Have you read Atomic Habits? It's a great book that touches on the importance of designing your environment towards the habit you want to form. For example, if you want to form a habit of making music whenever you have a 15 minute break, the device you're using better be hooked up and ready to go in seconds. Great video, definitely agree with many of your points!
Some tips for M8 users in context of this video, you can randomize instruments on it, by going to the instrument screen and holding down all the direction keys then press edit, each time you press edit will be a new random instrument. To load a kit on M8 you use the slices, so if you just for example load a 909 slice kit it might be called 909kit25, so you load it, set slices to 25 (it is etiquette to put the slice number at the end of the file name when making them) then each note c-1 upwards is a different sample from the kit.
Interesting timing here; I just took all my mini synths out of the drawer and installed shelves and hooked them all up in a “permanent” state. Power, MIDI, and audio - all wired up. The midi is going to a widi hub, so directly to my keystep but also bluetooth to my nanokey studio and ipad. All the audio is going to a mixer to monitors and an audio interface for the ipad. When I first started buying physical synths, I’d take one out to play, but when I wanted to make songs I’d stick to the ipad exclusively. It was just so easy to pull up AUM and start making music rather than pick out some gear, find the appropriate wires, sometimes AC, and then how do I route the audio? I just never used the gear. Now it’s all there ready to go. It’s a huge difference.
Even taking off the covers from my nearby gear is sometimes too much, that is how tired/lazy I can be. So yes removing all the hurdles is a big one for sure. Nice talk Gabe.
You raise a good point, what sometime adds to the friction, is that so much of this gear is completely unnecessary. For every enthusiast amongst us who've invested thousands in the gear, there's a ton of artists with far more success who work entirely in the box with plugins. When I do muster up the energy I do prefer the more tactile hands on experience but in pure practical terms I do find working in the box far more efficient.
Thats why i like my mpc live 2. Grab it lie down in bed and make an instant beat without worrying about wires, headset etc. Finishing though is a different story.
For those who have A lot of Synths and Midi equipment, KENTON 12 or 24 THRU box is a must have. You make one piece of gear the master and then 12 slaves with exact copies of each midi channel with no latency.
Great comment. My secret weapon is an old MOTU 8 in 8 out midi interface. The one with the old parallel port for printers, very cheap accordingly. Switch it on, select merge all using the front panel and all your midi ports are connected. 8 way merge and 8 way through, for peanuts 👍
I’m 24/7 programmer, work computer is my main screen, by my Mac is always on as well. Without a screen, Push2 is on, can turn on one of the synth to jam in no time. Continuing project in works or something new. This way, when I finally switch monitor/mouse/kb to Mac, at night or weekends, it has a project. No need to load groovebox project to DAW, or load sound to groovebox. Sometimes I replace Push to Maschine+ in front of me (just box, no M soft or hardware synths). M+ has enough comparing to smaller boxes with too many limitations. But even audio cables is too much clatter LOL. Push has just one usb wire :) This is how my saga choosing groovebox heart of setup and DAW-less ended. DAW is running, but I don’t feel it. Without that would never made any music at home. Ableton and M+ packs are cool enough, well made, inspiring. Plus presets/design sounds in VST. Plus designing sound from scratch on hardware synths, while being able to record preset, sound or a phrase/part is most precious. I’m done “recording” h/w synth into grooboxes, hard to edit/move. All 3 worlds - DAW/VST, Analogue hardware synths, and groovebox/controllers can live in peace, without friction. Having said that, OP-Z is always in my bag. Korg Gadget keeps my 8years of projects in the iPhone when I’m out of my DAW powered DAW-less man’s cave.
5:37 - I have the same thing with my main workdesk so I got a keyboard stand and a flight case. The flight case's "lower" part holds all the synths and other jingamagics and can be covered when not in use. ^.^
Lowering the bar for entry is really key! Keeping your gear plugged in setup ready to use, and ready to record or sequence with is absolutely the best! Anything you can do to remove roadblocks between concept and creation will be so valuable because it really helps you to channel the creativity and reach that 'flow state' that's really crucial to delivering an inspired track. Ever notice how when you make your best stuff, it just happens, you don't really actively think it through you just power down into it and forget about everything else and then BAM. It's done and you're like wow. This is great.
As someone with a tiny apartment and zero desk space for a dedicated setup - the friction you speak of is my life presently. I have a few small portable tables, but you're spot on - they require setup. Some devices work great for grab and go (the tracks), or one device can go to the left of my regular computer for an hour - but that requires effort. I don't mind the table of gear though - just need the dedicated space for it. This'll be a house whenever that happens :)
I've definitely found myself overwhelmed by setting up so much gear and routing it all together but it definitely pays off in the end. I love playing the tracks all by itself, as well. What i like to do is write the songs independently with the tracks on my lap or before bed and then seperatly I can hook it back up as a brain and every part I've written can be directed to some piece of external gear I've set up "semi" permanently and this gives me the best of both worlds. Now I'm trying to take on the task of adding a hardware compressor and EQ into this mix which is a whole other intimidating part of it. My long term goal is to minimize as much post production time in Ableton as possible.
This video puts into words something I've been fighting with for years. My first experience was (because I am old) an Atari ST, Cubase and a Yamaha sound module. I could switch on a power socket, put in a floppy and away I go - no set up, no faff. Every computer setup since has had too much friction. So I turned to groove boxes and they almost get me there... But not quite. Even they have all had too much friction, been too fiddly. That was right up until a few weeks ago when Gabe's videos led me to take a punt on a Circuit Tracks and finally I think I've found the right mix of immediacy and potential. Happy days :)
Lots of good points raised in this video, musicians don't need a bunch of fancy features that we are going to rarely use. The future of music gear is going to need to be convenience, easy to use and have enough customization to make new sounds and explore sound. End menu diving. Music companies need to listen to the user.
My main point of friction is my laptop, really. I really can't be arsed most of the time. I like sticking things into other things and seeing if I can come up with something that way. This is why I love the Digitakt. It can be a brain for some other things, but can handle the bulk of the arrangement on its own. I love instruments that can handle a bunch of stuff, but I also love instruments that just do one thing really well. I love drum machines and one-trick pony little synths, and I love combining them. And sometimes I need to take everything off my desk, take out and untangle a big ball of cable spaghetti, kiss all my little boxes, tell them mummy loves them, and start over.
Haha I feel ya, I’ve gone into just buying one job boxes now as if it’s a bunch of ‘can do everything’ boxes it becomes overwhelming. Use a squarp pyramid for my brain, akai s5000 for samples, TR8s for drums, Roland integra7 for every other sound I could possibly need and a cobalt 8m for synth knob fiddling and experimentation.
To reduce friction, I stripped down my main setup to the Digitakt, Digitone, Syntakt and a Virus2, everything in a case, already connected, so I just have to plug-in 4 times power (into one box ad the corner of the case, so not to every single box) and 1 time audio (also in that case) to start, but even there: picking up the case, making room for that on the table, plug everything in, sometimes is stopping me from using it :(
Thanks! Great video! You’re right, “Friction” (or what I like to call “suboptimal UX”) is a *highly subjective* thing. For example: the MPC One was the first piece of gear that introduced so much (different types of) friction in *my* process, I came to actively hate it. I sold it to buy an MC-707 and I love that thing to death, although of course it’s far from perfect. My tips - thanks for asking ;) - to get got rid of some of the friction you are experiencing in relation to getting stuff up and running quick enough: All my stuff is always plugged in and ready to use. I put everything in accessible shelves/racks where I can use them immediately; I never carry stuff around. I got a patchbay for all my audio routing and labeled everything clearly so switching stuff around is super fast and easy. I got a MIDI merger (8 in, 2 out) and a MIDI splitter (2 in, 10 out) so I can control every box I own with every controller I own. Love this type of content, so keep it coming! Thanks, Gabe.
When I setup my latest iteration of my office/DAW, I finally installed a power conditioner and plugged all of my rack gear into it. Having one switch that turns on my interface, rack synths, and retro groovebox lowered that barrier to entry and reduced the pain point of turning everything on in order. Streamlining workflow, using templates and reducing initial setup for projects can really help with that too. I made a template that launches with my DAW that has a drum kit and some grid sequencers loaded. It also has external gear with midi and audio tracks setup so I don’t need to build those each time. It’s not perfect but it saves me taking those steps and spending that time so I can (hopefully) record that idea before it vanishes.
It's this issue that's driven me back to software. It's not so much the instruments themselves, software or hardware, but the points of connection between them and the management of their contents; samples, patterns, presets etc. On a stable, well-configured computer, everything stays in one place - where you last left it, in other words.
Timely video as I've just recently got a little table/cabinet to put next to the sofa where I do my evening RUclips binging. In it is an MPK Mini, my MC-101 and a small multi-effects pedal for my guitar. Makes it so much easier to just start making something while sat on the sofa, and quite a lot of the times that will lead to going into the office where my full-size setup is.
That was my biggest problem, I forget how to use the dang things. Companies should really put more time into their user manuals by providing a comprehensive cheat sheet for workflow and maybe even a tutorial/example workbook. the sp404 mkii was the biggest let down in that regard. What I'm supposed to go around my house with a microphone banging pots and pans to make my own sounds?! That's going on reverb for spring cleaning. In the end I plugged all my gear; synths, guitar, bass, mic, etc into a zoom L12 mixer and ran that into an akai force. I might also look into a midi footswitch to control various transport functions. Also added an akai midimix for per track volume and effects tweaking. The force in my opinion is the easiest way to compose because it has clip based and linear based workflow.
When you were talking about organizing sounds into packs that you can easily load onto whatever machine you're using that also works with DAW's in their default template. Changed my default Ableton template to include tracks I always have in my musical ideas and already have drums loaded I like mixed about 90% of the way there has been the biggest reduction of "friction" for my workflow. I have bought or tried a lot of different gear and it was never the problem, it was me. I need it to be easy to start making a musical idea or it won't happen. So much less stress involved now.
This has helped me out a lot, too. In my main ableton template, for example, I have a kick track that is an instrument rack with all my favorite kicks in it so I can just change the “note” of the midi pattern to try the different kicks I like. I have a group of tracks with some basic hat and snare/clap patterns as well. Some other basic elements like a pretty standard bass patch. I also got tire of the few steps it takes for some plugins to be routed with two tracks (e.g. Cthulhu), so I have them in a group ready to go, and they can obviously be deleted if I don’t need them. Despite all this, I still get lost in the infinite choices on the DAW. Between just two synths plugins, for example, I have hundreds of directions to go in with every sound. I spend most of my time selecting/creating different sounds, and ironically this is my least favorite part of producing. I just do it because I’m never completely satisfied with the sound and I know I can keep hacking away at it, so I do. It’s more of a compulsion than something I actually want to be doing. This is one major reason I’m looking at hardware like mc101. I really want to break away from the infinite adjustability of the DAW and just jam a bit. I want to be able to just turn something on and jam - like picking up the guitar or the drum sticks. Even with all the things I’ve teed up in the ableton setup with the controller, the resistance is significant.
This is a huge factor for my dumping DAWs. I used to be an dialog editor so when making music it was what I used daily for my job so naturally I would just turn to my DAW to make some tracks. Mind you this was more instrument recording as I am a drummer. Also, I needed at least 8 tracks to record simultaneously and the DAW offered that. Once I found the Tascam DP32 (has 8 XLR inputs and can them at the same time), it changed everything for me when it came to time it took to hit the record button. I like to catch the vibe of my track and usually (as you mention) I’d sit at my kit or come up with a riff, I then would have to fire up the DAW and in the time it took to startup and then opening a session (even pre-setup, assigned inputs etc.) I would lose that inspiration. Bummer. The Tascam DP32 is very simple to operate. I got it for this exact reason, to avoid “friction”. Power on, arm track, hit record and lay down idea in the heat of the moment! I planned on transferring individual tracks into my DAW after recording but even that is a bit of a pain so (even though the DP32 has mixing limitations) I will mix down my demos inside the machine. The DP32 has a great mastering section too. My next evolution in this musical journey is to get the Roland Verslab MV1 and incorporate it into my production work flow to again bypass the DAW for writing and arraignments. I have many demos and in addition to writing new tunes, I want to load these parts as samples into the MV1. I see many video of folks scratching their heads about the MV1 user but I think I am the exact target audience for this pice of gear. Prior to deciding on the MV1 I was leaning heavily toward the Circuit Tracks (after finding Gabe on RUclips) while doing my research. Thanks for all the straight forward information and instruction in your well produced videos!
I own a Roland MV-1 and a Tascam DP-02 (an 8-track with midi and a CD-R). I wanted some kind of synth/sampler, and like you, narrowed it down to the MV-1 based on marketing and advertised capabilities, but I have struggled with it since day 1. Fair warning, it's capable, but it cost me hours and hours digging through manuals, and there's still things I don't know how to do with it. Not trying to discourage you, but it's extremely unintuitive to do anything advanced on. Simple sequences, tones, beats, etc. are easy. Any kind of advanced stuff (sequencing knob movements, sampling, tweaking tone presets) is nothing but button shortcuts and hidden menus. When they added features in the latest 1.81 firmware, you have even more shortcuts, none of which are labeled. I highly recommend making a cheat sheet with your most commonly used functions... print out the one from the manual as a start, and add to it as needed. Sounds and features are 10/10, UI is 3/10.
For me it is the other way round. I started with a MC707 which I still have and like but I noticed I often hit the limitations of the device, especially polyphony. I then got Bitwig Studio and it works extremely well for me. I am up and running in seconds and start creating something immediately. A feeling I never got with hardware to be honest. I feel it often limiting and having too much friction.
I use the verselab everyday, it's like speaking a secret language when you get it. It's a pleasure to use. Watch paige Andersons RUclips channel. Go to his channel click the live tab, many tutorials some are labeled what they are , but each video has a few secrets in it.
Thanks for this video Gabe. I've been really focused on eliminating as much friction as possible, which meant making more templates for my gear & DAW. I will dive into making custom sound kits to make inspire making mire music
Totally get this. It is super important to have good setup, gear always ready to be used, connected to mixer etc. Lately I bought rack mounted power strip. Man, how is it nice to turn everything on with one button.
Great video, Gabe! Profound self-awareness and keen insights on your part, which I found very validating and clarifying. I'll likely return to this video when I need a reminder. Thank you!
A question I've had 4 u 4 quite awhile now... Differences between the mc 101 and the 707... why do you have the mc 707 if you feel there is more friction using it? Isn't the menu diving on the horrible display (same as on my roland system 8, which doesn't bother me at all 4 zum reason) on 101 alot of friction? I've only got the 707, I love the size and simplicity of the 101 but never tried it... 707 though.... extremely pleasing.... just alone... sure a bit tedieous with a small screen for the whole zen mechanics... but still... Just curious, love your channel!
Great video as usual Gabe! Couldn't help but notice that MV-1 clip there when talking about stem export (14:28). Old clip or have you been using that lately? Curious what people think about that device in 2023. I don't have one myself but have always wanted to give it a shot.
I try to also keep a vast array of music production apps on my phone/iPad that all serve as creative idea mashing hubs. It allows me to quickly cycle between workflow types to figure out what I am responding to that day. From there, if I feel a rhythm or groove strike me, I can find the corresponding midi controller and go at it from there. Whatever I produce, I try to save 1-2 samples as drop-in clips to slowly build my library. You are spot on with having as many options available as you can manage to find what you want and figure what you're doing. Apps are a great way to get there without breaking the bank on a billion controllers.
I like the Guitar reference, I would add having to string the guitar every time you want to use it after you have taken out of its case from under your bed
This is why I’m looking at the mc101/707. I’m really frustrated with my inability to just sit down and jam with the DAW and controller. My perception is that simplifying down to a handful of tracks and using some canned sounds will help, but… I also suspect I have a blind spot about other challenges that will leave me no better off.
@@JayM928 - The OG Novation Circuit really opened some doors for me, production-wise. Having a limited number of tracks to work with, with limited parameters, really pushed me to write better music.
Taetro just did a livestream last week about how Maschine is counterintuitive to use. He was as frustrated as I've ever seen him! Ultimately, I think he was trying to describe this same concept. I appreciate your take on things, especially being realistic with ourselves about our proficiency with devices. Great vid!
Funny enough, I think the Maschine is one of the more fluid devices I've used. But that goes to show just how hard it is to distill a device's workflow, because different people will gravitate towards different stuff.
This is why i love mixers that record. Like the Tascam Model 16 or Zoom’s L series. Hook up some hardware and record, instantly. No fooling around with DAW and stupid latency issues.
I’m so sorry to bother you, but may I suggest- that you please make a video about: (2023 Ver.) Which groovebox would best fit for a beginner + which is best for your first groovebox.. (both cheap and expensive)
1 thing I do is for all the gear I know I'll be using often is leave their power button on & have them connected to the same power strip & just turn that on & off - I don't know how safe this is but its 1 less "RUB" to deal with. Also don't sleep on Autoload of custom start up projects or last used projects. Great video topic!
I got og circuit because of you, then found out I needed different version of Windows driver than was required for their other products. Synth patch management was the last nail in its coffin 🥺
Really useful perspective here, thanks Gabe. The Friction syndrome is real. As a retired software engineer (now, music producer) , “saving state” pays big workflow dividends. Example: I often include a lot of ID3 style metadata in audio files (via MP3tag or other apps) in custom tags to capture live workflow process details; then when I come back to a creation/music session later, I can easier pick up where I left off. Also the metadata gives collaborators a quick “whole environment” picture to jump start inspiration & get the vibe quicker etc.
I’m so averse to exactly this problem that i don’t use hardware at all and even have my own custom default project that i just have to load and boom all my favorite presets and instruments are there grouped and everything.
One of the most useful tools I have gotten that has substantially reduced the friction I have with hardware and hardware/software integration is the MRCC Midi Router. It is basically a patchbay but for midi. Prerouting things makes it so much faster to get to what you are trying to achieve. If you have more than one or two hardware devices it is absolutely worth looking into.
You can apply this idea of friction in reverse - if there's something you keep doing that you'd rather change, you can ADD friction. Put a device in the closet, hide plugins you don't use. You can fight GAS by putting online store passwords in a wallet and hiding them.
Yes, 100%! I did this when I was trying to use Twitter less a couple of years ago... I uninstalled it off my phone, and forced myself to install it every time I wanted to use it. I've used it like a grand total of three or four times since.
It's not just friction or UX, its also time - or lack there of. Working fulltime, young family. Free time is scarce to transform Work from Home desk to Music Making Desk (change laptop, pull out MIDI controller/synth, hook it all up). And its nigh impossible doing this after the kid is finally asleep because you're drained and cbf. Very rarely I have the luxury of spending more than an hour playing with my DAW and all the VSTs I have or my MicroFreak.
I'd also love to see a video on making packs for Circuit Tracks using either Components or this other software you mentioned here. I believe you have touched on it in another video, but I don't think you have gone in depth with it.
I did do a dedicated video on making packs for the Tracks in Components, hopefully it's helpful! I don't think kitmaker can be made to spit out Tracks packs. ruclips.net/video/apv2eJtdsos/видео.html
Lol, full time civil/structural engineer here with a part time RUclips channel and music side hustle. Actually more overtime lately! Glad to meet another one. Subbed.
I use the MPC One but I don't use any plugins and the only sample packs I use are drums. I rely on the mojo of my external noisemakers. I don't sequence external gear (unless it can sequence itself), I play into the sampler and chop stuff around (another source of mojo). My bass amp is set up ready to be recorded and I have an ART Voice Channel for handling anything needing a mic. I process on the way in to get the sound 95% there. Final mix and mastering is in Reaper. Frictionally speaking it's almost as fluid as the Tascam 244 Portastudio I started out with.
Every word of this that I have watched so far to the midway point now is absolutely correct. I’ve been a musician for over 40 years. And for me this is especially true with electronic gear. If I can’t remember how to make it go or stop it’s just going to gather dust.
This is a very good video! Some friction sources that I want to point out is monotimbral instruments and monophonic instruments. I have acquired the Syntakt and the Minifreak last year, and though they are really really insanely good devices they are both almost forcing you to have them in bigger setups, the Minifreak because you only can play 1 timbre at the time, and the Syntakt because it is hard to do chords. And if you pair them together, they are still not a good couple because the minifreak will be needed for the lead sound (because it is so much more sonically broad than the Syntakt) but that still leaves you without chords. That is why for a hardware only setup a multitimbral polyphonic groove box almost always needs to be in the equation.
Such a huge amount of different gear to choose from and to learn inside out must be one of the biggest obstacles to getting productive. Because even if you end up sticking to only a few grooveboxes you will for sure feel guilty at some point about the other dozen devices eating dust. So you occasionally will use these as well and then have to relearn them a bit as well and get them again into a track-making workflow, which is very ineffective and unproductive. Would love to see a review of Maschine kits btw.
I don't own a portable music-making device, nor do I particularly want to own one, and I'm more of a tinkerer than someone that plugs and plays, but I like the cut of your jib and have enjoyed several videos on your channel. Keep up the good work!
Can't agree more. I spent over 3 hours over the weekend just trying to get going with a DAW and getting a sample into a DAW just to play the new Rhodes plugin to produce a song for their contest. I was trying to just take some samples using audacity or something and pull them into my Juno because I don't usually use my PC to record. Well, It ended up that there was some issue with realtek drivers (that windows update installed without permission) and that was jamming things up in the process of capturing anything at all with the sound card. Absolutely ridiculous. On my hardware I just create route out to my recorder and hit record. I have never been able to get that type of experience with a DAW and I always get more and more hiss and interference noise when I try to combine hardware and a PC anyway. Long story short- I ended up getting it to work sort of but the midi latency for the Rhodes plugin (or for my PC for some reason) ended up making it entirely impractical to use. So... Back to hardware. 😃 and you know if I really really want a Rhodes, I won't worry about winning one, I'll just save up the ten grand and it'll mean all that much more to me when I get it.
As a Civil Engineer, do you find any parity with engineering CAD software with DAWs and music hardware/grooveboxes? I was thinking recently about the stages of mental compromise that comes with learning a new CAD environment - if we had as few choices with music production gear as we do with CAD, would this perceived struggle with friction increase or decrease? Is the potential for "that perfect piece of gear somewhere out there that we just haven't heard about yet" making all of the options we do have less satisfying? Or is this same kind of friction festering in the CAD world and we desperately need more options there?
I actually do think that the same friction is festering in the CAD world... Civil 3D often feels like a mess of bugs, bloat, and feature creep. On one hand, needing to learn it has meant that I've gotten very very fast with it, but on the other hand, I feel like I really shouldn't have to know some of the workarounds that I know. I don't have an immediate comparison to music production off the top of my head, but I think the big thing is even intimidating workflows can become intuitive with enough time and dedication.
I definitely understand when you don’t have your setup “set-up” and ready to go, it can be a real creativity killer having to go thru all the setup. I’m someone who’s always had a pretty decent studio set up at home, and have more and more just went for a always on, and always plugged in setup. Especially when it comes to tracking drums, it’s such a pain to have to set up drum mics, muchness an entire kit. So I’ve now put in ceiling mounted mic stands for the overheads and anything else I can mount up there, drum mounted or hardware attached mic boom arms for most of the rest of the kit, a couple of short stands for the kick mics, short stand with split boom arm that goes to Snare top and Snare bottom, and then room mics that just stay up for any instrument. I’m just in the process of setting up a new place and replacing some of the gear I sold, so it is a little frustrating that theres still a few things I have to switch back and forth on, but it’s pretty much a must to have everything ready to go, always turned on, Pro-Tools/Logic running in the background, and pre routed session templates for both the DAW and my interfaces so I don’t have to do any utility based work. Now, most of the time though, if it’s just a rough guitar riff idea or something, I will literally just take out my phone and record a video of myself playing it. That’s probably the best way to go for spur of the moment ideas. No time to figure out what you were playing if you can’t hear the audio too well, and it’s something visual you can see, especially if you save it as an attachment in your notes app or on your desktop thru iCloud etc. Not gonna lie, I think “DAW-less” setups that are basically just software ran digital instruments in a hardware form factor with lots of midi buttons, knobs, pads, and a tiny little LCD screen to scan thru layers and layers of menus and sub menus has just become kind of oxy-moronic in my opinion. It’d make more sense if it’s a hardware unit where every button/control has a clear place and position and there is a clear and intuitive process to everything, even if there is a learning curve at first, are the only types of units that make sense and even then I think it’s still hard to justify. If I wanted a setup thats a bit more mobile, I’d honestly just get an iPad Pro, a decent interface that is bus powered, Midi controller with pads and keys, and then just use that to start tracks on Garage Band or Ableton Note and then import them into my DAW later. I do understand why people like hardware devices of synths and drum machines, especially if they are a dedicated instrument that you can always fire up and let the muscle memory do the work. Some of my biggest issues with gear and software nowadays is that there has become this incredibly blurry line between pro music gear and “pro”-sumer music gear, or music gear aimed more at hobbyists, but with some really “misleading” advertising. I find a lot of times that I don’t know if I’m looking at just a simple piece of gear on the cheaper end of Pro-Audio that is just slimmed down and mass manufactured to get the price down, or if its more marketing gimmicks, because even expensive brands have the same marketing tactics with a lot of things now a days. I’m all for people getting into music, but I wish the marketed so much towards the beginner/hobbyist players with a million presets and “AI-Machine Learning”, "this is what the Pros do”, “Drag in the midi chords presets and you’ll have a song in no time!” etc etc…lol. Obviously what I’m talking about is very obvious marketing, but I feel so much stuff has become click bait, pretty much every review on RUclips as well. haha.
Congrats to you to find it. 100% agree with the fact that little detail can change drasticly the rythm of your work. The guitar exemple is top notch ! Same goes for writing , with case A with pencil and notebook on the table VS same gear in a drawer > you will write 10 times more in the first case. Also i think the less choice you have, the more you do. It feels like the " choosing " part is more energy consuming that we tend to think. Ultimatly the " best " would be to have one instrument or box , that way it's so simple > every time you feel like doing music, grab your instrument / box. And the bonus of this way is that you Have to step up your game to avoid boredom. but i admit it's quite high level to think / do like that. ( and totally anti- consuming / youtube channel lol ) I like to think that any teenager can project an international career IF he stick to One box for few years or more. It's simple and impossible in the same time. Any one who grab any box will 150% goes with adding stuff on it ( just a reverb pedal for beginning and never stop until > an other synth, effect, etc... ) Still, everything is not hopeless. I suggest " gear Diet ", meaning you force yourself to stick with only one instrument / device for one month ( or week if you're...weak lol ) for exemple, to see where it can get. Lastly i would tell that suppressing one element of your studio is more likely to improve your Satisfaction level in the long run than adding one.
I always wanted a big studio, big desk everything. I was used to that because of my job working as an event guy with live bands and stuff. Now after many years, family, house, I don't have the patience to wait some time cause it takes Idk how long till all the samplers, synths, computer for sequencing and other stuff turns on. I lose my inspiration so quickly. That was one of the reason I bought my mpc live 2. I can be mobile in my house, it doesn't take that much long to turn it one but at the same time, I can hook it up downstairs to my rack stuff as a main hub!
Also if you want to goo pre-routing option for midi and can afford it, I recommend the MRCC Midi Router or they have a cheaper version as well. Its amazing what it can do. I only had to hook all of my gear up to it and basically works as very powerful midi patchbay and allows me to re-route whatever gear I want. Its especially nice when dealing with something like the Korg Volca Drum which can be a pain in the ass to route via midi but is a breeze with the MRCC
I'm a tinkerer so I guess the friction is the thing. I love the tracks for it's ease of use but I get really pleased when I work out ways to do things with it that it isn't naturally designed to do. I enjoy looking for ways to subvert what I think is the manufacturers expected workflow. Not sure what this says about me, or about my musical productivity but as Gabe says, this is a hobby and I don't have a deadline to work to.
Why I went to iOS there was no friction with it all ya need is AUM but hardware took up to much space connecting, devices was a headache and using each device with its weird workflows. but iOS as long as the app/synth or drum program is AUV3 your good 👍 and your can have all your gear ⚙️ in one small portable device dsp can be a limitation but depends on the iPad ya have obviously.
the friction with ios is all about its lack of ability to easily interface with other gear. I need a usb hub and other devices (audio interface, keyboard, midi interface) to make it worth playing around on and setting it up and dealing with midi channels and audio routing is major friction.
I am totally with you on the hardware setup side, but User Interface wise is all but frictionless (for me). I tried so hard and so many times to use the iPad as music making device, all in the box, or with external sequencer, but for me, the touch interface pushes me away every times. Too many elements on the screen, so you need to be ultra-precise to not hit the wrong thing, totally different approaches on UI on every single auv3 and not beeing able to change a few parameters without looking at it, is more friction to me than I am able to accept. And I am very sad about that, because (besides missing a drum machine that would fit my needs) I love the sound, and the portability oven of that „big“ iPad Pro I use for that.
I can see if your hooking it up to other hardware it being a pain with hubs and lack of ports but it’s possible but I use it all in the box so I don’t feel that friction as for using the UI I actually like the touch screen I thought I needed physical knobs but I was wrong I will occasionally hook up a Bluetooth midi but mainly I just use a Bluetooth mouse and my fingers to change stuff mouse handy for the smaller knobs like ya mentioned
@@SonicVibe I envy you and everyone who is able to do that a lot! I think I try that more or less once per month for 3 years now. Standalone, with controllers, even tried with a mouse. Maybe one day it clicks. Would save tons of money and lots of problems traveling with it.
@@jkirchheimer yes one big plus side is synths are desktop ports now and cheaper but like Pokémon you end up with the must collect them all and it adds up still 😂
I have a Tracks, Rhythm, TD-3 and iPad to record, all connected and powered on at all times in my shed. So literally all I need to do is press Play to start jamming.
Expectation is also something that can get in the way of using your more expensive gear. A cheaper device with less features can make you feel more proud when you make a nice song.
Gabe!!! You put this so well! Friction!! Something I've recognized but didn't really have a term for it. From buying a stand for that guitar so it's out to getting a synth duster so I can leave my gear out on a little side table so it's there to fiddle with. I've been making strides to get into the habit of playing with my gear. I love the mention of packs. I think this is great because you get on the computer and get off it without getting distracted. As a new user to circuit tracks, any suggestions on where to find sound packs, create sounds, curate sounds? You may have done videos for days on this subject but I'd love an update or a link. Keep up the great videos and thank you for amazing content.
I did do some Circuit packs videos in the past, Isotonik has some great ones (especially ones by A Force Truly Evil). I'm probably due to make an update video for the Tracks and Rhythm at some point.
@@GabeMillerMusic thanks!!! I'll definitely be tuned in as always as you inspired me to get the Tracks and continue to inspire me as well. Will be doing a deep dive and taking a look at your older videos as well now that I'm a little better at using it thanks of course to you.
Brilliant and very poignant video Gabe, absolutely touches many areas of concern I have articulated in the past, especially work flow. I tend to setup Templates songs with a basic drum pattern and sound selection, and that gives my foundation to start work..But fully agree on your hypothesis.
So far for me, the Roland Verselab MV-1 has lifted most of the barriers using it and finishing songs in there. With its TR-REC section combined with the classic 16 pads, it removes a lot of friction the MC-101 introduces as it asks you to switch back & forth between sequencing and playing notes on the same pads. Also the SONG mode is based on the TR-REC section, which lets you go from an 8 bar loop to a track literally in seconds. It definitely lacks stem export though (you need to record to a daw with the proprietary driver if you want multi-track). Also wish it had an AA batteries compartment or a built-in lithium battery, but at least it can be powered via USB. 2nd is the MPC Live II but more because of the presence of a built-in battery and speaker but it has brought me a lot more inspiration since they brought these very great plugins and sounds. Currently I'm also experimenting with the SimplTrek and it is a very interesting unit.
Also, you REALLY need to try the Roland JDXI!!! It's a dream to use, and it's an absolute monster of digital loveliness, simplicity and analog fatness and weirdness.
I was really hyped using the JD Xi, till I found out that when using the vocoder, the analog track wasn't useable anymore. It went from a 4 track beast, to just 1 good digital track and a good, but somewhat cumbersome drum track... Still can't understand why they made that design choice
That neh moment usually kills the vibe. Inspiration goes away once it comes down to hooking up my pedal board, audio interface, amp, and midi controllers. Working on fixing that.
Thanks! I definitely found that it helps, anything to make the music making process more tactile and visceral is great. Although I have played drums for a lot longer than I've been producing, so finger drumming came naturally for me.
Friction is why I stopped using a Digitakt. When starting a song, I'd have to build a drum kit before I could start making music. When making music, I'd have to use a bunch of extra steps or workarounds to do chords, velocity, modulation, segments which aren't 64 steps, or notes which aren't on-grid. When fine-tuning a song near the end, changes must be duplicated in each pattern. And when getting data to/from it, it requires proprietary tools which don't run on my OS. Every stage of the musical process was full of friction. Friction is also why I stopped using an OP-1. It makes starting songs really easy, but once there's a rough sketch written down, the entire rest of the song process is unnecessarily awkward or even impossible. I find Akai's gear is much better designed for my purposes. It makes songs easy to start, and the rest of the process is pretty decent too.
The simplest solution for me was a 22 channel mixer and a 12 outlet power strip. I can flip one switch and I sit down inside a horseshoe of 6 synths, 2 groove boxes, my mixer, a digital recorder and a couple of powered studio monitors. Super fast, super fun and the “friction” factor is down to a 0.5 My guitars are always within reach and I just flip the switch on my amp which is always armed with my go-to effects pedals. I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer so if I can beat this……well, I guess I’m just missing your point
Excellent Gabe, cheers for your insight into this. I'm somewhat similar to you in , in that setting up devices, plugginh them in etc. puts me right off ( time constraints, lazy) so a lot of the time I end up playing eit her keyboard or guitar which I really enjoy. The devices that are almost an instrument in themselves ie. RC505 . I've just got a novation circuit og and a keystep pro so hopefully I can get them to talk together to the RC505 in a productive way. Ta.
So true! I went from being a pro in studio to other work thus just having my looper pedal (and readily wired instruments) as my daily goto. i never ever was that productive before BUT fleshing out the loops in a DAW for full tracks seem to be too much friction to do it. result: > 2.000 potential tracks only existing as loops. dusty shelf.
"Alexa, turn on my studio" Putting all of my synths and desk lights on an Alexa controlled outlet has been so nice to just quickly jump in and warm them up while I am making coffee. I also have device specific "travel kits" with duplicate cables & batteries that I can pack & go. Next up I want to get a patchbay for easy effect chain patches
Agree with this so much. I use my MC-101 as an audio unit connected to an Akai Force (started off with the MC-101 but wanted something with more tracks). I love the sounds in the MC-101 and the ZenCore engine, but not having banks of user presets and instead having to "trick" the system with dedicated projects loaded with different patches on different clips, while it works, it makes it so I very very rarely use it nowadays. I want to use it, but that extra friction of having to load up a project, having to swap MIDI channel depending on which track my patch is on etc just kills the mood. If there was user banks that I could do Program Changes to the normal way, I would use it 10x more no doubt.
For polyend tracker users, there's a couple of tools to make kits using samples - polyend-tracker-pti-creator (my own python command line tool) and jaap3's pti-tools (Web UI).
I get the MC707 might seem intimidating for some people (it was to me !), but since you master the MC101 (And I totally see why You love it, hangin’ around on your coach), what’s keeping you from enjoying 4 more tracks and a giant screen compared to the 2-line MC101 display ? Especially Now that you can actually edit the zen-core sounds on both machines...
This is why I sold all my hardware etc 20 years ago, got out of VST (for a lot of years) and put my whole world into Reason. Save a session and it is there exactly the same next time. I adjust my life around music - easier when there is income as it is my thing, not cars, games, stock markets, but music making, Mixing etc. I wnt to put in the time and passion, even on most "bad" days. While there are great instruments out there, Europa, Thor, Subtractor etc are mostly soooo much easier to use and I know them so well I can create anything I wasn't if I listen enough. Sure there is a sonic footprint but how is that bad as all those other **insert famuos name** synths have one too. Lucky for me that I don't rightly want to sound exactly like they pretty well all do so I make my own sound. :-)
I’ve never understood why people buy gear and store it on a shelf 🤷♂️ All my stuff has to be plugged in and ready to go, flip four power switches and everything is ready in less than 5 seconds or so.
I have the opposite problem. I am the IT guy and I love tinkering with the music gear, I can say I even enjoy the troubleshooting process. Unfortunately, I am a pretty crappy musician, let's put it that way.
Got to say Miller your tutorials are the best just got a C T what you don't know about this device isn't worth worrying about this conversation is really deep almost Aristotle philosophy keep up the good work my man
You got me REALLLY wanting an MC 101 I hate the MPC One. Bit regarding “friction” This is why I use ONE app and an SP404mk2. Korg Gadget, Nanostudio2, BM3 if plugged in and charging, and always CUBASIS for track based recording, i much prefer the touch interface over anyth8ng on a laptop. I prefer ONE app or a synth etc , stems, or my own packs… Regarding SP404, I wish all future companies products will include those small BIG things like lots of inputs and plug and play type things, but it feels like they are slacking , I want side chain, I do not want to use alternative workarounds 🤦🏼🤬 regarding simple, I keep everything ready and setup. i WANT to get it all into a live rig and keep it all closed off from the CAT 🙀😻😼😿🙀I keep a mixer setup but I am often unplugged and just running around on headphones, using an ipad, nanokeystudio or my Bluetooth dongle and a sampler, its been the SP404 since I got it. Noooooooo non ios DAWs unless it is for end stage mastering and I do not go backward from there. Having custom premade song starter templates is a good way to tunenin your style and sound. It really eliminates the endless fidgeting and pointless sound design and other going in circles with no result. Custom template/ starter kits/ sound packs is super wise. This was my problem with MPC One for me, I do NOT want to see other peoples sounds and I do not want to have to flip through their previews. It’s something I always do is to delete everything off each device. I want ONLY my own material on my devices. That way I know I am not accidentally plagiarizing stealing or copyingnor clearing samples etc…
Good to see some mv1 footage, they have great sound packs through the Roland Clound. You can't subscribe and use it in hardware, have to buy a lifetime key, but they are 5 bucks and it cuts alot of the bullshit out like you say
Yeah they are not so expensive.But as a new MV-1 user(also It's my first standalone device) I have to say don't forget that it comes with a built -in mic good to record some items to create sounds almost from around your place.and even better it has the xlr and line inputs if you own a more capable mic...and after the 1.80 update you can import regular midi clips and much more like undo&redo . still learning it cause I am into the MV-1 about 2 months now.I moved away from DAW environment and I enjoy it.Peace
@_.RacooN._ yea I bought o the pack over a year ago, they were a dollar each, I should have grabbed more. They are convenient but most of the sounds already use MFX so you are limited in changing those tones within the MV1. But the automation is great and easy to setup and audition different effects also then you have the global effects and EQ. Plenty to work with. But zenology is the best tool I've used, and I'm very new to production
@@zapmando you mean that they are actually ''resampled'' into section select clips with the mfx on them.because if they aren't resampled you can change per section clip/section the mfx.or in general if you don't record that track or clip of that track with the sampling mode while it has mfx then you can copy all over the 16 clips of the snare for example and play with mfx for those 16 clips of the snare I confirmed that yesterday. so you can have the snare track or whatever and have 16 mfx variations of that track....but yeah pretty much with the built in mic you can make as much you want unique instruments.I mean you are not limited on the extra packs or even the presets.
Hey man i appreciate this video but i think everybody is different music abd being a successful producer/artist is my bigest dream and when i lack inspiration i remind myself of my goals and j keep grinding even if i have to tinker for hours and get pissed off to figure something out it dosent matter because my goals keep me drivin no matter what. So i think its really important to have musical goals and dreams no matter how big so when u get stuck or are uninspired u can remind urself of ur dreams and feel inspired again
I am also very driven by my dreams and goals, and because of that, I figure I should give myself as much of an advantage as possible, and do whatever I can to design my environment and habits to make me more productive. Motivation is great, but it's a fuel that can burn out.
Maschine Plus and Polyend Tracker have the easiest workflow I've tried. The MPC and elektron are meh. I will say if Elektron ever comes out with a successor to the Octatrack I'll study to get good on that.
Have you read Atomic Habits? It's a great book that touches on the importance of designing your environment towards the habit you want to form. For example, if you want to form a habit of making music whenever you have a 15 minute break, the device you're using better be hooked up and ready to go in seconds. Great video, definitely agree with many of your points!
Yep, I've read (well, listened to) it! The "make it easy" step of habit building stuck with me and probably directly led to this video.
Some tips for M8 users in context of this video, you can randomize instruments on it, by going to the instrument screen and holding down all the direction keys then press edit, each time you press edit will be a new random instrument. To load a kit on M8 you use the slices, so if you just for example load a 909 slice kit it might be called 909kit25, so you load it, set slices to 25 (it is etiquette to put the slice number at the end of the file name when making them) then each note c-1 upwards is a different sample from the kit.
Interesting timing here; I just took all my mini synths out of the drawer and installed shelves and hooked them all up in a “permanent” state. Power, MIDI, and audio - all wired up. The midi is going to a widi hub, so directly to my keystep but also bluetooth to my nanokey studio and ipad. All the audio is going to a mixer to monitors and an audio interface for the ipad. When I first started buying physical synths, I’d take one out to play, but when I wanted to make songs I’d stick to the ipad exclusively. It was just so easy to pull up AUM and start making music rather than pick out some gear, find the appropriate wires, sometimes AC, and then how do I route the audio? I just never used the gear. Now it’s all there ready to go. It’s a huge difference.
Niceeeeee
Even taking off the covers from my nearby gear is sometimes too much, that is how tired/lazy I can be. So yes removing all the hurdles is a big one for sure. Nice talk Gabe.
You raise a good point, what sometime adds to the friction, is that so much of this gear is completely unnecessary. For every enthusiast amongst us who've invested thousands in the gear, there's a ton of artists with far more success who work entirely in the box with plugins. When I do muster up the energy I do prefer the more tactile hands on experience but in pure practical terms I do find working in the box far more efficient.
Thats why i like my mpc live 2. Grab it lie down in bed and make an instant beat without worrying about wires, headset etc. Finishing though is a different story.
Im struggling with a creative block and this gave me a little spark to grab my mc101 and fiddle with it for the first time in a while.
For those who have A lot of Synths and Midi equipment, KENTON 12 or 24 THRU box is a must have. You make one piece of gear the master and then 12 slaves with exact copies of each midi channel with no latency.
Great comment.
My secret weapon is an old MOTU 8 in 8 out midi interface. The one with the old parallel port for printers, very cheap accordingly.
Switch it on, select merge all using the front panel and all your midi ports are connected. 8 way merge and 8 way through, for peanuts 👍
I’m 24/7 programmer, work computer is my main screen, by my Mac is always on as well. Without a screen, Push2 is on, can turn on one of the synth to jam in no time. Continuing project in works or something new. This way, when I finally switch monitor/mouse/kb to Mac, at night or weekends, it has a project. No need to load groovebox project to DAW, or load sound to groovebox.
Sometimes I replace Push to Maschine+ in front of me (just box, no M soft or hardware synths). M+ has enough comparing to smaller boxes with too many limitations. But even audio cables is too much clatter LOL. Push has just one usb wire :)
This is how my saga choosing groovebox heart of setup and DAW-less ended. DAW is running, but I don’t feel it. Without that would never made any music at home.
Ableton and M+ packs are cool enough, well made, inspiring. Plus presets/design sounds in VST. Plus designing sound from scratch on hardware synths, while being able to record preset, sound or a phrase/part is most precious. I’m done “recording” h/w synth into grooboxes, hard to edit/move.
All 3 worlds - DAW/VST, Analogue hardware synths, and groovebox/controllers can live in peace, without friction.
Having said that, OP-Z is always in my bag. Korg Gadget keeps my 8years of projects in the iPhone when I’m out of my DAW powered DAW-less man’s cave.
5:37 - I have the same thing with my main workdesk so I got a keyboard stand and a flight case. The flight case's "lower" part holds all the synths and other jingamagics and can be covered when not in use. ^.^
Lowering the bar for entry is really key! Keeping your gear plugged in setup ready to use, and ready to record or sequence with is absolutely the best! Anything you can do to remove roadblocks between concept and creation will be so valuable because it really helps you to channel the creativity and reach that 'flow state' that's really crucial to delivering an inspired track. Ever notice how when you make your best stuff, it just happens, you don't really actively think it through you just power down into it and forget about everything else and then BAM. It's done and you're like wow. This is great.
As someone with a tiny apartment and zero desk space for a dedicated setup - the friction you speak of is my life presently. I have a few small portable tables, but you're spot on - they require setup.
Some devices work great for grab and go (the tracks), or one device can go to the left of my regular computer for an hour - but that requires effort.
I don't mind the table of gear though - just need the dedicated space for it. This'll be a house whenever that happens :)
I've definitely found myself overwhelmed by setting up so much gear and routing it all together but it definitely pays off in the end. I love playing the tracks all by itself, as well. What i like to do is write the songs independently with the tracks on my lap or before bed and then seperatly I can hook it back up as a brain and every part I've written can be directed to some piece of external gear I've set up "semi" permanently and this gives me the best of both worlds. Now I'm trying to take on the task of adding a hardware compressor and EQ into this mix which is a whole other intimidating part of it. My long term goal is to minimize as much post production time in Ableton as possible.
This video puts into words something I've been fighting with for years. My first experience was (because I am old) an Atari ST, Cubase and a Yamaha sound module. I could switch on a power socket, put in a floppy and away I go - no set up, no faff. Every computer setup since has had too much friction. So I turned to groove boxes and they almost get me there... But not quite. Even they have all had too much friction, been too fiddly. That was right up until a few weeks ago when Gabe's videos led me to take a punt on a Circuit Tracks and finally I think I've found the right mix of immediacy and potential. Happy days :)
Lots of good points raised in this video, musicians don't need a bunch of fancy features that we are going to rarely use. The future of music gear is going to need to be convenience, easy to use and have enough customization to make new sounds and explore sound. End menu diving. Music companies need to listen to the user.
My main point of friction is my laptop, really. I really can't be arsed most of the time. I like sticking things into other things and seeing if I can come up with something that way. This is why I love the Digitakt. It can be a brain for some other things, but can handle the bulk of the arrangement on its own.
I love instruments that can handle a bunch of stuff, but I also love instruments that just do one thing really well. I love drum machines and one-trick pony little synths, and I love combining them. And sometimes I need to take everything off my desk, take out and untangle a big ball of cable spaghetti, kiss all my little boxes, tell them mummy loves them, and start over.
Haha I feel ya, I’ve gone into just buying one job boxes now as if it’s a bunch of ‘can do everything’ boxes it becomes overwhelming. Use a squarp pyramid for my brain, akai s5000 for samples, TR8s for drums, Roland integra7 for every other sound I could possibly need and a cobalt 8m for synth knob fiddling and experimentation.
Fair, different approaches work for different people!
@@GabeMillerMusic Absolutely.
To reduce friction, I stripped down my main setup to the Digitakt, Digitone, Syntakt and a Virus2, everything in a case, already connected, so I just have to plug-in 4 times power (into one box ad the corner of the case, so not to every single box) and 1 time audio (also in that case) to start, but even there: picking up the case, making room for that on the table, plug everything in, sometimes is stopping me from using it :(
Thanks! Great video! You’re right, “Friction” (or what I like to call “suboptimal UX”) is a *highly subjective* thing. For example: the MPC One was the first piece of gear that introduced so much (different types of) friction in *my* process, I came to actively hate it. I sold it to buy an MC-707 and I love that thing to death, although of course it’s far from perfect.
My tips - thanks for asking ;) - to get got rid of some of the friction you are experiencing in relation to getting stuff up and running quick enough:
All my stuff is always plugged in and ready to use. I put everything in accessible shelves/racks where I can use them immediately; I never carry stuff around. I got a patchbay for all my audio routing and labeled everything clearly so switching stuff around is super fast and easy. I got a MIDI merger (8 in, 2 out) and a MIDI splitter (2 in, 10 out) so I can control every box I own with every controller I own.
Love this type of content, so keep it coming! Thanks, Gabe.
When I setup my latest iteration of my office/DAW, I finally installed a power conditioner and plugged all of my rack gear into it. Having one switch that turns on my interface, rack synths, and retro groovebox lowered that barrier to entry and reduced the pain point of turning everything on in order.
Streamlining workflow, using templates and reducing initial setup for projects can really help with that too. I made a template that launches with my DAW that has a drum kit and some grid sequencers loaded. It also has external gear with midi and audio tracks setup so I don’t need to build those each time. It’s not perfect but it saves me taking those steps and spending that time so I can (hopefully) record that idea before it vanishes.
It's this issue that's driven me back to software. It's not so much the instruments themselves, software or hardware, but the points of connection between them and the management of their contents; samples, patterns, presets etc. On a stable, well-configured computer, everything stays in one place - where you last left it, in other words.
Timely video as I've just recently got a little table/cabinet to put next to the sofa where I do my evening RUclips binging. In it is an MPK Mini, my MC-101 and a small multi-effects pedal for my guitar. Makes it so much easier to just start making something while sat on the sofa, and quite a lot of the times that will lead to going into the office where my full-size setup is.
That was my biggest problem, I forget how to use the dang things. Companies should really put more time into their user manuals by providing a comprehensive cheat sheet for workflow and maybe even a tutorial/example workbook. the sp404 mkii was the biggest let down in that regard. What I'm supposed to go around my house with a microphone banging pots and pans to make my own sounds?! That's going on reverb for spring cleaning. In the end I plugged all my gear; synths, guitar, bass, mic, etc into a zoom L12 mixer and ran that into an akai force. I might also look into a midi footswitch to control various transport functions. Also added an akai midimix for per track volume and effects tweaking. The force in my opinion is the easiest way to compose because it has clip based and linear based workflow.
When you were talking about organizing sounds into packs that you can easily load onto whatever machine you're using that also works with DAW's in their default template. Changed my default Ableton template to include tracks I always have in my musical ideas and already have drums loaded I like mixed about 90% of the way there has been the biggest reduction of "friction" for my workflow. I have bought or tried a lot of different gear and it was never the problem, it was me. I need it to be easy to start making a musical idea or it won't happen. So much less stress involved now.
Same here. Ableton templates are a hugely underrated feature.
This has helped me out a lot, too. In my main ableton template, for example, I have a kick track that is an instrument rack with all my favorite kicks in it so I can just change the “note” of the midi pattern to try the different kicks I like. I have a group of tracks with some basic hat and snare/clap patterns as well. Some other basic elements like a pretty standard bass patch. I also got tire of the few steps it takes for some plugins to be routed with two tracks (e.g. Cthulhu), so I have them in a group ready to go, and they can obviously be deleted if I don’t need them.
Despite all this, I still get lost in the infinite choices on the DAW. Between just two synths plugins, for example, I have hundreds of directions to go in with every sound. I spend most of my time selecting/creating different sounds, and ironically this is my least favorite part of producing. I just do it because I’m never completely satisfied with the sound and I know I can keep hacking away at it, so I do. It’s more of a compulsion than something I actually want to be doing.
This is one major reason I’m looking at hardware like mc101. I really want to break away from the infinite adjustability of the DAW and just jam a bit. I want to be able to just turn something on and jam - like picking up the guitar or the drum sticks. Even with all the things I’ve teed up in the ableton setup with the controller, the resistance is significant.
Definitely on point! Time, money and space are big issues. But every other little thing can become a real obstacle.
This is a huge factor for my dumping DAWs. I used to be an dialog editor so when making music it was what I used daily for my job so naturally I would just turn to my DAW to make some tracks. Mind you this was more instrument recording as I am a drummer. Also, I needed at least 8 tracks to record simultaneously and the DAW offered that. Once I found the Tascam DP32 (has 8 XLR inputs and can them at the same time), it changed everything for me when it came to time it took to hit the record button. I like to catch the vibe of my track and usually (as you mention) I’d sit at my kit or come up with a riff, I then would have to fire up the DAW and in the time it took to startup and then opening a session (even pre-setup, assigned inputs etc.) I would lose that inspiration. Bummer. The Tascam DP32 is very simple to operate. I got it for this exact reason, to avoid “friction”. Power on, arm track, hit record and lay down idea in the heat of the moment! I planned on transferring individual tracks into my DAW after recording but even that is a bit of a pain so (even though the DP32 has mixing limitations) I will mix down my demos inside the machine. The DP32 has a great mastering section too.
My next evolution in this musical journey is to get the Roland Verslab MV1 and incorporate it into my production work flow to again bypass the DAW for writing and arraignments. I have many demos and in addition to writing new tunes, I want to load these parts as samples into the MV1. I see many video of folks scratching their heads about the MV1 user but I think I am the exact target audience for this pice of gear. Prior to deciding on the MV1 I was leaning heavily toward the Circuit Tracks (after finding Gabe on RUclips) while doing my research.
Thanks for all the straight forward information and instruction in your well produced videos!
I own a Roland MV-1 and a Tascam DP-02 (an 8-track with midi and a CD-R). I wanted some kind of synth/sampler, and like you, narrowed it down to the MV-1 based on marketing and advertised capabilities, but I have struggled with it since day 1. Fair warning, it's capable, but it cost me hours and hours digging through manuals, and there's still things I don't know how to do with it.
Not trying to discourage you, but it's extremely unintuitive to do anything advanced on. Simple sequences, tones, beats, etc. are easy. Any kind of advanced stuff (sequencing knob movements, sampling, tweaking tone presets) is nothing but button shortcuts and hidden menus. When they added features in the latest 1.81 firmware, you have even more shortcuts, none of which are labeled.
I highly recommend making a cheat sheet with your most commonly used functions... print out the one from the manual as a start, and add to it as needed.
Sounds and features are 10/10, UI is 3/10.
For me it is the other way round. I started with a MC707 which I still have and like but I noticed I often hit the limitations of the device, especially polyphony. I then got Bitwig Studio and it works extremely well for me. I am
up and running in seconds and start creating something immediately. A feeling I never got with hardware to be honest. I feel it often limiting and having too much friction.
@@mudi2000a Unfamiliar with Bitwig Studio. Is it software? I come from/left Pro Tools.
@@enzotreppa yes it is software. It was started by former Ableton developers.
I use the verselab everyday, it's like speaking a secret language when you get it. It's a pleasure to use. Watch paige Andersons RUclips channel. Go to his channel click the live tab, many tutorials some are labeled what they are , but each video has a few secrets in it.
Thanks for this video Gabe. I've been really focused on eliminating as much friction as possible, which meant making more templates for my gear & DAW. I will dive into making custom sound kits to make inspire making mire music
Totally get this. It is super important to have good setup, gear always ready to be used, connected to mixer etc. Lately I bought rack mounted power strip. Man, how is it nice to turn everything on with one button.
Great video, Gabe! Profound self-awareness and keen insights on your part, which I found very validating and clarifying. I'll likely return to this video when I need a reminder. Thank you!
A question I've had 4 u 4 quite awhile now... Differences between the mc 101 and the 707... why do you have the mc 707 if you feel there is more friction using it? Isn't the menu diving on the horrible display (same as on my roland system 8, which doesn't bother me at all 4 zum reason) on 101 alot of friction? I've only got the 707, I love the size and simplicity of the 101 but never tried it... 707 though.... extremely pleasing.... just alone... sure a bit tedieous with a small screen for the whole zen mechanics... but still... Just curious, love your channel!
Great video as usual Gabe! Couldn't help but notice that MV-1 clip there when talking about stem export (14:28). Old clip or have you been using that lately? Curious what people think about that device in 2023. I don't have one myself but have always wanted to give it a shot.
Yeah, it's an old clip. I had the MV-1 on loan so I don't have it anymore.
I try to also keep a vast array of music production apps on my phone/iPad that all serve as creative idea mashing hubs. It allows me to quickly cycle between workflow types to figure out what I am responding to that day. From there, if I feel a rhythm or groove strike me, I can find the corresponding midi controller and go at it from there. Whatever I produce, I try to save 1-2 samples as drop-in clips to slowly build my library. You are spot on with having as many options available as you can manage to find what you want and figure what you're doing. Apps are a great way to get there without breaking the bank on a billion controllers.
I like the Guitar reference, I would add having to string the guitar every time you want to use it after you have taken out of its case from under your bed
"Laziest and most uninspired version of yourself" 😂
This is some good reality checks and good tips man. Cheers!
I made the move to hardware because of the decision fatigue that I'd run into working with a DAW. Too many VSTs, and infinite options / distractions.
Same here. Also I wanted to _increase_ the friction involved in editing so I only fix _audible_ problems.
Having a studio loaded with hardware synths and drum machines has just as many options/distractions.
This is why I’m looking at the mc101/707. I’m really frustrated with my inability to just sit down and jam with the DAW and controller. My perception is that simplifying down to a handful of tracks and using some canned sounds will help, but… I also suspect I have a blind spot about other challenges that will leave me no better off.
@@JayM928 - The OG Novation Circuit really opened some doors for me, production-wise. Having a limited number of tracks to work with, with limited parameters, really pushed me to write better music.
Taetro just did a livestream last week about how Maschine is counterintuitive to use. He was as frustrated as I've ever seen him! Ultimately, I think he was trying to describe this same concept. I appreciate your take on things, especially being realistic with ourselves about our proficiency with devices. Great vid!
Funny enough, I think the Maschine is one of the more fluid devices I've used. But that goes to show just how hard it is to distill a device's workflow, because different people will gravitate towards different stuff.
that was just operator error by Taetro.
He was on Mushrooms
This is why i love mixers that record. Like the Tascam Model 16 or Zoom’s L series. Hook up some hardware and record, instantly. No fooling around with DAW and stupid latency issues.
or 1010music Bluebox
I’m so sorry to bother you, but may I suggest- that you please make a video about: (2023 Ver.) Which groovebox would best fit for a beginner + which is best for your first groovebox.. (both cheap and expensive)
I don't want to repeat video topics toooo often, but I'm probably due to make a 2023 edition
DAWs are not bad, but iPad with Drambo instantly rendered all of them cumbersome AF for me.
1 thing I do is for all the gear I know I'll be using often is leave their power button on & have them connected to the same power strip & just turn that on & off - I don't know how safe this is but its 1 less "RUB" to deal with.
Also don't sleep on Autoload of custom start up projects or last used projects. Great video topic!
I got og circuit because of you, then found out I needed different version of Windows driver than was required for their other products. Synth patch management was the last nail in its coffin 🥺
Oof. Hopefully you find something else that fits what you're after better
Really useful perspective here, thanks Gabe. The Friction syndrome is real. As a retired software engineer (now, music producer) , “saving state” pays big workflow dividends. Example: I often include a lot of ID3 style metadata in audio files (via MP3tag or other apps) in custom tags to capture live workflow process details; then when I come back to a creation/music session later, I can easier pick up where I left off. Also the metadata gives collaborators a quick “whole environment” picture to jump start inspiration & get the vibe quicker etc.
I wish I could be as excited about using the gear I've already bought as I was about it before I bought it. :( :P
I’m so averse to exactly this problem that i don’t use hardware at all and even have my own custom default project that i just have to load and boom all my favorite presets and instruments are there grouped and everything.
One of the most useful tools I have gotten that has substantially reduced the friction I have with hardware and hardware/software integration is the MRCC Midi Router. It is basically a patchbay but for midi. Prerouting things makes it so much faster to get to what you are trying to achieve. If you have more than one or two hardware devices it is absolutely worth looking into.
You can apply this idea of friction in reverse - if there's something you keep doing that you'd rather change, you can ADD friction. Put a device in the closet, hide plugins you don't use. You can fight GAS by putting online store passwords in a wallet and hiding them.
Yes, 100%! I did this when I was trying to use Twitter less a couple of years ago... I uninstalled it off my phone, and forced myself to install it every time I wanted to use it. I've used it like a grand total of three or four times since.
@@GabeMillerMusic I first encountered this kind of idea in Atomic Habits by James Clear - recommended.
It's not just friction or UX, its also time - or lack there of. Working fulltime, young family. Free time is scarce to transform Work from Home desk to Music Making Desk (change laptop, pull out MIDI controller/synth, hook it all up). And its nigh impossible doing this after the kid is finally asleep because you're drained and cbf.
Very rarely I have the luxury of spending more than an hour playing with my DAW and all the VSTs I have or my MicroFreak.
Yeah that's brutal. Hopefully at least you can take steps to make it so that you can make the most of the limited time you do have.
@@GabeMillerMusic yeah Circuit Tracks arrives tomorrow so let's see how that influences things!
Man Gabe, you really nailed some excellent points here. This might not be your most exciting video, but it's likely one of the most important. Thanks!
I'd also love to see a video on making packs for Circuit Tracks using either Components or this other software you mentioned here. I believe you have touched on it in another video, but I don't think you have gone in depth with it.
I did do a dedicated video on making packs for the Tracks in Components, hopefully it's helpful! I don't think kitmaker can be made to spit out Tracks packs.
ruclips.net/video/apv2eJtdsos/видео.html
Lol, full time civil/structural engineer here with a part time RUclips channel and music side hustle. Actually more overtime lately! Glad to meet another one. Subbed.
Nerds…
(Mechanical here)
I use the MPC One but I don't use any plugins and the only sample packs I use are drums.
I rely on the mojo of my external noisemakers. I don't sequence external gear (unless it can sequence itself), I play into the sampler and chop stuff around (another source of mojo). My bass amp is set up ready to be recorded and I have an ART Voice Channel for handling anything needing a mic. I process on the way in to get the sound 95% there. Final mix and mastering is in Reaper.
Frictionally speaking it's almost as fluid as the Tascam 244 Portastudio I started out with.
Nice!
Every word of this that I have watched so far to the midway point now is absolutely correct. I’ve been a musician for over 40 years. And for me this is especially true with electronic gear. If I can’t remember how to make it go or stop it’s just going to gather dust.
This is a very good video! Some friction sources that I want to point out is monotimbral instruments and monophonic instruments. I have acquired the Syntakt and the Minifreak last year, and though they are really really insanely good devices they are both almost forcing you to have them in bigger setups, the Minifreak because you only can play 1 timbre at the time, and the Syntakt because it is hard to do chords. And if you pair them together, they are still not a good couple because the minifreak will be needed for the lead sound (because it is so much more sonically broad than the Syntakt) but that still leaves you without chords. That is why for a hardware only setup a multitimbral polyphonic groove box almost always needs to be in the equation.
Such a huge amount of different gear to choose from and to learn inside out must be one of the biggest obstacles to getting productive. Because even if you end up sticking to only a few grooveboxes you will for sure feel guilty at some point about the other dozen devices eating dust. So you occasionally will use these as well and then have to relearn them a bit as well and get them again into a track-making workflow, which is very ineffective and unproductive.
Would love to see a review of Maschine kits btw.
I don't own a portable music-making device, nor do I particularly want to own one, and I'm more of a tinkerer than someone that plugs and plays, but I like the cut of your jib and have enjoyed several videos on your channel. Keep up the good work!
Can't agree more. I spent over 3 hours over the weekend just trying to get going with a DAW and getting a sample into a DAW just to play the new Rhodes plugin to produce a song for their contest. I was trying to just take some samples using audacity or something and pull them into my Juno because I don't usually use my PC to record. Well, It ended up that there was some issue with realtek drivers (that windows update installed without permission) and that was jamming things up in the process of capturing anything at all with the sound card. Absolutely ridiculous. On my hardware I just create route out to my recorder and hit record. I have never been able to get that type of experience with a DAW and I always get more and more hiss and interference noise when I try to combine hardware and a PC anyway. Long story short- I ended up getting it to work sort of but the midi latency for the Rhodes plugin (or for my PC for some reason) ended up making it entirely impractical to use. So...
Back to hardware. 😃 and you know if I really really want a Rhodes, I won't worry about winning one, I'll just save up the ten grand and it'll mean all that much more to me when I get it.
Thats a Windows problem, i never have those problems on my Mac.
As a Civil Engineer, do you find any parity with engineering CAD software with DAWs and music hardware/grooveboxes? I was thinking recently about the stages of mental compromise that comes with learning a new CAD environment - if we had as few choices with music production gear as we do with CAD, would this perceived struggle with friction increase or decrease? Is the potential for "that perfect piece of gear somewhere out there that we just haven't heard about yet" making all of the options we do have less satisfying? Or is this same kind of friction festering in the CAD world and we desperately need more options there?
I actually do think that the same friction is festering in the CAD world... Civil 3D often feels like a mess of bugs, bloat, and feature creep. On one hand, needing to learn it has meant that I've gotten very very fast with it, but on the other hand, I feel like I really shouldn't have to know some of the workarounds that I know.
I don't have an immediate comparison to music production off the top of my head, but I think the big thing is even intimidating workflows can become intuitive with enough time and dedication.
I definitely understand when you don’t have your setup “set-up” and ready to go, it can be a real creativity killer having to go thru all the setup. I’m someone who’s always had a pretty decent studio set up at home, and have more and more just went for a always on, and always plugged in setup. Especially when it comes to tracking drums, it’s such a pain to have to set up drum mics, muchness an entire kit. So I’ve now put in ceiling mounted mic stands for the overheads and anything else I can mount up there, drum mounted or hardware attached mic boom arms for most of the rest of the kit, a couple of short stands for the kick mics, short stand with split boom arm that goes to Snare top and Snare bottom, and then room mics that just stay up for any instrument. I’m just in the process of setting up a new place and replacing some of the gear I sold, so it is a little frustrating that theres still a few things I have to switch back and forth on, but it’s pretty much a must to have everything ready to go, always turned on, Pro-Tools/Logic running in the background, and pre routed session templates for both the DAW and my interfaces so I don’t have to do any utility based work.
Now, most of the time though, if it’s just a rough guitar riff idea or something, I will literally just take out my phone and record a video of myself playing it. That’s probably the best way to go for spur of the moment ideas. No time to figure out what you were playing if you can’t hear the audio too well, and it’s something visual you can see, especially if you save it as an attachment in your notes app or on your desktop thru iCloud etc.
Not gonna lie, I think “DAW-less” setups that are basically just software ran digital instruments in a hardware form factor with lots of midi buttons, knobs, pads, and a tiny little LCD screen to scan thru layers and layers of menus and sub menus has just become kind of oxy-moronic in my opinion. It’d make more sense if it’s a hardware unit where every button/control has a clear place and position and there is a clear and intuitive process to everything, even if there is a learning curve at first, are the only types of units that make sense and even then I think it’s still hard to justify.
If I wanted a setup thats a bit more mobile, I’d honestly just get an iPad Pro, a decent interface that is bus powered, Midi controller with pads and keys, and then just use that to start tracks on Garage Band or Ableton Note and then import them into my DAW later. I do understand why people like hardware devices of synths and drum machines, especially if they are a dedicated instrument that you can always fire up and let the muscle memory do the work.
Some of my biggest issues with gear and software nowadays is that there has become this incredibly blurry line between pro music gear and “pro”-sumer music gear, or music gear aimed more at hobbyists, but with some really “misleading” advertising. I find a lot of times that I don’t know if I’m looking at just a simple piece of gear on the cheaper end of Pro-Audio that is just slimmed down and mass manufactured to get the price down, or if its more marketing gimmicks, because even expensive brands have the same marketing tactics with a lot of things now a days. I’m all for people getting into music, but I wish the marketed so much towards the beginner/hobbyist players with a million presets and “AI-Machine Learning”, "this is what the Pros do”, “Drag in the midi chords presets and you’ll have a song in no time!” etc etc…lol. Obviously what I’m talking about is very obvious marketing, but I feel so much stuff has become click bait, pretty much every review on RUclips as well. haha.
Congrats to you to find it. 100% agree with the fact that little detail can change drasticly the rythm of your work.
The guitar exemple is top notch !
Same goes for writing , with case A with pencil and notebook on the table VS same gear in a drawer > you will write 10 times more in the first case.
Also i think the less choice you have, the more you do.
It feels like the " choosing " part is more energy consuming that we tend to think.
Ultimatly the " best " would be to have one instrument or box , that way it's so simple > every time you feel like doing music, grab your instrument / box.
And the bonus of this way is that you Have to step up your game to avoid boredom. but i admit it's quite high level to think / do like that. ( and totally anti- consuming / youtube channel lol )
I like to think that any teenager can project an international career IF he stick to One box for few years or more. It's simple and impossible in the same time.
Any one who grab any box will 150% goes with adding stuff on it ( just a reverb pedal for beginning and never stop until > an other synth, effect, etc... )
Still, everything is not hopeless.
I suggest " gear Diet ", meaning you force yourself to stick with only one instrument / device for one month ( or week if you're...weak lol ) for exemple, to see where it can get.
Lastly i would tell that suppressing one element of your studio is more likely to improve your Satisfaction level in the long run than adding one.
I always wanted a big studio, big desk everything. I was used to that because of my job working as an event guy with live bands and stuff.
Now after many years, family, house, I don't have the patience to wait some time cause it takes Idk how long till all the samplers, synths, computer for sequencing and other stuff turns on. I lose my inspiration so quickly.
That was one of the reason I bought my mpc live 2. I can be mobile in my house, it doesn't take that much long to turn it one but at the same time, I can hook it up downstairs to my rack stuff as a main hub!
Also if you want to goo pre-routing option for midi and can afford it, I recommend the MRCC Midi Router or they have a cheaper version as well. Its amazing what it can do. I only had to hook all of my gear up to it and basically works as very powerful midi patchbay and allows me to re-route whatever gear I want. Its especially nice when dealing with something like the Korg Volca Drum which can be a pain in the ass to route via midi but is a breeze with the MRCC
I'm a tinkerer so I guess the friction is the thing. I love the tracks for it's ease of use but I get really pleased when I work out ways to do things with it that it isn't naturally designed to do. I enjoy looking for ways to subvert what I think is the manufacturers expected workflow.
Not sure what this says about me, or about my musical productivity but as Gabe says, this is a hobby and I don't have a deadline to work to.
Why I went to iOS there was no friction with it all ya need is AUM but hardware took up to much space connecting, devices was a headache and using each device with its weird workflows. but iOS as long as the app/synth or drum program is AUV3 your good 👍 and your can have all your gear ⚙️ in one small portable device dsp can be a limitation but depends on the iPad ya have obviously.
the friction with ios is all about its lack of ability to easily interface with other gear. I need a usb hub and other devices (audio interface, keyboard, midi interface) to make it worth playing around on and setting it up and dealing with midi channels and audio routing is major friction.
I am totally with you on the hardware setup side, but User Interface wise is all but frictionless (for me). I tried so hard and so many times to use the iPad as music making device, all in the box, or with external sequencer, but for me, the touch interface pushes me away every times. Too many elements on the screen, so you need to be ultra-precise to not hit the wrong thing, totally different approaches on UI on every single auv3 and not beeing able to change a few parameters without looking at it, is more friction to me than I am able to accept. And I am very sad about that, because (besides missing a drum machine that would fit my needs) I love the sound, and the portability oven of that „big“ iPad Pro I use for that.
I can see if your hooking it up to other hardware it being a pain with hubs and lack of ports but it’s possible but I use it all in the box so I don’t feel that friction as for using the UI I actually like the touch screen I thought I needed physical knobs but I was wrong I will occasionally hook up a Bluetooth midi but mainly I just use a Bluetooth mouse and my fingers to change stuff mouse handy for the smaller knobs like ya mentioned
@@SonicVibe I envy you and everyone who is able to do that a lot! I think I try that more or less once per month for 3 years now. Standalone, with controllers, even tried with a mouse. Maybe one day it clicks. Would save tons of money and lots of problems traveling with it.
@@jkirchheimer yes one big plus side is synths are desktop ports now and cheaper but like Pokémon you end up with the must collect them all and it adds up still 😂
I have a Tracks, Rhythm, TD-3 and iPad to record, all connected and powered on at all times in my shed. So literally all I need to do is press Play to start jamming.
Expectation is also something that can get in the way of using your more expensive gear.
A cheaper device with less features can make you feel more proud when you make a nice song.
Gabe!!! You put this so well! Friction!! Something I've recognized but didn't really have a term for it. From buying a stand for that guitar so it's out to getting a synth duster so I can leave my gear out on a little side table so it's there to fiddle with. I've been making strides to get into the habit of playing with my gear.
I love the mention of packs. I think this is great because you get on the computer and get off it without getting distracted.
As a new user to circuit tracks, any suggestions on where to find sound packs, create sounds, curate sounds? You may have done videos for days on this subject but I'd love an update or a link. Keep up the great videos and thank you for amazing content.
I did do some Circuit packs videos in the past, Isotonik has some great ones (especially ones by A Force Truly Evil). I'm probably due to make an update video for the Tracks and Rhythm at some point.
@@GabeMillerMusic thanks!!! I'll definitely be tuned in as always as you inspired me to get the Tracks and continue to inspire me as well. Will be doing a deep dive and taking a look at your older videos as well now that I'm a little better at using it thanks of course to you.
The op 1 field is absolutely beast I love it. Especially with ableton suite.
Brilliant and very poignant video Gabe, absolutely touches many areas of concern I have articulated in the past, especially work flow. I tend to setup Templates songs with a basic drum pattern and sound selection, and that gives my foundation to start work..But fully agree on your hypothesis.
So far for me, the Roland Verselab MV-1 has lifted most of the barriers using it and finishing songs in there. With its TR-REC section combined with the classic 16 pads, it removes a lot of friction the MC-101 introduces as it asks you to switch back & forth between sequencing and playing notes on the same pads. Also the SONG mode is based on the TR-REC section, which lets you go from an 8 bar loop to a track literally in seconds. It definitely lacks stem export though (you need to record to a daw with the proprietary driver if you want multi-track). Also wish it had an AA batteries compartment or a built-in lithium battery, but at least it can be powered via USB.
2nd is the MPC Live II but more because of the presence of a built-in battery and speaker but it has brought me a lot more inspiration since they brought these very great plugins and sounds. Currently I'm also experimenting with the SimplTrek and it is a very interesting unit.
Also, you REALLY need to try the Roland JDXI!!! It's a dream to use, and it's an absolute monster of digital loveliness, simplicity and analog fatness and weirdness.
Is the JD-08 based on the same engine?
I was really hyped using the JD Xi, till I found out that when using the vocoder, the analog track wasn't useable anymore.
It went from a 4 track beast, to just 1 good digital track and a good, but somewhat cumbersome drum track...
Still can't understand why they made that design choice
That neh moment usually kills the vibe. Inspiration goes away once it comes down to hooking up my pedal board, audio interface, amp, and midi controllers. Working on fixing that.
Really helpful video, nice one! Did you find that learning finger drumming reduced your friction around making beats too?
Thanks! I definitely found that it helps, anything to make the music making process more tactile and visceral is great. Although I have played drums for a lot longer than I've been producing, so finger drumming came naturally for me.
Friction is why I stopped using a Digitakt. When starting a song, I'd have to build a drum kit before I could start making music. When making music, I'd have to use a bunch of extra steps or workarounds to do chords, velocity, modulation, segments which aren't 64 steps, or notes which aren't on-grid. When fine-tuning a song near the end, changes must be duplicated in each pattern. And when getting data to/from it, it requires proprietary tools which don't run on my OS. Every stage of the musical process was full of friction.
Friction is also why I stopped using an OP-1. It makes starting songs really easy, but once there's a rough sketch written down, the entire rest of the song process is unnecessarily awkward or even impossible.
I find Akai's gear is much better designed for my purposes. It makes songs easy to start, and the rest of the process is pretty decent too.
The simplest solution for me was a 22 channel mixer and a 12 outlet power strip. I can flip one switch and I sit down inside a horseshoe of 6 synths, 2 groove boxes, my mixer, a digital recorder and a couple of powered studio monitors. Super fast, super fun and the “friction” factor is down to a 0.5
My guitars are always within reach and I just flip the switch on my amp which is always armed with my go-to effects pedals.
I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer so if I can beat this……well, I guess I’m just missing your point
Great discussion!
Excellent Gabe, cheers for your insight into this. I'm somewhat similar to you in , in that setting up devices, plugginh them in etc. puts me right off ( time constraints, lazy) so a lot of the time I end up playing eit her keyboard or guitar which I really enjoy. The devices that are almost an instrument in themselves ie. RC505 . I've just got a novation circuit og and a keystep pro so hopefully I can get them to talk together to the RC505 in a productive way. Ta.
Nailed it !!! Great talk/video
So true!
I went from being a pro in studio to other work thus just having my looper pedal (and readily wired instruments) as my daily goto.
i never ever was that productive before BUT fleshing out the loops in a DAW for full tracks seem to be too much friction to do it. result: > 2.000 potential tracks only existing as loops. dusty shelf.
Always keep everything plugged. I don't see the point of having gear if I can't use it instantly.
"Alexa, turn on my studio" Putting all of my synths and desk lights on an Alexa controlled outlet has been so nice to just quickly jump in and warm them up while I am making coffee. I also have device specific "travel kits" with duplicate cables & batteries that I can pack & go. Next up I want to get a patchbay for easy effect chain patches
Agree with this so much. I use my MC-101 as an audio unit connected to an Akai Force (started off with the MC-101 but wanted something with more tracks). I love the sounds in the MC-101 and the ZenCore engine, but not having banks of user presets and instead having to "trick" the system with dedicated projects loaded with different patches on different clips, while it works, it makes it so I very very rarely use it nowadays. I want to use it, but that extra friction of having to load up a project, having to swap MIDI channel depending on which track my patch is on etc just kills the mood. If there was user banks that I could do Program Changes to the normal way, I would use it 10x more no doubt.
For polyend tracker users, there's a couple of tools to make kits using samples - polyend-tracker-pti-creator (my own python command line tool) and jaap3's pti-tools (Web UI).
I have same problem and I found solution with Bitwig and touchscreen
I agree with just about every point. Our brains must process things similarly. Good discussion
I get the MC707 might seem intimidating for some people (it was to me !), but since you master the MC101 (And I totally see why You love it, hangin’ around on your coach), what’s keeping you from enjoying 4 more tracks and a giant screen compared to the 2-line MC101 display ? Especially Now that you can actually edit the zen-core sounds on both machines...
*My lazy side appreciates how unrealistic my ambitions can get.*
This is why I sold all my hardware etc 20 years ago, got out of VST (for a lot of years) and put my whole world into Reason. Save a session and it is there exactly the same next time. I adjust my life around music - easier when there is income as it is my thing, not cars, games, stock markets, but music making, Mixing etc. I wnt to put in the time and passion, even on most "bad" days.
While there are great instruments out there, Europa, Thor, Subtractor etc are mostly soooo much easier to use and I know them so well I can create anything I wasn't if I listen enough. Sure there is a sonic footprint but how is that bad as all those other **insert famuos name** synths have one too. Lucky for me that I don't rightly want to sound exactly like they pretty well all do so I make my own sound.
:-)
I’ve never understood why people buy gear and store it on a shelf 🤷♂️
All my stuff has to be plugged in and ready to go, flip four power switches and everything is ready in less than 5 seconds or so.
I have the opposite problem. I am the IT guy and I love tinkering with the music gear, I can say I even enjoy the troubleshooting process. Unfortunately, I am a pretty crappy musician, let's put it that way.
Yeah different people have different parts of the process they enjoy the most, and that's great.
Got to say Miller your tutorials are the best just got a C T what you don't know about this device isn't worth worrying about this conversation is really deep almost Aristotle philosophy keep up the good work my man
Yeah personally I’d love to see more maschine content from you!
I never would have guessed :civil engineer!
You got me REALLLY wanting an MC 101 I hate the MPC One. Bit regarding “friction” This is why I use ONE app and an SP404mk2. Korg Gadget, Nanostudio2, BM3 if plugged in and charging, and always CUBASIS for track based recording, i much prefer the touch interface over anyth8ng on a laptop. I prefer ONE app or a synth etc , stems, or my own packs… Regarding SP404, I wish all future companies products will include those small BIG things like lots of inputs and plug and play type things, but it feels like they are slacking , I want side chain, I do not want to use alternative workarounds 🤦🏼🤬 regarding simple, I keep everything ready and setup. i WANT to get it all into a live rig and keep it all closed off from the CAT 🙀😻😼😿🙀I keep a mixer setup but I am often unplugged and just running around on headphones, using an ipad, nanokeystudio or my Bluetooth dongle and a sampler, its been the SP404 since I got it. Noooooooo non ios DAWs unless it is for end stage mastering and I do not go backward from there. Having custom premade song starter templates is a good way to tunenin your style and sound. It really eliminates the endless fidgeting and pointless sound design and other going in circles with no result. Custom template/ starter kits/ sound packs is super wise. This was my problem with MPC One for me, I do NOT want to see other peoples sounds and I do not want to have to flip through their previews. It’s something I always do is to delete everything off each device. I want ONLY my own material on my devices. That way I know I am not accidentally plagiarizing stealing or copyingnor clearing samples etc…
every single item released always seems to have something missing. its great at this and that ....but. What Do We Want..?
Good to see some mv1 footage, they have great sound packs through the Roland Clound. You can't subscribe and use it in hardware, have to buy a lifetime key, but they are 5 bucks and it cuts alot of the bullshit out like you say
Yeah they are not so expensive.But as a new MV-1 user(also It's my first standalone device) I have to say don't forget that it comes with a built -in mic good to record some items to create sounds almost from around your place.and even better it has the xlr and line inputs if you own a more capable mic...and after the 1.80 update you can import regular midi clips and much more like undo&redo . still learning it cause I am into the MV-1 about 2 months now.I moved away from DAW environment and I enjoy it.Peace
@_.RacooN._ yea I bought o
the pack over a year ago, they were a dollar each, I should have grabbed more. They are convenient but most of the sounds already use MFX so you are limited in changing those tones within the MV1. But the automation is great and easy to setup and audition different effects also then you have the global effects and EQ. Plenty to work with. But zenology is the best tool I've used, and I'm very new to production
@@zapmando you mean that they are actually ''resampled'' into section select clips with the mfx on them.because if they aren't resampled you can change per section clip/section the mfx.or in general if you don't record that track or clip of that track with the sampling mode while it has mfx then you can copy all over the 16 clips of the snare for example and play with mfx for those 16 clips of the snare I confirmed that yesterday. so you can have the snare track or whatever and have 16 mfx variations of that track....but yeah pretty much with the built in mic you can make as much you want unique instruments.I mean you are not limited on the extra packs or even the presets.
Hey man i appreciate this video but i think everybody is different music abd being a successful producer/artist is my bigest dream and when i lack inspiration i remind myself of my goals and j keep grinding even if i have to tinker for hours and get pissed off to figure something out it dosent matter because my goals keep me drivin no matter what. So i think its really important to have musical goals and dreams no matter how big so when u get stuck or are uninspired u can remind urself of ur dreams and feel inspired again
I am also very driven by my dreams and goals, and because of that, I figure I should give myself as much of an advantage as possible, and do whatever I can to design my environment and habits to make me more productive. Motivation is great, but it's a fuel that can burn out.
+1 for the Maschine kits video
+1 also. I'd like to see how you adapted Machine Kits to the MPC. Great work, Gabe :)
I keep telling myself I'll make sound packs for my instruments, and I keep not doing it. One of these days...
Fast spoken. 👍
Maschine Plus and Polyend Tracker have the easiest workflow I've tried. The MPC and elektron are meh. I will say if Elektron ever comes out with a successor to the Octatrack I'll study to get good on that.
Not every interface is intuitive to everyone. I have had to learn that the hard way.
Teenage Engineering just solved ALL these problems with their new desk …I mean, I would think for the price it’s literally magic, right? …right?