When is enough 'enough'?

[andrelafosse]

I think it's a really good idea to have some clarity about what we're doing, vs. what we're trying to accomplish.

Noodling is awesome - some of my best finished pieces of music got started totally by accident, or randomly noodling. I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with that.

What I think is worth considering, however, is that getting a finished work into a coherent form that the rest of the world can experience is a different kind of thing, and often/usually involves a good deal of focused, deliberate work towards a specific goal. And "option anxiety" can be a big factor in that.

So I don't think anyone here is trying to devalue anyone else's choices about how they use their tools (at least, I didn't read it that way, and am certainly not intending my own comments in that manner.)

"Finishing" something is, on a certain level, basically a series of eliminating possibilities. And often, the more stuff you have to choose from, the harder it is to eliminate those possibilities.

Again: not a judgement on anyone or anything. I totally love zoning out with a synth. I just think it's worth considering that getting from that point, to the point of having a finished track/song/project/album, is usually a more complicated and deliberate process. And if that's something we're interested in doing, it's not a bad idea to be aware of that, and to be mindful about how we're spending our time.

$.02

[Hink]

No, I didn't see what you wrote being disrespectful, Hink;.it just seemed to me like you missed the intent of tapper mike's post.

The internet is a dilemma: We will probably never meet eachother face to face; so how does one qualify himself or herself? Just from reading tapper mike's posts it is pretty clear to me that he probably.has been doing the music thing on a high level for a long time; so maybe he really does have something to say. Not that he's superior or inferior to any of us; just that he's had some training and experience working in an.enviroment that presumably not everyone here shares.

I think that his intent was to provide information to those who might need help on what worked for him in a coaching sort of way-not to tell anybody what to do, Hink.

point taken, but again I was not alone in my perception.

As to how do we qualify ourselves? Maybe for some saying I have done this and done that works but I have known Mike for a long time. We have had our ups and our downs like everyone else and tbh I do not think he needs a qualifier. One can read his posts and see his strengths and his weaknesses (same with me, you and many others). If I were sitting in a room with him, as friend I would ask why he feels the need to do qualify his points the way he does. Not to be a jerk but because I dont think he needs to qualify everything, let his words speak for themselves because they may mean more to some without the fluff (fluff being used because that's how I read things like that and when I was a salesman I used "fluff" to sell "this guitar is the same as many pros like yada yada uses and perhaps that is why my perception was different than yours).

How do I qualify myself you may ask (or not )? I dont anymore, take my words as one man's perspective...if you agree great, if you dont that's great too as long as you dont come at me with attacks (not saying Mike has ever come at me with attacks nor have you...but there are some here) because you're never too old to learn and hearing other perspectives is quite a valuable learning tool as well

[goldenanalog]

You write very well, Hink.

I'm going to try to enter the monthly music competitions here starting next month; but time s worth it's wait in gold, right now.

We'll see....

[faun2500]

Hmm. I'm having a think about what I have at my disposal, and it's made me wonder....just when is enough.....really enough.

I cleared out a LOT of stuff last year. A LiquidMix,RP Predator, Uhe Zebra2, Reason & ReCycle, Massive, some old Tannoy monitors, records I'd been given and hated. The aim being to just surround myself with a bare set of tools and music that I like as inspiration.

However......I've realised if anything I'm now worse off then I was this time last year and further away of my aims to keep it simple. When I think of what I've bought and then it sortof hits you....just how much you have to work with. For me...it's because I've ended up buying packages. Which sound like you have one product, but in truth you are getting many.

So...I've wound up with the following to play with

Logic 9
Reason 6 (again!)
Ableton Suite8

BBE Sonic Suite
CakeWalk Z3ta 2
Dcam Synth Squad
Dcam Etch
NI Komplete 8 Ultimate
NI Maschine

NI Traktor s2
Ni Traktor F1 (x 2)
Novation Launchpad
Novation Nocturn
Akai MPK 49.

At which point I'm like....WOW. Inside of what looks like a modest list is actually a lot of content.

So I ask everyone...think about what you have. Make a list like I've done....then ask. Just what else would you say you need desperately?

It would take me MONTHS if not a whole year to get through all I own in any sincere depth then what I know now. And that just feels so anti-productive. The scary thing is though....I'm not finished with things I desire. I still want Melodyne, the BX plugs, Arturia Collection etc...but I just feel greedy and stupid already !

Well, personally I have enough digital software so my next purchase will be an analog hardware synth, I have been looking at a few - korg monotron series for some dirty gritty sounds, minibrute, minitaur, mopho/tetra and the new SE boomstars.

I think enough is enough (software).

[Hink]

You write very well, Hink.

if I do I learned to write thanx to KvR

I'm going to try to enter the monthly music competitions here starting next month; but time s worth it's wait in gold, right now.

We'll see....

I have never been much for contests myself, until I came to KvR...I doubt I'll ever participate in any contests but I have seen many people do just what you are saying and it worked well for them, still dont beat yourself up if you dont make it the first month. I know what you mean about time

[IncarnateX]

Enough is never enough simply because people get habituated to their gear and eventually bored. New gear can be quite inspiring and result in a lot of music so there is nothing wrong with that.

I have two analog synths, two digital synths, an emu mp7 groovebox, a good deal of vsti and two daws to run them (Orion and Sonar 8.5). I also have lots of iPad music apps but currently I am only using Reason 6.5. on my laptop. Reason is enough for now, but in a year I might be bored with it and revisit my other gear or buy something new.

That is the way it usually goes and I have learned to accept it.

Cheers

[Hink]

Enough is never enough simply because people get habituated to their gear and eventually bored. New gear can be quite inspiring and result in a lot of music so there is nothing wrong with that.

I have two analog synths, two digital synths, an emu mp7 groovebox, a good deal of vsti and two daws to run them (Orion and Sonar 8.5). I also have lots of iPad music apps but currently I am only using Reason 6.5. on my laptop. Reason is enough for now, but in a year I might be bored with it and revisit my other gear or buy something new.

That is the way it usually goes and I have learned to accept it.

Cheers

could you come talk to my wife?

[goldenanalog]

Thank-you, Hink, I'll keep your advice in mind;

I think that the best way for me to qualify myself to strangers is to produce some music-it's what I did for years and years until recently-I need to get back on that horse to pseudo-justify the expense of it all (including the time!) if nothing else...

That was perhaps my biggest personal failure: It was always about the work; the politics of it all were secondary. I liked truly democratic environments; which can be difficult to come by.

Oh, well Music is still a lot of fun after all these years; I just have to shoe-horn the time for it in there somehow...

[IncarnateX]

could you come talk to my wife?

Aarh...well..erm...my own wife do actually not share my philosophy on this, not even remotely, so I have troubles enough already. Sorry old mate but you are on your own here.

[zerocrossing]

This thread again?

What's fascinating to me is how uptight people can get about having a bunch of software options... is if the software will grow angry and jealous if you're ignoring it. Sometimes a plug in has a very specific kind of flavor or trick that you really like... but it's not like you'd want it in every song. So shelve it and come back to it... or not. It's not like it's probably taking up that much space on your drive. Though I love it to pieces, I only find myself using Aalto once in a blue moon. Should I get rid of it? Of course not. When I find a good place for it, there it is. Good as new. Ready to make some crazy modulated mayhem!

Now, if you're in debt to get all of this stuff you're not using... well that's a problem. I control this by giving myself a set allowance each month. If my monthly allowance isn't enough to buy "X" then I have to save or pass it by. Often in the act of saving I lose interest and that to me means it wasn't that important.

Another thing that keeps me "grounded" is I've moved to a mostly hardware-centric studio. I've got 16 analog inputs and a fixed amount of desk and shelf space. Sure, I cheat and have my Minibrute going though my MoPho (fun tricks to be had there!) but that is basically that. I recently decided I wanted a Machinedrum so I had a dedicated drum synth so I had to get rid of something. This way I really have to consider each piece and how it relates to my process.

[debra1rlo]

What's fascinating to me is how uptight people can get about having a bunch of software options

you should see how they react to having a bunch of choices of jam. utter chaos.

[hibidy]

I can't remember anymore. Is enough 3 times, or 4 times?

[debra1rlo]

I can't remember anymore. Is enough 3 times, or 4 times?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsY066wa08E

[SODDI]

I think it's a really good idea to have some clarity about what we're doing, vs. what we're trying to accomplish.

Noodling is awesome - some of my best finished pieces of music got started totally by accident, or randomly noodling. I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with that.

What I think is worth considering, however, is that getting a finished work into a coherent form that the rest of the world can experience is a different kind of thing, and often/usually involves a good deal of focused, deliberate work towards a specific goal. And "option anxiety" can be a big factor in that.

So I don't think anyone here is trying to devalue anyone else's choices about how they use their tools (at least, I didn't read it that way, and am certainly not intending my own comments in that manner.)

"Finishing" something is, on a certain level, basically a series of eliminating possibilities. And often, the more stuff you have to choose from, the harder it is to eliminate those possibilities.

Again: not a judgement on anyone or anything. I totally love zoning out with a synth. I just think it's worth considering that getting from that point, to the point of having a finished track/song/project/album, is usually a more complicated and deliberate process. And if that's something we're interested in doing, it's not a bad idea to be aware of that, and to be mindful about how we're spending our time.

$.02

I like this.

It's always easier to never finish something. How many "director's cuts" of "Blade Runner" do you think Scott has in him?

[hibidy]

The only "finished" products I have are when I have an idea and can push it through w/o the host mucking it up for me. I have to be overly simplified to do that btw.

There is no excuse why in what will soon be 2013 that shit doesn't work properly. I can safely say the plug ins.........I mean vst's ( ) are NOT my problem. It is NOT not knowing them. I get beautiful sounds out of what I have.

Anyways, I still with live have to go through, "record" everything to the arranger and then render those tracks, and drag them into reaper. Time consuming? You betcha. Not ONE of these damn things works the way it should.

I commend those who make it work for them somehow.