Why Hardware beats Software.. // Why Go Dawless?

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bxbrkrz
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24 Nov 2019

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drloop
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24 Nov 2019

We have all different needs, I use my nanoKONTROL2 to be able to turn more then two knobs at the same time and choose parameters which to turn and that will make some things thats impossible to tweak becuase I just have two hands possible. I used a lot of automation and live tweaking.

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bxbrkrz
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24 Nov 2019

You create different paths of 'connections' in your mind before you decide to turn a knob. Maybe using a midi controller is a delayed action of the same pathways, same conclusion. Using hardware will result in different outcomes, thanks to or because of the limitations. It is not simply using two hands at the same time.
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bitley
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24 Nov 2019

I often find that simply owning some hardware leads to frustration like this, as you don't want to leave it gathering dust. I realized that I enjoy old good Reason macs as much as I dig old synths, so I can debate which computer to use as well. Pros and cons. Sold my analog Rolands and I don't miss them, I sampled my favourite sounds as you know :) Still have a bunch of machines effectively working as bedroom decoration / occasional youtube video demo toys.

drloop
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24 Nov 2019

bxbrkrz wrote:
24 Nov 2019
You create different paths of 'connections' in your mind before you decide to turn a knob. Maybe using a midi controller is a delayed action of the same pathways, same conclusion. Using hardware will result in different outcomes, thanks to or because of the limitations. It is not simply using two hands at the same time.
Normally the nanoKONTROL is mapped to almost every knob Thor, so it works more ore less as a hardware synth.
I just bought a new hardware synth, I don´t use it because it stops me from being creative, does not fit my workflow.

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bxbrkrz
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24 Nov 2019

Maybe any 'perfect' workflow needs a bit of disruption.
Just by looking at a tool you used to love, or even a new synth you don't care to touch anymore.
They all become part of the new workflow in your mind.
Forever.
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bitley
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24 Nov 2019

I thought the video didn't go much in depth & truly disappointing that it loses track completely when he's doing marketing by the middle part, takes forever until he's back on the subject. The music world needs a Casey Neistat: A creative talker with positive vibes and an urge to communicate.

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ShelLuser
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25 Nov 2019

Interesting video. Although I definitely agree with @bitley above I also think that he did a good job explaining his drive in the overall. And the funny thing is that in my opinion his video basically demonstrated why - for me - the DAW world is a much better one. That starts at 6:55: "being ill-equipped to make music that way" which is exactly why I steered clear from hardware synths and instead focused on software.

Because you should not underestimate all the stuff you can do with a modern DAW these days, and to have that level of control or maybe better put: that same level of functionality with only using hardware... I can't help think that you're looking at some huge investments before you can make that work. I have no doubt that it might have its advantages but at the same time I also wonder at what costs those advantages come and if those really weigh up that much in comparison.

But of course that's talking from within the context of my home studio. I can definitely understand if someone wants 'more' out of this, and in a sense I can also understand his underlying motivations. I thought it was kind of funny to hear that he was using the same DAW combo which I've been using over the past 10 years ;) Still, for me nothing beats my trusty combination of Live + Reason (and the tons of expansions on both platforms).
--- :reason:

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miyaru
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25 Nov 2019

When I started out recording music, it was on 4-track Compact Cassette - not nice. Worked with lost of hardware, like a 24 track tape machine - not nice. Had some hardware at home, like a 8 track HDD recorder from Fostex, a Yamaha 01v desk, a Yamaha RM1x sequencer, and then some Korg synths (of which I do own still 2 of them). Not nice!!!!

Altough I'm not the youngest, I prefer to work in the modern DAW way, with soft synths and FX's........ It is not only more economic, but a lot easier to work with (for me at least).Guys like in the yoytube movie have nice stuff, but I would not want to work that way for myself........
Greetings from Miyaru.
Prodaw i7-7700, 16Gb Ram, Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen, ESI M4U eX, Reason12, Live Suit 10, Push2, Presonus Eris E8 and Monitor Station V2, Lexicon MPX1,
Korg N1, Yamaha RM1x :thumbup:

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bitley
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25 Nov 2019

He's right in one thing of course and it's that we often look at our arrangements & color parts and name things & make it look tidy, but that all has the advantage of making it easy to catch up and do new work on something later on, even years later.

Good luck doing that with a hardware setup, which never is written in stone. In the hardware world I often found myself deleting one or two of the "rack extensions" (so to speak, lol) entirely if I got a new one. (Synths are very expensive and I would trade, buy and sell gear all the time) – I actually think that, again, since he had the MPCs he felt he should use them. That's also a very typical thing for your often less informed friends to say when they drop by; "Man, you're in front of the computer and you've got all this cool gear here, have you lost your mind?"... and then you get a bit insecure and realise the friend has a point.

It's better to a) Sell the hardware or b) create a stand alone "station" with the hardware for those rainy days when you're feeling like being creative with it. No problems with that, it just that the way you want to make music doesn't have to be a set decision. Gear is seducing stuff of course and who wouldn't want the new Behringer Poly D?

Then again, if you ignore that feeling, spending some quality time with Thor should cure the GAS.

I see people selling their Behringer Model D's now to replace them with the new Minimoog lookalike but they will still have problems the Reason user never has; if they want to add more parts they've got to try re-creating each sound manually which can be quite counter productive indeed.

And that's not even calculating all the endless reconnections, the need to get longer cords, the lack of USB / MIDI ports and on and on...

jlgrimes
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25 Nov 2019

bxbrkrz wrote:
24 Nov 2019
Hardware can be a pain.

It takes up more space.

Sounds must be cabled in/and recorded.

Saving songs can be a pain.

Often is more expensive and less likely to get upgraded.



That said hardware can be good for live performances but even laptops and nice midi controllers are making grounds here as well. I use a laptop rig for live shows which works pretty well. Takes a little longer to setup though vs using one keyboard but it still doesn't take too much longer to setup and I'm sure there are probably more efficient setups.

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bxbrkrz
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25 Nov 2019

You still need to move a mouse around or slide your finger on a touchpad before you commit to any new ideas or processes.
We are so used to do this everyday we may end up believing it is the only and purest way for us to capture our ideas.
The modular world exists for a 'reason'.
Infinite recording tracks on your computer.
The freedom to 'let go', to not worry when patching away.
Maybe a 100% perfect 'Total Recall' (SSL I mean, not the movie with Arnold) on your computer is a way to never commit.
Yes you can come back and fix something at any time in the future.
Why?
Making music with a modular system could be compared with painting with brushes on a real canvas.
One single layer of decision, a much closer and direct pathway to the 'art' every time?
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Andy
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25 Nov 2019

The fact that he considers the cables on the back of the rack dumb was almost enough for me to stop watching this nonsense. He claims hardware taught him a lot about software as the main reason to go "dawless". Well the same can be said about software like Reason. It made the tradition to hardware very simple. I understood signal routing very well, I knew how to route send effects etc with hardware a none issue. It may sound simple but I guarantee hand a bunch of hardware fx, a mixer, to a lot of people and they would have have a clue of to set things up.

Both have their place. I dig hardware because I already spend so much time looking at various computer screens throughout the day.

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bxbrkrz
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25 Nov 2019

I don't miss the weight of all the audio cables I had behind my racks in my Pre Reason life.
Making sure the snakes were attached to the frame of the rack, so the the synths would not be affected and destroyed over time.
I don't miss the many little power supplies I had to deal with, or replace when going dead.
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electricthing
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26 Nov 2019

I like both hardware and software. Switching between the two workflows really shows their strengths and is inspirational.

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bxbrkrz
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26 Nov 2019


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