what have done, no-one will be able to tell and was just able to taste and say if they like it or not.
IF you plan to go to stage, the audience is silly and needs to see a lot of things in electronic music. If nobody sees your setup there is no problem.
That’s what I’ve learned and what I know as kind of fact.
For JAM as @LyingDalai said you need to have kind of the same, something open to JAM and mapped on a controller. It requires a lot of mind thinking mapping - a mouse is not enough, and a mouse is not enough for a lot of computer task anyway
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yeah, one of the worst assumptions ever, dont stick in the past… just ridiculous…
Probably in response to similar posts of people posing with hardware rubbishing computers
Or more than likely to do bit of trolling and get people arguing
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Anyway for studio UMEK can speak about everything he want. He already have the best anyone can have. A fucking acoustically treated room with a damn pair of speakers.
Give me that room with anything really to make sound. I get out with something better anyway.
And that’s the most important (also not the cheapest as if it’s in a house : well it’s his own house nobody treat a room in a rented place)
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I was very suprised when I saw his name popping up countless times in the beatport top 100. I have a few of his vinyls from the late 90s and couldn´t imagine that this music was so popular today. When I listened to the music he releases today everything became clear.
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You right @phelios ! 
But that’s another story… and matter to taste (so, that’s subjective to anyone)
I guess sarcasm doesn’t translate too well.
No negativity here pal… just having a laugh.
I use everything I can get my hands on. Laptops, desktops, analog and digital synths, electric and acoustic instruments. anything. record to tape and hard disk.
Constructed out of wood, metal, plastic, skin and hair…
Doesn’t matter to me… it’s the snobs that give themselves all the grief.
Have fun. Create. Who is UMEK by the way? Nice Serge.