Am I getting better, or is it the tools that are better?

[SampleScience]

I've been producing electronic music since the early 2000s. When I started, I wasn't really good. Fast forward 20 years later, I have hundreds of plugins, and I'm an FL Studio power user. I can make a track that sounds great in less than an hour, and it's mostly done. I couldn't be happier with the result.

But I rely a lot on an enormous amount of resources I collected over the years: an endless array of sample packs, plugins, preset banks, and even MIDI packs.

I'm starting to wonder if I'm actually a better musician or if it's the tools that are making the music now. I surely got better at using them, but technology evolved at a rapid rate in the last 20 years. Everything is just much better now. Some plugin synths are actually better than most hardware synths now.

Without chord tools like Scaler 2 and Reason MIDI tools, it would be much harder for me to come up with good music as fast as I can now. Especially Scaler 2, which I use to create my own chord progressions. It's just so good at not only giving me great chords to use but also informing me on how to use them.

It's like having a composer assistant that tells me what chords to use to create specific moods. It's amazing.

For old producers like me, what are your thoughts about this? Has music production become so easy that there isn't much challenge anymore, or it's just me who got better?

[nix808]

I can't compose almost anything now.
in the noughties I made 3 albums,
I'm just playing live MIDI guitar all the time to jam tracks on You-Tube

-my music has evolved into that

I still have my old DAWS though,
FLS is 21
Reason is better than ever
ACID for quantizing and tracking out
Sound Forge for audio editor

I have more stuff but can't seem to write at any rate

I'm plussed that ur flowing like an audio stream, with all these mature advanced tools

-so writing is difficult and non-productive,
but I am getting better at my pygmy music theory
and bending my MIDI tech which is largely soft with more ability,
so my tools are coming on too for performance

[foosnark]

For old producers like me, what are your thoughts about this? Has music production become so easy that there isn't much challenge anymore, or it's just me who got better?

Certain aspects of music production have gotten easier and better thanks to the technology, partly because of actual technical improvements, partly because the world has cumulatively gotten more experience in using the tools and that knowledge fed back into development.

Some of the creative work can be tool-assisted, automated or even completely created by "AI." But there's always a human element (even if at "worst" it's just the listener) and that's going to feed back into the creative process too. But people have been using chance and/or formulas and algorithms in composition since at least the 15th century, and probably before that with games etc. A lot of composition is striking a balance between expectations/predictability and surprise/novelty.

Anyway, I think the challenge isn't necessarily what matters unless you personally feel like it's an important part of the process. Painting a Mondrian or a Rothko is a lot "easier" than a Rembrandt but it's not less creative, less valid or less affecting.

I also think you can always set your own challenge level to be within, or just beyond, your comfort zone.

[empphryio]

I can't figure out how to actually listen to your music so no idea. Just see sample packs and virtual instruments. Sorry.

[Harry_HH]

The reason is better tools, told my mama.

[jancivil]

you answered your own question:
“Without chord tools like Scaler 2 and Reason MIDI tools, it would be much harder for me to come up with good music as fast as I can now. Especially Scaler 2, which I use to create my own chord progressions. It's just so good at not only giving me great chords to use but also informing me on how to use them.

It's like having a composer assistant that tells me what chords to use to create specific moods. It’s amazing.”

[bermudagold]

you answered your own question...dummying down music has its consequences

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip- ... 235303454/

[SampleScience]

you answered your own question...dummying down music has its consequences

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip- ... 235303454/

Can you elaborate on your answer?

[SampleScience]

you answered your own question:
“Without chord tools like Scaler 2 and Reason MIDI tools, it would be much harder for me to come up with good music as fast as I can now. Especially Scaler 2, which I use to create my own chord progressions. It's just so good at not only giving me great chords to use but also informing me on how to use them.

It's like having a composer assistant that tells me what chords to use to create specific moods. It’s amazing.”

It's a composer assistant because I don't use the chord progressions these tools are suggesting "as is"; I create my own from them. I also use other MIDI tools and techniques to change them in different ways.

Otherwise, it would be boring.

[bermudagold]

you answered your own question...dummying down music has its consequences

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip- ... 235303454/

Can you elaborate on your answer?

I was mostly just being silly and facetious...the answer to your question is most likely both...but the reality is whether loop packs, construction kits, midi packs; or generative tools like auto chord plugins, midi melody plugins, sequenced effect/MSEG plugins that create pitch and cadence phrasing;...the more of the end product doesn't come from your conscious intent, the more it is the tools as opposed to the user...the danger is it collapses musical artistry to being more formulaic, derivative, and rule based...which opens up the door even more for AI to get a foothold...hence the billboard article posted.

[Jac459]

Without chord tools like Scaler 2 and Reason MIDI tools, it would be much harder for me to come up with good music as fast as I can now. Especially Scaler 2, which I use to create my own chord progressions. It's just so good at not only giving me great chords to use but also informing me on how to use them.

Sorry to come only on a part of your point but I am using all the Reason midi tools but don't use Scaler 2. How is scaler different ? Is it really better than reason chord sequencer and all the suit of midi player ?
Thanks.

[SampleScience]

Without chord tools like Scaler 2 and Reason MIDI tools, it would be much harder for me to come up with good music as fast as I can now. Especially Scaler 2, which I use to create my own chord progressions. It's just so good at not only giving me great chords to use but also informing me on how to use them.

Sorry to come only on a part of your point but I am using all the Reason midi tools but don't use Scaler 2. How is scaler different ? Is it really better than reason chord sequencer and all the suit of midi player ?
Thanks.

I don't think it's better, it's just a different approach to a similar concept. It has a different library of chord progressions that you can filter by scale, mood, genre, etc. You can also load audio files in it and it'll detect the scale and chord progression.

What is fun with Reason MIDI tools is the modularity, it's just so good and I learned a lot from it. I use Reason as a plugin inside FL Studio because I prefer FL Studio's sequencer (and I'm used to it).

[SampleScience]

you answered your own question...dummying down music has its consequences

https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip- ... 235303454/

Can you elaborate on your answer?

I was mostly just being silly and facetious...the answer to your question is most likely both...but the reality is whether loop packs, construction kits, midi packs; or generative tools like auto chord plugins, midi melody plugins, sequenced effect/MSEG plugins that create pitch and cadence phrasing;...the more of the end product doesn't come from your conscious intent, the more it is the tools as opposed to the user...the danger is it collapses musical artistry to being more formulaic, derivative, and rule based...which opens up the door even more for AI to get a foothold...hence the billboard article posted.

Ah, I get it. It makes more sense!

I think it depends on how you use the tools. I never use things "as is" because I would find the process boring. I prefer to use them as a starting point.

It's not less me. It's me with an arsenal to expand on my initial ideas. To quote Steve Jobs, these tools are the "bicycles of the mind"; the vision and ideas are all mine.

[Jac459]

Without chord tools like Scaler 2 and Reason MIDI tools, it would be much harder for me to come up with good music as fast as I can now. Especially Scaler 2, which I use to create my own chord progressions. It's just so good at not only giving me great chords to use but also informing me on how to use them.

Sorry to come only on a part of your point but I am using all the Reason midi tools but don't use Scaler 2. How is scaler different ? Is it really better than reason chord sequencer and all the suit of midi player ?
Thanks.

I don't think it's better, it's just a different approach to a similar concept. It has a different library of chord progressions that you can filter by scale, mood, genre, etc. You can also load audio files in it and it'll detect the scale and chord progression.

What is fun with Reason MIDI tools is the modularity, it's just so good and I learned a lot from it. I use Reason as a plugin inside FL Studio because I prefer FL Studio's sequencer (and I'm used to it).

Thanks mate, it does help.
I am using the rrp inside bitwig on my side .

[tapper mike]

Back in the 80's I had moderately priced guitars that "Did the job" In the 90's I came into a little bit of money and upgraded all my gear to more expensive American made guitars. In the area I lived in everything was "Buy American" even if you can't afford it. Buying a Les Paul changed my playing dramatically but first it came from audience response "He must be great he has a Les Paul. I loved the tone hated the weight. But by merely having a real Les Paul doors that were once closed to me opened up. As that happened I got a lot of recognition and my playing got better as I became more confident, relaxed and I could focus on nuance.

So yes having better gear (hardware/Software) inspire you to play better. But moreover it's about audience feedback and willingness to work through things.

These days the expensive guitars are gone, the audiences are gone and I have other things to do with my time. I spend money on software and moderately on hardware to inspire me to play more. But that always wanes. Even now I'm getting new pups installed on a tele that I love to play but hate the sound and I'm chasing after a new musical direction because I'm bored stupid with my old stuff. Will it work? Maybe.

One of the biggest things I've done over the years is to move away from automated backing tracks. As much as I love jamming with a band backing tracks are a terrible substitution, So I play a lot of unaccompanied or simple drum track accompaniment on guitar and I'm trying to develop a "Solo" keys approach to the linnstrument.

I did a lot of writing/recording back in the 80's and 90's. Had it all mastered and would bring in cassettes/cd's share with others who would either wanted to know what I was doing with all that stuff or Band members that wanted to play the music I'd writtem. My car was stolen and all my gear and my demos were gone never to return again. I moved out of the gigging life and settled into 80 hour work weeks.

In short I play for my own amusement these days. I (almost) stopped chasing gear. Now I mostly focus on technique.