pcock Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 so im fucking sick of my computer as far as music is concerned, makes me want to punch it over and over again would it be better to get a little 8-16 track cd recorder unit to write some tunes on my 101 and emx-1 , or a hardware sequencer, considering that im not massicely rich and cant really spend more thanb 400 quid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mrx Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 it won't; i'd much more frustrating Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcock Posted December 15, 2006 Author Share Posted December 15, 2006 you mean hardware sequencer shit will be more frustrating than a pc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chim Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 gear accquisition syndrome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dugbert Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 start working with a modular/visual programming environment (synthmaker, reaktor, max) where you can create your own programs for sequencing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joshier Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 so im fucking sick of my computer as far as music is concerned, makes me want to punch it over and over again would it be better to get a little 8-16 track cd recorder unit to write some tunes on my 101 and emx-1 , or a hardware sequencer, considering that im not massicely rich and cant really spend more thanb 400 quid I don't know what software you're using but I went through the exact same phase... I did use the H2O version of sx3, hoping that it would be a little more stable (and a lot more features than H2O sx2) but sadly the stability went down the fucking drain and it put me off making music. Then, I decided to use tracktion, and it was good for a while, a lot better than sx3 - but recently I've dumped it because it's not very initiative.. It takes ages to start up and I primarily left it because it wouldn't stop crashing my machine. Now I'm onto ableton live 6 and I couldn't be happier with it.. The automation is good to work with, it has a fucking nice blend of VST's preloaded, like Eq's, delays etc.. midi editing is pretty good, it lacks in the advanced midi editing but it's still better than tracktion when it comes to this. The main problem I see with sequencers is their ability to fuckup when your machine isn't running properly, or too overloaded with some dodgy VST's .. luckily, I haven't had to massacre my VST collection, but I have massacred my windows xp instillation so I only use the bare minimum of running services (see task manager and also - start > run > msconfig ).. Believe me, I've been through the software shit, you just gotta keep working at it.. It's alright to have brakes in my opinion, just listen to music a lot for a while - then get all excited over making music and keep doing that. I regularly have periods where I only listen to others music, get inspired and then go back and make some tracks.. A lot of the time I just experiment and have fun that way... Making music doesn't have to be making music, it can be fucking around with sounds and shit like that. Also, ableton live 6 has loads of free video tutorials to get you started.. It's always a bitch switching sequencers but it's nice to know that when you are onto the new one, it has many tutorials coupled with it. - Same with renoise actually, that's a very good sequencer too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ten fingers ten toes Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I second the modular programming environements, although, really I can't imagine a modern machine fucking up sequencing midi. I can run Renoise + Reaktor + SubDoer + Nord Modular Editor, run the audio in from my Kawai K5000s and Nord Modular through Renoise for effects processing, all set to 1ms ASIO latency (64 buffer samples @ 44khz), AND rip mp3's from CD's in MediaMonkey at the same time, with no ill effects. And my PC isn't even close to top of the line. I think taking a breather is really the best plan. If you keep hopping around from one production environment to the next, youll never learn any of them well enought to do what you want to with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest joshier Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I second the modular programming environements, although, really I can't imagine a modern machine fucking up sequencing midi. I can run Renoise + Reaktor + SubDoer + Nord Modular Editor, run the audio in from my Kawai K5000s and Nord Modular through Renoise for effects processing, all set to 1ms ASIO latency (64 buffer samples @ 44khz), AND rip mp3's from CD's in MediaMonkey at the same time, with no ill effects. And my PC isn't even close to top of the line. I think taking a breather is really the best plan. If you keep hopping around from one production environment to the next, youll never learn any of them well enought to do what you want to with them. That sounds like a fucking killer setup. I've loved the idea of being fully proficient in renoise, I know how quick the work flow it is capable of. Are you good at it?.. How long you been using it? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ten fingers ten toes Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I second the modular programming environements, although, really I can't imagine a modern machine fucking up sequencing midi. I can run Renoise + Reaktor + SubDoer + Nord Modular Editor, run the audio in from my Kawai K5000s and Nord Modular through Renoise for effects processing, all set to 1ms ASIO latency (64 buffer samples @ 44khz), AND rip mp3's from CD's in MediaMonkey at the same time, with no ill effects. And my PC isn't even close to top of the line. I think taking a breather is really the best plan. If you keep hopping around from one production environment to the next, youll never learn any of them well enought to do what you want to with them. That sounds like a fucking killer setup. I've loved the idea of being fully proficient in renoise, I know how quick the work flow it is capable of. Are you good at it?.. How long you been using it? Cheers. It's actually pretty standard stuff. Core 2 Duo E6400, 2 gigs of 800mhz DDR2 RAM, and an M-Audio Delta-66 with the Omni I/O box. I'm fairly good with Renoise, because I've been using trackers ever since I had an Amiga back in the early 90's. I do prefer the Impulse Tracker style interface though, as I really got into music heavily with Scream Tracker and Impulse tracker on my old 386 sx/16 and later Pentium 90 while I was in high school. Renoise, for those that don't know, follows the Protracker/Fasttracker scheme of things. While I started out using Protracker, anyone who got really familiar with Scream/Impulse Tracker will be able to tell you a litany of little irks. Im sure the reverse is true anyhow. Tracking is not for everyone, and I think your workflow could be as fast or faster in Ableton Live or Logic Pro or whatever it is that is comfortable for you, but that's just really the key is comfortability. Most people who didn't start in with trackers at a formative age, and/or aren't wired for thinking both musically and hexidecimally, are not big fans of it, and its easy to understand why. If you do like Trackers though, the sound quality, stability, and featureset of Renoise is really second to none. Buzz was a great concept and I loved the Impulse Tracker workflow aspect, but the sound quality was shit and the lack of good and consistent updates killed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modey Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 hehe.. i just realised that i've gone about two months without any means to make pure electronic music. maybe i'll install buzz again but i'm having too much fun with a piano and a guitar and a drumkit at the moment. ps. yes trackers! i started on ft2 and have been into trackers ever since.. my short flirt with reason was exactly that - short. fuck, i really hope buzzle or buze get completed soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ~ism Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 u know my stance on the matter. Live is all a man needs to sequence the fuck out of anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dr. Elemeno von Hat X: PhD Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 i haven't read all of this thread, but i'll say: gear is more of a pain. BUT!!! when i see it sitting there i'm like a moth to a light. i'm just pulled to it, and start playing around. cubase doesn't do that, nice as it is. of course, i am the guy that you shouldn't let into a music store, because i won't emerge again for a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCM Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 gear is better. get gear. get a nice 8 track hard disk recorder and a mixer. you don't need a hardware sequencer - you can either sequence on you computer or on the machine itself and sync it all to MIDI (you will need a MIDI-CV converter for your 101). it sounds much better and is much more fun making tracks with real synths etc. you may not make as many tunes, but the ones you do make will probably be better quality and more original. GET GEAR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noise Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 if you're sick of computers, get it. won't necessarily make your music better at all, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcock Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 i think the problem is ive got a reasonable amount of music talent, perfect pitch to an extent ( although that sounds stupid) i can fluently improvise in a bunch of keys and non-keys and stuff, im just technologically impotent and it does my fucking nut in when i want to make a certain melody or sound, and i just cant because im baffled by shocking amounts of buttons. i thougght the 101 would help, but i couldnt for the shit of me get it to record into my computer sequencer no matter how hard i tried or who i asked. anyway, cheers for the decent bit of advice i actually got in this thread but i sold my computer on impulse anyway for a few hundred quid how much would i need to spend on a laptop if its just for music shit, to get it running smooth as a turd after 3 tubs of Pringles-lite however much shit ive got running? i am still very tempted by the idea of an 8 track digital recorder, ive got a fairly pissy but workable drum machine on my electribe and im fuckin in love with the 101. i dunno though, it would limit me in terms of not being able to have hugely rich, varied music with 100's of sounds pouring out in constant countermelodies to each other, but then i couldnt get my vst to sound anything other than completely weak shite anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCM Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 i think the problem is ive got a reasonable amount of music talent, perfect pitch to an extent ( although that sounds stupid) i can fluently improvise in a bunch of keys and non-keys and stuff, im just technologically impotent and it does my fucking nut in when i want to make a certain melody or sound, and i just cant because im baffled by shocking amounts of buttons. i thougght the 101 would help, but i couldnt for the shit of me get it to record into my computer sequencer no matter how hard i tried or who i asked. anyway, cheers for the decent bit of advice i actually got in this thread but i sold my computer on impulse anyway for a few hundred quid how much would i need to spend on a laptop if its just for music shit, to get it running smooth as a turd after 3 tubs of Pringles-lite however much shit ive got running? i am still very tempted by the idea of an 8 track digital recorder, ive got a fairly pissy but workable drum machine on my electribe and im fuckin in love with the 101. i dunno though, it would limit me in terms of not being able to have hugely rich, varied music with 100's of sounds pouring out in constant countermelodies to each other, but then i couldnt get my vst to sound anything other than completely weak shite anyway er, no....you won't be able to get your 101 to record into your computer's sequencer as a sequencer is just a way to arrange notes. you could sample different noises and hits from your 101 by just using soundforge or cool edit or something and saving them as wav files and then sequencing them in your computer. to get your 101 to work with your computer you need a MIDI-CV convereter. you would plug this into your MIDI/joystick port on your computer and have the CV going into your 101. then you could program a sequence in Fruity Loops (for example) and when you press play in Fruity Loops, it would play the same sequence on your 101. the sound is always going to come out of your 101 though and will never magically get transported inside your computer. you should read up about this sort of thing and studio hardware etc if you do intend to work with "real" synths. to be honest, it sounds as if you don't have much of a clue (sorry), as you say you couldn't get your "VST" to sound any good. which VST? have you only got just the one? effect or VSTi? er, do you know what VST is? read up on that as well. wikipedia is a good place to learn about stuff. you don't need to spend a lot of money on a laptop to make music with - especially if you are a beginner. a common or garden basic laptop with 512MB RAM would be fine for running Fruity Loops, Ableton, Renoise, Energy XT, maybe Cubase SL, ACID Pro - all these programs are good and can be used to make a complete tune. you can get laptops for £300- -£400 that would surfice for your needs. if you do get a cheap laptop it might be advisable to get a USB sound card to go with it though, as the laptop's audio out will probably be quite noisy and your tracks will sound a bit like they were recorded onto cassette tape. As for your comment about an eight track recorder being limiting - this shows how little you know about how recording, mixing and sequencing works. 8 tracks does not mean you can only have eight different sounds in it (and that is plenty anyway unless you really know what you're doing). most hard disk recorders (however many track) usually have "virtual tracks" - usually about 99 or something, and as well as this you just use your mixer creatively. so, for example - you put the drum pattern 1 and bass into track one....the acid and lead synth into track 2.....a second drum beat and weird voice sample into track three......loats of weird noises and bleeps into track 4 etc etc...eight tracks can equal many many layers of sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcock Posted December 19, 2006 Author Share Posted December 19, 2006 cheers for your help, but i wasnt trying to get the 101 to work as midi opr anything, i just mean playing my bassline on the 101 and getting sonar to record the sound it makes doin that, couldnt box it i had like 30 different vst instruments and the 5 or 6 i spent weeks getting into just sounded shit whatever i do i dont have patience for shit like that im gonna get an 8 track. is the boss BR600 an alright one you reckon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCM Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 yeah, that looks pretty smart! i used to have one of these.... Fostex VF-80 was reliable and easy to use with good effects etc. probably pick 'em up secondhand for £150-ish i guess. getting sonar to record your 101 shouldn't have been too much of a problem apart from the fact that sonar is pretty complicated and not the best tool (IMO) for making electronic music. especially if you're not that technically minded - ableton or FLoops would be much more up your street (i use fruity loops and absolutely love it) and you can easily record into it via the audio outs of your 101 into the audio input of your soundcard. anyway yeah, get a hardware 8-track innit. safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Braintree Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 I line up turds and record their conversations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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