I think it has more to do with abundance than with software/hardware. I know that whenever I try a new synth or instrument I always have a lot of trouble creating anything with it. I just spend hours wandering aimlessly from one funtion to another and don't get anywhere until I eventually revert back to an older tool. Doing something creative requires familiarity with the instrument, and the more instruments you have, the less time you spend with each. Better to get to know few tools than to collect an excessive ammount of them.

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Yes, get to know your tools inside out. It very likely would be more beneficial to understand how useful your current sound sources are, where and when they should be used, than to grab the latest "uber-synth" and try to make that fit. It's very possible to audition the latest, greatest synth and go "wow...that lead sound is the biggest, phattest, coolest sound ever....I gotta use that"...then wonder why your track doesn't instantly sound brilliant. It'll be perfect for some producers because their whole sound is geared towards that style of production, but it may not be perfect for you.

I guess, in short, I'm saying don't let the tools drive your sound - work out what your sound is, then select the right tools.

Of course, the new tools that keep coming out do help shape the overall sound of trance...as producers find tools that fit in with their style, we'll hear the new tools in use...but along the way there'll be plenty of people trying to jam the tools into their productions in ways that don't quite fit properly...

I view the abundance as a good thing. How many of you regularly use hahaha cs33? thats what i thought, not the majority. The abundance means that when each and us settle on an apx setup that we are comfortable with, chances are that it properbly not like the next joes, which adds a lot of variation to be appreciated.

The only thing in hardware vs. software for me is comfort, nothing else. It really sucks having to set up a mixer, an effect rag and a toss of hardware up in the train when youre going somewhere, and people will think youre douche.

I think the most important is its all about having fun. And I think its damn awsome that there are people out there who spend time and efford to write great, and free tools just because they love the idea of other people having fun with them.

Blake, wow man that is one minimal setup I dont think i could do without monitors i must admit. For that final touch atleast, isnt that hard for you to do are the headphones precise enough?, or do you sort out the final mix elsewhere?

I've made stuff in a few studios using different stuff and it always ends up having more or less the same sound

If I'm at home I'll pretty much exclusively use VAZ, Virus C & 3xOSC in FL

I did a track entirely in Logic with my friend on his Mac using the onboard stuff and it sounds pretty much the same

I find you get it into your head when you know what sounds you can make, what sounds you like, and what you want to make you fall into a certain state of mind. Whether that's a good or bad thing is debatable

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I think it's good when people have a certain distinctive sound they create, that sounds like them, no matter what they're using to create it.

The more they know the tools they're working with, the quicker and more effectively they'll be able to create the sound that's in their head.

I didn't actually address the overall thread question - in my case, the kind of gear I have used/ currently use has definitely affected my workflow. But I like the concept of quickly settling on a combination of sounds which works well together - well, if I want to get a track done in a couple of days, there isn't really much time to play around with a hundred different sounds. So these days, even when I use software synths/ samplers, I work the same way - work out the sound and stick with it. Not every producer hits the perfect combination of sounds each and every time, but as with everything, experience helps out, one constantly improves.

I can always come back a few months later and build a new remix from the ground up - or, if upon reflection I notice that a particular sound really doesn't work, I can go in and change that. Sometimes it takes a few months after a track is finished before I have the necessary separation to be able to make decisions like that. That's where getting feedback from other knowledgable people can help, sometimes one is too close to the sound to notice absolutely everything. Meh, once again, experience helps.

quote:

Originally posted by Luke Terry I've made stuff in a few studios using different stuff and it always ends up having more or less the same sound If I'm at home I'll pretty much exclusively use VAZ, Virus C & 3xOSC in FL I did a track entirely in Logic with my friend on his Mac using the onboard stuff and it sounds pretty much the same I find you get it into your head when you know what sounds you can make, what sounds you like, and what you want to make you fall into a certain state of mind. Whether that's a good or bad thing is debatable

I agree especially on that last paragraph. I have come to the point where my state of mind and what sounds I want to hear has come very close to what I'm actually able to create since I know what synths to use and what synths make the sounds my brain wants to hear. For me its all about the grindy, acidic type sounds and so as a result, my tracks are getting more and more laden with acidic grinds of all sorts. Not sure if this is a good thing, but I love these sounds and besides, first and foremost, I make music because I love it.

And BTW Luke, just have to say how awesome Oblivion is. Amazing tune.

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So much of this thread relates to the burning questions and frustration noobies have in trying to suss what sythn makes what sound in a particular trance genre or track. With a classical instrument like the church organ, you know that to get a certain sound you require a certain type of organ and appropiate stops etc. The music is before you and the rest is experience and technique. But imagine if you had max reger's op52/2 or a really difficulty piece by bach and tried to emulate it without knowing on what instrument it was performed and no sheet music! You would be exceptional to get that note for note. But you have one instrument, that's all. An exeptional organist will make even a tired organ sing, his control and mastery of the keys will set him apart. He does, however, have the advantage of knowing the compostion before he begins. That's what nearly all newbies find hard.
These posts hopefully show that even for experienced trance producers, there's no simple magic formula

My view is pretty much the same as Blake Jarrell, as his picture says a thousand words. My setup is pretty much the same haha... To be honest, I've been a firm believer of the whole "simplicity is everything" approach. As a producer using Reason, having switched from FL last year, I was upset that it does not allow VSTs... However, I've discovered over this year of using it that I love it all the more because of this. Much like with hardware, you have a certain type and number of machines to work with. Reason basically is one big challenge for the producer to use these machines to the best of their ability. The end result possibilities are endless, but the ways and means to get there are few, in Reason. Thus, as Project-K said, or at least I agree completely with, it's better to master several instruments and how to use them with and without each other, than to pile on 900 of them half-assedly.

Also, as mentioned by Luke Terry, you need to know what you want. No matter how much knob-twiddling I do, I will always end up to have a sound that I wanted to have when I first thought of the song. It's like imagining something and being able to draw it then and there. Thus, I finish most of my tracks within a few days, sometimes one or two days. Many producers I speak to are like this, and it's not a result of rushing. It's simply put that when you want something and know what you want to achieve, you can knock it out quickly. The experimentation factor is thrown out the window. Not sure if this is a good question to the original answer, but just my views, in light of some of the other replies

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quote:

Originally posted by Purpose Unknown So much of this thread relates to the burning questions and frustration noobies have in trying to suss what sythn makes what sound in a particular trance genre or track. With a classical instrument like the church organ, you know that to get a certain sound you require a certain type of organ and appropiate stops etc. The music is before you and the rest is experience and technique. But imagine if you had max reger's op52/2 or a really difficulty piece by bach and tried to emulate it without knowing on what instrument it was performed and no sheet music! You would be exceptional to get that note for note. But you have one instrument, that's all. An exeptional organist will make even a tired organ sing, his control and mastery of the keys will set him apart. He does, however, have the advantage of knowing the compostion before he begins. That's what nearly all newbies find hard. These posts hopefully show that even for experienced trance producers, there's no simple magic formula

I like your post, very well-put!!

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At the beginning, I was always trying to produce tracks with midi instruments looking for the perfect swing of effects/automation and shit.

But my setup is way poorer than Blake's so I always end up reaching max CPU very fast with a bad result.

When I was remixed Mongoose i cam to a point where I was stuck in my work and with CPU resources. So I turned almost everything to audio not even a week before the deadline and I decided to "rush" things by turning every new sound to audio leaving only one automated effect to obtain a nicely varying sound.

This way I had sounds that could simultaneously vary a lot and consume little CPU resources.

I had 4 days to finish the remix and I was only halfway through the track. I basically applied what MrJiveBoJingles quoted from derail without even knowing it and IT WORKED.

I finished the track on time and I was happy with it. I'm glad I've read this thread entirely, made me realize things that I intimately knew but they needed to be formulated to be applied.

Thanks!

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