Stripping it all down..

[danbroad]

Has anyone sometime ever wished they just had a monosynth and a 4-track?

I mean, the software we have now puts most 20th century studios to shame, but occasionally I'm finding that I open Logic and.. well I'm overawed at the potential of it all. I'll sit for hours playing away on the Virus, and then I think "I'll turn that into a track" - open up the DAW and... sit there blankly.

In the same way that I'll play a synth freely and creatively in a shop, but the second I have to integrate it all with a visual timeline, strict metronomes, count-ins, midi-quantise, plug-in maximisers and de-essers and compressors... at the moment, trying to find inspiration ceases the moment I stare at a computer screen and not the synth keyboard. It's the musical equivalent of slouching in front of the telly...

So, I'm after suggestions that help you get your mojo back! I'm trying at the moment to learn the key commands, then switch off the monitor and record without the metronome, bouncing one track at a time. It's definitely working to a degree.

What would you do?

[Muzik 4 Machines]

i agree 100%
sometimes i wish i'd be back to a tascam244, tr 707, a guitar with a fuzz (no amp even) and a dx21 as my wholo and complete studio, i used to be über creative with jsut that, wishing to have more, and now that i have it all, i can't find any inspiration

[shamann]

Have you ever just recorded with a 4-track and monosynth? Knowing that experience would likely help you decide what to do, one way or the other.

But less drastic, why not try investigating making music with software that isn't remotely like Logic? There are applications out there that work much like old home tape setups would, that just record audio. Try getting away from multitracking and advanced MIDI editing and metronomes and quantize, etc. Or try out apps like Bidule or Max/MSP or Numerology, see what you can make with them.

[butter]

I find that limiting what I use is a great aid to creativity. Or seeing how much I can get out the same 4 or 5 instruments.

[danbroad]

Yeah, I guess we've all been up against 'the block' at times... shamann, when I was a student I recorded whole tracks using a guitar, a microphone and my old tapedeck - each successive track got noisier and noisier... I'm going to seek out some of the programs you mentioned; thanks.

I'm even tempted to find my old mixer, maybe hunt down an old 4-track, and deliberately limit myself. Not to renounce my lovely software, but force myself to write a track without turning on the computer; no midi timings or metronomes.. let the bpm head all over the place, just a multitracked synth [OK, buying a monosynth when I own an uberpolysynth seems a little drastic, I agree] and some ideas...

[Hink]

with my old 4 trax I use to run my drum machine (yamaha rx17) into 1 and 2, put bass on three and rythm guitar on 4...then I'd mix all 4 trax down to my cassette deck. Then I would take that 2 track mix and record back onto track 3 and 4 on my 4 track a little futher on on the tape, leaving 1 and 2 open for vox and lead. I found this to be better all around than bouncing trax..

[shamann]

no midi timings or metronomes

I'd certainly recommend it. Trying to do everything by ear/feel is a good way to challenge yourself.

I have nothing against the pared down hardware method, just that it isn't all shangri-la, it can be hard and frustrating. But if you've done it in the past and found it worked better for you, or even just really want to try it out, then go for it.

[whyterabbyt]

Has anyone sometime ever wished they just had a monosynth and a 4-track?

Nope, not even slightly. If I was stuck with just that kind of gear, I'd wind up giving up from frustration.

Oh wait; that's what did happen when that was more or less all I had. And it put me off for about ten, fifteen years.

[aallvor]

Has anyone sometime ever wished they just had a monosynth and a 4-track?

No, but I have often dreamt about having someone to work with, someone who could sit in front of the sequencer, while I went crazy on said monosynth

[Overflow]

In some degree I agree. I'm making tunes almost ten years. 2 years ago I caught myself that most of time I'm spending is just switching vst instruments. What will happen if I'll try this, what will happen if I'll try that,...Too many choices too many possibilities. Then I started to sell off all my VST instruments. Bought hardware Virus (VA), Yamaha SY77 (FM), Roland Super JD-990 (rompler) and now I'm doing things much faster than with VST instruments. Hardware gives me inspiration, hardware is like human being unlike VSTi. In some degree relationships between me and hardware is like between 2 humans - if I'll touch you here, you will screm etc... Uhh...difficult to describe in English

[Scot Solida]

What's wrong with imposing a few limitations on yourself? Just use four tracks and a single synth and don't bother with the rest until you feel you want to. Really, it's only discipline you need. We are inundated with so many options these days that it can be difficult not to want to exploit all of them. However, many great records have been made by people trying to push their limited options to the very limit. There's nothing wrong with having 25 synthesizers lying around, but you're not likely to need them for every song. There's no one forcing you to use more than a few tracks and a single synth. If you can't separate the problem from the program, go get a $100 4-track and a cheap synth and make an album that way. I keep an 8-track reel-to-reel around for the very reason that the format inspires me to work in different ways. I have frequently usurped my son's 4-track portastudio to make a song or two. It can be good fun.

That's the thing with having your dream studio at your fingertips: you decide which dream to pursue on a given day. It's a good place to be...

[huguesbc]

I wouldn't go back to hardware sequencing, software is easier to edit. But the thing I always liked about hardware synth is the stability and constant quality of the sound. When I play with softsynth I get the occasional latency glitches, clicks and pops or subpar sounds. Some hardware va does some of these when you exceed polyphony though. I guess the developpers have a hard time deciding when to stop adding features before the sound engine falls down. The same was true of video games, their was a time when console games were smooth with good framerates while pc choked with sluggish framerate. For me the best setup is some good hardware synth a software sequencer and some software sampler/synths for drums and some support instruments.