DAW-less vs DAW-full

[diandremusic]

Hi guys,

New to the forum. Was heavily into music production and DJing for a good decade up until about 2015, then started to fall out of love with it, did my last gig in 2015 in Ibiza then called it quits.

In the last year, I've got back to playing with my decks and studio gear again after a long while out and am loving it again. Much more for the fun of it that trying to "make it" which feels much easier!

One thing I've realised towards the end was I was trying to go more into the hardware space and I was using my Elektron gear (Analog Rytm & Four [Mk1]) to make most of my music. I was playing live with it, but then I've realised the problem was the music stayed in the boxes and I didn't finish a lot in the DAW (Overbridge was a new thing and not really working back then).

Now looking around I see things like the new MPC devices and am comparing to Push 2 and wondering whether people are really making music without any DAW? Or is it inevitable that you need the DAW, so better look at Push2 for example than getting so lost in the Elektron workflow / hardware??!

Thanks
Andy

[thecontrolcentre]

Nothing wrong with Elektron once you get into their "workflow" ... and nothing wrong with PUSH2/ Live 11 either. I use both. My last album was made with one hardware synth (no DAW), the next one will be both hardware & software tracks. Use what works for you ...

[roman.i]

You'll need a daw at some point for the final processing. It's easier to write music on a hardware, but mixing is much easier in a daw. Don't see any reason why would you force yourself using only hardware for everything.

[Uncle E]

One thing I've realised towards the end was I was trying to go more into the hardware space and I was using my Elektron gear (Analog Rytm & Four [Mk1]) to make most of my music. I was playing live with it, but then I've realised the problem was the music stayed in the boxes and I didn't finish a lot in the DAW (Overbridge was a new thing and not really working back then).

MPC solves this completely. Elektron are a close second. Devices that export stems like the Polyend and Electribe 2 are a close third. I've been in the exact position you were in (music stayed in the boxes) and things are much better now.

[diandremusic]

Nothing wrong with Elektron once you get into their "workflow" ... and nothing wrong with PUSH2/ Live 11 either. I use both. My last album was made with one hardware synth (no DAW), the next one will be both hardware & software tracks. Use what works for you ...

Yeah good point, maybe forget either or and go both. Have you used Push to program the Elektron gear, or do you just lose all the cool p-locks and effects that way?

[diandremusic]

One thing I've realised towards the end was I was trying to go more into the hardware space and I was using my Elektron gear (Analog Rytm & Four [Mk1]) to make most of my music. I was playing live with it, but then I've realised the problem was the music stayed in the boxes and I didn't finish a lot in the DAW (Overbridge was a new thing and not really working back then).

MPC solves this completely. Elektron are a close second. Devices that export stems like the Polyend and Electribe 2 are a close third. I've been in the exact position you were in (music stayed in the boxes) and things are much better now.

Which MPC are you talking? I was looking at the Akai Force, which seems to try to take it all into hardware, but Abelton integration didn’t sound great, so felt like Push2 maybe a better option. I need to try Overbridge again now and see if that helps, shame you lose the effects though, love the compressor on the Rytm.

[Uncle E]

MPC One and Live. Check out Maschine Plus, too.

http://youtu.be/gsfIf6c9Zlg

http://youtu.be/CGBR6iaRPlk

[diandremusic]

Thanks, interesting. Never really got on with NI stuff on production side to be honest, but long time Traktor user

[Uncle E]

Maschine is pretty equivalent to an MPC. I think it adds Ableton Session View functionality but I can't speak much to that. With that said, if you have your heart set on Elektron, just go that route because there's nothing else is like it.

[Tj Shredder]

Nothing wrong with Elektron once you get into their "workflow" ... and nothing wrong with PUSH2/ Live 11 either. I use both. My last album was made with one hardware synth (no DAW), the next one will be both hardware & software tracks. Use what works for you ...

Yeah good point, maybe forget either or and go both. Have you used Push to program the Elektron gear, or do you just lose all the cool p-locks and effects that way?

You can always record audio into your DAW. There is nothing to loose…

[vitocorleone123]

Not using a DAW at all is just making your like harder for no reason other than probably ego. People use different DAWs in different ways. If all you want to do is record and mix with maybe a couple plugins, check out Mixbus32C.

I run everything through my DAW so the hardware is nearly as seamless to use as the software. The DAW stays running - there’s no wait time. Takes longer for my OB-6 to boot from power on than it does to click twice to start recording (one to switch to the DAW in the background and once to hit record).

[rrroach]

Maschine is pretty equivalent to an MPC. I think it adds Ableton Session View functionality but I can't speak much to that. With that said, if you have your heart set on Elektron, just go that route because there's nothing else is like it.

I have the Maschine Mk3 and it does have what's called the "Arranger" view which is equivalent to Ableton Live's Arrangement view. This is better than nothing but the big pain about it is that it's isolated within the Maschine and it's accompanying plugin. For example if you insert a few bars of time into your existing song, Maschine doesn't know you've done that and it doesn't mimic what you've just done by inserting the same number of bars.

Ex. 4 bar song inserting 1 bar before bar 3, song is now 5 bars; Maschine just stays the same 4 bars as before so now nothing is synced up