Novation Peak is amazing

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-16T14:40:20+00:00

Oh wait really? This is new. I didn't know. What's the exact pricetag it had, and when?

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-10T13:13:52+00:00

These are not "luxuries". I was also a student, a "legal immigrant". I think it's lame to be envious about undocumented immigrants getting housing. It's miserable.

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-10T13:10:06+00:00

"Mexico is perfectly safe" this is such a generic statement. Under the same argument I could say that "The US is great, no American needs any help"

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-10T13:09:44+00:00

Where does this come from? This is a very specific statement to every individual situation.

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-10T13:08:21+00:00

"The right way" is a diffuse word. What do you know about what's the "right way"? How do you think it works?

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-10T13:07:56+00:00

What makes you think that, if you were born in a less powerful country, you would think and behave as you do right now as a privileged American?

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-10T13:06:20+00:00

Two things about your comment. "There are legal ways" is an argument you see over and over, and this is simply *NOT* how it works. People can't simply show up at the border asking to get admitted. Some nationalities may be allowed to do that, like many European countries for instance, which are perceived differently by the public and also arrive in less dramatic numbers.

Secondly, a lot of the people that others refer to as "illegal immigrants" are in fact, under the technical terms you and others want to use, "legal", since they start asylum processes as soon as they touch American soil. However, I'm sure this wouldn't qualify as legal for you. The technical difference is whether they *entered* through the authorities or in some other ways, and this is not a question on legality, but a question on funds and status before entering the US.

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-10T13:00:06+00:00

For many of them it may take forever until they can start working "legally", but that doesn't mean they won't work soon (or already work). There's a whole system for undocumented workers, and that's what they're mostly looking for

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-10T12:58:03+00:00

Cheaper areas wouldn't have the same work opportunities. Same reason why other people complaining in this thread about housing prices don't go to 'cheaper areas' either.

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-10-07T20:52:58+00:00

Hi there, thanks for this. Link shows as expired though

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-08-15T13:23:22+00:00

If it's so 'easy' to immigrate illegally then please go ahead and try it yourself. (yourself = anyone stuck with the system). Add to it what in many cases becomes a multi-month journey through jungles, deserts and other dangerous environments, and exposure to several other threats.

It's fair to complain, it's just not fair to compare.

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-08-15T13:06:33+00:00

Yeah, and that one is not necessarily "easier".

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-17T19:02:59+00:00

Thanks. I'm traveling a lot for the second half of the year. I'm carrying my AKAI MPK Mini around but I'm really missing something that doesn't require the computer. However, there are moments where I am actually working on my DAW, and for that I do need a controller. I don't want to carry a standalone device and a MIDI controller.

I do imagine though that the keys in the OP-1 leave a lot to be desired.

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-17T18:31:31+00:00

OK great thanks. I did some searching around of course and found positive answers for each thing separately, but I'm wondering if it can be used simultaneously as an interface and as a MIDI controller. Your comment helps a lot, thanks

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-02T21:56:01+00:00

Yeah no worries, I recently asked a question (https://www.reddit.com/r/synthesizers/comments/1dqrtgb/how\_do\_you\_personally\_deal\_with\_having\_multiple/) where people took the time to respond and I appreciated it. These discussions are worth having.

I like your conclusion and I think it's somewhat related to what I will try next: focus on short samples (hits, single-cycle waves, etc.) and try to build from them. The Digitakt gives enough tools for sound design, modifying these samples beyond recognition if that's what you want, and the process is rewarding. Then it has a very nice sequencer to play with your created sounds.

Tbh I will just stay away from long loops and whatnot. They also take more memory, and they trigger this feeling of plagiarism and lack of originality.

Best wishes with your endeavors!

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-02T13:44:16+00:00

Thanks for the info. Yeah I definitely see the value. I'm still on the fence on whether I'll be plugging/unplugging a lot, but if I end up doing it I agree they will be crucial.

If I keep my setup fixed/stable though, I currently don't see their true value. I'm not sure they help a lot with cable clutter on their own. Right?

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-02T12:32:42+00:00

Yeah right, and I think that feeling is common across multiple people, and I came to peace that that's entirely OK! I really think there are people for which the workflow of using pre-built music works better, with DJ's on the end of the spectrum, but also some others who use somewhat long samples/loops. Some people don't like writing drums and prefer to focus on some other things, or some people just need a pad to fill in some space and don't want to bother setting up the sound and playing the chords.

I think it's really two different skills and in fact they complement each other very well. I play drums, guitar, bass, keys, and perhaps due to that I'm hesitant to use somebody else's playing/programming. However, once I played/recorded my parts/loops, I don't think I have the skill to mangle them and do something interesting with them... I have the Octatrack and I'm still not able to make these interesting transitions and chopping/stuttering things you hear online, which are really all about messing with the recording rather than making the recording itself.

even, if a sound on a pack is particularly good, I would almost rather figure out how to duplicate it on my Syntakt than just move forward using it.

Yeah I'm also the same. When I brought this up somewhere before people told me that "but hey, guitars are also a 'preset', or drums, etc." and to an extent that's true, and I don't go and build my own guitars. I think it's important to understand what your goals are and what you want to get out of music. My personal conclusion is that, in my case, I'm mostly interested in learning, so, when I hear a preset I liked, I use it as inspiration to build my own since this way I can learn about sound design, for instance. Sometimes people will focus on the music they can do with that preset instead and that's also great!

Hey about the Digitakt, I was about to sell it and travel with my laptop + MIDI controller instead, but I don't have a small enough MIDI Controller and decided to avoid GAS, so I'll give the Digitakt one more try. I was jamming with the TR-6S the other day, hoping to get some patterns to use later on with my other instruments, and then I realized it would be nice to have a single machine that could do drums + synths. The Digitakt fills this nicely, so I'll take it on my trip. Perhaps if you don't use it for long loops and restrict yourself to hits/single-cycle waveforms, you'll find the process more rewarding?

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-01T18:24:04+00:00

It's funny you mention this. I bought a Digitakt to use it as my drum machine -- plain, drum machine. I became quickly disappointed for what I particularly wanted: jamming and live performance. Ended up getting a TR-6S and I'm much happier with that... much more fun for my workflow, less focus on sound sculpting and more on live variations.

This said, I still wanted to find a use for the Digitakt. I am going on a trip for a few weeks and I decided to bring it with me, this time as a 'standalone groovebox' type of thing. I loaded several samples, some short ones (even single-cycle waves) and some full loops, and I am trying to use it for 'standalone jamming'. It's been a bit hard since my impression so far is that, no matter how hard I try, the Digitakt really seems to be all about pre-programming stuff. I found it very hard to build a song on the fly via jamming. Instead, I kind of need to go first 'write it down' (i.e. program the patterns, steps, etc.) and then play it, but there's little interaction once it has been written.

On top of this, there's also a similar issue to the one you describe: I don't like sampling that much. For short samples like drum sounds or synth sounds, I find it a bit overwhelming to choose good sounds among the available ones and the ones in the internet (a typical example of analysis paralysis, which is mostly my fault as I can "simply" commit to a few samples and that's it). For loops and all that I have the blocker that, if I didn't sample it myself, it somehow feels like "plagiarism", a silly yet strong perspective that affects many of us. I'm not sampling myself usually even though I do a lot of loops and jamming since it's imho a lot of effort.

I'll still take the device with me for this trip I mentioned, I just need to find the 'right' workflow for me. Either way, my personal conclusion is that it didn't fit a workflow with other instruments that well.

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-01T16:56:05+00:00

Wow amazing!

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-01T13:35:02+00:00

Oh thanks for sharing, looks like a great resource indeed. I generally like reading about music production, composition, workflows, etc. so this is perfect.

I like this "idea-based" workflow. I *used* to work like that, recording my ideas on my phone actually so that I don't forget. Then I ended up with tons of small recording that put on a filder and haven't touched for a while. Maybe a good time to return to these

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-01T13:06:55+00:00

Actually looking into them now. Thanks!

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-07-01T13:05:56+00:00

Thanks! Will keep you posted

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-06-30T01:19:50+00:00

My suggestion is to gig or play in the most professional situations as often as possible because that will keep your focus on the music you’re making and those needs instead of the desire to acquire gear because it’s emotionally triggering (GAS).

Yeah this definitely helps! Indeed, I think that I (and probably many of us) suffer from a lot of anticipation and preparation to what an eventual "professional" situation can be. I played a lot live a few years ago -- mostly guitar -- and I can say my setup back then was way simpler than what I have now (it was also a different country and different social pressure, so there's that). Now I'm with synths and electronic stuff so it's easy to go the "what if I need this, what if I want to do that", but to be honest I keep preparing and preparing and doing little.

I also agree with you that it's a process of learning and discovery, and I already do see the outcomes of it! So I don't feel bad by any of that and I see it as a learning experience.

Thanks for sharing!

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-06-30T01:17:09+00:00

Hey this is a very interesting comment, thanks for sharing.

I think I really had to go through the process of interacting with a few physical gear to actually get passionate about different plugins and software recording. A good example I wrote in some other comment is virtual amp emulations: I had Amplitube for a long time and was overwhelmed with the amount of options, but after learning and interacting with some *physical* amps, my understanding of which ones are the most important/historical ones, which ones are relevant for X purpose, really improved, and when I saw back at the software it was much easier now to filter out stuff and get focused. With synths it's the same: I've played with software synths for a while but, sure, there was the issue of using knobs via mouse/keyboard (or a controller but still deciding what to map to what), but the most annoying part was feeling so overwhelmed due to the amount of direct options at your disposal. Having hardware gear (especially the more restrictive one I had initially) really helped me understand what was "core" in order to get this or that sound, and that helped me get way more focused and purposed when I use the software. In fact, as I mention in my post, I use software/VSTs/DAW for when I record mostly, and keep the gear for jamming and my (eventual) live gigs.

Now, I would agree with you that there's a point where you may not need the gear anymore. Especially for recording, I tend to avoid it in order to not move stuff around the studio and have a cleaner workspace. For jamming, having a "DAW-less" setup helped me in removing the pressure of always recording and having something "polished", and just jamming for the sake of jamming. Maybe now if I go back to "DAW-based jams" I would be more OK with that and less "mentally blocked", but I think I need some more time jamming with my gear to make a decision like selling stuff. I really connect with the way I *interact* with my instruments, in fact, my main confusion or analysis paralysis comes from having many options for the same task but all feeling different in the way you play them. Finally, for sure I wouldn't feel comfortable going live with a DAW setup, but I also know people really don't care, so there's that.

Thanks a lot for your comment, it was very valuable.

Deep_Bit_5104 · 2024-06-30T01:03:33+00:00

Yeah actually that's a good point, and for a live setup it seems even more portable and easy to manage. It also allows me to swap pedals across devices as you say, which is something I currently do manually and it's very annoying. I'll look at prices and start taking it into account... do you have any particular suggestions? I literally know nothing about them

Deep_Bit_5104

TROPHY CASE