Who's gonna teach me to use 'my' host?

[original flipper]

HI

Just a little observation.

This is an ongoing dilema for many people who switch from one host to another - in 'sickle666's' words; looking for the holy grail, which we all know is ever elusive.

I personally was very comfortable with Logic until a variety of things conspired to make me look elsewhere - I now have more host programs than I care to mention and still am less than happy with them all, unlike when I started using Logic and simply stuck with it until I learnt to do everything I needed from it - this seems to be the 'phase' that is so very difficult for people (including me) to navigate!

Many people who don't play an instrument with any degree of skill are quite often heard to say that the 'host' IS the instrument and thinking along those lines, doesn't it make sense that like (many) instrumentalists a need for tutoring will be required to grasp the potential of the host and indeed fathom it's depths?

Unfortunately most host programs appear to lack the kind of in depth tutorials and instructions that make learning an enjoyable experience - when I took piano lessons I had 'teaching' on a number of levels, it was personal, my questions were answered, I was given food for thought - there was an experience involved, this is so very hard to mimic with a PDF manual or a video clip.

When I got into Reason a while back I purchased 3 books of varying complexity, worked through them and must admit that they very quickly got me up and running , the good thing about the first book was that it left no room for deviance - every mouse click and operation had text and photos to support the journey.

I am not saying that a book is the answer and in all honesty I think that Reason is probably the only program (I know it aint a host, it is a complete self contained enviroment, but I am sure you know where I am coming from with the example) that has such an abundance of QUALITY instructional guides, the point is these guides tend to be far superior in getting you up and running than the developers manual or PDF.

I wish that there was a similarly high quality guide to some of the other host programs - I have a couple for Logic and to be honest (I know it is far more complex than Reason) they are more like reference manuals than tutorials to general use.

I think Orion has some great example set-ups but falls flat on it's face because there is nothing (that I can find) written up on exactly what your looking at, a reposte - I think Orion is an easier host to learn but nevertheless SOME people will still struggle to work it out - never underestimate the other guy's nuro-network.

I imagine it's ecenomics - the market isn't big enough to warrant a 10,000 print run or the publishers just don't know who or what Fruity Loops is?

I don't believe it is productive or in the best interests of the consumer to have to wade through such complex programs and although there is support to be had from forums, on-line manuals et al I still believe that the process is somewhat chaotic.

I work in a HE college and am still studying at degree level (even at my age!) - my point being I know a little about teaching/learning, but I can't help feeling that the 'Learning' experience/process involved in many host programs is anarchic, I even wonder if this area of things is even thought about when developers design their wares?

I would recommend to anyone starting out (or even a veteran) with a new host (or any other complex program/synth ect) to seek out an experienced user - you will learn in a couple of hours with that person what might take you months to otherwise soak-up, you will probably also pick up things that you would NEVER have learnt or thought of!

I think Ableton have given it a reasonable shot with their video tutorials - perhaps this is a way foward?

For me though the best method beyond having a real living organism around is a printed document, with lots of examples/pictures that take you through whatever aspect of the program in a clear and concise way, I noticed that Camel Audio have a printed manual for chameleon - I have not looked at it, I wonder if it has 'BASIC' tutorials?

I still get a bit miffed when I think about the lack of a real entry level tutorial to the workings of SXV3 which I have started to use, it really makes me wonder how I am supossed to use all these features that are in all fairness the MARKETING strategy to convince me I need the program, if the whole thing falls flat on it's face because I have to wade through a 600 page technical document!

I never meant to turn this into a rant or a 'complaint' thread but simply to think about how 'WE' learn and get instruction on our 'Instrument' - I think the industry has a long way to go and doubt if it will ever fully consider how people use it's products, I simply see an industry that is driven by features, up-dates and revision; unfortunately the consumer is likewise taken in by the candy, the result is (good for the market) a constant movement by consumers to aquire the next best thing that will put right the wrongs done them by their last host!

If the range (and quality) of guides available for Reason were mimicked for other 'complex' programs I think there would be a lot less grumpy users around,
beyond that it would be nice too see some 1 day courses or similar by experienced users/teachers or some 1-1 tuition, this is at the crux of my point - only with some guidence can you expect to progress - unless you are happy to stumble around.

Flipper.

[vurt]

RTFM!!!

[experimental.crow]

that's
Read The Furnished Materials ...

right ?...

[vurt]

i always though read the full manual?