I want to make my own Geogaddi
December 6, 2009 11:42 AM Subscribe
Where do I start if I want to make my own electronic music?
Like many, many people I love music. My tastes have always been pretty rock based, but in the past couple of years I have branched off into the amazing world of 'electronic' music and I am pretty much hooked. However, I also play bass and half of the fun for me about music is imagining how I would create the tracks I am listening to, or blend everything I like together into one sound that I could label as my own.
Making music with a guitar is very easy, just plug in and play whatever you like, but when it comes to electronic music I have no idea where to start, or even how my favourite musicians do what they do.
What software, hardware or otherwise would you recommend so that I could start combining the ideas in my head with the instruments and techniques that my favourite artists use?
For reference, when I talk about electronic music (which I know is a massive and largely useless term), I am talking about acts like:
Four Tet
Amon Tobin
Burial
Boards of Canada
Bonobo
Fila Brazilia
Nightmares on Wax
These artists all create a lot of atmosphere, dozens of layers of foundation beats and melodies, all with the general aim of creating a feel and mood as opposed to a fast soulless dance record etc.
Thanks!
Like many, many people I love music. My tastes have always been pretty rock based, but in the past couple of years I have branched off into the amazing world of 'electronic' music and I am pretty much hooked. However, I also play bass and half of the fun for me about music is imagining how I would create the tracks I am listening to, or blend everything I like together into one sound that I could label as my own.
Making music with a guitar is very easy, just plug in and play whatever you like, but when it comes to electronic music I have no idea where to start, or even how my favourite musicians do what they do.
What software, hardware or otherwise would you recommend so that I could start combining the ideas in my head with the instruments and techniques that my favourite artists use?
For reference, when I talk about electronic music (which I know is a massive and largely useless term), I am talking about acts like:
Four Tet
Amon Tobin
Burial
Boards of Canada
Bonobo
Fila Brazilia
Nightmares on Wax
These artists all create a lot of atmosphere, dozens of layers of foundation beats and melodies, all with the general aim of creating a feel and mood as opposed to a fast soulless dance record etc.
Thanks!
I just read about Kaossilator Synthesizer, it's really cool.
posted by aeighty at 12:21 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by aeighty at 12:21 PM on December 6, 2009
Best answer: Ableton is common, but especially if you want to combine live instruments with electronic effects/samples, its really only the beginning.
I went to an Eoto show the other night. Two guys: one with a bass, a guitar, two keyboards, two mixing boards, a computer running Ableton and quite a significant pedal selection; one on the drums with some kind of touchscreen mixer/effects pad.
I notice you've got Burial up there: I'm not sure how much dubstep you listen to, but I would highly recommend it as a genre. But more to your point, I recently discovered The Dubstep Production Bible, which will take you fairly in depth into "tools" "techniques" and "theory" (seciton headings).
BONUS
Dubstep you might like (in the order I think you would be interested, given your examples):
Bassnectar
Benga
Skream!
Hatcha
(Dubtep Allstars puts out some great compilations)
Other electronic music:
Aphex Twin (check out more than the popular stuff! very verstile artist)
Ochre
The Herbaliser
Lemon Jelly
Venetian Snares if you're feeling adventurous
If you like Portishead, check out The Knife
If you like Reggea (or Bassnectar) Theivery Coorporation
Post a link to your creation(s)!
posted by Truthiness at 12:34 PM on December 6, 2009 [5 favorites]
I went to an Eoto show the other night. Two guys: one with a bass, a guitar, two keyboards, two mixing boards, a computer running Ableton and quite a significant pedal selection; one on the drums with some kind of touchscreen mixer/effects pad.
I notice you've got Burial up there: I'm not sure how much dubstep you listen to, but I would highly recommend it as a genre. But more to your point, I recently discovered The Dubstep Production Bible, which will take you fairly in depth into "tools" "techniques" and "theory" (seciton headings).
BONUS
Dubstep you might like (in the order I think you would be interested, given your examples):
Bassnectar
Benga
Skream!
Hatcha
(Dubtep Allstars puts out some great compilations)
Other electronic music:
Aphex Twin (check out more than the popular stuff! very verstile artist)
Ochre
The Herbaliser
Lemon Jelly
Venetian Snares if you're feeling adventurous
If you like Portishead, check out The Knife
If you like Reggea (or Bassnectar) Theivery Coorporation
Post a link to your creation(s)!
posted by Truthiness at 12:34 PM on December 6, 2009 [5 favorites]
Honestly, all you need is a program like Ableton Live and a lot of time to play around with it.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:42 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by Sys Rq at 12:42 PM on December 6, 2009
PS This looks amazing (More Eoto, probably just because I'm most familair with their setup and they seem to be doing much if not all of the stuff you want to know about) but I can't watch the whole thing.
Eoto gives an hour long production/performance workshop at an Apple Store- With some sweet tunes thown in for good measure!
posted by Truthiness at 12:48 PM on December 6, 2009
Eoto gives an hour long production/performance workshop at an Apple Store- With some sweet tunes thown in for good measure!
posted by Truthiness at 12:48 PM on December 6, 2009
Ableton is a good starting spot, but probably not what most of those people you like so much use. Four Tet for instance uses audiomulch, which is similar to Max/MSP, a sort of audio programming language. I believe Amon Tobin does a lot of work in Native Instruments' Reaktor, a similar setup.
That being said, the easiest tool I've found for creating electronic music, which has pretty much everything you need in one place (samples, loops, but also incredibly deep software synths, drum machines, and the most intuitive sequencer I've used), is Propellerhead's Reason.
All these are pricy, but depending on your morals, can be acquired other ways.
Really, I'd get a shitty synth from a thrift store and some basic recording equipment and start there.
posted by CharlesV42 at 12:56 PM on December 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
That being said, the easiest tool I've found for creating electronic music, which has pretty much everything you need in one place (samples, loops, but also incredibly deep software synths, drum machines, and the most intuitive sequencer I've used), is Propellerhead's Reason.
All these are pricy, but depending on your morals, can be acquired other ways.
Really, I'd get a shitty synth from a thrift store and some basic recording equipment and start there.
posted by CharlesV42 at 12:56 PM on December 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Conquering CSound has been on my list of things to do for about 10 years. Maybe you could try it. I have no idea if it's used much in commercial music.
posted by DarkForest at 1:03 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by DarkForest at 1:03 PM on December 6, 2009
Best answer: Seconding the vote for Propellerhead's Reason. You can get a free demo here:
http://www.propellerheads.se/download/
You should also look at Fruity Loops, which might be a little easier to get started with that Reason:
http://flstudio.image-line.com/documents/download.html
AudioMulch is great, but I wouldn't start there.
Ableton Live is great. It's a little more loop-centric, whereas Reason is more like using physical devices (synths, samplers). Either one works, it depends what you prefer.
And it's not like you have to pick - Live and Reason can work together using a technology called Rewire (they simply run in sync - so pressing "play" in one causes both to play in lockstep).
Since you say "when it comes to electronic music I have no idea where to start, or even how my favourite musicians do what they do" I would recommend messing around with Reason for a while and learning the basics of synthesis. It's easy and fun, and once you get the fundamentals down (oscillators, LFOs, envelopes, filters, etc.) you'll notice that they recur in various forms across practically all of the electronic music-making tools (be they hardware or software).
Learning this stuff will go a long way towards helping you analyze electronic music you're hearing - you'll hear a squelching bass sound and think "aha, they're using an envelope-controller filter with lots of resonance" and you'll be able to recreate it pretty easily.
The Propelleheads site has plenty of tutorials on it. The "Reason 4 - getting started" video on this page:
http://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/index.cfm?fuseaction=get_article&article=reason_videos
...should get you up and running pretty quick.
posted by gribbly at 1:16 PM on December 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
http://www.propellerheads.se/download/
You should also look at Fruity Loops, which might be a little easier to get started with that Reason:
http://flstudio.image-line.com/documents/download.html
AudioMulch is great, but I wouldn't start there.
Ableton Live is great. It's a little more loop-centric, whereas Reason is more like using physical devices (synths, samplers). Either one works, it depends what you prefer.
And it's not like you have to pick - Live and Reason can work together using a technology called Rewire (they simply run in sync - so pressing "play" in one causes both to play in lockstep).
Since you say "when it comes to electronic music I have no idea where to start, or even how my favourite musicians do what they do" I would recommend messing around with Reason for a while and learning the basics of synthesis. It's easy and fun, and once you get the fundamentals down (oscillators, LFOs, envelopes, filters, etc.) you'll notice that they recur in various forms across practically all of the electronic music-making tools (be they hardware or software).
Learning this stuff will go a long way towards helping you analyze electronic music you're hearing - you'll hear a squelching bass sound and think "aha, they're using an envelope-controller filter with lots of resonance" and you'll be able to recreate it pretty easily.
The Propelleheads site has plenty of tutorials on it. The "Reason 4 - getting started" video on this page:
http://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/index.cfm?fuseaction=get_article&article=reason_videos
...should get you up and running pretty quick.
posted by gribbly at 1:16 PM on December 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
@DarkForest - csound is awesome, but it's NOT AT ALL what OP wants =]
posted by gribbly at 1:17 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by gribbly at 1:17 PM on December 6, 2009
Four Tet for instance uses audiomulch, which is similar to Max/MSP, a sort of audio programming language.
Audiomulch is truly awesome for creating sound, but its sequencing ability is extremely limited, so it's not so great for creating whole songs. I'd definitely recommend it as an excellent tool for figuring out What All Those Knobs Do, and fiddling with free VST effects (many of which are spectacular), but you'll need something more to actually arrange whole tracks effectively.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:49 PM on December 6, 2009
Audiomulch is truly awesome for creating sound, but its sequencing ability is extremely limited, so it's not so great for creating whole songs. I'd definitely recommend it as an excellent tool for figuring out What All Those Knobs Do, and fiddling with free VST effects (many of which are spectacular), but you'll need something more to actually arrange whole tracks effectively.
posted by Sys Rq at 1:49 PM on December 6, 2009
I'd start with Reason, then move to Ableton Live once you outgrow it. It's a natural progression, and all you need right now is some drum machines, sample loopers, and synths. Reason.
posted by rhizome at 2:18 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by rhizome at 2:18 PM on December 6, 2009
Best answer: glad to hear you're excited about making bleeps - it was something I first got into about ten years ago. I bought a bunch of equipment with some inheritance, not really knowing whether I'd really like it or be any good at it. of all "new hobbies" I've started, it's the one that's stuck with me the hardest. it's addictive.
I bought hardware back then, but the joys of the modern age is that you can use software as a complete replacement. be careful though, because the act of using hardware can have as much impact on the result as your musical ability...I didnt explain that very well. and anyway it depends on you. I would just suggest trying to keep it as hands-on as possible.
you really only need a computer, and some software. those bands will have a lot of hardware, but you can get similar results with software alone.
Ableton Live, as mentioned before, is probably the thing to go for. as an all-in-one however, software called Reason plus it's new sister Record, would also be a venerable choice.
ableton is easier to get started with I'd say, and has a whole host of benefits not found in other packages, but reason has a very hardware-inspired interface..also unique. you would, with software, basically get the equivalent of a very well specced 90's studio. and a similar working method. reasons big limitation is while you can load sounds you recorded yourself into it, you can't record DIRECTLY into it. Record will allow you to do that. but you'll have to buy the extra package, and the only reason (shit pun) to have that functionality would be to record your bass guitar, and vocals most likely. you could record the bass parts you want in Audacity (which is free), then load them into reasons sampler.
Luke Vibert produces loads of stuff in Reason, and legend has it Aphex introduced him to it. some people say Reason 'has a sound' (in a derogatory way, and they say that about ableton too), but use lots of your own sounds, and that won't be the case.
the bands you mentioned, many others too, rely heavily on samples and samplers. captured moments from records or sound recorded from the real world, put into a device (or software device) to let you re-play them on a keyboard. if you want to emulate that kind of production, your best buddy is the sampler. reason has a built in sampler, and so does ableton.
traditionally a turntable and a collection of vinyl, and a field recorder would be the trick.
you will need some kind of audio interface, which would be a USB device which gives you the ability to connect your bass and get high quality audio in and out - and also a keyboard most likely. you might want to buy a real synthesizer one day, and this would let you record it.
recommendations:
field recorder - zoom H2 (also doubles as a USB microphone)
interface - focusrite saffire 6, m-audio fast track
speakers - fostex pm0.4
keyboard - m-audio oxygen (or axiom 25 if you can afford it)
layer lots of different sounds on top of each other. experiment with effects. loop short sections of sound to turn them into tones. but get into sampling - as in the art of repurposing found sound into musical fruit. you can get loads of samples free online.
try both ableton and reason. I love ableton and I spend way too much time playing with it, but theres benefits to both. you can use both at once if you want.
reason: http://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/index.cfm?fuseaction=get_article&article=what-is-it
ableton: http://www.ableton.com/live?a=what_is (watch the video)
posted by 6am at 2:25 PM on December 6, 2009 [2 favorites]
I bought hardware back then, but the joys of the modern age is that you can use software as a complete replacement. be careful though, because the act of using hardware can have as much impact on the result as your musical ability...I didnt explain that very well. and anyway it depends on you. I would just suggest trying to keep it as hands-on as possible.
you really only need a computer, and some software. those bands will have a lot of hardware, but you can get similar results with software alone.
Ableton Live, as mentioned before, is probably the thing to go for. as an all-in-one however, software called Reason plus it's new sister Record, would also be a venerable choice.
ableton is easier to get started with I'd say, and has a whole host of benefits not found in other packages, but reason has a very hardware-inspired interface..also unique. you would, with software, basically get the equivalent of a very well specced 90's studio. and a similar working method. reasons big limitation is while you can load sounds you recorded yourself into it, you can't record DIRECTLY into it. Record will allow you to do that. but you'll have to buy the extra package, and the only reason (shit pun) to have that functionality would be to record your bass guitar, and vocals most likely. you could record the bass parts you want in Audacity (which is free), then load them into reasons sampler.
Luke Vibert produces loads of stuff in Reason, and legend has it Aphex introduced him to it. some people say Reason 'has a sound' (in a derogatory way, and they say that about ableton too), but use lots of your own sounds, and that won't be the case.
the bands you mentioned, many others too, rely heavily on samples and samplers. captured moments from records or sound recorded from the real world, put into a device (or software device) to let you re-play them on a keyboard. if you want to emulate that kind of production, your best buddy is the sampler. reason has a built in sampler, and so does ableton.
traditionally a turntable and a collection of vinyl, and a field recorder would be the trick.
you will need some kind of audio interface, which would be a USB device which gives you the ability to connect your bass and get high quality audio in and out - and also a keyboard most likely. you might want to buy a real synthesizer one day, and this would let you record it.
recommendations:
field recorder - zoom H2 (also doubles as a USB microphone)
interface - focusrite saffire 6, m-audio fast track
speakers - fostex pm0.4
keyboard - m-audio oxygen (or axiom 25 if you can afford it)
layer lots of different sounds on top of each other. experiment with effects. loop short sections of sound to turn them into tones. but get into sampling - as in the art of repurposing found sound into musical fruit. you can get loads of samples free online.
try both ableton and reason. I love ableton and I spend way too much time playing with it, but theres benefits to both. you can use both at once if you want.
reason: http://www.propellerheads.se/products/reason/index.cfm?fuseaction=get_article&article=what-is-it
ableton: http://www.ableton.com/live?a=what_is (watch the video)
posted by 6am at 2:25 PM on December 6, 2009 [2 favorites]
I suppose the reason to go with ableton (BOOM BOOM) is if you're doing more sample based stuff, you don't really NEED all the stuff you get in reason. you might love it, but it also might baffle the crap out of you by overcomplicating things, and put you off.
I'd stick with ableton and it's inbuilt sampler, "simpler". you could write infinite albums of music with just that alone. for synth sounds, get one of the free synths here:
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2006/11/30/the-best-100-free-music-plug-ins-just-add-host/
taurus would be good for that boards of canada roygbiv style bass.
posted by 6am at 2:41 PM on December 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'd stick with ableton and it's inbuilt sampler, "simpler". you could write infinite albums of music with just that alone. for synth sounds, get one of the free synths here:
http://createdigitalmusic.com/2006/11/30/the-best-100-free-music-plug-ins-just-add-host/
taurus would be good for that boards of canada roygbiv style bass.
posted by 6am at 2:41 PM on December 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
In addition to Reason, I learned on Jeskola Buzz.
It's completely different than most of the other stuff. Maybe it will speak to you.
Most of all, try different things and find something that is FUN to you. Do stick to each thing for a while and try to learn it - you might not discover the fun right away. But fun is what keeps you at it, and this teaches you the most.
posted by krilli at 4:50 PM on December 6, 2009
It's completely different than most of the other stuff. Maybe it will speak to you.
Most of all, try different things and find something that is FUN to you. Do stick to each thing for a while and try to learn it - you might not discover the fun right away. But fun is what keeps you at it, and this teaches you the most.
posted by krilli at 4:50 PM on December 6, 2009
Audiotool (previously) is a pretty neat flash based thing you can tool around with. It leans more towards acid than than the stuff you've listed but it can still be a load of fun.
posted by juv3nal at 5:14 PM on December 6, 2009
posted by juv3nal at 5:14 PM on December 6, 2009
Oh, you play bass. Get Reaktor and a good audio I/O card. Play with the ensembles. You can do pretty amazing stuff if you have the capacity to play an instrument live through Reaktor.
What kind of computer do you have? Mac or PC?
posted by krilli at 4:20 AM on December 7, 2009
What kind of computer do you have? Mac or PC?
posted by krilli at 4:20 AM on December 7, 2009
OK, nice! Then the extra audio gadget isn't as important I think. Can you take output from any of your bass preamps into the Mac?
posted by krilli at 10:45 AM on December 7, 2009
posted by krilli at 10:45 AM on December 7, 2009
If you want to play with a DAW a bit before commiting to anything crazy expensive, you can check out Reaper. It does most of what the others do but a license is only $60.00, but you can evaluate it for 30 days. (I don't believe it stops working at that time though)
posted by AltReality at 12:15 PM on December 7, 2009
posted by AltReality at 12:15 PM on December 7, 2009
There are various free entry points, like:
MULABS: a free DAW (Digital Audio Workstation, eg. Ableton Live, Reason with Record, Logic) where you sequence (arrange, compose) your MIDI info (notes and controls for playing with synth and sampler sounds) and your Audio data (recorded loops, recordings, live input from your bass). Even comes with a few simple free synths and samplers, I believe.
But you can also add Kore Player: a free collection of synth voices and a few audio effects, usable on its own or inside your DAW as a plugin. Here's a nice video demo of Kore.
You can mouse-enter or draw to create events in your DAW, or use your Mac keyboard to enter MIDI notes while you decide what sort of physical keyboard or other MIDI-input device you want, using MIDI Keyboard 1.7 or MidiKeys, or in Logic, which you should definitely consider along with Live and Reason/Record when you're ready to pay for something. They all provide rich collections of sound making and sound modifying tools along with their sequencing and recording functions, so any one would be a good single-purchase solution.
You'll probably soon want to add in other soft synths and effects from the hordes of amazing products available, but you can't do that if you've chosen Reason; it's a closed system, no plugins.
But I'd also 2nd the suggestion to check out Reactor if you decide to use your bass as your primary performance interface to your Mac. It's far from being just an effects machine; it's also one of the richest and most flexible collections of synths, loop-makers, samplers, sequencers, etc. ever created, with a fantastic user community that spits out free and mind-boggling new creations any Reaktor user can use, on a daily basis, via the astounding User Library. Add Reaktor to your DAW of choice and you've got the best possible defense against the almost inevitable lust for new toys problem that you'll probably encounter once you get hooked in…
posted by dpcoffin at 1:12 PM on December 7, 2009
MULABS: a free DAW (Digital Audio Workstation, eg. Ableton Live, Reason with Record, Logic) where you sequence (arrange, compose) your MIDI info (notes and controls for playing with synth and sampler sounds) and your Audio data (recorded loops, recordings, live input from your bass). Even comes with a few simple free synths and samplers, I believe.
But you can also add Kore Player: a free collection of synth voices and a few audio effects, usable on its own or inside your DAW as a plugin. Here's a nice video demo of Kore.
You can mouse-enter or draw to create events in your DAW, or use your Mac keyboard to enter MIDI notes while you decide what sort of physical keyboard or other MIDI-input device you want, using MIDI Keyboard 1.7 or MidiKeys, or in Logic, which you should definitely consider along with Live and Reason/Record when you're ready to pay for something. They all provide rich collections of sound making and sound modifying tools along with their sequencing and recording functions, so any one would be a good single-purchase solution.
You'll probably soon want to add in other soft synths and effects from the hordes of amazing products available, but you can't do that if you've chosen Reason; it's a closed system, no plugins.
But I'd also 2nd the suggestion to check out Reactor if you decide to use your bass as your primary performance interface to your Mac. It's far from being just an effects machine; it's also one of the richest and most flexible collections of synths, loop-makers, samplers, sequencers, etc. ever created, with a fantastic user community that spits out free and mind-boggling new creations any Reaktor user can use, on a daily basis, via the astounding User Library. Add Reaktor to your DAW of choice and you've got the best possible defense against the almost inevitable lust for new toys problem that you'll probably encounter once you get hooked in…
posted by dpcoffin at 1:12 PM on December 7, 2009
also reaktor is squarepusher's weapon of choice, and he's a bassist...
(personally I think it can be a recipe for not-getting-much-actual-music-done, unless you have lots of self control, which I don't.)
posted by 6am at 4:18 PM on December 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
(personally I think it can be a recipe for not-getting-much-actual-music-done, unless you have lots of self control, which I don't.)
posted by 6am at 4:18 PM on December 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
Oh, big plus on "recipe for not-getting-much-actual-music-done". Thinking about it, I think the reason I actually suggested Reaktor was because it's so much fun to noodle in, plus you can disassemble at look at everything all the way down to the turtles. Reaktor's chief and paramount value is as a enterprise-class starship-grade tutorial that always keeps pulling you back to it.
But be very much prepared and determined to cut back on the tools you use when you want to actually make an album. One tool can make a good album, if you're near-expertly familiar with it. One too many tools however, and it is impossible to make an album. Make fire from a log / get lost in the forest.
posted by krilli at 4:39 PM on December 7, 2009
But be very much prepared and determined to cut back on the tools you use when you want to actually make an album. One tool can make a good album, if you're near-expertly familiar with it. One too many tools however, and it is impossible to make an album. Make fire from a log / get lost in the forest.
posted by krilli at 4:39 PM on December 7, 2009
Good points about Reaktor as the forest, not the log. But I think the point is just that it's different, not necessary that it's guaranteed to be a time-waster.
My experience (as a guitar player veering off into virtual/electronic instruments) has actually been just the opposite: Both Reason and (especially) Live have always each led me into a wasteland of unrealized possibilities, rarely into a finished piece, while Reaktor has for years been my main virtual instrument, both as a guitar FX box, and as a synth and real-time sequencer.
My point isn't that my results are typical; no doubt they're not. But I do think the various tools mentioned each tend to suit some distinct ways of working, and some musical personalities, better than others, no matter how much their creators try to push their infinite adaptability.
I've been buying electronic hardware and Mac-flavored virtual tools for several decades, and I find I can pretty much sort all the tools I've ever bought into two heaps: Those that encourage play, leading to a point where you just reach over and hit record because you like where the play has led, and those more suited to part-building and resource-collecting, leading to the point where you start assembling your bits and pieces in a timeline, or save 'em for some future performance.
Personally, I've discovered I'm not a part-builder, nor a live part-mixer, and I never got past the part making with Live or Reason; they are each too adamantly loop oriented and structured for me; I'm more atmospheric, random and off-grid. I prefer to rummage my way through the vast, every growing libraries of Reaktor toys until I stumble onto an ensemble I resonate with, however briefly, then spend hours basically playing it, recording frequently. Afterwards, I bring the results into Logic if there seems to be some layering to do, but often I do nothing but trim and master there. Of course, you can assemble puzzle pieces admirably with Reaktor, too, if that's how you work, but I've never found myself performing with Reason or Live.
Others, obviously, have had very different, maybe exactly opposite, results, and it's always amazing to see how some people can turn anything into a performance tool. I'm just suggesting the OP try to test out as many of these tools as possible with an eye on how they might suit, or fruitfully challenge, his already established music-making preferences, not just how many, or how few options they offer. You can absolutely make pretty much anything with all of these tools, but you'll definitely feel more at home with some than with others.
posted by dpcoffin at 7:12 PM on December 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
My experience (as a guitar player veering off into virtual/electronic instruments) has actually been just the opposite: Both Reason and (especially) Live have always each led me into a wasteland of unrealized possibilities, rarely into a finished piece, while Reaktor has for years been my main virtual instrument, both as a guitar FX box, and as a synth and real-time sequencer.
My point isn't that my results are typical; no doubt they're not. But I do think the various tools mentioned each tend to suit some distinct ways of working, and some musical personalities, better than others, no matter how much their creators try to push their infinite adaptability.
I've been buying electronic hardware and Mac-flavored virtual tools for several decades, and I find I can pretty much sort all the tools I've ever bought into two heaps: Those that encourage play, leading to a point where you just reach over and hit record because you like where the play has led, and those more suited to part-building and resource-collecting, leading to the point where you start assembling your bits and pieces in a timeline, or save 'em for some future performance.
Personally, I've discovered I'm not a part-builder, nor a live part-mixer, and I never got past the part making with Live or Reason; they are each too adamantly loop oriented and structured for me; I'm more atmospheric, random and off-grid. I prefer to rummage my way through the vast, every growing libraries of Reaktor toys until I stumble onto an ensemble I resonate with, however briefly, then spend hours basically playing it, recording frequently. Afterwards, I bring the results into Logic if there seems to be some layering to do, but often I do nothing but trim and master there. Of course, you can assemble puzzle pieces admirably with Reaktor, too, if that's how you work, but I've never found myself performing with Reason or Live.
Others, obviously, have had very different, maybe exactly opposite, results, and it's always amazing to see how some people can turn anything into a performance tool. I'm just suggesting the OP try to test out as many of these tools as possible with an eye on how they might suit, or fruitfully challenge, his already established music-making preferences, not just how many, or how few options they offer. You can absolutely make pretty much anything with all of these tools, but you'll definitely feel more at home with some than with others.
posted by dpcoffin at 7:12 PM on December 7, 2009 [1 favorite]
If you ARE a part-maker, the parts-generating tool I've always liked best is unique to the Mac: MetaSynth. It's far from standard in almost every possible way, but it's also just drop-dead cool. And recently updated…
posted by dpcoffin at 7:24 PM on December 7, 2009
posted by dpcoffin at 7:24 PM on December 7, 2009
Audiomulch for creating sounds (2.0 does midi routing, but I haven't used it), Reaper for mixing them together into songs, then add in lots of free vst plugins.
Audiomulch is great for creating sounds and manipulating sounds. It is higher level than Max/MSP and Pd so you can hop right in. And Four Tet uses it. Audiomulch's DLGranulator effect is all over Smile Around the Face.
posted by hifimofo at 1:49 AM on December 8, 2009 [1 favorite]
Audiomulch is great for creating sounds and manipulating sounds. It is higher level than Max/MSP and Pd so you can hop right in. And Four Tet uses it. Audiomulch's DLGranulator effect is all over Smile Around the Face.
posted by hifimofo at 1:49 AM on December 8, 2009 [1 favorite]
I am thinking of hopping back into music production. I have monkeyed around with Reason, Reaktor, and Live in the past. I think the key for me is actually getting something tactile that I can interact with. For me, that is going to be a Akai MPD24. It is simply an interface much like your keyboard / mouse. Check the videos to see what I mean.
If you want to incorporate live instruments, buy yourself a good sound card / break out box with analog inputs.
posted by jasondigitized at 7:18 AM on December 18, 2009
If you want to incorporate live instruments, buy yourself a good sound card / break out box with analog inputs.
posted by jasondigitized at 7:18 AM on December 18, 2009
Oh, and if you want to be productive, get yourself a dual or tri monitor setup.
posted by jasondigitized at 7:18 AM on December 18, 2009
posted by jasondigitized at 7:18 AM on December 18, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
You should try some of those fast, soulless "dance" records though!
posted by caek at 11:57 AM on December 6, 2009