But what IS "workflow"?

[DaveL60]

Maybe this is a naive/stupid question, but I'm struggling to grasp "workflow" and I'm starting to wonder if it's in the "I can't define it but I know it when I see it" category.

There's a new topic about "happy with my host" and several messages talk about how its workflow is great. I've seen numerous other messages about how this, that, or the other program's workflow does or doesn't suit person A, B, or C. As somebody who's relatively new to computer recording, but who understands the old (old (old (maybe ancient))) world of 4-track tape pretty well, I'd love to hear what it is about your host's workflow that is effective and/or what it is about some other host's workflow that drove you away from it. Might help me (a) grasp the concept for real, and (b) figure out ways to work more efficiently.

Help a (semi-)newbie out here, please. TIA,

DaveL

[vurt]

basically how easy you find to use your host of choice

for instance i use orion plat and find it easy,someone who uses cubase may find orion fiddly.and vice versa of course.

if you do not already have a host check all demos,ask here about the bits you need.

ie for recording altho orion platinum does have the facility its far from the best at that particular thing.unfortunately i dont know what is


but stick around and soon enough youll forget what newbie even means

[Wopelka]

you can picture it this way:

in order to go to a certain place (let's say a drum track for example) there are several roads possible.

each road takes a different direction and you need to walk through different steps before arriving at destination.

Each road is a host. and its workflow is the steps you need to go through.

We have all different ways of working and so everybody has their preference when it comes to workflow.

[Igor 4000]

I've discovered that if you spend enough time with any host, you will eventually adapt to its workflow and it will then become your workflow of choice.

[CynicalSmile]

Excellent response Wopelka, but an even easier concept to grasp is this:

Does the host work how YOU think it should?

Sonar makes sense TO ME. It makes sense to me that when I double click a midi clip it opens the piano roll. It makes sense to me that you need a midi track to play a soft synth, and an audio track to hear it. It makes sense to me that you can right click a midi clip and choose to split it at that point...etc...etc.

I used Logic for a while in my "let's try a Mac" phase, and it made NO SENSE TO ME. I spent more time trying to figure out the software than I did making music, therefore it wrecked my workflow.

Honestly the easiest way to find that is just to try demos, and see which one you can start getting stuff done with without reading the manual (at first, just for test purposes ).

[torhan]

Excellent response Wopelka, but an even easier concept to grasp is this:

Does the host work how YOU think it should?

Sonar makes sense TO ME. It makes sense to me that when I double click a midi clip it opens the piano roll. It makes sense to me that you need a midi track to play a soft synth, and an audio track to hear it. It makes sense to me that you can right click a midi clip and choose to split it at that point...etc...etc.

I'll just add that with Sonar you can also change the behavior of the "double click" on a clip. For example, an audio clip, you can choose the double click to either open the "loop editor," the properties dialog, etc.

[spaceman]

workflow is all about keeping the right brain hemisphere working and not the left one

[torhan]

workflow is all about keeping the right brain hemisphere working and not the left one

I didn't know spacebeings had two.

[spaceman]

workflow is all about keeping the right brain hemisphere working and not the left one

I didn't know spacebeings had two.

four you mean (and a dysfunctional middle one as well which I mainly use in the office )

[Rabid]

My definition of workflow depends on the task I am doing and creating a song from start to finish is not a single task. Maybe a better term for me would be “steps”. The most critical step comes when I am trying to get an idea down. Ideas are fleeting and sometimes you only have seconds to get it recorded. This is composition and where I like to start most songs. The workflow during this step had better be quick, simple and comfortable. I don’t care about effects or audio. I just want to record a part on an instrument that sounds close and then be able to arrange those parts. This is where Orion comes in. In two weeks with Orion I have created a dozen templates that load with instruments assigned and even some drum patterns already programmed. When an idea hits I pull up the best match and start recording.

The other major step is finalizing the songs. Smooth and fast workflow is not as important as the ability to do anything that may help the song. This is when I jump to Sonar. I can pull in MIDI patterns, Acid files, record audio, apply adjustments to groove and feel. It’s a different ballgame and requires a different kind of host.

There are things other than the host that can affect workflow, or define workflow. I spent the weekend arranging patches in FM7 and Pro53. Compared to arranging patches in Z3ta+, the workflow in these NI products is horrid. I spend 8 hours in Pro53 sorting through patches and assigning them to specific banks. File 1 - lead, File 2 – pads, File 3 – bass, etc. Then within File 1, bank 1 – soft, Bank 2 – Synch, Bank 3 glide, etch. But now I know that if I want to use Pro53 for a snap bass track, I go to File 3 bank 6 and I have 8 variants to choose from. Anyone that does not do this should try it on a couple of synths. It is amazing how workflow improves at critical times when you don’t have to search for sounds.

I also do this with loops. When I get a CD of Acid loops the first step is to categorize the loops and remove any that will never be used. If I want a drum loop of an acoustic kit with heavy back beat and a bit of push, then I go to my drum loop folder -> acoustic -> rock -> etc. Instead of going through a dozen CD's and lots of files I go streight to a folder with relavant loops.

Robert

[putte]

workflow, on a computer, is to me that i can do what i want in the fastest time possible.

logic statisfies me in this quite well, with all the screensets, key-commands and configured 8-button mouse (start, stop, toolbox, solo-mode, cut, etc ..)
i rarely have to go into menu´s and stuff.

putte

[Caleb]

workflow is all about keeping the right brain hemisphere working and not the left one

Actually I think the essence behind this is a great explanation of what a good workflow is.

There are a million ways to get to your destination. Two people could write effectively the same track taking radically different paths even when using the same tools.

If two people want to walk to the same place they might take any number of different routes to get there. And regardless of any amount of arguing these two might never agree on the best way to get there. One might like one path because it slopes downwards towards the end. It feels like less work. The other might say that path that goes uphill for some of the way is better because it provides more inspiration to work harder and end up getting there quicker.

Sequencers are a little like that in a way and workflow is the individual routes you can choose to get to the final destination.

Take Orion, the method of programming via the piano editor which is attached to the instrument you've added to your project for some is the best way to work. They know exactly where to go to edit their synth tracks because the sequence and the instrument is "tied".

Others might not be happy with this because they like the idea of freely assigning and deassigning tracks from one instrument to another with a minimum of fuss.

Others again might only feel comfortable with a host that allows you to not only freely assign and deassign note sequences but also automation information as well.

There are a huge number of variations that can satisfy each person's concept of what a good workflow is and few universal "truths" on the subject.

And that's why monsters like Cubase and Logic are now joined with a number of alternatives not just in branding but in "workflow" to try and cater for musicians who don't necessarily see things in the same way.

Also remember alot of these "newer" products were actually created by musicians who didn't see things the Cubase/Logic way.

Caleb

[deastman]

Although I like to mix up my workflow to keep things interesting, the most common one is to record a bunch of parts in Orion, write them out as WAVs, and arrange them in Acid. I also sometimes need to score to video, and I had my company buy me Nuendo for this purpose- but I hate it!

I'm now looking at the latest Sonar and thinking that it meets all of my requirements nicely. We'll see...

[Lunch Money]

Workflow, for me, is the shortest path from an idea to having that idea sitting in my sequencer.

Now, when I say 'shortest path', I don't mean the fewest keystrokes or mouseclicks, I just mean how quickly can you, as a user who knows his host, get your ideas into the sequencer. As Igor stated, ANY sequencer can become your best option for workflow. All it takes is familiarity.

In my case, I found Tracktion to be the quickest and easiest. The keystrokes made sense to me, the one-window no-submenu system kept everything within easy reach for me, and the way that you assign 'devices' and plug-ins was grasped just upon looking at it. When T users keep plugging its "workflow", I imagine they experienced the same thing as me.

Greg

[shamann]

Some very good answers, can't really add much to flesh out the concept. Best not to think of it terms of the buzzword, rather the thing itself. I've seen people dismiss a host by merely saying "I didn't like it's workflow," which just means they didn't like working with it but is a considerably more showy way of saying it.

In terms of the hostlove thread, recent functionality changes in Sonar were referred to as workflow changes. In those cases, any item in an application with which a user can interact bears relation to workflow. In short, the things in there designed for you to get on with.

Hope that helps lift some fog, buzzword obfuscation can really be hell. Watch out when it becomes an acronym.

Cheers,
Steve