The sad/embarrassing fact is that I’ve acquired more gear in the last 18 months than I could ever incorporate in one dedicated set up… I am very envious of people who stick with one focussed set up and get to the point where it’s an extension of them… I suppose that’s my goal.
To answer my own question, if I had to knock something up fast right now, I’d use;
Stereo mix to Zoom H4n.
File export to Logic for pseudo-mastering.
This is mine, from the hybrid setup thread:
This has been significantly more productive for me than any of my past setups. Having the UAD plugins on the channels on the way in shortcuts a lot of faffing about in the DAW, while the E-RM multiclock means I can jam with or without the computer, but when recording it’s all bang on the grid all the time and I never worry about sync, latency etc.
The only thing I’m looking to change is to add a satellite UAD processor so I can run more plugins at once and stop worrying about DSP resource while I’m trying to create.
…coming up with some way or the other fancy sonic phrases with my hardware/instruments…
…writing and singing along to that…waiting for the moment where it all starts to pop…
…that moment where u realise, NOW all of a sudden things add up to become more than just the sum of it’s details…always THE magic moment…
…recording all those single elements that piled up to that sonic cake of looping phrases via a decent audio interface to some daw grid…
…start to nail the overall arrangement and mix chemistry…
…getting into details within that daw grid…maybe adding further single recordings…
…like further lead lines, additional harmony content, add lipps…
…starting final mix…
…managing how to reproduce all that in a live situation…
…nailing final mix status…
…sending final bus stems or that one final stem to final mix and / or mastering process…
…like or dislike the final result…reflecting on the question, if i want to release and / or perform what i came up with…
…
If I only had an hour to come up with a full track, I’d use only an op-z.
Second choice would be DT.
Third choice DN.
My modular system. If I start inserting patch cables always something pops up . Good, bad or ugly… but something happens for sure. It’s my favorite workflow.
Octatrack - although it takes a while to learn. Once set up I don’t even need one hour for a track.
I think you can work quick and efficient with any gear.
This is something that always comes up in These discussions, because we all have been through this right??
I have been searching for a perfect Setup for ages, just to find out that I will get there if I stop searching xD
Akai Force + Microfreak. All I need. I added a Digitone and an Analog Heat but haven’t had time to test this setup.
Renoise for me. I can come up with ideas quickly it’s really easy to build up sections then work in transitions, and the renoise engine/headroom management just sounds good without a lot of faffing.
Could be a good elektronaut challenge
Guitar - SiX - MPC Live - SiX - H1n
What an awesome comfy super fast no assholery setup.
A4 + AR then over usb into ableton in one take. But I don’t think I “make tracks” really, yet. So far been mainly starting from sound design in AR -> then make a beat -> add A4 for pad/lead/tonal
EDIT: probably via AH actually if recording
Track in an hour? Ableton.
Bass guitar, DI box1, mixer Ch1, DI 1 thru, overdrive, flanger, DI box2, mixer Ch2, send to OTO bam wet, back ch5.
AR, mixer ch3, send to OTO Boum, and back ch6.
Might put a synth melody (live recorded to midi) on ch4.
Press Record.
I’m the same way. Once I get going I can do more of the technical stuff faster on Ableton. But in terms of sitting down and making quick tracks, nothing beats simply Octatrack and a crate of records, or Octatrack and any 1 poly synth. In fact, I’ve just now opened up Ableton to continue a track I’ve been working on, and it most definitely turned into a sit and stare session. So now it’s time to change gears and sample a few strange/random records or get a patching session started to get the juices flowing again.
I feel the same way. If the brief is “make a song in an hour”, I’d need to go in the box.
To be fair Logic now has some very Elektron-like tools, so it wouldn’t be totally painful. That said, my preference lately has been to start on hardware, record, and arrange in a DAW, but given the context that would be too slow.
If the question was “what are you most productive on”, and we’re talking ideas versus fully completed songs, then I’d say the Octatrack.
laptop + ableton
The way I’ve setup my last few OT Parts, it’s definitely made things more immediate for me. I’m real fast and comfortable in Ableton but this has become even more efficient for me, now that it’s all set up.
Track 1 is a kick chain (64) and there are a few other kick chains in adjacent slots for fast switching
Track 2 is a percussion loop chain (64) plus more in adjacent slots
Track 3 is a hi hat chain (64) single shots.
Track 4 is another percussion loop chain but with more low end content (64)
Track 5 has about 128 bars of DFAM bass material, loop chain.
Track 6 is another 128 bars of DFAM, but more lead material, loop chain.
Track 7 is open flex for anything that might require slicing.
Track 8 is master track with p-lockable compressor and a small touch of master dark reverb.
It’s a very “Mise en place” configuration.
Leaning so heavily on chains, I have immediate access to 128 different single shot samples, and 512 different loops, all instantly switchable via the start point parameter. And it’s all content that I can easily mangle with conditional trigless trigs, FX, p-locks, LFOs, and scenes.
When starting a new tune I simply paste one of these parts in, and 30-45 minutes later I’ve got a few patterns that I can develop into a live recorded tune, or use for 5-6 minutes of live set material.
I guess I’d go for a single unit and it’d either be the MPC One or Force. Even if I wasn’t allowed to access sample libraries the built-in sources would get me there.
If I wanted to feel a bit less cheesy about it, I might choose the A4, Digitone or Rytm, all more than capable. I might also be tempted by the Subharmonicon or DFAM (I might even pair those up).
So basically I’d dither about the choice for the first 45 minutes, then pick one in a panic and be sure to label the result minimal.
My set up is basically two samplers and two synths. Digitakt and Digitone and the Zoom Sampletrak and Modal Skulpt. I’ve got other stuff, some of which I probably need to sell, but that’s what’s always on my desk.
I would start with a sample on my computer, either a clip from a record I thought sounded good or more likely one of my weird synth sessions.
I would then sample that into my Sampletrak and try to play around with the it, chop it up, pitch it up and down, etc.
I would most likely sequence it using the Digitakt, which is the ruler of all it surveys. And from there I would either leave it in the Sampletrak and just run that through the Digitakt’s effects, or I would record the Sampletrak into the Digitakt to do some weirder stuff but keep the character of the Sampletrak. And if I wanted it to sound cleaner, I would record the bit from the computer into the Digitakt and recreate the chops.
I do my drums after the chops so that would be next. If I’m sticking with the Sampletrak, I might just use the drums I keep in the internal memory for just such an occasion. Otherwise, I know it’s unconventional, but I think the Digitakt is pretty good for drums.
And finally I would play things on top of it to flesh it out. At the very least, there would be a baseline from the Skulpt, the Digitone, or sometimes both.
I think my set up is cool and good
Actually I’ve changed my mind. I’d turn on the Lyra, set up some delay & LFO feedback, and pop some coins on the pads. Say that takes five minutes. Then a nice 50 minute nap (speakers off, I expect), wake up and record whatever’s going on in the last five minutes.
Machine Studio or MK2. I don’t really use it now. But, for getting some ideas down, and because the amount of sounds it comes with, it would be my go to for a speed run.
When I was paid to create music from a work project with tight deadlines, I immediately got my Maschine out it’s box.
Maschine is the device I’ve been the most proficient with but strangely enough, I don’t enjoy using it that much now.
I think I enjoy the process of creating sounds and sequencing tricks more now, and I felt that Maschine didn’t allow me as much scope for this in the way I wanted.
There’s been a few of undates in the 5 or so years since I stopped using it regularly that I imagine would make sound design much more enjoyable.