Planned Obsolescence

[Guenon]

here's what needs to happen. A top of the line GROWN UP musical instrument for PLAYERS that comes with 0 presets. Make people work for what they want.

People work for what they want, no matter what their chosen instruments, tools or genres are. And they generally don't care (like, really literally don't give a damn) if someone values some other means of musicianship more. They do what they do, and are dedicated, and that's great.

[fmr]

here's what needs to happen. A top of the line GROWN UP musical instrument for PLAYERS that comes with 0 presets. Make people work for what they want.

Good luck selling that

[chk071]

What's up with that? Planned obsolescence?

The phrase you're looking for is "buyer's remorse".

Seriously, if you buy a synth, and you're very excited about it, and lose joy within a few days, maybe hours, then the problem is on the user side. Or you simply were dazed by the "new" shine. Either way, it's best to take your time when demo'ing something. I've been demo'ing Tone2 Icarus for a couple of days for example, and, even though i was quite excited about it first, time put things in perspective, and after a while, i found out that i have a couple of niggles with the synth. And as i already own the best wavetable synth for me, i refrained from buying it. Taking your time for demo'ing really can't be stressed enough.

Not sure about the "planned obsolescence" either though. What you mean with that?

[wagtunes]

I don't know, nor do I think about it. I grew up in the 60s before any of this stuff. I learned my craft. Period. I bought whatever instruments I bought (Moogs, ARPs, Yamahas, and now VSTs) as a means to an ends...to make music. If I liked the way something sounded I always liked the way it sounded because my perspective didn't change. it was all just about making the music. Honestly, outside of my orchestral stuff, if I went back and listened to any of the thousands of tracks I've done over the last 40 years, I couldn't tell you what synth was on it with very few exceptions. And those were the synths with very unique sounds, like the CS or the Odyssey (well back then anyway) Now a crap ton of stuff can sound like an Odyssey.

But none of that matters to me. For me, it's all about the song. I can interchange just about any synth with another and it's still the same song. Only exceptions are when I want an authentic sounding orchestra. Then I have no choice but to go to my EWQL stuff because it's the best sounding orchestral stuff that I own, not that I'm saying it's the best sounding out there. I just don't have anything better. So for my Broadway type soundtrack, that I just finished, it's the only thing on it. Not one synth.

Now, for pop strings, hell, I'll use just about anything. Doesn't matter. It's all the same as far as I'm concerned.

As for the kids can do this stuff by hitting a button comments, I don't know. I've never tried it myself. If they can and they get satisfaction out of that, power to them.

I'm a composer first and a synth collector second.

And everything I have sounds the same to me today as the day I got it.

[Dasheesh]

I don't know, nor do I think about it. I grew up in the 60s before any of this stuff. I learned my craft. Period. I bought whatever instruments I bought (Moogs, ARPs, Yamahas, and now VSTs) as a means to an ends...to make music. If I liked the way something sounded I always liked the way it sounded because my perspective didn't change. it was all just about making the music. Honestly, outside of my orchestral stuff, if I went back and listened to any of the thousands of tracks I've done over the last 40 years, I couldn't tell you what synth was on it with very few exceptions. And those were the synths with very unique sounds, like the CS or the Odyssey (well back then anyway) Now a crap ton of stuff can sound like an Odyssey.

But none of that matters to me. For me, it's all about the song. I can interchange just about any synth with another and it's still the same song. Only exceptions are when I want an authentic sounding orchestra. Then I have no choice but to go to my EWQL stuff because it's the best sounding orchestral stuff that I own, not that I'm saying it's the best sounding out there. I just don't have anything better. So for my Broadway type soundtrack, that I just finished, it's the only thing on it. Not one synth.

Now, for pop strings, hell, I'll use just about anything. Doesn't matter. It's all the same as far as I'm concerned.

As for the kids can do this stuff by hitting a button comments, I don't know. I've never tried it myself. If they can and they get satisfaction out of that, power to them.

I'm a composer first and a synth collector second.

And everything I have sounds the same to me today as the day I got it.

This I understand and identify with. I'm getting there myself. It's about good song writing and how you use it. I'm so fed up with these edm kids and so and so is ssoooooo talented. So talented at WHAT exactly. Because I'm bored to death of it too. The ish is sophomoric. Sooner or later they will have to grow up and move on.

[Aryaroman]

...As for the kids can do this stuff by hitting a button comments, I don't know. I've never tried it myself. If they can and they get satisfaction out of that, power to them...

I agree with most of what you said, but I have to say that the "push button= your own music"-logic, is awfully common and the only way many know. That's depressing to think about.

This I understand and identify with. I'm getting there myself. It's about good song writing and how you use it. I'm so fed up with these edm kids and so and so is ssoooooo talented. So talented at WHAT exactly. Because I'm bored to death of it too. The ish is sophomoric. Sooner or later they will have to grow up and move on.

This.

I would consider my music tastes very broad ("yeah, sure..."), but I simply can't listen to modern dance/pop-music.
-There is no melody/melodic content and when there is, it sounds like it's been taken straight from a handbook, or some kind of "How to make a Trance/House-track-tutorial".
-It's very loud and the sounds seem to be often distorted.
-It all sounds the same. Or is it just the beat-heavy material and lack of melodic content, or the use of same presets? Go figure.
-The vocalists sound the same and their voices are autotuned.

-And the worst thing: It's cheesy but they take themselves seriously. Is there any worse combination?

[Dasheesh]

You know who is a fantastic mature song writer taking advantage of his/her opportunities? This dude/dudette. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNTyfVh3nmU . I'm pretty sure he/she does chris brown productions as well. If you can't tell the difference between this and avicii or skrillex or martin Garrix or justin Bieber that's a problem.

[Nightpolymath]

EDM as a genre is quite broad, and has been around since the 80s. Some working in the genre started as "kids" and paved the way to several other subgenres. Most are finding a voice; I think it's great that kids are using whatever technology is available to manifest that voice. Not saying that all the music is good - some are mediocre. Like a lot of Baroque music was during Mozart's time and when everyone thought it old fashioned to listen to Bach. But technology does it make it more democratic, and it actually becomes more difficult to stand out from the masses. We're living in the now - history will separate out the wheat from the chaff.

[Dasheesh]

LOL I just went and looked it up. f**king diplo. It was ushers song though and diplo was hired for the production work. Diplo is a good producer. The song writing I'm giving to Usher.

[Dasheesh]

EDM as a genre is quite broad, and has been around since the 80s. Some working in the genre started as "kids" and paved the way to several other subgenres. Most are finding a voice; I think it's great that kids are using whatever technology is available to manifest that voice. Not saying that all the music is good - some are mediocre. Like a lot of Baroque music was during Mozart's time and when everyone thought it old fashioned to listen to Bach. But technology does it make it more democratic, and it actually becomes more difficult to stand out from the masses. We're living in the now - history will separate out the wheat from the chaff.

Look I like pop music. I like good song writing. back in the day we used to have IDM though. Because it was smart. This dumbed down EDM... Ok I'm trying really hard to find something good about it. I'm having a hard time when everything is done for you and all you do is hit the play button and call yourself a musician. I look for smart music. Diplo is a damn fine modern producer. He doesn't pretend to be anything else and he isn't above taking a job for a dollar. But I'm
over this everything done for you so you can call yourself talented BS. I'm leaving you behind. That usher track is like if Dntel and Madonna had a baby. It's a smart modern hit intentionally kept to the point. The difference is... Both those fools know the difference and both can do better. I can do that.

[blueman]

I learned an important lesson when Waves started rapidly devaluing its products with incessant "sales" and Camel Audio sold off to Apple: software is, at best, an impermenant and fleeting facsimile of anything it attempts to imitate. Somewhere in the back of all of our minds we know this, and I think that is why we have perpetual angst about this subject. It is a virtual world. There is no such thing as a "software synth." It is nothing more than a computer program imitating the real world. The real, actual sound is still coming from hardware (e.g. speakers, monitors, headphones). Once you accept this, and get over the foolish notion that these softwares can replace anything real, you can enjoy your virtual world for what it is.

I have rekindled my love for hardware, especially guitars, and it has brought me much greater satisfaction to re-enter the tactile world. Try buying a hardware synth. Not for the sound comparison, but for the real world experience

[Aryaroman]

Talking about Madonna, I recently heard "Die Another Day" after a decade and now I'm baffled. How could I ever like this garbage and more spectacularly, how could the producers like this garbage enough to use it? Probably just the big name of Madonna in the credits was enough. But why did they have to also give her a guest role in the film...?

Then again, everything is about a name or a trademark these days. A 100e BOSS-shirt is made in the same place as the 10e one. How crazy is that?

[rod_zero]

I still like some tracks on Confessions on the dancefloor, good hooks and Nice production.

[chk071]

Well, James Bond title songs have never been very "demanding" as far as i'm concerned. I don't find the Madonna one particularly bad either. It's ok. Typical Bond main title stuff IMO.

[Dasheesh]

As far as Madonna goes, there comes a point when you see the writing on the wall and you've done it all and you just give people what they will buy to make as many pennies as you can before its all over. She's aligned herself with a crowd that will still buy in. She's already done it though. She has that right. Nothing is going to take away a track like boarder line or dress you up. Quit making excuses for being lazy guys. She's still earning well past 50.