Music Makers

[stylesforfree]

Who is one? How do you do it? What do you use?

I use an mpc 2000 and ensoniq eps 16+ and I used to buy records only for sampling. I don't do it as much as I used to and now I buy them more for just listening.

I have a guitar too, crafter FEG 780 hollowbody and I use a bunch of native instruments stuff and record some stuff with my mate sometimes.

I like to mimic bluesy psych stuff but im not very good.

I got a maschine for cheap a few weeks ago but I used it once and now it collects dust so im gonna get rid.

Also aquired and sold a number of akai samplers over the years but the mpc is the one I stuck with.

So for those who share a passion for the making of rhythmical, the avante garde, the noisy or if you just like banging on a drum, please do share and if anyone is thinking about starting to do it then get stuck in.

[treeboy]

I tend to pucker my lips, leaving a small aperture, and blow. That's it for me

[amidar]

Thing with Samplers once computers and 30 quid full duplex sound cards came out it virtually made them obsolete overnight with the MPC series being the exception and a Hip Hop staple. Ableton Live changed it all again something I wished I pushed myself to use more.

I still have an old akai which I circuit bent with a patchbay on a separate rack blanking plate unfortunately I've never got around to finding a cheap replacement floppy drive for it but I do the use 'test tone' on it, lovely bit of 'Sine Bass'. My intention was to have it as a basic drum machine. Basically I have too many guitars, ukuleles, xylophones, bongos, rackmount synths and fx and a couple of stand alone flat top type things like a 'Korg Ea1 MK 2' but find I use vsti's a lot more especially when it comes to drum machine plugins. I don't get too obsessed about presets but making a conscious effort to program my own beats a lot more. I also have a guitar synth and some toy like guitar hero things that allow me to play synths using those as opposed to keyboard but I generally use live bass and guitar now amazing how the simple things can work the best.

I have a top line soundcard now that can allow me to have 8 things plugged it at once but I did have Line 6 job and I loved the 'Pod Farm' software that came with it so I still use it connected to an old laptop sometime otherwise I have an early 90's roland gfx1000 or something I think, rackmount job that gives me a nice tone I like (I never tweak the settings on it,well a little bit clean, gritty and extreme sustain tones lol).

My advice for what its worth is don't get GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) (unless its old analog synths, goes without saying but they cost a small fortune now) learn what hardware you have backwards and if you've got no hardware or hybrid hardware software its truly mind blowing what you can do with a freeware DAW and the wealth of free VSTi and plug in fx that are available (although beware the ones that crash). I use cubase but it's because I grew up with it but I probably only use 25% of what it can actually do.

I remember on his old stuff there's allsorts of weird glitchy drumming on early 'Squarepusher' records and he discovered at the time if he overloaded this 'Boss' drum machine he had with data it started glitching. Thing is these guys hate to mention what they use as it tends to put the price of things up on the second hand market. I'd love some kind of hardware 'SID' device because I love those old 8 bit tones but there are plenty of software based equivalents.

I'm one of these sad people who half understood those Aphex/Not Aphex interviews he conducted around the time of 'Syro' where he was talking about doing crazy stuff using old 80's synths.

I found the post Bradx made on another thread interesting where he talks about really early forms of sampling where he was basically playing stuff in live on a one take or re-record basis until it was in time.

Just passing on what all the good pros say!

[Paul-K]

GAS is the worst, I ended up with 10 guitars, about 30 pedals and 100s of plug ins. I use one guitar, the same one ive always used. been selling it off all the excess gear for a while now.

I use Cubase, I have ableton, but never used it. I really want to use it, but haven't had chance yet.

Cubase, a pod live, superior drummer and a few plugins has served me well.

limitation when making music are always a positive. if you have access to the world of instruments, you wont use them. if you do it wont sound good. ive found less is more

[amidar]

I agree with Paul limiting yourself with what you use is always a good thing and less head taxing! I always end up using the staples I've found I know how to use.

[BlackRegent]

This is good advice. Whatever you do, don't get in to eurorack, because that way lies ruin. What makes it worse is that we seem to be entering the second golden age of synthesisers. There is some incredible innovation out there from companies both small and large and even the analogue revival synths seem great - see the Korg Minilogue, all the reissued Roland System 500 stuff by Malekko. I've just seen the Arturia Matrixbrute and I am desperately trying to wipe it from my mind.

[stylesforfree]

Indeed, I recently sold the Maschine mk1 and im getting rid of the EPS 16+ although I did acquire a moog sub phatty today. I have native instruments komplete but I only really use the vintage organs and 60's drummer libraries.

[amidar]

This thread is giving my GAS I've just seen those 'Teenage Engineering' cheapo things and I want the Arcade one now. There's a weird drum machine, a synth and this one, no midi of course or even a box but they look like a lot of fun and you can link them up I think they are about 45-50 quid probably a lot will end up on the bay soon around the 35 quid mark soon enough:

Now I know why I stepped out of the loop!

Deeper Reviews here:

[stylesforfree]

Dammmnnn those pocket things are verrryyyy interesting. My recent moog purchase has crippled me though. The new moog mother 32 looks and sounds fantastic too.

[amidar]

They look pretty fun but more like toys at the end of the day although I'm sure someone will produce a midi mod if they haven't already. I'd swap a 1000 of them for any Moog new or old!

BR is right about a second golden age, I was musing to myself about Raspberry Pi audio projects earlier today, crazy the price of technology compared to only a few years ago. Have fun with your new Moog what did you get? Edit: Ah a Sub-Phatty colour me jealous.

"all the reissued Roland System 500 stuff by Malekko" Yep made me drool...a lot...

Dammmnnn those pocket things are verrryyyy interesting. My recent moog purchase has crippled me though. The new moog mother 32 looks and sounds fantastic too.

[veris]

Mod Modular

I've been a bit of a stranger from the forum for a little while. Apologies, I do try to have a look in from time to time.

This thread is particularly relevant to me. Those who know me can vouch for my record collecting, DJ'ing and putting together mixes but I've always had a desire to produce music. That collection of heady sounds has been an amazing inspiration to start fulfilling that long term ambition. I'm sure many have followed the same path.

I've ended probably going down the most dangerous route for the wallet and for absorbing time = Euro Modular. This has encouraged me to sell off some unessential records to fund putting together my system, which actually has been a useful process to prune the collection.

It's indeed an exciting time with some amazing affordable hybrid synths that bridge both digital and analogue technologies entering the market. That is not forgetting soft synths and apps.

My system and knowledge has been growing over the last two years - I built the box and there's a little bit more room to fill - I'm carefully making up my mind up on my next move.

[amidar]

Cool Beans Veris! I'd love to get into Eurorack modular stuff but even thinking about it makes my brain hurt and my wallet. I've never actually been around someone's place who has put something together, that would probably make it all seem less alien to my head!

[veris]

Amidar - I used Reason ( computer DAW) for a few years before taking the plunge, I found I enjoyed flipping the racks and patching most of all. The starting point was the affordable Microbrute, which has a small patch bay - I purchased one module at a time ( second hand was most cost effective) to get my head around the concept. I often look at a busy patch and think - what...???

[amidar]

Yep not used Reason for a few years but remember you could flip the modules around and patch the virtual leads around, really cool feature. That was probably an excellent way of getting your head around it.

I'm not too hot on sound synthesis never have been, programming beats, cutting up samples, twisting knobs and playing guitar has always been my thing. One day I'll get around to getting an understanding of it all I hope.

Amidar - I used Reason ( computer DAW) for a few years before taking the plunge, I found I enjoyed flipping the racks and patching most of all. The starting point was the affordable Microbrute, which has a small patch bay - I purchased one module at a time ( second hand was most cost effective) to get my head around the concept. I often look at a busy patch and think - what...???

[BlackRegent]

Is that Metropolis I see lurking under those wires? Disting, Clouds and Maths too. Lovely stuff.