KVR Audio

NystagmusE · Post by **NystagmusE** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:31 am

How many of you guys feel somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer surplus of musical options?

I mean like freeware and payware synths, synth presets, effect presets, synth parameters, effect parameters, sample libraries, etc.

Some days it's hard to get anything done because it's hard to find a small and decent pallette that isn't just some random combination of patches.

Do any of you know what I mean?

H-man · Post by **H-man** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:33 am

I think that is what this is for

https://sites.google.com/site/kvrosc/

Edit: Oh and there is a deadline to keep you honest as well.

Ridan · Post by **Ridan** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:45 am

I personally enjoy having as many options as possible. Going back and fourth between different synths in one session is exciting. Usually have my patches organized by genre, and usability, and have templates already prepared for all kinds of sound ventures. Lately though, found myself being overwhelmed with freeware effects. A lot of them were practically doing the same thing so, it was time to clean house in that area.

planetearth · Post by **planetearth** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:53 am

NystagmusE wrote:How many of you guys feel somewhat overwhelmed by the sheer surplus of musical options?

I mean like freeware and payware synths, synth presets, effect presets, synth parameters, effect parameters, sample libraries, etc.

Some days it's hard to get anything done because it's hard to find a small and decent pallette that isn't just some random combination of patches.

Do any of you know what I mean?

Yep.

It seems to take me longer and longer each time to get through a project, because I get side-tracked testing out a new freeware effect (or synth) with it.

But, it beats "the old days", when all I had was two synths, the 100 (or so) patches between them, one drum machine and one effects box.

I've found that once I've learned each synth (or effect) a bit more "intimately", I know during a project if I should even reach for that synth or effect, or just go with one of my usual "go-tos".

Steve

Michael L · Post by **Michael L** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 3:25 am

Sometimes it's necessary to step back and take the time to listen to your own musical ideas, and then choose the gear that serves your ideas.

Uncle E · Post by **Uncle E** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 4:15 am

That's what makes DIVA so great. It sounds amazing and also offers a plethora of capabilities, so that I don't really need much else.

Aleatoriac · Post by **Aleatoriac** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 4:47 am

No, I've never had this problem. The only thing I lack is time away from making other people money. I just had a week off and got a ton of music and art done. Wish I could live doing nothing but that.
Everybody says "You'd get bored." They said "Wait till you get my age, you'll see."

I'm well past that age now. Ha - WELL past; and they were all wrong.

But yeah - I do limit myself to one instrument / sound at a time. Little steps in an overall big picture.

DJ Warmonger · Post by **DJ Warmonger** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 8:59 am

I mean like freeware and payware synths, synth presets, effect presets, synth parameters, effect parameters, sample libraries, etc.

KVR is the good place to figure what options are available.

The easy way to handle it is to decide what kind of music YOU want to make and just choose right synths, effects and workflow that suits your taste. Plugins don't make music, people do.
On the other hand, you can make music with everything. Last week I saw a guy who in just 3 quarters made proggy electronic track (including percussion) with electric guitar.

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 11:31 am

No, I don't have this problem at all. I have an idea and it occurs to me with no problem how to articulate it. Or I don't have a very formed idea but I have a sound world in mind and I'm interested in facets of, aspects of, spacializing, populating that; and I can take quite some time imagining it and weighing. Sometimes I build a frame that's far more than I end up using. I think orchestrally. Besides that, I spent a long time in sound design creating bases that are very evocative of orchestral choices. That work as pads and a lead, even two types of lead line (Absynth: breakpoint envelopes). Or I choose a preset that's evocative and now I'm hearing other parts of the arrangement once I'm playing the first instrument. Such as glass marimba, 8Dio where melody leaks out into a pad, I probably want marimba itself, and/or exotic mallet perc., and I'm hearing flutes out of the wash.

I have a LOT of templates and channel sets built to begin with. I also have created presets for the EQ I typically use, specific instrumental presets with descriptive names, and VSL has presets there as well. I don't browse for sounds, I mean I'm making decisions right away and I know where everything is more or less.

So no, I don't have trouble making the decisions, it's a joy to me. The thing is, I was a musician for like 35 yrs before I had my own DAW. I acquired the things because I expect to have ideas. Looking at the OP, it occurs to me that this freeware acquisitiveness leads to this overwhelmed situation. I don't have instruments just to have them, I see a use for them particularly. I mean I do have stuff (sample libs, so as to have a fairly full orch. palette at hand) I've never touched, but these will be choices to suit a musical reason, it's not clouding my mind.

IncarnateX · Post by **IncarnateX** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 1:47 pm

NystagmusE wrote:Do any of you know what I mean?

Unfortunately yes. After 8 years on PC drawning in options from GAS driven impulze achievements, where I spend more time to think about which synth to buy next than making tracks, I dropped the PC in 2010 and started to use iPad instead. However last year I had more iPad synths (they are so cheap) than I ever had VSTis and the problem just repeated itself in another format.

This year I took a radical step and dropped the iPad for other than recording. Instead I took my hardware down from the attic and reduced this studio as well by selling a good deal of synths and buying some new ones.

Since I cannot afford loads of hardware, this really works for me at the moment. I now have a minor but effective studio to keep me focused and it is 100% PC free.

Base is a MC909 for sequencing and sampling. A JD-Xi for vocoder and some analog fun, a JP8000 and a Korg Volca Bass. I do not have room or money for anything else, so as long as I stay away from PCs and VSTis this should do it. And that is already more options than I need. I could compose on the MC909 only if necessary, though I would miss my vocoder.

Sometimes less is more to me, however it can suddenly change again and this is the joker. I am quite satisfied for the moment though, so I hope I will stay on the wagon this time

trimph1 · Post by **trimph1** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 1:56 pm

Inspite of any current purchases I think keeping focused on what you use the most tends to be a good idea...for me.

foosnark · Post by **foosnark** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:34 pm

Impose some limits.

Write a track based entirely around one sample, like a cowbell or tom or something. Get variety out of it through sample editing, effects, and playing technique.

Then write a track based on one kind of sound -- all kick drums, or a Rhodes rompler, or all string sounds, or some simple hardware -- and make the most of the available variety.

Then write a track with exactly one track, one instance, one patch (or one non-synth instrument). This is what many guitar and piano players do all the time, so it shouldn't be hard, right?

Learn to drum, if you don't already; get a simple hand drum of some kind (a doumbek, a frame drum, a decent tamborine, whatever) and solo on that thing for a few hours. (Doesn't have to be all in one sitting.) Make it fun and interesting. If it helps, listen to some albums where other people do that. Hint: without dynamics (and I don't mean a compressor), it's probably going to be boring.

Then write a more full track, but for each part (bass, lead, pads, whatever), pick a random synth and commit to it, whether or not that synth is the "best" choice for the task. Make it work.

The point is that you always have practically infinite options, even with a single instrument that makes basically one kind of sound (or so most people think). Having lots of synths shouldn't cause creative paralysis.

deastman · Post by **deastman** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 2:48 pm

I love having a lot of options when it comes to tools, and I've never found it to be a hindrance. You aren't going to use every single tool on every single song anyway- just pick a tool or a small handful, and start making some music.

My problem, for many years now, has been lack of time. The opportunities I have for actually making music are few and far between, and when I do get that chance I'm usually already exhausted and burnt out and not in a mood to be creative. And when I do actually try to come up with something, I'm usually not satisfied with the results because I don't have enough time to devote to practice and keeping my chops up and working through the bad ideas to get to the good ones. Although this can be very discouraging, I still love the creative process of making music, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Deep Purple · Post by **Deep Purple** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 3:54 pm

I don't think of any of that as overwhelming at all. If I want to get away from the complexity, I'll just sit and play acoustic guitar or piano, or maybe go sit in the back yard with a harmonica.

Just get away from the computer if it overwhelms you.

IncarnateX · Post by **IncarnateX** » Mon Sep 21, 2015 4:03 pm

deastman wrote:My problem, for many years now, has been lack of time. The opportunities I have for actually making music are few and far between, and when I do get that chance I'm usually already exhausted and burnt out and not in a mood to be creative. And when I do actually try to come up with something, I'm usually not satisfied with the results because I don't have enough time to devote to practice and keeping my chops up and working through the bad ideas to get to the good ones. Although this can be very discouraging, I still love the creative process of making music, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

You are reading my life. Spot on.

At least many options is not a hindrance to you, to me it makes the above mentioned even worse

Overwhelmed by musical options...