It is an interesting problem. Because I think the most legendary artists make the sounds they want to make and transcend the specific sound of the instrument. In this way for very talented artists that signature sound can be a detriment because they have a specific sound already in their head. But the most legendary instruments have a character that cannot be removed. An interesting fight over who and what ends up with the legendary status.
1 Like
I dislike presets with several layers. I mean what’s the point? If its a simple sound like a flute or kick drum yes i’m happy using them.
1 Like
Same here. I hate browsing. I avoid sample libraries for the same reason. It doesn’t mean I judge others for using them.
For some reason I don’t feel that about randomization features, or very large unsorted preset libraries like Microtonic Patternarium. There I just pick something that is “good enough” and go from there.
I compare the music creating process to building a house sometimes. So many of the materials would fit in the “preset” category. 2x4s, plywood, siding, etc. Even nails, screws, glue, paint, and what not are almost never handmade by the person constructing the home. Is it possible to do it all from scratch? Absolutely. Is it efficient or sustainable? Nope. Does that mean the house isn’t a good house? Nope. And the cost to build a boutique home is almost impossible to comprehend. Ron Swanson is a fictional character. That doesn’t mean one shouldn’t do it if that is what they enjoy, and if they have the time/money/skills to build everything by hand.
And there’s always gonna be some critic pointing out that even though the materials were built by hand, the tools were store bought.
Long way of saying I think using what we’ve got with the time/money available to create something that we feel is an authentic expression of what’s in our guts is key. Anyone who’s gonna throw shade at someone for using a preset probably isn’t going to order the LP from Merchbar or come to the show.
5 Likes
I like them as a starting point and then re-engineer to craft my own sounds. Helps to see how the building blocks are made with filtering, oscillator setup and so forth.
1 Like
Is there a synth that lets you browse presets in a way that each sound smoothly blends and morphs into the next?
I think I’d be more interested in using presets on devices if the browsing and switching process worked better in a live improvisation context.
The way that I look at it, a synthesizer is a unique instrument in the way it can create a myriad of sounds, often with a certain tone for each specific synthesizer. Using a preset is just like using a specific piano, accordion or trumpet with its own special sound. No one would question the originality of a piece of music because the artist didn’t make the instruments themselves. Furthermore, taking a preset and tweaking it is no different than using a sample and tweaking that to your song. So use a preset if you like, and enjoy the fact that you have the ability to make a wide range of sounds with the same instrument.
3 Likes
Indeed.
I don’t really distinguish between vinyl, tape, field recordings, synth presets, etc. All of it ends up being sample fodder.
2 Likes
A preset is like a cliche. Never be afraid to use one if it’s the best way to express what you’re trying to say.
5 Likes
I buy samples (260gb).
I buy presets. (Too many to count. )
I buy soft synths. (A lot of great ones. )
I got gear. (Roland, Elektron, Sequential, NI, Moog)
No plan. No rules. Just making music.
Every song is different. Not all are great.
But I just spent the last three days going over a new library of samples, putting the artwork in the folder info. Tidying up the file names and listening to every one to get a feel of what I got.
Next step is making a duplicate where I erase all the non-wav files to load on a SD card for the 404.
I use Logic but just bought an Ableton Standard license for the midi transform tools.
It’s soooo much work and a waste of money really.
But it is so much fun!
3 Likes
Just chiming in to say I feel exactly like you do. I’m very ok with presets these days. Less time overall means I’d like to move more quickly and efficiently through the composition process. But I’m glad I spent the time I did learning sound design since it feels like I earned the right to surf presets and understand and tweak them 
2 Likes
In one of his videos @JonMakesBeats said something like “if I spend an hour designing sounds that’s an hour I could have spent making music”.
I used to be firmly in the “create your own” (badly, in my case ) camp, but I think he’s right.
2 Likes
I like presets that give me ideas, or that show me what a synth is capable of.
Whenever I get a synth with presets, or buy a preset pack, I take some time to listen to them all, on different days, in different moods, and favorite the ones I think I could use.
I also know how to make the basic sounds in subtractive and FM, like a donky house bass, or a violin, or a nice deep subbass, or a piano-like thing. I often save these as presets and use them as the base sounds in my default Ableton template.
I really like Ableton racks, because they often show how big a difference effects can make. If you just listen to the raw sound, it’s often super basic, even dull. I can hen apply the principles to my own sounds, or just rip out the FX and save as a rack.
Sometimes I try to reverse-engineer a sound, eg recreating a great Digitone preset in Operator.
And sometimes I come a across such a great preset that I get lost in it for an hour or two, like when you get a new FX pedal for your guitar.
1 Like
All traditional instruments are “presets” if you think about it hard enough 
But yeah I generally do not to use them as I learn an instrument and then once I feel like I understand in and out I will start pulling up presets and then editing and seeing where it takes me… I think there is a lot to be gained even if you dont love the starting point of a preset.
I like cheesy rompler sounds also so I guess I am not above some french horn rompler sound or something.
2 Likes
I don’t use other people’s presets in my music because that’s too easy and I want my work to be original and made by me. I make my own.
I don’t use other people’s music theory or conventions In my music, because that’s too easy and I want my work to be original and made by me. I make my own.
I don’t use other people’s synthesis methods like FM or subtractive synthesis in my music, because that’s too easy and I want my work to be original and made by me. I make my own.
I don’t use other people’s devices to implement my innovative synthesis methods in my music because that’s too easy and I want my work to be original and made by me. I make my own.
I don’t use other people’s electronic components in my DIY synthesizers, because that’s too easy and I want my work to be original and made by me. I make my own.
I don’t use other people’s physics when designing my electronic components, because that’s too easy and I want my work to be original and made by me. I make my own.
I don’t use other people’s scientific methods when developing my own theories about the physical world.
I don’t use other people’s thinking methods or cognitive norms when developing my own independent scientific methods and technology.
By adhering closely to these principles I ensure my music is brilliant.
(More seriously, we all build on everyone else’s work, I love presets, I program away from them when it’s fun, which is the only reason I do anything in music!)
4 Likes
I use whatever helps me make the song with as little gear-fighting as possible. I’m building a library of zevo-presets and I enjoy making them as a standalone activity, and usually manage to make 2-3 before I end up working on a song with them.
I do, however, almost always tweak things pretty heavily, if for no other reason than to make things fit in the mix, and presets almost never fit with a bunch of other stuff. Many tend to be ‘full-frequency’ and far too ‘thick.’
And I don’t like loops of anything, or ‘songs on a note’ --> I never feel like the end result is ‘inmazevo’ at all. Single hits, pads, etc… sure.
That said: my favorite track of mine is entirely organically created, on purpose, just to have something that was just my sounds, and to solidify some synth programming study I’d been doing. It’s rewarding, I’ll say that.
I’ve spent a great deal of time over the end of 2023 getting RID of as many presets as possible, and samples as possible, etc. There are too many of them. Who needs literally 4,000 kick samples, or 300 ‘acid’ presets, or 700 5ths hits? It’s so easy to get to those numbers; I did it years and years ago, so I’m thinning things out to just what I want.
My friend’s piano has the same preset every time and he can coax wonderful things out of it.
I think the key to having ‘unique’ sounds is… cliche as it may be: practice. The better you are at mangling samples (if you use them) or programming your synths, the better you are at either starting from a fresh point and rolling your own, or taking something that’s close and making it just what you want quickly.
I very hardly use preset (or sample packs for that matter). I don’t have anything against them. I just prefer to prep, season, and cook things myself because I like the idea (or illusion/delusion) of knowing that almost everything in my music has been made by my own hands.
That said, every once in a while, I get lazy and just do a quick preset search until I find something close to what I need.
I can be snobby about presets (and sample packs) but I am trying to change that. I mean, in a way, the way any instrument is built, laid out, composed of, etc, like a guitar, an accordion, or a software synth, is basically a preset.
It’s fine, no issues with presets.
For me, there is time for sound design, and time when I focused on a musical idea. In the second case I often just quickly find a preset which sounds like I need, and tune it for better match.
But sometimes I remove all factory content from new boxes. This forces me to dive into sound design territory rather than scrolling presets.
And some presets are good to learn from. Bazille Cookbook by Howard Scarr is a great example. I’d never even imagine many of tricks he uses.