Trying to be different

[MARKEG]

You know something. Recently, whenever I'm in the studio, i just feel like i hate anything that sounds the same to anything else. And also anything I've done before. But I also realise, how the hell am i gonna bang our sound out there? I'm in a total nightmare. Has anyone been in this situatiion b4??

??????????????????????????????????

[Ritzi Lee]

Yes Mark I had the same feeling a year ago.
And I have a solution for you. Go back to the hardware.
It really makes a difference. There's more to explore in new sounds and freakinezz.
Yesterday I was at the audio shop checking out some new synths.
And boy oh boy do I feel happy again. These guys in the hardware business never stood still with developing and evolving sounds...

I wouldn't say ban all your plugins and digital shit. Just combine it with the goods. And ofcourse don't rush it. Take a walk outside. Catch the inspiration from your environment. Just life!

[MARKEG]

thanks man.. i appreciate you saying this. but me and chrissi ARE all hardware and digital. i respect totally what you're saying. 1/2 of what i do is outboard. this is not an issue, it's about the music and trying to be different. but i have something from you here. perhaps we need to go 3/4 outboard????

hmmm
.. this is very interesting topic imo....

[messyfuture]

i'm in the same sort of boat here, i use alot of outboard and just recently upgraded to sx3. The computer side of the studio is now being used alot more than when i was using vst5.

I think my major problem at the moment tho is human interaction. I have so much to do what with loading the samplers and all the other fiddly bits that have to be done, it sometimes takes away from being creative

I really miss having someone to bounce ideas of and who has a reasonable knowledge of hardware and production skills to be able to say, change it like this or have you ever done this with a loop. But finding people that you can get on with and work together with is a hard task sometimes too and can slow down the whole process even more.

I think what i'm trying to say is that to make a new sound or one at least that your happy with is that we need to interact more and have sessions that are not just writing tracks but noodling about and trying to see how far we can push things

does any of this make any sense

[Ritzi Lee]

thanks man.. i appreciate you saying this. but me and chrissi ARE all hardware and digital. i respect totally what you're saying. 1/2 of what i do is outboard. this is not an issue, it's about the music and trying to be different. but i have something from you here. perhaps we need to go 3/4 outboard????

hmmm
.. this is very interesting topic imo....

Totally understand you now man.
3/4 outboard is not a bad idea.. The only time i'm using audio tracks from my computer is just for extra sample purposes just like the oldschool way of working. The last track I made, I didn't arranged it. Just played and recorded live. (not really something you'll do everytime)

Something about music. I totally understand you want to do different things. The only problem is that this is something random. If you'll find something new you're a lucky guy. Or else you just have to make nice music, not for being different and original, but just to have satisfaction in your being. Original tunes and stuff will come for sure. It's just a matter of time. Just enjoy. :)

[module]

jus go nuts with routing.. run shit where it aint supposed to go. £2000 synths thru a £25 guitar peedle or mic yur cat into an Electribe.. filed recordings are great.

ive made the wierdest sounds jus using Reason 1 with the Redrum & fx only by going nuts with CV routing.

limit yourself to crap setups & battle to make good shit happen

[acidsaturation]

Limiting yrself to crap setups can be sooooooooooooo liberating. I've recently doen a couple of gigs where there was no way I could take loadsa stuff down - did one with just the electribe synth and sampler and a TR707 shoved through a bizarre £25 XIX rack effects box I got in Soundcontrol. Also deliberately didn't practice the set as a whole so it was quite fluid. And y'konw what - it worked. And gave me a whole new set of ideas, the best bit of which is I'm getting towards having a stock of tunes I can do 3 versions of, depending on how much kit I want to lug about: An Acid version, a hard minimal version, and a full on hard dance/techno version.

I'm also trying to ditch software at the moment as everything was sounding a bit clinical ans I just started being right lazy in terms of throwing in loops when I should have written something.

It's frustrating in that it takes a while to set up - And I reckon until I can afford a bigger/better mixer I'm gonna have to go back to software to mixdown finished versions of the live ideas. But I've gone bvack to using my RM1-x to sequence - there's a lot of power there and lots of room for experimentation.

And trying to use different sounds - been mucking about with guitars and sitars and wierd stuff - kind of like PWEI or Senser turned into 160bpm techno. Getting some very refreshing ideas thats almost a blend of techno/psy/thrash...

Only major problem now is trying to work out a design for some kind of casing that I can lift things out of the bedroom studio in blocks to take to gigs... ...and that I am very soon going to have to find a bigger house!!!

[mattboyslim]

i think TRYING to be different is the problem. creavtivity is something that should flow, not be forced.
of course, by labelling ourselves 'techno' we are following a trend of sorts no matetr how you look at it

[module]

i think TRYING to be different is the problem. creavtivity is something that should flow, not be forced.

YESSSSSS

that is sooo true. ive been of this opinion from day one & have never seen someone else quote it. respect dude

[MARKEG]

i think TRYING to be different is the problem. creavtivity is something that should flow, not be forced.
of course, by labelling ourselves 'techno' we are following a trend of sorts no matetr how you look at it

exactly see what you're saying BUT you said the problem in your last sentence. we are in techno. i don't want to follow a pattern but i do cause that's techno. but it's not. it's a very hard genre to try to create isnt it - if you're not asking questions and trying to be different then you're not really being techno. but then you're creating a 4/4 kick with hi hats, so you're just as bad as a churner. i dunno man, i think it's how you look at it and your mindset. as long as you're asking questions, that's all good.

i like the idea of going super minimal. you know what i might do. i might look around for a cool hardware sequencer and ditch the clinicalness of software ones. then record the results on nice DAT tape and then put that into something like ableton, tighten it up slightly but not too much, and then see what happens. perhaps whilst everyone is going super tight with timing, billlions of tracks and loops, it might be interesting to try it the other way and then tighten up just to the right extent where it is acceptable.

i dunno. just speaking out loud really. ok another sunday night rambling :)

[MARKEG]

hmmm there's two really useful ways this thread could go.

1) a discussion about whether or not it's good to force difference
2) a discussion of ideas to break out of the usual routine, such as going super minimal etc etc.


i quite like the idea of no 2!!! so come on, let's shoot some wierd and wonderful combinations of things that you feel would be good to do!!!!

[ReakZ]

its funny thing with that minimal wave consuming lots of peeps
i think the main reason is that they want to do something different but look to the funny part masses turned into minimal do they look now very different ?? guess not :lol:
maybe am backward person but i really like that recent dance techno with a bit of industrial and dark soundz from ian lehman or the divide
havent heard such techno before :) and Mark maybe u should have a break or smth to get rid of those thoughts like everything is beeing very familiar in a bad way, everybody has those good and bad days heheh :techno:

[rhythmtech]

i'm thinkin the way to go is ultra-maximum. really show your musical talents in techno but at the same time keep it "techno". i'm really gettin into the idea of lots of synths playin off each other and creating a listening expeerience aswell as a dancing one.

[mattboyslim]

i gota agree with the getting caught up in minimal thing. it seems like a whole other world from the techno you might be used to, but once there you assess it and its not like you've made too much of a switch and hay ho, everyones talking minimal all of a sudden.

if you're really set on being different mark, i'd recommend the routing your shit like crazy approach. aphex twin style. just leaving randomly patched synths and effects recording for hours, while you go crazy with controllers. don't look to a particular genre, just get right in there and make something new. someones gota do it

[fresh_an_funky_design]

the other day i started a breakbeat tune, which i go about very differently to a techno tune, then i reworked all the midi to a more techno format. This process has resulted in quite an original tune.
maybe have a go at doing that.

But i agree creativity cant be forced, just be open minded and dont think u cant do something cos its not 'techno'

[MARKEG]

if you're really set on being different mark, i'd recommend the routing your shit like crazy approach. aphex twin style. just leaving randomly patched synths and effects recording for hours, while you go crazy with controllers. don't look to a particular genre, just get right in there and make something new. someones gota do it

i'm f*kin feelin this man.

:thumbsup:

[module]

if you're really set on being different mark, i'd recommend the routing your shit like crazy approach. aphex twin style. just leaving randomly patched synths and effects recording for hours, while you go crazy with controllers. don't look to a particular genre, just get right in there and make something new. someones gota do it

i'm f*kin feelin this man.

:thumbsup:

exactly man.. pick one piece of kit & jus run it into the ground with Ableton hooked up for the looping.

get an old Roland & take everything from it.. hats, bass, synths..

do something that jus ****s your usual routine right up the arse

[module]

or pick a commercial dance tune you hate & jus cut the ass of it... pull it to bits & make it work

[RDR]

Using ableton like this is exactly how i do things, pick a synth, get recording and choose the best bits only. 1000bars minimum.

Also, not wishing to sound picky - but if you listen to other peoples music you will only ever become them, in some twisted for or another.

If you choose to become original you MUST ignore the work of others. Turn OFF your decks, radio, t.v, internet, front door and let the music come from inside YOU not the others inside. (n.b. i am NOT skitso.... yes i am... are we?... i think so... oh, now theres a turn up, whos ordering the pizza this time....)

[Evil G]

creativity can't be negative. if you try not to sound like something, you just run to the opposite of whatever it is, and by so doing, you end up including the thing you were trying to avoid.

"i don't want to be like a christian, so i'll be a satanist." result is that you are still thinking about all the same things, just in a different light.

i think that to truly sound different, you have to just make whatever you feel like, and don't worry about what anyone else is doing.