How much do you use presets? [Poll]

[Fernando Carvalho]

If I'd like cars as much as I like making electronic music, I could fix my own car for sure, even make one

[Tricky-Loops]

If I'd like cars as much as I like making electronic music, I could fix my own car for sure, even make one

Nevertheless, there are many - often commercial - musicians who want to produce music rather than program every sound from the scratch...that's why they like Massive and such synths with loads of presets...

As well as there are many people who only want to have fun with their car by speeding on the highway and don't want to build and repair everything themselves.

[trimph1]

I was thinking about buying a real Rhode but there were no presets...

My Arp2600 HAS no presets!!

What I use is a few choice words when it does not seem to fit the sound I have in my beleagured beakus, or, conversely, I frantically note in the 'preset book' my settings....

[trimph1]

If I'd like cars as much as I like making electronic music, I could fix my own car for sure, even make one

I've been doing a complete restoration on a 1957 Chevrolet 2 door

[briandc]

I think the issue at hand is really with regards to samples vs. synths.

Some people prefer to have ready-made sounds, and samples are good for this.

Other people want to make sounds that don't exist in nature, and synths are the right tool in this case.


brian

[Lotuzia]

I was thinking about buying a real Rhode but there were no presets...

My Arp2600 HAS no presets!!

What I use is a few choice words when it does not seem to fit the sound I have in my beleagured beakus, or, conversely, I frantically note in the 'preset book' my settings....

Veryyyyyyyyyyyy sad day : My ARP Odyssey doesnt have presets either . Thanks for pointing this out

Only left choice is divorce or still continue the honeymoon I have with it for about 10 years now.

[The_Hidden_Goose]

I find presets quite useful with FLStudio when I'm being lazy (which is a trait I have, and I apologise not!) as FLS has that nice "hybridize" preset thing for those plugins that expose their presets to it - can get some very unusual and quirky sounds cycling through them with that turned on. It also has "randomize" option but I find that a bit too random usually.

Obviously many synths don't expose their presets in such a way that lets FLS hybridize between them, such as modular synths and a bunch of others who for some reason prefer to have their own preset management and not use the default vst preset implementation.

[Arglebargle]

I always start with a preset, never a blank slate. From there I'll take it as-is or tweak it. And then of course process it for the mix. I want to spend my time writing music, not designing sounds.

[Spiritos]

As I'm pretty new to the world of electronic music (I've always been an analogue player - keys/guitars) I find it fascinating to read how so many people are pre-occupied with sounds.

To some extent I can relate as guitarist tend to have several guitars as well as each has their own character and professional pianists eventually fall in love with their piano too. But the difference seems that where analogue players are looking for that one-in-all perfect instrument that's tailored to their style and taste electronic musicians are on an endless soundquest.

As said I'm still fresh and learning but I guess I'll always be a musician first and not a sounddesigner.

I'm just wondering -given the fact there are like a gazilion soundbanks and presets out there- are there really still new sounds being developed that stand head and shoulders out of the crowd? And how may times does it happen you develop a patch only to find out it's almost identical to one you later find in a soundbank? Is it the process itself that's intricating or are you (the sounddesigners) really looking for that new unique sound?

In terms of for eg ambient stuff I can see the possibilities are endless and evolving pads can in itself be a chorus or substantial part of the song but how many different basses, strings or kicks does one need? If I buy a soundpack and get 100 different kicks I'm thinking wouldn't it be easier to tweak one kick to my needs instead of having to browse through all those minimal modulations. Or is this primairily targeted at people who solely work on loop and sample-based productions?

[briandc]

As I'm pretty new to the world of electronic music (I've always been an analogue player - keys/guitars) I find it fascinating to read how so many people are pre-occupied with sounds.

To some extent I can relate as guitarist tend to have several guitars as well as each has their own character and professional pianists eventually fall in love with their piano too. But the difference seems that where analogue players are looking for that one-in-all perfect instrument that's tailored to their style and taste electronic musicians are on an endless soundquest.

As said I'm still fresh and learning but I guess I'll always be a musician first and not a sounddesigner.

I'm just wondering -given the fact there are like a gazilion soundbanks and presets out there- are there really still new sounds being developed that stand head and shoulders out of the crowd? And how may times does it happen you develop a patch only to find out it's almost identical to one you later find in a soundbank? Is it the process itself that's intricating or are you (the sounddesigners) really looking for that new unique sound?

In terms of for eg ambient stuff I can see the possibilities are endless and evolving pads can in itself be a chorus or substantial part of the song but how many different basses, strings or kicks does one need? If I buy a soundpack and get 100 different kicks I'm thinking wouldn't it be easier to tweak one kick to my needs instead of having to browse through all those minimal modulations. Or is this primairily targeted at people who solely work on loop and sample-based productions?

Personally, I love synths because they can make sounds that don't exist in nature. And there's always something new to discover. To me, that's where inspiration starts-- with an unusual sound.


brian

[Lotuzia]

As I'm pretty new to the world of electronic music (I've always been an analogue player - keys/guitars) I find it fascinating to read how so many people are pre-occupied with sounds.

To some extent I can relate as guitarist tend to have several guitars as well as each has their own character and professional pianists eventually fall in love with their piano too. But the difference seems that where analogue players are looking for that one-in-all perfect instrument that's tailored to their style and taste electronic musicians are on an endless soundquest.

As said I'm still fresh and learning but I guess I'll always be a musician first and not a sounddesigner.

I'm just wondering -given the fact there are like a gazilion soundbanks and presets out there- are there really still new sounds being developed that stand head and shoulders out of the crowd? And how may times does it happen you develop a patch only to find out it's almost identical to one you later find in a soundbank? Is it the process itself that's intricating or are you (the sounddesigners) really looking for that new unique sound?

In terms of for eg ambient stuff I can see the possibilities are endless and evolving pads can in itself be a chorus or substantial part of the song but how many different basses, strings or kicks does one need? If I buy a soundpack and get 100 different kicks I'm thinking wouldn't it be easier to tweak one kick to my needs instead of having to browse through all those minimal modulations. Or is this primairily targeted at people who solely work on loop and sample-based productions?

Having managed teams of Sound Designers, and beeing myself one, I can tell you that each SD has his own style. Most of the patches made by SD x will be completely different than those made by SD y. Simmilar patches will STILL sound different, react in a different way when played, have different play and mods possibilities. And in the end SOUND different in a track.

For the basses, maybe not need to talk, just make a simple test : Play a bass line, and make it played by 50 presets of your fav VSTI -with a good/diverse factory sound library. All different results. Now repeat with a different VSTI. Still different. These are basses, yes, are mostly monophonic, yes, and can be seen as limited instruments. They're not. There are thousands of different possible basses.

As for the instruments, imho a good sound library should include both bnb sounds, for different genres, as well, if the synth allows it, to "new sounds". Synths evolve, like other instruments. New possibilities are added. And even with some synths you could think of as "comparable", similar instruments will sound different, because in a synth, everything matters, from the OSC to the filters, to the LFOs, etc etc. Everything. Diversity is good, because people might have different needs, and even you, or me, can have different needs if we work on *this* or *that* project.

Well, just some global indications I hope are related to your question, and give possible directions/answers.

LtZ

[ariston]

Well, to repeat what I was saying: the beauty of synthesis lies in its ability to make sounds that can't be made any other way. A violin has a limited number of sounds, but it is capable of great expression. Synths are not as expressive, but compensate for that with their sound capabilities. Hence the sound becomes an integral part of the expression.

A valid point, however, is whether the supposed differences between 1000 bass patches or kick drums really matter so much. Synth afficionados naturally pay more attention to the finer points, but most listeners either can't tell, don't care, or,more likely, both.

[briandc]

Well, to repeat what I was saying: the beauty of synthesis lies in its ability to make sounds that can't be made any other way. A violin has a limited number of sounds, but it is capable of great expression. Synths are not as expressive, but compensate for that with their sound capabilities. Hence the sound becomes an integral part of the expression.

A valid point, however, is whether the supposed differences between 1000 bass patches or kick drums really matter so much. Synth afficionados naturally pay more attention to the finer points, but most listeners either can't tell, don't care, or,more likely, both.

I'd be curious to know why you say that synths are not expressive...?


brian

[The_Hidden_Goose]

not AS expressive. in potential, at least. you still need the skills to get to that expression in both kinds of instrument

[trimph1]

synths are not expressive?????

I always that it was the artist who expressed themselves through the instrument...

or are we now talkin' 'bout ghosts in the machine...