Producing Without VSTs

[THE INTRANCER]

When it comes to using modern DAWs, our natural instinct is to use VST instruments to create our sounds. For some they have little choice, but many come from a time of production where VST's didn't exist and have actual hardware. Could you produce exclusively without VSTs, and if so, is it less or more liberating?

[TechHaus]

Liberating meaning what exactly?

[THE INTRANCER]

Liberating meaning what exactly?

Restrictive, or unrestrictive.

[TechHaus]

VSTs are the liberators. But restrictions (hardware) can be good. Many great creations are made in restrictive frameworks. But you can create your own restrictions in the box with VSTs, if you choose.

[stoopicus]

I fully understand option paralysis but I agree, the options are liberating and rejecting them is silly.

Choose your limitations for creativity and work within that, that's the same hardware or software. VSTs are simply the democratizing factor that opens up options for more people. This is universally, unequivocally a good thing.

[cryophonik]

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I think I’d get by without VSTs

As a guy who has been using hardware synths since the early 80s, it’s an interesting question to me. I’ve been through the tape and digital multitrack recorder days and, once I bought my first DAW about 25 years ago, I went hybrid and never looked back. I love having the experience of hardware synths, drum machines, and real instruments coupled with the convenience of software instruments, effects, and DAWs. I use them all pretty equally and I certainly never feel limited or constrained by my workflow. I also tend to buy each item with a specific purpose or use in mind and I take the time to learn them, so I really don’t ever feel like I’m paralyzed or overwhelmed by too many options.

All that said, if I had to choose between an entirely OTB synth setup vs AUs (Logic user, no VSTs allowed), I’d probably have to go with the convenience and space-savings of software. I’ve experimented with a DAWless setup a few times in recent years and hardware sequencers don’t appeal to me the way DAW sequencers do and there’s no way I’d go back to outboard multitrack recorders, ugh.

[zerocrossing]

When it comes to using modern DAWs, our natural instinct is to use VST instruments to create our sounds. For some they have little choice, but many come from a time of production where VST's didn't exist and have actual hardware. Could you produce exclusively without VSTs, and if so, is it less or more liberating?

For me, it depends on what I'm after. When I'm doing my improvised looping thing, I like to use a blend of hardware and software, but for effects, I'm generally always using software, even if it's running on a UAD Apollo. However, since my semi-retirement, I've been focusing on recording all the tunes I've written throughout the years that I never got to finish in a studio. I've only done 3 so far, but I've yet to find a reason to use my hardware synthesizers, though I'm playing real bass and guitar on all three tracks. There was one track that I had a synthesizer part for, but I used a plugin. Initially as placeholder, but when I got to the point of mixing, it just sounded right, so I didn't bother.

At first, I got kind of depressed about it. Why am I bothering with 9 hardware synthesizers, when I can produce a great sounding track with literally none of them. There are things that I know they do better, but so far, I haven't found a need. Maybe it's just because I wrote these tunes as guitar oriented songs, and use synthesizers in a similar way to how a band like Radiohead does. Maybe as I exhaust my old catalogue (:lol) I'll find use for my hardware synthesizers. Maybe I should force myself to do it, so I can see how it really ends up working in my process.

I find software to be a lot easier, especially in the mix down phase. A lot of things that in my old hardware day I'd have to do manually, or using CCs, or side chained compressors, I can do with automation that sounds better and is easier to achieve. I can try a lot of things out very quickly. One track I'm automating oscillator detune so there's little detuning during vocals, but more during open space. Instead of clumsy delay ducking, I'm modulating feedback amounts. I use a side chained EQ to make space for instruments that are stepping on each other's spectra. Can that even be done with hardware? For me, it's super easy and way more effective than multi-band side chained compression.

So could I? Sure. Most of my life that's all that there was. Maybe I'm keeping my hardware instruments out of nostalgia for those times. Would I? No. There is no benefit from limiting myself to hardware only.

[zerocrossing]

I fully understand option paralysis but I agree, the options are liberating and rejecting them is silly.

Choose your limitations for creativity and work within that, that's the same hardware or software. VSTs are simply the democratizing factor that opens up options for more people. This is universally, unequivocally a good thing.

I think the option paralysis people could break out if they could understand a pretty simple truth:

It doesn't matter. Most of the artists we idolize just bought the thing they could afford that was available to them. We think it's always some precious choice, when a lot of times it's just circumstances. Just use your first gut inclination and go with it. Sometimes I literally see someone bring up a plugin on the internet and I think, "oh, I haven't used tonal one in a while, I'll put it in this track," and make it work. It usually works, because I can make it work. If it doesn't, no big deal. Load up another one that makes more sense. Our maybe it just needs an effect added to it. There's never a perfect choice, so acting like there is one is just going to slow you down.

[eLawnMust]

Don't have space, time nor money for hardware... I can make super sounds without excretion of a penny with no extra space used...

[starflakeprj]

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I think I’d get by without VSTs

Pretty <3

But you need to update your screens to ones with thinner bezels, only 98% approved

[legendCNCD]

I could produce with hardware, but I do not want to do so anymore since 2000's as software has catched up greatly and now I have the possibility to copy the synth to new channels. Also I really, really hate cables.

[casiobioassay]

I fully understand option paralysis but I agree, the options are liberating and rejecting them is silly.

Choose your limitations for creativity and work within that, that's the same hardware or software. VSTs are simply the democratizing factor that opens up options for more people. This is universally, unequivocally a good thing.

We have had music publishing open up with platforms like Spotify. Anyone can release anything now. From a music listener's perspective this has not made the experience better.

[kritikon]

I could do it without VSTs and mostly do already. But I still use maybe 33% VST, mainly for drums/percussion and when I want obvious digital sounds from synths. FX are almost all ITB, though when I build my new studio I'll be using a little more outboard (not much though). For me, using a mouse is a constraint even though VST synths can generally do more than equivalent hw. However most VST synths still sound obviously digital to me, absolutely NOT the same as my analogue stuff, so I use analogue for the majority. However I don't always want analogue sounds, so...

Option paralysis - doesn't exist for me, never did, never will. I have far more things slowing down my music, such as lack of inspiration, shit playing skills and bone-idleness so I'm not going to waste any time fluffing myself about having too many toys. Same applies to VST as hw. I simply can't have too many toys - does not compute . It's like saying too much cheese, too many chocolate - ridiculous .

The flip side is: would I go all hw - f**k no. That's just a PITA. Those were the bad old days. Sequencers and tape/DAT and all that shit is not nostalgic, it's dumb and hard to do compared with a DAW.

[D-Fusion]

I could only use my Hardware to make music but i could also do the same with my vst collection and it would sound great no matter what i choose to use.

Now that we have so many great vst's I find the Hardware to be more of I want it issue and not because I need it to bring my songs to the next level.

[sjm]

Could you produce exclusively without VSTs?

Of course you can. What makes you think that you can't, when you point out that music was created long before VSTs existed? It's a very strange premise for a question.

And if so, is it less or more liberating?

I don't understand what you are asking here.

As per your (un)restrictive comment, I'd find not being able to use actual instruments far more restrictive than not using VSTs. Good luck knocking up believable "real instrument" parts via VST in less time than it takes to just play the part. But obviously restricting yourself is per definition restrictive. Your clarification is just as unclear as your original question.


As somebody who has played in actual bands for decades, and who owns loads of instruments (guitars, synths, e-drums, bass guitar, digital piano, various percussion) and mics, obviously I can record any of those and not use VSTs, and only process them with hardware effects. It worked 30 years ago, it hasn't stopped being possible today.

The question is why would I want to? I'd still do hard disk recording because that makes life so much easier, ergo I'll be using a computer anyway. So why not take advantage of the other features a computer offers?

What is your real question - what do you actually want to know?