Do you program all of your sounds from scratch?

[kritikon]

I more often than not do both. I start with a preset, fiddle about with it to get more of what I want, decide it's not really what I want so go really deep into it and change it beyond all recognition, then scrap the whole wasted time and start the bloody thing from scratch, which is what I should have done at the outset.

[Gadget Fiend]

Duplicate post.

[Gadget Fiend]

I use mostly presets with plugin instruments. But I program all of my own presets on my hardware synths because the hands on control makes the patch creation process so much more enjoyable.

[ramseysounds]

No

[briefcasemanx]

Lol no, that's pointless if you're trying to make actual music. Just find something close and make some tweaks.

But also you should definitely be programming stuff from scratch sometimes, during specific sound design sessions where your not trying to make a song, but just learn a synth better or get better at sound design while making your own patches. This way you have sound design chops so when you need to tweak a preset while in the throes of inspiration while making an actual song, you can do so quickly.

[Chr!s]

Nope. Granted, I don't really ever use synths much anyway, but when I do...

I had a teacher who used to say that every time you're screwing around with learning curves or messing with buttons and dials — then you aren't making music.

The other thing about synths is that any sort of sound I'm imagining, a preset surely exists which is already at least CLOSE to it. So there's no point in not just going for that and then back to music making.

I always found that elitism among Electronic artists amusing — like, where they insist everyone uses their own sounds and not presets so that you don't "sound like anyone else", but then they take their original sounds, and write the exact same four-on-the-floor, offbeat bass song like literally millions of others.

I don't think the sound design is the cause of the originality drought.

[recursive one]

I used to make everything from scratch, now I have enough of my own presets to rely upon, and also I think I'm more or less confident with synthesis so I can always change existing presets into whatever direction I want.

Making your own sounds for your own tracks is not an elitism, it's a useful excercice, even if you just recreate sounds which are common for your genre and don't innovate much, you learn how synths actually work

[Ah_Dziz]

I make my synth sounds on the spot in pretty much all my productions. When it comes to sample based instruments, I will often use pre-made stuff and then just process and tweak from there.

[foosnark]

It's funny, I see more people arguing "making your own sounds is a waste of time" than I have ever seen people "insisting that everyone uses their own sounds."

"Presets or not?" is not even a factor in my enjoyment of listening to music. It's a meaningless, irrelevant question.

I don't design my own sounds because elitism. I do it because I enjoy it and it's an important part of my process.

[Ah_Dziz]

It's funny, I see more people arguing "making your own sounds is a waste of time" than I have ever seen people "insisting that everyone uses their own sounds."

"Presets or not?" is not even a factor in my enjoyment of listening to music. It's a meaningless, irrelevant question.

I don't design my own sounds because elitism. I do it because I enjoy it and it's an important part of my process.

I dunno. I was kind of broken hearted when I heard one of my favorite groups release a song that was for the most part just an unmodified an1x preset playing over a stylus loop. Aside from that one instance I don't really care how most of the music I listen to is made though.

[LeVzi]

Its been really liberating using a ROMpler of late. Never used to think id find a use for one, but having the stuff there ready has sped up my workflow immensely

Combine it with more synths that i've purchased lately, I spend more time actually getting tracks done than creating all the sounds from scratch

Apart from percussion, I hate doing that.

[vurt]

I always found that elitism among Electronic artists amusing — like, where they insist everyone uses their own sounds and not presets so that you don't "sound like anyone else", but then they take their original sounds, and write the exact same four-on-the-floor, offbeat bass song like literally millions of others.

I don't think the sound design is the cause of the originality drought.

you owe me £19.99 for the irony meter you just exploded.

[elestud]

It's kind of a mix of everything. But I find that doing a few sounds from scratch is a pretty good way to learn a synth, as it forces you to grapple with the ins and outs.

[Chr!s]

Its been really liberating using a ROMpler of late. Never used to think id find a use for one, but having the stuff there ready has sped up my workflow immensely

Combine it with more synths that i've purchased lately, I spend more time actually getting tracks done than creating all the sounds from scratch

Apart from percussion, I hate doing that.

I love Romplers, especially the classics from the 90s.

So much cheesy goodness in those things.

[Kevinvial]

Depends on project sometimes i program sometimes i use loops to chop sometimes i use samples. It all depends on where my creative mind takes me in the moment.