Minimal Music Production Setup.

[sidesword]

Anybody here that only uses one DAW and has less than 5 VST Instruments/FX?

I know there are users here that have an abundance of both and was wondering if there are users here that only used one DAW and a limited set of Plugins that they stick to and whether they have found that the limitations helped improve upon their creative output?

If so what is your set up like? i’m very intrigued in the practice of using as little as possible to help clear the blur of sofware clutter, i suppose less is more and although there is quite a lot to it i suppose a normal example of this would be using Reason without any extra REs or VSTs.

[bharris22]

I think you've come to the wrong place .

I am certain that limitations on my VST and sound sources generally would spur creativity, but I am afraid it is too late to put that toothpaste back in the tube. I do try to do this on a project-by-project basis, though, and very much enjoy the process.

[sidesword]

I think you've come to the wrong place .

I am certain that limitations on my VST and sound sources generally would spur creativity, but I am afraid it is too late to put that toothpaste back in the tube. I do try to do this on a project-by-project basis, though, and very much enjoy the process.

wasn’t sure if this sub forum was just for daw help, i better ask the mods to delete! thanks for the answer anyway!

[JoeCat]

I think you've come to the wrong place .

I am certain that limitations on my VST and sound sources generally would spur creativity, but I am afraid it is too late to put that toothpaste back in the tube. I do try to do this on a project-by-project basis, though, and very much enjoy the process.

wasn’t sure if this sub forum was just for daw help, i better ask the mods to delete! thanks for the answer anyway!

Lol - I think by "come to the wrong place" bharris22 meant you aren't going to find "...users here that only used one DAW and a limited set of Plugins that they stick to...", not that it was in the wrong sub-forum.

It's not for not trying, and the OSC contest peeps do it. But I've tried myself and always end up thinking "let me just try that Synclavier patch here" or some bullsh*t 'cause why not if it suits the track, until next time when I say "I'm only going to use these few instruments."

I mean, I think it's a great idea, and I really love minimal music (always trying to produce a good minimal ambient set, and it's harder than going full-on with a track - it's like playing Bach, 'cause you're laid bare). But the discipline!

[dakkra]

...OSC contest peeps do it.

KVROSC is a great way to do this. I love my modular tool set but sometimes it's a good exercise to restrict yourself and learn how to be creative within limitations, especially when it comes to sound generation.

That being said, because I love my modular tools I don't have a large abundance of VSTs, but more so a large abundance of modules. With Bitwig (and it's GRID), MXXX/MSoundFactory, Falcon, and MUX I'm pretty much set. All other VSTs I have are complimentary or legacy now.

[roman.i]

Anybody here that only uses one DAW and has less than 5 VST Instruments/FX?

I know there are users here that have an abundance of both and was wondering if there are users here that only used one DAW and a limited set of Plugins that they stick to and whether they have found that the limitations helped improve upon their creative output?

If so what is your set up like? i’m very intrigued in the practice of using as little as possible to help clear the blur of sofware clutter, i suppose less is more and although there is quite a lot to it i suppose a normal example of this would be using Reason without any extra REs or VSTs.

I don't think that a "dumb" limitation for the sake of limitation will improve your creative output.
The idea of such limitation is to find a great tool and stick with it, push it to the limits.
Usually plugins that come with the DAW are not that great, most of them there to cover basic needs.
Good comparison will be to the hardware world, because it's very expensive you have to choose carefully. That's the main reason why I pay for plugins.

[dupont]

I produce minimal techno (36 tracks on my soundcloud)
It is doable to use less than 5 vst instruments because you can bounce several audio gems from the same instrument and pile them up across your track.
But if you want a professional sounding result, it is difficult to use less than 5 vst effect for mixing and mastering, compressors, limiters, EQ, distortion, enhancer, loudness meter, stereo enhancer, reverb, delay ...

[Passing Bye]

I always used one DAW at the time, mostly stock plugins and just essential 3rd party software, if you can't put what you have in good use, you can have few plugins and it doesn't matter, it's about you, on other hand if you can utilize everything you have, than limiting yourself is limitation, no matter how many plugins you have.

Maybe it's fault starting with too many 3rd party plugins, without really getting to know basics, in hardware days you utilized whatever you had, these days utilizing your stock plugins for starters should be a good practice, than moving to freeware and than when you really know what you need and want, than start getting into 3rd party tools.

If you don't know what you really need, start from scratch, utilize your stock plugins to their maximum, than you will realize what you need from 3rd party ones, than try to utilize those to the maximum and see if there's anything missing, it's so easy to get caught in nuances, just be real with yourself, can you really hear and appreciate it, who cares what others think, can you utilize those tools to your advantage.

[cantaloupe]

There is a point where the minimalism takes up too much space. If you are too limited you are constantly spending time at workarounds for basic stuff. But otherwise, i truly recommend having a small set of tools you know well.

My personal balance between freedom and minimalism: One tool for one function, with the exception of the mixbus. Then throw in a few more exceptions to give some extra flexibility.

So: separate EQ and compressor for mixbus. Outside that, only one reverb, one delay, one track compressor, one track eq, one distortion, one filter, one tape sim, one sampler, one synth etc

To make things even more minimal, get something like TBProAudio CS5501: It covers compression, EQ, Gate, saturation, DeEss in one plugin.

You could also have an "Other" folder, where you put a few niche tools that is good to have but you don't use often.

Make sure you clean up your DAW so you are not distracted by seeing tools and sounds you won't use. Create a small personal set of samples for the sampler as well.

People are different, but i notice that every time i break out of this setup and start installing stuff out of boredom, i get decision paralysis and my creative output go way down. Once i'm in "hm, what synth will i choose today", it is over for me. How people can maintain creativity with four different 1176 emulations is beyond me.

Hope this helps!

[sidesword]

I think you've come to the wrong place .

I am certain that limitations on my VST and sound sources generally would spur creativity, but I am afraid it is too late to put that toothpaste back in the tube. I do try to do this on a project-by-project basis, though, and very much enjoy the process.

wasn’t sure if this sub forum was just for daw help, i better ask the mods to delete! thanks for the answer anyway!

Lol - I think by "come to the wrong place" bharris22 meant you aren't going to find "...users here that only used one DAW and a limited set of Plugins that they stick to...", not that it was in the wrong sub-forum.

It's not for not trying, and the OSC contest peeps do it. But I've tried myself and always end up thinking "let me just try that Synclavier patch here" or some bullsh*t 'cause why not if it suits the track, until next time when I say "I'm only going to use these few instruments."

I mean, I think it's a great idea, and I really love minimal music (always trying to produce a good minimal ambient set, and it's harder than going full-on with a track - it's like playing Bach, 'cause you're laid bare). But the discipline!

A great misunderstanding on my part! I understand that it can take a lot of discipline, have you ever tried uninstalling all of your plugins apart from certain ones and forcing yourself to create with them so you have no other choice?

[sidesword]

...OSC contest peeps do it.

KVROSC is a great way to do this. I love my modular tool set but sometimes it's a good exercise to restrict yourself and learn how to be creative within limitations, especially when it comes to sound generation.

That being said, because I love my modular tools I don't have a large abundance of VSTs, but more so a large abundance of modules. With Bitwig (and it's GRID), MXXX/MSoundFactory, Falcon, and MUX I'm pretty much set. All other VSTs I have are complimentary or legacy now.

I was unaware of KVROSC, would you say you could be set with Bitwigs Grid on it’s own?

[Acid Mitch]

If so what is your set up like? i’m very intrigued in the practice of using as little as possible to help clear the blur of sofware clutter, i suppose less is more and although there is quite a lot to it i suppose a normal example of this would be using Reason without any extra REs or VSTs.

What sort of answer are you looking for ?
I mean, you load the daw, pic a synth and play or program a part. Add some more parts using one of you're other synths or another instance of the first synths you used and add some effects. Do the arrangement. It’s no different from having multiple daws and 10 plug ins, except that sometimes you spend less time procrastinating over what to use and sometimes you can’t get exactly the sound you're looking for and have to just go with what you have.

[sidesword]

Anybody here that only uses one DAW and has less than 5 VST Instruments/FX?

I know there are users here that have an abundance of both and was wondering if there are users here that only used one DAW and a limited set of Plugins that they stick to and whether they have found that the limitations helped improve upon their creative output?

If so what is your set up like? i’m very intrigued in the practice of using as little as possible to help clear the blur of sofware clutter, i suppose less is more and although there is quite a lot to it i suppose a normal example of this would be using Reason without any extra REs or VSTs.

I don't think that a "dumb" limitation for the sake of limitation will improve your creative output.
The idea of such limitation is to find a great tool and stick with it, push it to the limits.
Usually plugins that come with the DAW are not that great, most of them there to cover basic needs.
Good comparison will be to the hardware world, because it's very expensive you have to choose carefully. That's the main reason why I pay for plugins.

It wouldn’t be for the sake of limitation but for focus, can you recommend any such tools to stick to? I think whether or not the devices that come with DAWs are up to the job is down to personal preference, the devices that come with Logic, Ableton, Biwig, Reason, and Studio One can be just as capable as their third party counterparts, I agree, the careful consideration for hardware due to cost would be exceptional when it comes to sticking with what you have.

[sidesword]

I always used one DAW at the time, mostly stock plugins and just essential 3rd party software, if you can't put what you have in good use, you can have few plugins and it doesn't matter, it's about you, on other hand if you can utilize everything you have, than limiting yourself is limitation, no matter how many plugins you have.

Maybe it's fault starting with too many 3rd party plugins, without really getting to know basics, in hardware days you utilized whatever you had, these days utilizing your stock plugins for starters should be a good practice, than moving to freeware and than when you really know what you need and want, than start getting into 3rd party tools.

If you don't know what you really need, start from scratch, utilize your stock plugins to their maximum, than you will realize what you need from 3rd party ones, than try to utilize those to the maximum and see if there's anything missing, it's so easy to get caught in nuances, just be real with yourself, can you really hear and appreciate it, who cares what others think, can you utilize those tools to your advantage.

What DAW do you use or what is your setup? I agree, it’s the person behind the tools that makes the difference, my collection is still quite minimal compared to a lot of people and i’m trying to keep it that way.

[sidesword]

If so what is your set up like? i’m very intrigued in the practice of using as little as possible to help clear the blur of sofware clutter, i suppose less is more and although there is quite a lot to it i suppose a normal example of this would be using Reason without any extra REs or VSTs.

What sort of answer are you looking for ?
I mean, you load the daw, pic a synth and play or program a part. Add some more parts using one of you're other synths or another instance of the first synths you used and add some effects. Do the arrangement. It’s no different from having multiple daws and 10 plug ins, except that sometimes you spend less time procrastinating over what to use and sometimes you can’t get exactly the sound you're looking for and have to just go with what you have.

You pretty much answered my question in the second part of your paragraph, if it’s no different from having multiple DAWS and 10 plugins why not just embrace the minimal side of it, less time procrastinating would be truly ideal and going with the sound you have can help you save time, all the extra tracks you could be creating with that time saved could help you reach your potential quicker.