Planned Obsolescence

[rod_zero]

Companies need to sell, one good tactic for doing it is making us feel insecure, incomplete or missing out. Companies throw empty slogans around "game changer", "ultimate sound engine", "warm and punch" and so on.

People who think they music sucks because of lack of tools and the secrets weapons the "big names" use fall easily for this, people making music and enjoying it probably are not paying much attention to the marketing.

I have a lot of people who gets in to music production and I present them a couple of VST's and they are super happy with them and never bother to look for something else. Mor insecure people insist on better tools.

[emcee]

Also, it's strange that retro sounds like the mellotron are still sought after to this day.

Why? The piano sound has more than 200 years and is still sought after. And what about the strings? These instruments have more than 600 years, and sre still sought after. And the acoustic guitar has like 500 years.

So do you think maybe in another 100 years we'll be reminiscing about that DX-7 Bass sound, or the D-50 Digital Native Dance?

Same with Drums - apart from the 808/909 and the Phil Collins gated snare, there's not a lot of difference between a 60's drum sound and today's. Ringo's snare fit's perfectly into the track, and didn't need a quad core PC running the latest Pro Tools, with iZotope effects to process it to infinity and back.

I can be called guilty as well at one stage of spending hours getting the "perfect bass sound" from my library of 100's if not 1000's and not spending much time on the actual tune itself. And then going back to my usual 4-5 mainstays. We're just spoilt for choice - Mozart/Beethoven/etc - they had a piano and a clavinet (?) and wow.
Off on a tangent, but what would those genius's be able to do now - or would they just shrug and go back to the basics.

<rant over>

[Zexila]

We're just spoilt for choice - Mozart/Beethoven/etc - they had a piano and a clavinet (?) and wow.
Off on a tangent, but what would those genius's be able to do now - or would they just shrug and go back to the basics.

They would probably get Omnisphere and post often here.

[emcee]

We're just spoilt for choice - Mozart/Beethoven/etc - they had a piano and a clavinet (?) and wow.
Off on a tangent, but what would those genius's be able to do now - or would they just shrug and go back to the basics.

They would probably get Omnisphere and post often here.

[fmr]

We're just spoilt for choice - Mozart/Beethoven/etc - they had a piano and a clavinet (?) and wow.
Off on a tangent, but what would those genius's be able to do now - or would they just shrug and go back to the basics.

They would probably get Omnisphere and post often here.

I don't know about Omnisphere, but I know it would not have any influence in their composition, since they didn't compose based on the instrument, but rather based on their heads (besides, Beethoven lost his hearing about half time of his life, so, something like Omnisphere would be rather useless to him)

[Synthman2000]

I feel there is a very big difference between creating a finished track/composition/piece of music and being able to play a real instrument in a band or on your own.

They are rather incomparable in fact. It is possible for a musician to be able to play music within a band or covering other hits etc. and not be able write a piece of music themselves. Or make some really un-listenable music that virtually no one wants to hear. Of course you can be a song writer and a musician, this is more rare. Exceptional musical ideas executed into an end result that people want to hear make for a rare commodity indeed.

It never ceases to amaze how some super complex, (e.g. highly skilled instrument playing, I don't know off the top of my head super fast solo guitar/synth playing like some distasteful technical exercise or in some mode I dislike) music can absolutely not resonate with me and then a relatively simple piece with few complexities can be on loop for days because of the feeling it produces within. Conversely the opposite can apply, some complex music is truly incredible and some simplistic pieces repetitive and boring. I do not find there is a direct relationship between complexity and listen-ability. Subjective of course.

There is a great deal of subjective experience going on when listening to music. But one thing I know for sure is being able to program a sequencer does not necessarily make a good track in the end. No more than playing a guitar or piano means you are a musician with own ideas worth sharing and being listened to.

Ultimately if I find there is no energy coming back for something I am involved in for whatever reasons. I shut that avenue off. In the world of Soundcloud/Facebook etc. there are usually some personal agendas and very closed minded fixed ideas about what you are and what you like.

I am not saying do not accept feedback but neither become disheartened by it and know the point at which the agendas are skewing the feedback into unhelpful feelings that do not help you enjoy and progress at what you are doing.

Anyway this is all just a big bunch of words. Always do your best job on your music and let the result be heard in whatever way you feel the need. Let the music speak to the right ears, and if it does not then you know it was not good enough. At this point remember it is an artistic process, a personal or collective journey and a single track or solo is not the end. Keep going and above all enjoy yourself when you are doing it. For me it is about those moments in a process when I be totally absorbed and can smile to myself.

Success comes in many guises.

[Aryaroman]

I feel there is a very big difference between creating a finished track/composition/piece of music and being able to play a real instrument in a band or on your own.

They are rather incomparable in fact. It is possible for a musician to be able to play music within a band or covering other hits etc. and not be able write a piece of music themselves. Or make some really un-listenable music that virtually no one wants to hear. Of course you can be a song writer and a musician, this is more rare. Exceptional musical ideas executed into an end result that people want to hear make for a rare commodity indeed.

It never ceases to amaze how some super complex, (e.g. highly skilled instrument playing, I don't know off the top of my head super fast solo guitar/synth playing like some distasteful technical exercise or in some mode I dislike) music can absolutely not resonate with me and then a relatively simple piece with few complexities can be on loop for days because of the feeling it produces within. Conversely the opposite can apply, some complex music is truly incredible and some simplistic pieces repetitive and boring. I do not find there is a direct relationship between complexity and listen-ability. Subjective of course.

There is a great deal of subjective experience going on when listening to music. But one thing I know for sure is being able to program a sequencer does not necessarily make a good track in the end. No more than playing a guitar or piano means you are a musician with own ideas worth sharing and being listened to.

Ultimately if I find there is no energy coming back for something I am involved in for whatever reasons. I shut that avenue off. In the world of Soundcloud/Facebook etc. there are usually some personal agendas and very closed minded fixed ideas about what you are and what you like.

I am not saying do not accept feedback but neither become disheartened by it and know the point at which the agendas are skewing the feedback into unhelpful feelings that do not help you enjoy and progress at what you are doing.

Anyway this is all just a big bunch of words. Always do your best job on your music and let the result be heard in whatever way you feel the need. Let the music speak to the right ears, and if it does not then you know it was not good enough. At this point remember it is an artistic process, a personal or collective journey and a single track or solo is not the end. Keep going and above all enjoy yourself when you are doing it. For me it is about those moments in a process when I be totally absorbed and can smile to myself.

Success comes in many guises.

Well put.

[Zexila]

We're just spoilt for choice - Mozart/Beethoven/etc - they had a piano and a clavinet (?) and wow.
Off on a tangent, but what would those genius's be able to do now - or would they just shrug and go back to the basics.

They would probably get Omnisphere and post often here.

I don't know about Omnisphere, but I know it would not have any influence in their composition, since they didn't compose based on the instrument, but rather based on their heads (besides, Beethoven lost his hearing about half time of his life, so, something like Omnisphere would be rather useless to him)

Well, they will be all over EDM that's for sure, "Noooo dad, I hate classical music, we are in 21st century, EDM is my thing, let me live my life"