The Studio Log - What Did You Do In The Studio

[mjolnir]

Wow, okay. I got another tune done! (It's a better edition of "Fortress", entitled "Floating Fortress").

UPDATE:

Not as much composing lately, but I cleaned up my DAW a bit.
I found out that some unneeded background programs were running so I removed them.

One really helpful thing was to store a bunch of synth presets as REAPER track templates.
I created some folders in that directory to sort the presets into "Bass", "Pad", etcetera. This cuts down on my doing doomscrolling through both the VSTs,LV2s,CLAPs and their related presets and proprietary preset managers. This unifies the preset searches and only includes the ones that I like. There aren't that many yet, but maybe that will focus my work more. (Just like in the 1990s).

Also, I decided to retire a few slightly overused VSTi demos (RIP u-He synths).
I'm still at an interim stage in figuring out how to include the ZOOM R8. I've got drums selected, but no tonal samples yet, and I need to figure that part out unless I just use the ZOOM for drums (which I might).

My DAW is going strong and I don't even use the CPU at full speed. I'm in "ondemand" mode.

Please let me know if you know of any weird things to sample that you think I really must put into my music.

[mjolnir]

Today I downloaded and installed Aodix, a tracker-style DAW. I got some sound out of it with VST2's but couldn't figure out how to load WAV files.
Overall, it was some additional experience with a tracker, kinda like MilkyTracker, and it brought back memories. But I can't see using it as a primary DAW. However, to jot down some arpeggios it might be useful and I could export them into the ZOOM R8 or REAPER or MuLab or whatnot.

I still don't see what the allure is of tracker programs, but at least I tried. Aodix requires ASIO, so I used FL Studio ASIO.


Also, I spent a long time trying to save TrackTemplate presets for Dexed until I realised that they DON'T SAVE at all in Reaper, so I lost a lot of work. So, I deleted Dexed which is okay because I don't really need 1980s FM synth sounds anyhow.

[crimsonwarlock]

I don't really need 1980s FM synth sounds anyhow.

[justin3am]

My studio computer decided it didn't want to boot it's OS last night. Thank goodness for redundant backups! I was able to pull the files I needed from my NAS, so I could work on projects from my laptop while the studio machine restored itself.
My studio computer was back up and running in no time.

[mjolnir]

Sorry if I upset anybody with the 1980s FM comment. @Crimson: LOL
@justin3am: Glad you got your system up again fast! That's an impressive recovery. I bet you were very relieved. I've been through similar at times.

Today I got a new tune done: https://soundcloud.com/909-compact-flash/escapee
The final session looked like this: (you can peek at my synths)

I got the wierd pad sound by holding down 2 (almost) adjacent notes on a Vember Surge XT patch.

[elxsound]

I'm working on curing a not so productive first half of the week. Something sapped up too much energy, but what's lost is lost, and it's always time to move on.

I'm working on updating Move with a curated collection of Elektron Digitakt sample packs to play with. I really liked Digitakt, but couldn't justify keeping it alongside Push 3 and now Move. To really make that swap work, I thought about trying to play Move like a Digitakt. No worries; I know all the ways it can't do that, but it seems like a good exercise.

I made some new food for Morphagene, sampling Soniccouture's AC DR drum pack using some of the DnB & Jungle presets from the Shadow/Tech pack with some extra processing in Live before export, then reopened in Reaper to add markers. Fun modular stuff that I hope to post sometime soon.

Updated VS with the latest Noir Cuts pack, which might get used in my overly ambitious project for a music video. That idea still looks great in my head.

[Shabdahbriah]

updated VS with the latest Noir Cuts pack,

That pack was one of, if not the best I've seen... looked really cool. I'll likely be grabbing it next month. I totally dug the audio track they used, as well.

[mjolnir]

I went back and reinstalled u-He Zebra again. With the additional soundpacks available and with some of the better sounds it's just too good to ignore. But I'm kinda kicking my own arse because it necessitates browsing too many presets for far too long. And I don't like working that way. I like my sound selection to be more deliberate. But hopefully my recent system of using REAPER track templates as a preset library will be enough to filter out the junk if I only save the ones I like into specific folders.

UPDATE: I got another tune done(!). I felt frustrated more and more as I was working on it, until finally I just had to quit and quit listening to it. But this does happen. The lonely empty feeling I get while working on tracks doesn't help, but I power through it. If anybody is interested, the recent tune is "Building An Igloo". And yes, I accidentally reused the same drum track as in a previous tune (oops!).

[foosnark]

It's Drone Day, so I droned.

My current project has "rules" like the previous one:

All tracks: use MI Marbles, but don't touch the controls (except Rate if necessary) after setting them on the first track.
Odd tracks: no FM permitted. Should make heavy use of delays and reverb.
Even tracks: only FM synthesis permitted. (Yes, phase modulation counts.) No delays or reverb allowed.

And since I'm going back and forth between wet and dry, I'm naming it Amphibian.


This was #4, so it was an FM drone. Two instances of Serum -- using some of the wider unison/detune spreads can get really wild, and the depth goes right up into noise territory. Also OPS7, Submarine PO-284 (in VCV Rack), Decadebridge Sn and Akemie's Castle. (I had Marbles modulating Rotate and Radiate on Jumbler to play with panning the Sn.)

[cryophonik]

I’ve made some changes to my hardware lineup over the past few months and things were getting a bit too disorganized for my OCD. I took yesterday off for a long holiday weekend and spent most of the latter part of the day reorganizing the studio, re-routing my audio and MIDI ins and outs to be more logical, then spent some time getting to know my two newest additions, Dreadbox Artemis and UDO Super 6. These are two fantastic synths and the Artemis is an instant fav for me.

Spent a little more time with the Super 6 this morning and I’m really loving it. I actually owned the exact same desktop model previously and I hated it so much that I sold it after two days! The firmware at that time was something like v0.5 and it was just a nightmare for me, but now that the firmware is far more complete (v1.60 IIRC), it’s like a whole new synth now and pretty much what I had hoped it would be. My plans for the rest of the day are to float in the pool, watch the hockey game, then finish a song I’ve been putting off later this evening.

[elxsound]

It's Drone Day, so I droned.

I’m hoping to participate this year. I always miss it and now there’s still 11 hours left in the day!

Shit, just realizing I slept in! I’m just finishing breakfast. I don’t think I’ve slept in for maybe longer than 6 years?

[cryophonik]

Today I got a new tune done: https://soundcloud.com/909-compact-flash/escapee

Oooh, I like this! It’s got a bit of a Delerium/Conjure One vibe going.

[vurt]

It's Drone Day, so I droned.

I’m hoping to participate this year. I always miss it and now there’s still 11 hours left in the day!

im leaving it to multimod and strega this year

[WatchTheGuitar]

I upgraded to the latest Cherry Audio synth stack for £50 in the current sale.
Found the new plugins a bit hit and miss with one or two not responding to my MIDI keyboard, not sure why, may try a reinstall and see if that fixes it. Been trying the new ones out and playing through the presets to get a handle on the sounds

Edit: Ah, had set my keyboard controller to channel 3 somehow. I guess some of the Cherry Audio instruments default to Omni channels and some don’t.

[crimsonwarlock]

Even though I have many reverbs already, I picked up a RE version of a PCM60 reverb for a tenner.