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Same! I used Reason for 10 years and finally having a proper dawless studio has made the creative process a lot more fluid and also fun, I found this sense of freedom that physical knobs and faders give you when you can shape the sounds while they play, however I will never forget how Reason taught me everything that I can now apply on this dawless setting
14:52 Honesty there are 2 kinds of Dawless jammers. The ones that fall prey to GAS and the ones that want to setup a Dawless band type structure. Just build everything into a Flightcase and let that be the limit. Assign tasks to equipment and be critical if you really really need all those synths. Then learn your setup like an instrument and take it from there. Great video!
There are also Dawless jammers who simply dislike computers. Many people hate computers, usually because they're not comfortable working with them because they never learned the basics. Personally I like both physical hardware and computers.
I dislike computers because I work with them and want to get as far away as possible from them when I get off work. I would guess there are a lot of people like me.
Thank you so much...Hey all. Ive been a singer/guitarist/bassist/noodler keyboard/ for quite some time now. 65 years young to be more exact...And after spending decades on stage in the "secular and Christian" live playing situation, its right back to ONE thing. Are you making music? yes or no? Have fun, bust your ass in the process, knowing that...nothing worthwhile is easy. Life has never been... is not now,... or ever will be fair. Just make music w/everything you have available to you right now. I own the MC-707 and have owned the MPCs' loved them all...but time is short. make the most of what you have right this minute. Your unadulterated video has been raw and honest. Excellent job. Give honor and glory and praise to Jesus Christ ....why??? Because He has given the talent to everyone! Rock on y'all...rock on.
So true with a DAW, wayyyyy too many options. I started off with a DAW and just couldn't get anything done! I just became paralized by the plethora of options available to me in the DAW and the endless searching for just the right bass or pad or kick etc. When presented with so many options it takes time to decide what to use. With dawless setup you have fewer choices so you get things done a lot quicker.
That's why I use Reason 4, as the new one is full of new devices and plugins can be used and you can buy extra devices and on and on. All the music I hear most of the time comming from Reason 12 or plus users dont sound any different to what I can do in vertion 4 any anything it cant do can be done with using free or cheap software to do what it cant. Abalten live lite come free with My keyboard so if I want to use VSTs I'd use that. I dont like having to many opinions and I dont want to sound like everyone else.
You should get Reaper. No sarcasm. It is pretty much an empty thing that you fill how you want to fill (it does have effects though). It is the same as when you take an ol-school mpc and start filling it with samples :)
Great analysis, loved it. I work with computers all day long, so I got into Dawless to get away from them and to have fun making music instead of configuring software. One minor correction: you can have odd measures on the Elektrons, and you can actually have different measures per track.
I work with a hardware only setup since 2014, I am really happy with this, especially that we now have lots of affordable synths, it lacks in the sequencer department but I have Engine so I am saved :) powerful and fast sequencer! It is for sounds and workflow, and personal preferences, I had tons of analog gear in the 90ies and it is a bit nostalgic... I used to work 100% in ableton live with plugins but I got bored and I just love physical synths especially analog...
I sold some gear and switched some out to go mostly dawless. More because I wanted to create a musical space where I could get a break from the laptop and just focus on music. bass guitar, Yamaha Reface CP, Modal Skulpt and a loop pedal all bought second hand has been a great and not too expensive setup for just creating.
i think one big advantage that gets missed a lot about dawless vs daw, is the compatibility. daws/computers tend to update, and you're forced to update other things to keep them compatible. i can turn on an mpc 2000xl today, and play the same songs i made on it from 15yrs ago. if i do that with a daw, itll be slowing down, some things won't be compatible.... crashing etc. I like just turning something on and go. with daws, there's times settings gotta be changed (midi/audio), or something isn't working etc etc.... and we stay googling trying to fix it for minutes to hours to days. and it kills the whole mood. 😐 With dawless, you really don't have to worry about that
Agreed! I wish I had included a discussion on software being unsupported versus vintage hardware. I’ve had a lot of software in the past become unusable.
Absolutely. I am not "anti-DAW" but cannot think of a single advantage of it (other than physical space Let's use a concrete example. Say I want to play....an underground, funky Techno/Future Ska fusion beat (South Grenada style, of course)... If I am limited to importing midi packs in to my DAW...how do I do this? Search online and hope there is a midi pack for this? Let's assume that there is one avaiable...is is really what I had in mind and/or want? Make sense? In other words, the beauty of completely eliminating the dependency for ANYTHING other than the ability to construct and deliver whatever is in your mind...gives hardware users carte blanche. I have dropped close to 10,000 beats in the last 12 months (TEN THOUSAND), comprised of one or more of 25+ unique synths , (I have remade a few of my own stuff but 99% if it is "oringinal" not some mix but hands on CREATION. As in it didn't exist, now it does....yet the person who has all the "followings" has dropped 7 beats, all from the same midi pack...just moved around, transposed, etc. So now DAW users are limited in their creativity The result ? There is very little, if any progression when it comes to music anymore. This is because You have an extremely small percentage who are focused on creating something the general public will like (and thus purchase) and you have a mass of people taking that and "massaging" a 7 minute beat sideways to Sunday. VERY few it seems, unfortunately, are like myself (and I assume you gents) who are truly focused on caryrying whatever genre we are playing at that time. Baack in the day I was in that BBC documentary "RAVE" or somesuch (they showed locations across Europe and the US (I was in Austin, TX at the time) but the only speaking part was "What's Trance? It's whatever I play...that's Trance" It was small-minded 22 year odl way of saying that there are not rules to art, instsd you create then lable it...not vice versa
It's all about how a computer is set up, though. I have a 2008 MacBook running OS 10.6 and Reason 5, and it's never been updated - it's not on my home network. It's not any slower now than it was in 2008. We intentionally cause compatibility issues because we want our computers to run the latest OS, web browser, all that other crap. But we don't HAVE to. You really can freeze your computer in time.
Thanks. You laid it down like a mate would. DAW it is for now but I'm left with the problem of choosing the best option for a controller that will give me the most hands on control for my DAW, for the least amount of money. Has to have keys as I don't have any. Anyway, thanks for the video, after a few videos, yours is the one that has settled it for me.
I really appreciate your intellect and insight on this topic. Your clearly very experience and talented and I've enjoyed and been inspired by your music. For my dawless setup I use the MPC ONE as the brain, an akai Mini keyboard, a Boss RC 505 looper as my mixer/audio interface and a GR55 synth for guitar modeling, amp modeling, and 100s of synth/ string & pad sounds used with my Godin LGXT guitar. I've been very happy with this setup.
Thank You for an interesting and informative video. As an old analog hardware guy who grew up with analog studio gear and synths in my fathers studios long before computers became mainstream music production systems, before MIDI was even invented, I found it interesting to hear Your views. I build modular and semi-modular synth gear and enjoy using it for live performance, still don't use a DAW but recently got into making hybrid modules using MCU chips to digitally control analog circuits and modules. I have been developing a prototype hybrid modular sequencer with multiple embedded processors and internal storage that provides synced multi track sequencing of CV, GATE, TRIG outputs to drive analog synths and modules as well as sampled sounds and stored wave tables. This has greatly enhanced the DAW-less system removing many of the limitations of existing hardware sequencers. It currently handles flexible sequence lengths up to 1024 notes per sequence block with up to 16,384 blocks across 10 channels. I have found that I still mostly only use either 32 or 64 note patterns on 6 or 8 channels but the capacity is there to expand into when needed. I sold off all the MIDI gear I had but have built a control bus system based on the MIDI structure into the modular rig to allow the hybrid modules to communicate control data between them so it is technically possible to hook up a DAW at some point in the future. The reasons I have not gone down the DAW rabbit hole yet are that for many people it seem to have swamped them with options and killed their creativity while making everything take way more time messing with menus and clicking on software. Then there are the reliability issues, I find it quite shocking the number of live performances, events and live streams that come to an impromptu halt with the audience being given apologies because 'the computer crashed' or 'the DAW locked up'. Of course in a studio setup this is less of a problem as You can usually restart things and carry on from where You left off without leaving an audience hanging in silence, or worse, being blasted with a horrific noise until the sound is muted or the offending PC is reset. Good to hear things from Your perspective, keep up the good work and whatever You use, Keep On Modulatin' all the best from BOOS__ModulaR, in Scotland.
I just started collecting pieces for my Dawless setup a couple of years ago. I've been slowly finding pieces that I really think identify with the sound that I identify with. I think that is a prime factor in deciding on which pieces you want to own as to make sure you're not wasting money just buying the next coolest thing.
I've gone with the 'grillin' beef' option, 80/20. 80% I make on Dawless, jamming out, trying things, and overall just flowing creatively. More than anything, it's just fun. Really, why do we do this kind of stuff unless it's actually enjoyable. Toys are fun to play with and Dawless is like a giant toy store. 20% finishing it up in Ableton/Reason, whatever. Nothing can clean up, finish ideas, and really polish a track like a good computer program. Love the channel!
I do agree with you. I recently went back to dawless to start my creative process and I would finish in logic pro because that’s my favorite DAW to Mix and finalize and I have all my templates there anyway. There’s nothing wrong with working in the box or outside of the box, I think it just comes down to your personal preference and how your creative flow works. I definitely noticed a difference in my workflow in the box versus outside the box.
It's definitely worth it! it's so nice to have a tactile work session that you can learn and progress on over time, it's instant gratification and truly unique, compared to software that feel's robotic, less fun and definitely prohibits your creativity. IMO the Polyend Tracker, Akai (force, MPC), Roland 707, Vurse Lab, Machine+, etc, are absolute game changer's, this hardware revolution has got me back into enjoying the process again rather than feeling like I'm at work with a keyboard and mouse.
Great video! I think you're exactly on point based on my own experiences using mostly hardware to compose and arrange, but recording into a DAW. Getting away from analysis paralysis was exactly the reason I bought my Digitakt, too :D
I use a Roland MC-101 to sequence a Korg Minilogue XD, Roland JU-06A and a Model D. Drums, samples and 3 VA synths from MC-101 too gives me 1 drum machine and sample player and 6 sequenced synths. Lots of options with nice FX, EQ, clip chaining etc. Great vid Bro ✌
Dude! Great volume of information here to include both sides of the conversation. I want to get Efff off of my computer so I bought a Novation Circuit and might acquire a few Volcas to dabble in a DAWless setup. I need something to just get me off my computer so getting my toes wet with some DAWless gear makes sense.
Great video. When I started to go Dawless I though that the Volcas were going to be a great starting point, but if you're serious about making music and want to grow and explore new things, they really fall short for being limited machines. You might end up like me realizing later that the 500€ that I spent on Volcas could have been spent on a Digitakt, which in itself has all the Volcas inside (except for the FM, that's a keeper!) and a lot more. So beware, consider your options. As a side note, I know that there are people that can make awesome music with Volcas, I have nothing against those machines, but bear in mind that they are limited and not built for pushing the boundaries of music creation.
Can attest to the same thing - I think that largely they're a false economy - or at best a gateway drug. There are exceptions, I've seen some people create some fantastic music on volcas, but I think their main selling point is their size and their ecosystem - it's a niche piece of gear for a musician that has gaps to fill, or wants to create a very specific setup. If youre on a budget and starting out I think it's a dangerous route as it'll likely lead to disappointment.
I think you gave some solid advice. I’m returning to making electronic music and starting dawless like many others. I thought the Volcas were going to be my ticket for some reason and I bought like 6. Just like you I realized their limitations quickly and I’m selling them to get more advanced hardware and sequencing.
Great video. I'm pretty much DAWless and enjoy messing with hardware - but I'm primarily a guitarist so having something to put my hands on makes more sense to me personally. I like the "limitations" hardware gives me. And I think you really made an excellent point about screwing around with a zillion virtual instruments and settings vs. focusing on the creative side of composing/performing.
Just a mention... I bought a cheap drum machine with midi out/thru and used that as my main "start/stop" rather than a sequencer. I have it chained through to what is now a fair amount of gear however it was a great side step on the sequencer to save money and get into it quicker The mixer i use for muting and solos. . Thought it might help someone. Love the videos, really helpful thank you!
Love your channel, the music you create together is refreshing, original, medicinal and pure. Praying for the day when I can have a own studio again, this time being in Tucson, Az. Support by way of prayers and positive energies sent my way by any angels out there would be awesome. I need a massive breakthrough in my current circumstance(s), as an artist I need space and resources. I love Sweden, yet I've been in a black hole here socially and as an artist...... Thank you so much for the inspiration and knowledge. I enjoy listening to you talk music and music tech. Cheers from Stockholm. Stellar blessings to you both. Keep the tunes coming the world needs them.
Good video. I went computerless very early on after repeated issues with Cubase. After some time with a Roland MC303 Groovebox, I used a Yamaha QY700, Roland JV2080, Akai 3000XL and Korg Trinity TR Rack. I wrote my best songs on that set up. yes, it cost me quite a lot, but if I still had it I am sure it would work exactly the same as it did on day one (plus no software updates, it just worked!) I have tried computer DAWs a lot since, Ableton, FL, Reason, Traktor, Reaper, but have never got into any of them. While I still have a couple of these options, my choice is an MPC One and a Roland MC101, it’s all I really need and haven’t touched my computer DAW since. Re price, an MPC One is c.£600. Ableton Suite is £500 + Laptop. Laptops get clogged up with photos, software, internet, and constant updates that eventually require you to buy another more powerful beast. An MPC will just work and any updates work within the restrictions of the hardware. Even an IMac and Logic will set you back £1500. There is no clear winner. My advice is get one or the other and learn it. Don’t get caught in the gear acquisition syndrome (gas) to keep adding hardware or VSTs without knowing the previous gear inside out. A friend used to write the most incredible drum and bass tunes and all he had was Cubase 3.1 and an Akai 3000XL! He knew the gear!
Nice video! Ok, I'm using a DAW. But I have had a Boss BR 80 for some time now. But the thing has been broken for some time. So I bought another, used one, and started again with great enthusiasm. This thing in particular doesn't require all those added devices that I see in this video because it has a lot built in. An advantage to start with. Although, I also have an old KorgPad control. And with my piano I can also do a lot with PlugIns. But it's not necessary. Quite simply with my guitar, there is already a lot to do on a Boss BR 80. It forces me to be more of a musician and less of a "producer". And that also has its advantages.
As a musician with a decade long love with guitar pedals dawless feels like the next logical step for my gear lust. I would be super thankful if someone made a video about how electronic musicians practice in comparison to how more traditional musicians practice.
In my case, is more about experimentation and fun than practice. With synths, is about designing sounds and creating cool sequences. Off course knowing a couple of scales is useful, but even that is not needed. I've been playing with keyboards (midi and synths) for more than 10 years, and I still don't know how to "actually" play them. Regardless, I create music almost daily. I know what you meant by practice. I started playing guitar and know that practice is extremely important. It just not like that with synths, at least for me 😉
I’m puzzled about how the hardware real-time capable sequencer has fallen out of favor. For a hardware setup, this is an extraordinary piece of gear. You hear plenty about step sequencers but I’ve never taken to that way of working. If I use a sequencer, I use a multitrack real-time capable sequencer like a Roland MV30 or MC80 or an Akai MPC4000. I’ve always liked this way of working if I’m not doing direct to CD recording which I also love to do. My favorite setup is my Tascam M2600 32 channel console with high end digital effects plugged into the aux sends. This gives me the ability to turn on effects via the sends and returns on any channel. Using the sequencer is like doing multitrack recording without tape but maintaining a flexibility that you would not have with tape or digital recording. You can change everything if you want. Synth voice, effects and levels. I’m kind of old school in this way. I still love working with hardware over constantly staring at a screen. I also love to record live improvisation direct to CD recorder. I’ve created several stations in my house that have different combinations of instruments all plugged into a mixer and sent to a CD recorder. I have a lot of synths and sometimes I really appreciate just selecting a few for a session and getting closer to making sound changes with each. Sometimes just one. Solo synth improvisation with however much is connected is a beautiful thing that is often neglected by the desire to multitrack.
Akai fire, all of the current mpcs, squarp pyramid and hapax all can do real time midi recording with the option of turning quantization off. At least on the akai stuff you can make a clip or track as long as you want.
I've used VCV Rack for the last several years (not quite a DAW but I use the VST Host a lot), recently got an X-Touch Mini, I now have so much more fun jamming because I have immediate access to buttons and knobs.
This was SO helpful. Your way of speaking and explaining things is extremely easy to follow. Editing is amazing as well. New sub! Now off to go down the rabbit hole into a new channel ;)
I’ve settled on a hybrid approach. MPC and synths, drum machines for sequencing, delay/reverb and sound sources. DAW for mixing and other fx. I use a console 1 and fader with the daw so that gives me a hardware feel during mix down as well. Great video. 👍
Multi tracking is the way to go. I’m still on the fence of how I’m gonna do this. Meaning how many tracks do I need and what gear to get to accomplish this. I’m leaning towards the Tascam Model 24 as an all in one integrated mixer.
Get the Model 24! get a solid mix, record to SD, pull the file to your daw or record into your daw simultaneously. Main mix gets recorded to 23/24. Its more fun recording on the Tascam vs the computer for me
i prefer dawless couse i feel more a music composer than a producer, i mean i dont think i want to do a product for selling, i only want compose some music and stay away from the pc for a while, when i jam on public i want to have time to conect with others and stuff like that, i love it, would be grateful to have options to get best of both using a fisic set up and a daw for mastering and mixing
great video!.... I would add as the "gosth" cost of dawless: a good power strip: 40$; cables: 100-200$; midi cables: 30$... (not necessary but: midi devices) I would say headphones and/or speakers/monitors but its the same for daw option....
Of course mixer and FX has now has changed with the MPC ONE being able to handle a USB Soundcard. Using this to run all your synths into the MPC, and then assigning on board FX from it. Starting with an MPC you get a number of soft synths and then you can choose the hardware synths to compliment these.
Hi Tefty & Meems. Nice talking about music production. May be its time to make video about third way. I mean using Ipad Pro with AUM or Audiobus and many AUs plugins (Moog model D, TAL U-NO-LX, Sunriser, Ravenscroft 275, Hammond etc.). All can be controled via midi surface and MPC for midi track recording. All ortodox synth users can despise this solution but for portable jaming and price solution is the next way. What do you thing about this?
I made a Bitwig based setup with controllers. I try to limit myself to 8 tracks, and limited instruments. I have made a few instrument presets which can be controlled with the controllers.and I restrict myself to that. the best thing is I sequence everything on launchpads. It's a pretty hands-on experience. I don't do DAW stuff which requires me to use the mouse or keyboard, when I'm doing sets. It's like emulating a hardware jam session basically. Overall, it satisfies my live jamming needs.
Great video 👍. I built mine over decades. I like the physicality for music creation and all the things you spoke about. For me the biggest benefits are no email, no social media, no RUclips! 😀 Also I came to rely on the ease of editing in the DAW so my playing got sloppy and my chops atrophied. So I reverted to my 4-track tape approach and I fix problems by punching-in. Not only is that more efficient than comping but it forces me to play it until I get it right and that builds chops! 😎
I will always be partial to a DAW, but I very much enjoyed this discussion from the other side. Great video. I love chopping it up about all things music & gear, and this video weirdly scratched an itch for that during these strange times of isolation.
I go Dawless sometimes. I have a Keystation Pro 88 that is controlling a few synths. Those synths are an Ensoniq SQ1 + (which has a great 16 track sequencer by the way ) A Behringer Deep Mind 12, and a Novation Mini Nova. I sometimes incorporate my iPad pro with it's soft synths, which are cool too. I use Cubase 11 for my Daw and have a huge amount of VstI's and compose mostly trailer scores for movies. A lot of orchestral. But when I just want to unplug, I do and it's fun!
I record from MiniNova and other keyboards and then use that as samples and take that into a Old version of Reason or Ableton 11. I have sythersizor app on My android tablet that records what's played as wave which makes it easy to use as samples. I have a 303 emulsion app on Android and I use that as a metrodome as it runs without being on screan and the sythersizor app only records it's own sound.
I disagree with this video, being a hardware only producer. You can make full songs with half of the stuff you use in your “dawless sets”. Plus you’re coming from a hybrid set up, you should speak on a hybrid set up, because that would be more helpful to anyone who is interested in a hybrid set up then you spend about 30mins talking bad about hardware only sets. I see that a lot of people coming from a daw to hardware be trying to hard to make it into a daw. SMH 🤦🏽♂️. This is not a negative comment but a realistic view of hybrid producers who don’t get the simplicity of hardware set. I like your channel and learn a lot from your videos.
Tefty.....Bro.... You hit the nail on the head for pretty much every point. I’ve owned and still own several DAWs and because there is so much involved with setting them up and so many options I’ve never mastered even one of them and by the time I got all set up and ready to go the creative juices dried up. Now with my set up now I turn it on and start jamming right away. Yes I’m glad I have the DAW to record in to when I need to but I’ve had so much fun jamming I’m finding it hard to do that. Another good post , thanks for sharing.
Hi Raymond 👋 I’ve been in the same boat soooo many times. I originally thought the limitations of hardware would turn me off. Time is precious. Being able to jump in right away can make or break a writing session. Cheers 🍻
Why do you need a mixer before the audio interface? What is the advantage of plugging everything into a mixing board first rather than directly into the audio interface?
Great video. Very informative. I'm using the Digitakt and Digitone with a Roland Jupiter XM and some loopers and agree with the points you have shared. The jamming first and finishing in Logic X after is a much more organic work flow. Peace.
as someone who tried to stick their pinky toe in as cheaply as possible starting with circuit bending then instantly moving to building an entire synth one circuit at a time....its hard to know what you want or need....buying things used is a great way to save but then youre usually locked into keeping it. i have an entire box of chips and boards for projects i thought i wanted but never made. i have a closet full of speak and spells and 80s toys because i thought thats what i wanted. so watching stuff like this helps. i ended up getting a used one plus, model 12 that i repaired...and an empress zoia for 350$ based on your recommendations. the mpc and zoia arent here yet but im having one issue with the model 12 where sometimes it just goes down in volume on its own then comes back when it feels like it
I grew up dawless when I started I had two ensoniq mirage a turntable and a tape machine now I'm still dawless exact for the last mile of production for combining video and audio
Rewatching this with about a year of experience playing around with my setup, I have an MPC Live II, and I feel like that's a good option for people who want to reduce screen time without being TOO limited. It can do just about everything, and with MIDI and CV/Gate outs, it make a good hub/brain for additional gear. Currently the MPC One is about $700
Love it thanks so much. Would you mind elaborating on sequencers, in particular what to keep in mind when going without a dedicated sequencing device? So for example if I wanted to play dawless techno on a volca keys+minilogue xd only, (how) would that work making usw. of the minilogue internal sequencer!? Thanks!
I use DAW and akai MPD32. I lay everything down w the mpd then tinker w Logic Pro. In Logic Pro you can have 100 different drum machines. It’s awesome.
Great video! I started recently with a MIDI controller and Ableton, but felt like I couldn't do much. It changed when I got a Pocket Operator and later on a Korg NTS-1. Now I have an electric kalimba and several other gear. Hardware is great for jamming and DAW is great for sequencing a complicated pattern and finishing/mastering.
Great video, thanks a lot for taking all that time to share your views on the topic and how you guys approach your music making. You've been a real inspiration since i discovered your channel last year and pandemic helping i've dived back into music and built a small hybrid setup with the same aim as you have. Start out the box, jam and have fun, then bring it all in the end to the daw for polishing.
Treat gear like rich people treat the housing market. I started back in the 90's with an on-sale Akai sampler. I loved it and sold it and bought an RMX and an yamaha a400 and then sold them for an electribe and a dx200. I also in the meantime bought an EMU audity2000 on sale and a second hand rs2000 which I sold laster for more than i paid for them to buy an electribe sampler (hated it and sold) and now am making music with an analogue 4 keys (2nd hand ebay) an MPC live (2nd hand ebay) and a TB3 and Tr8 (on sale).
There from Seismic Audio! www.amazon.com/stores/page/E60EE6E6-783B-4CB4-A1B5-3DCD0185F35A?ingress=2&visitId=f814d36d-d4e3-4c84-8acb-fd3f2a5e1702&ref_=ast_bln&productGridPageIndex=2
I prefer the DAW system because being old school and coming the days of old when no one could afford going to a studio, I think DAW is and always will be awesome. Using it with an awesome midi setup it can't be beat. Young people can go somewhere and hide with their anti computer, hating selves. Love DAW, and the modular synthesizer systems period. Combined they're they're the ultimate creative systems. Go DAW!!
Definitely enjoy your video's...great tunes. I learned some things. I actually use (now, in 2021) mostly a DAW, with hardware (guitars / keyboards), but I also have an entire set up based around a Tascam DP24 24 track multitrack, a Boss ME80 guitar multi effects unit, a Roland DR880 drum machine, and an old Yamaha $200 keyboard. I use the Tascam setup mostly for fun and jamming; getting a fresh approach to ideas. Yeah, it definitely takes up space. I need a house...with a garage.
i like the minimal approach to things.. that’s why i, at least at the moment, prefer a daw-setup.. you just need a computer, headphones and eventually a midi keyboard/controller! before, making music on a computer was always unintuitive to me, i think that’s why i didn’t start making music until last year.. so i bought a groovebox and had fun with it, but soon i realized that for the sounds i like, it is not the best. i had not much sample space and i like making downtempo music, which often has long sounds and atmospheres.. i must say that i‘m not into sound design and synthesis, rather composing with presets and samples, i love kontakt instruments from native instruments.. also i didn’t like that whole cable mess and that i have to buy this and that so that i have things set up the way i like it.. so once i learned the approach to making music, i switched to a daw and it made making music with samples much easier for me.. you can still have limitations with a daw.. i have ableton live lite which has only 8 tracks and not as many devices as the full version.. i also love the native instruments maschine concept.. but since i switched to linux, that’s not an option at the moment.. i use the open source daw LMMS, which is by the way a great piece of software, but in comparison to other daws limited.. and you don’t have to have every plugin available, just stick with a few and you’re fine.. also, making music with the phone/tablet is a fun option.. i dont like that’s limited to apple devices mostly, but i think making music with touch devices in connection with a midi controller is the future and is a good compromise between daw and dawless.. so yeah, for some type of musicians, dawless jamming is not the best option :D and currently i’m enjoying the fact that i don’t have to do much menu diving..
I've been 100% in the box for 16 years. I've used MPC's for decades. I actually own the older MPC Touch and have been using it as a VST for the last 4 years. I'd probably start a hybrid setup with a Roland Jupiter XM and possibly the MPC Live 2 or One. I don't need it but I'm curious about it.
Excellent video, man. Always love your chill, to-the-point vibe. You guys know your shit, no doubt. I got into dawless stuff during the pandemic, because of your channel, and Jade Wii, mostly. I've been DAW-centered for a long time because it's certainly the fastest method for me, as a mostly-solo person (and computer geek). But there's a lot to be said about dawless jamming. My sub-$3,000 dawless / hardware setup: Novation SL MK3 49-key (as the hub for sequences), MPC One (for computer-less wrtiting and/or finger-drumming/loop triggering stuff, along with the SL MK3), Circuit (mostly for the synth sounds, and/or sync'd up to the SL MK3... Microfreak (because Microfreak, haha), Model:Samples (for whatever, sync'd to the SL MK3), and then the Behringer TD-3 and RD-6, just because they're cheap and fun. Oh, and a Sonicware LIVEN 8-bit Warps (so much fun and fairly easy to use). Everything's connected to an ADAT (each device is mono, not stereo, except the MPC One) connected to my main Focusrite interface, so I have 16 total channels (no mixer... I just go directly into Reaper and mix there... a small midi controller can mute/solo as needed, and also kick in plugin reverb/delays via buses). It's fairly hassle-free and fun. Everything's on a 3-tier keyboard stand with shelving to fit everything. Not a big burden, space-wise. Most of the time, just writing/recording track-by-track using Reaper gets me the closest to finishing songs, though. The jams are usually just that-- jams. Some I record, most I don't. I often wonder about the ratio of people recording their jams vs. simply "jamming" and then powering their down, haha. Probably more than a lot of us think. Thanks again for the great video, brother! Keep up the awesome work, as always.
Tbh you can easily make a cheap DAWless setup for under 500. My first setup was a second hand Novation Circuit for 180, Behringer TD-3 for 150, a cheap 4 channel Soundking mixer for like 50 and used my dad's old FX unit which goes for around 80 on reverb. You can easily entertain a crowd with that setup for hours
On the Euro-rack issue of not getting back to what you did "yesterday" or an hour ago, wouldn't snapping a picture of it and calling it a respective name be the solution?
Very helpful. Thanks. I have started recording all of my eurorack jams now because the magical moments come and go and are almost impossible to reproduce. I send a clock from Ableton to the modular sequencer and then multitrack record every sound that the modular makes. I still miss stuff :D
What I am missing is a hugely customizable and expandable keyboard workstation with huge dawlike screen, loads of endless encoders with digital scratchpads underneath, with online updates, sample libraries and hardware slots inside for new synth engines etc. In effect it could be a kind of fully hardware Kontakt. You should be able to set it up how you want it with the ability to save setup snapshots. If I knew it would get me what I need and the ability to evolve I would pay a stack to start in such an ecosystem. Surprised Korg or Roland etc havent gone that route.
The recall process requires more work on your end, by documenting your favorite patches and setups. Most patchable instruments come with some blank "patch template" sheets at the end of the manual, you can use to make copies and write down your wiring and precise know/slider/button configurations. Yes, it's absolutely not as seemless and convenient as having built-in preset capabilities, but it gets the job done.
Interesting video. I write a lot of instrumental commercially licensed music under performance rights organization, BMI Inc and I use not only hardware synthesizers but also many acoustic instruments for the tracks that I write. On the acoustic instrument side, many times I'll record over the air (OTA) into a stereo digital recorder (TASCAM DR-05x) as it's easy to record and also portable, and during the writing process I can simply use some great studio headphones hooked up to it and re-record the track. But I still use a DAW for cleaning up the track, adding / modifying the EQ a bit, and add small effects like reverb. For "me" it's more of a ease of recording and portability that I find liberating.. Like the old 4 track tape recorder that I had back in the early 80s (I actually still have one stored away). I'm also thinking of buying a small 6 or 8 multi track recorder and match it up with an analog mixing board that I have, using that for my poly and monophonic analog synthesizers, again just for the ease and portability of songwriting, but in the end... again for "me"... It is easier to export the track(s) to my computer afterwards, and then edit and add effects / EQ in the DAW software.
I have a music 1010 black box a Novation circuit tracks Orba midi controller and 3 pocket operators, I love dawless cause I can just create and no menu diving he’ll my circuit tracks don’t even have a screen I love the Tactile feel I just want to push buttons and twist Physical knobs
I bought a Deluge early 2020 and have been using that as my DAW ever since...I really enjoy using it...Sometimes I will even take my Deluge to work if Im working on a tune that requires intricate time consuming details...I get a fair bit of down time at work.
Another option: just use the computer as a recorder, and connect all your hardware; synths, guitars, mixer, what not to it. You get the fun and sexiness of all that hardware, plus the ability to have better editing and mastering power. And using all hardware, you will not tax the CPU nearly as much as you would using tons of plug-ins, etc.
I decided to give dawless a shot because anytime I open the daw I feel like I'm forcing creativity. I like sitting at my keyboard and practicing. When an idea comes, I don't wanna have to boot up a daw, make sure everything is connected properly. I just wanna go.
Great vid and explanation. I have a DAWLESS setup and record everything into a zoom h6 recorder..is there any hardware equipment i can buy for mastering?
for what my experience is worth; I love hardware synths but I hate not to have a screen for anything that involves multitracking, sequencing or even for making drums. thinks like electron or mpc seem to be a complete pain in the ass for me compared to using live. I bought a keystep 37 and a microfreak and I like jamming with the arpegiator in both but as soon as using the sequencer is involved the fun stops; I prefer doing that in ableton (plus the usb midi clock I use seems to not be reliable at all). Eurorack and synths are great for experimental improv though. For performances; improvised or not; I'll always have the screen away anyway.
I agree with everything here... the issue is, is money... the way to think about it is: you need a good DAW setup and then from there slowly build your hardware... hardware is the best... but it's really hard to have full song control... if you are starting the DAW will be interesting enough to be productive... you'll slowly get hardware over time and will prefer it... but if you just get the hardware you will always meet limitations when creating full productions... there also this latency thing that software can't match fully... I'm getting back into everything and I had been here before and brought hardware... the same lack of creativity you get with a DAW you get with the full production with hardware... the point is hardware is good, but build it slowly, due to the fact your thoughts will not match what the units actually do and it will take time to learn what a good hardware buy is... it can be simple things... I brought an MV8800 once and the 3 minute load time for each song killed the creativity... some things no one talks about before you buy them... there is this organic feel with all this hardware and sometimes you will need to reign it in and also start to make it into a full track... even have musicians play on it or people sing on it and some hardware units do this but not with enough control ever and this is where the DAW works well... in software just make sure you buy a small number of plugins but really good ones and learn a plugin synth rather than changing when the presets run out... if you are someone looking to just play live instrumentals then you could just go hardware... it will still be good to have a cheap DAW setup to stay organized with your music... I love hardware and currently, I'm looking to set up the DAW setup, then working on the mixed hardware and when this is all going well and money is coming in, then my own lust for the hardware for purely my own stuff will come then...
Hardware is not best for all the reasons you mention and more. The best solution for most people is s hybrid set up, consisting of a Laptop a DAW and a cupple of small sythersizors and a cupple midi controllers like Me.
Good discussion points here. No one really tells you about this sort of thing before you get into it, and by then, you've likely spent a good chunk of change that would have been better put towards hardware (or anything else). I think DAWs are, as you put it, essential and irreplaceable, but the real discussion, I think, is in workflow, and it's such a personal (yet limiting thing -- imagine how many people go through specific pipelines and end up sounding the same -- not necessarily bad) endeavour that only really develops with trial and error Let me expound a little using a piece of gear as an example: Maschine Mikro MK3 -- procured because it was said to have fantastic pads, velocity sensitive and so on, but when I came around to it, I didn't really like the software. There are limitations to how it interacts with Ableton, too -- I'm not saying you can't use it with Ableton (you can, with some not-so-elegant workarounds) but the effect on workflow, to me, is immense, since it's already quite a lot to be wrangling my DAW, let alone two. Not to sound like I'm crazily uninitiated, I just think that it's worth going slow with gear and really learning the parameters inside out so you have a better idea of where you want to go. Blah blah
Cool video. I just recently fell down the hardware rabbit hole, and specifically started building a euro-rack setup. I don't want to think about how much money I've spent, especially considering all the free/cheap synths available! lol That said, as a guitarist/bassist I like the physicality of it, as you mentioned, and agree about the pro/con of being limited.
I don't think I would of got into production without a DAW but I would really love to get my hands on some quality equipment. I remember messing with a korg ms20 before I even knew about synthesisers that my friend had and I think he sold it for £20 which sounds ridiculous but that was how it went down. I would love that synth right now.
I've done some jams in the Bitwig, using the same idea of the hardware jam. Sometimes trying jamming with audio clips, made from the hardware jams. I don't like to compose in a DAW. Bitwig is pretty good, but yeah, it's much more creative making a beat on the Digitakt, hardware mixer and some my diy gadgets. I record the hardware jam on my iphone with a cheap mono iRig adaptor and the Audioshare app.
I want to start my dawless setup for live performances with low cost obsolete obsolete vintage retro equipment, low fi, preferably with midi rather than sync or cv / gate, using drum machine, groove boxes, phrase sampler, korg monotron, volca, casio vl1, midi sequencer, guitar pedals, half rack midi modules etc, maybe a nintendo with the DS10 a casio sk1 etc, what do you recommend? I'm digressing? is it a lot of G.A.S gear syndrom acquisition?
I have used a Korg D1600 for over two decades now, it has 256 virtual tracks and decent on board EQ and FX, outputs to a CD. I much prefer that to locking up my laptop all the time and worrying about stupid plug-ins and the like. I never had that obsession with chasing whatever is newest...it is rarely better, just newer.
Cool video, ive decided to go with a hybrid setup which uses Ableton as a drum and bass machine that I route into a mixer along with my hardware synths. I think it has the best ... and the worst of both worlds. On the one hand, having all of the options from Ableton makes it super versatile and the hardware synths give you the tactile immediacy that a DAW cant offer (even with a Push) , however on the flipside I would really struggle taking this thing on "the road" unless I made a dedicated live setup.
No one ever mentions outboard compression, side-chain compression, multiband compression. It’s very quick and easy to turn all this dawless equipment into frequency overload hell. Although your point is essentially hybrid, this fundamental is never addressed in these videos. It has to be used in unison with a DAW, or you need a host of additional outboard processing gear, or the result just sounds tiring and messy. Just a simple outboard sidechain is so critical.
Best option for that is a Behringer XR18 - tons of inputs for hardware, you have compressors on every input and output channel, which can be sidechain keyed to any channel...and then the entire mix can be run through a multiband compressor. It's worth it's weight in gold...if you know how to mix.
Great video! I have a hybrid setup where when in jamming mode Live acts as a multiplexer between devices, and then I can leverage it later for the final project. The problem I have is similar to the "too many choices" issue, in that I got greedy and decided I wanted to be able to record MIDI *or* audio. And I also got greedy and wanted to keep the Push 2 in the configuration. In my heart of hearts, I feel like I should abandon recording MIDI back from the devices, because it really leads to a lot of complexity and tradeoffs that I constantly fiddle with instead of being creative. And having the Push there makes it tempting to use Live as the sequencer, which makes me want to configure (read: optimize and perfect as a distraction) the macros, which is another rabbit hole of time suck distraction.
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"Unlimited Resources Are The Enemy Of Creativity" - Orson Welles.
I’m learning this now fl vs mpc I always get lost and brain fog with daws
That guy was brilliant. It's absolutely true.
If you’re enjoying yourself than it’s always worth it.
#Wisdom
Great video, love to see other people's perspective and reasons for committing to the no-computer nonsense.
Same! I used Reason for 10 years and finally having a proper dawless studio has made the creative process a lot more fluid and also fun, I found this sense of freedom that physical knobs and faders give you when you can shape the sounds while they play, however I will never forget how Reason taught me everything that I can now apply on this dawless setting
14:52 Honesty there are 2 kinds of Dawless jammers. The ones that fall prey to GAS and the ones that want to setup a Dawless band type structure. Just build everything into a Flightcase and let that be the limit. Assign tasks to equipment and be critical if you really really need all those synths. Then learn your setup like an instrument and take it from there. Great video!
There are also Dawless jammers who simply dislike computers. Many people hate computers, usually because they're not comfortable working with them because they never learned the basics. Personally I like both physical hardware and computers.
I dislike computers because I work with them and want to get as far away as possible from them when I get off work. I would guess there are a lot of people like me.
Thank you so much...Hey all. Ive been a singer/guitarist/bassist/noodler keyboard/ for quite some time now. 65 years young to be more exact...And after spending decades on stage in the "secular and Christian" live playing situation, its right back to ONE thing. Are you making music? yes or no? Have fun, bust your ass in the process, knowing that...nothing worthwhile is easy. Life has never been... is not now,... or ever will be fair. Just make music w/everything you have available to you right now. I own the MC-707 and have owned the MPCs' loved them all...but time is short. make the most of what you have right this minute. Your unadulterated video has been raw and honest. Excellent job. Give honor and glory and praise to Jesus Christ ....why??? Because He has given the talent to everyone! Rock on y'all...rock on.
So true with a DAW, wayyyyy too many options. I started off with a DAW and just couldn't get anything done! I just became paralized by the plethora of options available to me in the DAW and the endless searching for just the right bass or pad or kick etc. When presented with so many options it takes time to decide what to use. With dawless setup you have fewer choices so you get things done a lot quicker.
That's why I use Reason 4, as the new one is full of new devices and plugins can be used and you can buy extra devices and on and on. All the music I hear most of the time comming from Reason 12 or plus users dont sound any different to what I can do in vertion 4 any anything it cant do can be done with using free or cheap software to do what it cant. Abalten live lite come free with My keyboard so if I want to use VSTs I'd use that. I dont like having to many opinions and I dont want to sound like everyone else.
That's called operator error.
I just use cool sounds i dont think when i make music its just the feeling of it
You should get Reaper. No sarcasm.
It is pretty much an empty thing that you fill how you want to fill (it does have effects though).
It is the same as when you take an ol-school mpc and start filling it with samples :)
@@nskeip ok thanks so much will look into it
Great analysis, loved it. I work with computers all day long, so I got into Dawless to get away from them and to have fun making music instead of configuring software. One minor correction: you can have odd measures on the Elektrons, and you can actually have different measures per track.
I work with a hardware only setup since 2014, I am really happy with this, especially that we now have lots of affordable synths, it lacks in the sequencer department but I have Engine so I am saved :) powerful and fast sequencer! It is for sounds and workflow, and personal preferences, I had tons of analog gear in the 90ies and it is a bit nostalgic... I used to work 100% in ableton live with plugins but I got bored and I just love physical synths especially analog...
I sold some gear and switched some out to go mostly dawless. More because I wanted to create a musical space where I could get a break from the laptop and just focus on music. bass guitar, Yamaha Reface CP, Modal Skulpt and a loop pedal all bought second hand has been a great and not too expensive setup for just creating.
Gateways
i think one big advantage that gets missed a lot about dawless vs daw, is the compatibility. daws/computers tend to update, and you're forced to update other things to keep them compatible. i can turn on an mpc 2000xl today, and play the same songs i made on it from 15yrs ago. if i do that with a daw, itll be slowing down, some things won't be compatible.... crashing etc. I like just turning something on and go. with daws, there's times settings gotta be changed (midi/audio), or something isn't working etc etc.... and we stay googling trying to fix it for minutes to hours to days. and it kills the whole mood. 😐 With dawless, you really don't have to worry about that
Agreed! I wish I had included a discussion on software being unsupported versus vintage hardware. I’ve had a lot of software in the past become unusable.
Absolutely. I am not "anti-DAW" but cannot think of a single advantage of it (other than physical space Let's use a concrete example.
Say I want to play....an underground, funky Techno/Future Ska fusion beat (South Grenada style, of course)...
If I am limited to importing midi packs in to my DAW...how do I do this? Search online and hope there is a midi pack for this? Let's assume that there is one avaiable...is is really what I had in mind and/or want?
Make sense? In other words, the beauty of completely eliminating the dependency for ANYTHING other than the ability to construct and deliver whatever is in your mind...gives hardware users carte blanche.
I have dropped close to 10,000 beats in the last 12 months (TEN THOUSAND), comprised of one or more of 25+ unique synths , (I have remade a few of my own stuff but 99% if it is "oringinal" not some mix but hands on CREATION. As in it didn't exist, now it does....yet the person who has all the "followings" has dropped 7 beats, all from the same midi pack...just moved around, transposed, etc.
So now DAW users are limited in their creativity
The result ?
There is very little, if any progression when it comes to music anymore. This is because You have an extremely small percentage who are focused on creating something the general public will like (and thus purchase) and you have a mass of people taking that and "massaging" a 7 minute beat sideways to Sunday.
VERY few it seems, unfortunately, are like myself (and I assume you gents) who are truly focused on caryrying whatever genre we are playing at that time.
Baack in the day I was in that BBC documentary "RAVE" or somesuch (they showed locations across Europe and the US (I was in Austin, TX at the time) but the only speaking part was "What's Trance? It's whatever I play...that's Trance"
It was small-minded 22 year odl way of saying that there are not rules to art, instsd you create then lable it...not vice versa
It's all about how a computer is set up, though. I have a 2008 MacBook running OS 10.6 and Reason 5, and it's never been updated - it's not on my home network. It's not any slower now than it was in 2008. We intentionally cause compatibility issues because we want our computers to run the latest OS, web browser, all that other crap. But we don't HAVE to. You really can freeze your computer in time.
It’s all about a hybrid setup for my workflow. Best of both worlds is the way to go for my purposes
Agreed! I can’t see myself breaking away from a Hybrid setup at this point.
The new MPC's software is a DAW so they are not DAWLESS.
Thanks. You laid it down like a mate would. DAW it is for now but I'm left with the problem of choosing the best option for a controller that will give me the most hands on control for my DAW, for the least amount of money. Has to have keys as I don't have any. Anyway, thanks for the video, after a few videos, yours is the one that has settled it for me.
I really appreciate your intellect and insight on this topic. Your clearly very experience and talented and I've enjoyed and been inspired by your music. For my dawless setup I use the MPC ONE as the brain, an akai Mini keyboard, a Boss RC 505 looper as my mixer/audio interface and a GR55 synth for guitar modeling, amp modeling, and 100s of synth/ string & pad sounds used with my Godin LGXT guitar. I've been very happy with this setup.
That’s an awesome setup! We’ve always wanted to grab a 505 looper, just never pulled the trigger. Thanks for watching 🙏
The MPC one software is identical to MPC beats and there for it's a Daw and is not Dawless.
Thank You for an interesting and informative video. As an old analog hardware guy who grew up with analog studio gear and synths in my fathers studios long before computers became mainstream music production systems, before MIDI was even invented, I found it interesting to hear Your views. I build modular and semi-modular synth gear and enjoy using it for live performance, still don't use a DAW but recently got into making hybrid modules using MCU chips to digitally control analog circuits and modules. I have been developing a prototype hybrid modular sequencer with multiple embedded processors and internal storage that provides synced multi track sequencing of CV, GATE, TRIG outputs to drive analog synths and modules as well as sampled sounds and stored wave tables. This has greatly enhanced the DAW-less system removing many of the limitations of existing hardware sequencers. It currently handles flexible sequence lengths up to 1024 notes per sequence block with up to 16,384 blocks across 10 channels. I have found that I still mostly only use either 32 or 64 note patterns on 6 or 8 channels but the capacity is there to expand into when needed. I sold off all the MIDI gear I had but have built a control bus system based on the MIDI structure into the modular rig to allow the hybrid modules to communicate control data between them so it is technically possible to hook up a DAW at some point in the future. The reasons I have not gone down the DAW rabbit hole yet are that for many people it seem to have swamped them with options and killed their creativity while making everything take way more time messing with menus and clicking on software. Then there are the reliability issues, I find it quite shocking the number of live performances, events and live streams that come to an impromptu halt with the audience being given apologies because 'the computer crashed' or 'the DAW locked up'. Of course in a studio setup this is less of a problem as You can usually restart things and carry on from where You left off without leaving an audience hanging in silence, or worse, being blasted with a horrific noise until the sound is muted or the offending PC is reset. Good to hear things from Your perspective, keep up the good work and whatever You use, Keep On Modulatin' all the best from BOOS__ModulaR, in Scotland.
I just started collecting pieces for my Dawless setup a couple of years ago. I've been slowly finding pieces that I really think identify with the sound that I identify with. I think that is a prime factor in deciding on which pieces you want to own as to make sure you're not wasting money just buying the next coolest thing.
I've gone with the 'grillin' beef' option, 80/20. 80% I make on Dawless, jamming out, trying things, and overall just flowing creatively. More than anything, it's just fun. Really, why do we do this kind of stuff unless it's actually enjoyable. Toys are fun to play with and Dawless is like a giant toy store.
20% finishing it up in Ableton/Reason, whatever. Nothing can clean up, finish ideas, and really polish a track like a good computer program.
Love the channel!
I do agree with you. I recently went back to dawless to start my creative process and I would finish in logic pro because that’s my favorite DAW to Mix and finalize and I have all my templates there anyway. There’s nothing wrong with working in the box or outside of the box, I think it just comes down to your personal preference and how your creative flow works. I definitely noticed a difference in my workflow in the box versus outside the box.
It's definitely worth it! it's so nice to have a tactile work session that you can learn and progress on over time, it's instant gratification and truly unique, compared to software that feel's robotic, less fun and definitely prohibits your creativity. IMO the Polyend Tracker, Akai (force, MPC), Roland 707, Vurse Lab, Machine+, etc, are absolute game changer's, this hardware revolution has got me back into enjoying the process again rather than feeling like I'm at work with a keyboard and mouse.
Great video! I think you're exactly on point based on my own experiences using mostly hardware to compose and arrange, but recording into a DAW. Getting away from analysis paralysis was exactly the reason I bought my Digitakt, too :D
Great video and great channel. I've been soaking up allot of your content. I'm hoping this channel blows up. You two have definitely earned it!
I use a Roland MC-101 to sequence a Korg Minilogue XD, Roland JU-06A and a Model D. Drums, samples and 3 VA synths from MC-101 too gives me 1 drum machine and sample player and 6 sequenced synths. Lots of options with nice FX, EQ, clip chaining etc. Great vid Bro ✌
I have almost the same gear, would love some more tips and advices!
This video is the most useful video I found for music production in a while. Thanks and happy for subscribing
Absolutely. 'Unlimited options' is the killer of creativity, and ppl spend years working in DAWs before they realise that.
Dude! Great volume of information here to include both sides of the conversation. I want to get Efff off of my computer so I bought a Novation Circuit and might acquire a few Volcas to dabble in a DAWless setup. I need something to just get me off my computer so getting my toes wet with some DAWless gear makes sense.
Great video. When I started to go Dawless I though that the Volcas were going to be a great starting point, but if you're serious about making music and want to grow and explore new things, they really fall short for being limited machines. You might end up like me realizing later that the 500€ that I spent on Volcas could have been spent on a Digitakt, which in itself has all the Volcas inside (except for the FM, that's a keeper!) and a lot more. So beware, consider your options.
As a side note, I know that there are people that can make awesome music with Volcas, I have nothing against those machines, but bear in mind that they are limited and not built for pushing the boundaries of music creation.
Thanks for the insight! I haven't tried a Volca yet, so I don't have any personal experience with them, yet. Cheers!
Can attest to the same thing - I think that largely they're a false economy - or at best a gateway drug. There are exceptions, I've seen some people create some fantastic music on volcas, but I think their main selling point is their size and their ecosystem - it's a niche piece of gear for a musician that has gaps to fill, or wants to create a very specific setup. If youre on a budget and starting out I think it's a dangerous route as it'll likely lead to disappointment.
I think you gave some solid advice. I’m returning to making electronic music and starting dawless like many others. I thought the Volcas were going to be my ticket for some reason and I bought like 6. Just like you I realized their limitations quickly and I’m selling them to get more advanced hardware and sequencing.
I agree with you on the FM.... Its the only Volca I couldnt do without
Great video. I'm pretty much DAWless and enjoy messing with hardware - but I'm primarily a guitarist so having something to put my hands on makes more sense to me personally. I like the "limitations" hardware gives me. And I think you really made an excellent point about screwing around with a zillion virtual instruments and settings vs. focusing on the creative side of composing/performing.
Just a mention... I bought a cheap drum machine with midi out/thru and used that as my main "start/stop" rather than a sequencer. I have it chained through to what is now a fair amount of gear however it was a great side step on the sequencer to save money and get into it quicker The mixer i use for muting and solos. . Thought it might help someone. Love the videos, really helpful thank you!
Love your channel, the music you create together is refreshing, original, medicinal and pure. Praying for the day when I can have a own studio again, this time being in Tucson, Az. Support by way of prayers and positive energies sent my way by any angels out there would be awesome. I need a massive breakthrough in my current circumstance(s), as an artist I need space and resources.
I love Sweden, yet I've been in a black hole here socially and as an artist...... Thank you so much for the inspiration and knowledge. I enjoy listening to you talk music and music tech. Cheers from Stockholm. Stellar blessings to you both. Keep the tunes coming the world needs them.
Good video. I went computerless very early on after repeated issues with Cubase. After some time with a Roland MC303 Groovebox, I used a Yamaha QY700, Roland JV2080, Akai 3000XL and Korg Trinity TR Rack. I wrote my best songs on that set up. yes, it cost me quite a lot, but if I still had it I am sure it would work exactly the same as it did on day one (plus no software updates, it just worked!) I have tried computer DAWs a lot since, Ableton, FL, Reason, Traktor, Reaper, but have never got into any of them. While I still have a couple of these options, my choice is an MPC One and a Roland MC101, it’s all I really need and haven’t touched my computer DAW since.
Re price, an MPC One is c.£600. Ableton Suite is £500 + Laptop. Laptops get clogged up with photos, software, internet, and constant updates that eventually require you to buy another more powerful beast. An MPC will just work and any updates work within the restrictions of the hardware. Even an IMac and Logic will set you back £1500.
There is no clear winner. My advice is get one or the other and learn it. Don’t get caught in the gear acquisition syndrome (gas) to keep adding hardware or VSTs without knowing the previous gear inside out. A friend used to write the most incredible drum and bass tunes and all he had was Cubase 3.1 and an Akai 3000XL! He knew the gear!
Nice video! Ok, I'm using a DAW. But I have had a Boss BR 80 for some time now. But the thing has been broken for some time. So I bought another, used one, and started again with great enthusiasm. This thing in particular doesn't require all those added devices that I see in this video because it has a lot built in. An advantage to start with. Although, I also have an old KorgPad control. And with my piano I can also do a lot with PlugIns. But it's not necessary. Quite simply with my guitar, there is already a lot to do on a Boss BR 80. It forces me to be more of a musician and less of a "producer". And that also has its advantages.
As a musician with a decade long love with guitar pedals dawless feels like the next logical step for my gear lust. I would be super thankful if someone made a video about how electronic musicians practice in comparison to how more traditional musicians practice.
We just plonk away
In my case, is more about experimentation and fun than practice. With synths, is about designing sounds and creating cool sequences. Off course knowing a couple of scales is useful, but even that is not needed.
I've been playing with keyboards (midi and synths) for more than 10 years, and I still don't know how to "actually" play them. Regardless, I create music almost daily.
I know what you meant by practice. I started playing guitar and know that practice is extremely important. It just not like that with synths, at least for me 😉
Experimentation. Electronic music is vast, everyone does it in their own way. In electronuc music there is more making stuff and less practice.
I’m puzzled about how the hardware real-time capable sequencer has fallen out of favor. For a hardware setup, this is an extraordinary piece of gear. You hear plenty about step sequencers but I’ve never taken to that way of working. If I use a sequencer, I use a multitrack real-time capable sequencer like a Roland MV30 or MC80 or an Akai MPC4000. I’ve always liked this way of working if I’m not doing direct to CD recording which I also love to do. My favorite setup is my Tascam M2600 32 channel console with high end digital effects plugged into the aux sends. This gives me the ability to turn on effects via the sends and returns on any channel. Using the sequencer is like doing multitrack recording without tape but maintaining a flexibility that you would not have with tape or digital recording. You can change everything if you want. Synth voice, effects and levels.
I’m kind of old school in this way. I still love working with hardware over constantly staring at a screen. I also love to record live improvisation direct to CD recorder. I’ve created several stations in my house that have different combinations of instruments all plugged into a mixer and sent to a CD recorder. I have a lot of synths and sometimes I really appreciate just selecting a few for a session and getting closer to making sound changes with each. Sometimes just one. Solo synth improvisation with however much is connected is a beautiful thing that is often neglected by the desire to multitrack.
Akai fire, all of the current mpcs, squarp pyramid and hapax all can do real time midi recording with the option of turning quantization off. At least on the akai stuff you can make a clip or track as long as you want.
I've used VCV Rack for the last several years (not quite a DAW but I use the VST Host a lot), recently got an X-Touch Mini, I now have so much more fun jamming because I have immediate access to buttons and knobs.
This was SO helpful. Your way of speaking and explaining things is extremely easy to follow. Editing is amazing as well. New sub! Now off to go down the rabbit hole into a new channel ;)
I’ve settled on a hybrid approach. MPC and synths, drum machines for sequencing, delay/reverb and sound sources. DAW for mixing and other fx.
I use a console 1 and fader with the daw so that gives me a hardware feel during mix down as well.
Great video. 👍
Multi tracking is the way to go. I’m still on the fence of how I’m gonna do this. Meaning how many tracks do I need and what gear to get to accomplish this. I’m leaning towards the Tascam Model 24 as an all in one integrated mixer.
Get the Model 24! get a solid mix, record to SD, pull the file to your daw or record into your daw simultaneously. Main mix gets recorded to 23/24. Its more fun recording on the Tascam vs the computer for me
i prefer dawless couse i feel more a music composer than a producer, i mean i dont think i want to do a product for selling, i only want compose some music and stay away from the pc for a while, when i jam on public i want to have time to conect with others and stuff like that, i love it, would be grateful to have options to get best of both using a fisic set up and a daw for mastering and mixing
great video!.... I would add as the "gosth" cost of dawless: a good power strip: 40$; cables: 100-200$; midi cables: 30$... (not necessary but: midi devices) I would say headphones and/or speakers/monitors but its the same for daw option....
Of course mixer and FX has now has changed with the MPC ONE being able to handle a USB Soundcard. Using this to run all your synths into the MPC, and then assigning on board FX from it. Starting with an MPC you get a number of soft synths and then you can choose the hardware synths to compliment these.
Hi Tefty & Meems. Nice talking about music production. May be its time to make video about third way. I mean using Ipad Pro with AUM or Audiobus and many AUs plugins (Moog model D, TAL U-NO-LX, Sunriser, Ravenscroft 275, Hammond etc.). All can be controled via midi surface and MPC for midi track recording. All ortodox synth users can despise this solution but for portable jaming and price solution is the next way. What do you thing about this?
I made a Bitwig based setup with controllers. I try to limit myself to 8 tracks, and limited instruments.
I have made a few instrument presets which can be controlled with the controllers.and I restrict myself to that.
the best thing is I sequence everything on launchpads.
It's a pretty hands-on experience.
I don't do DAW stuff which requires me to use the mouse or keyboard, when I'm doing sets.
It's like emulating a hardware jam session basically.
Overall, it satisfies my live jamming needs.
Great video 👍. I built mine over decades. I like the physicality for music creation and all the things you spoke about. For me the biggest benefits are no email, no social media, no RUclips! 😀 Also I came to rely on the ease of editing in the DAW so my playing got sloppy and my chops atrophied. So I reverted to my 4-track tape approach and I fix problems by punching-in. Not only is that more efficient than comping but it forces me to play it until I get it right and that builds chops! 😎
These are all fantastic points! I actually really wished I had put the lack of internet as a benefit 🤣 Thanks for the insights 🙏
which dongle are you using to get the audio OUR from iPAD to mixer?
...any demos of your results?
I will always be partial to a DAW, but I very much enjoyed this discussion from the other side. Great video. I love chopping it up about all things music & gear, and this video weirdly scratched an itch for that during these strange times of isolation.
I go Dawless sometimes. I have a Keystation Pro 88 that is controlling a few synths. Those synths are an Ensoniq SQ1 + (which has a great 16 track sequencer by the way ) A Behringer Deep Mind 12, and a Novation Mini Nova. I sometimes incorporate my iPad pro with it's soft synths, which are cool too. I use Cubase 11 for my Daw and have a huge amount of VstI's and compose mostly trailer scores for movies. A lot of orchestral. But when I just want to unplug, I do and it's fun!
I record from MiniNova and other keyboards and then use that as samples and take that into a Old version of Reason or Ableton 11. I have sythersizor app on My android tablet that records what's played as wave which makes it easy to use as samples. I have a 303 emulsion app on Android and I use that as a metrodome as it runs without being on screan and the sythersizor app only records it's own sound.
I’ve binge watched your videos. Love the content
I disagree with this video, being a hardware only producer. You can make full songs with half of the stuff you use in your “dawless sets”. Plus you’re coming from a hybrid set up, you should speak on a hybrid set up, because that would be more helpful to anyone who is interested in a hybrid set up then you spend about 30mins talking bad about hardware only sets. I see that a lot of people coming from a daw to hardware be trying to hard to make it into a daw. SMH 🤦🏽♂️. This is not a negative comment but a realistic view of hybrid producers who don’t get the simplicity of hardware set. I like your channel and learn a lot from your videos.
Tefty.....Bro.... You hit the nail on the head for pretty much every point. I’ve owned and still own several DAWs and because there is so much involved with setting them up and so many options I’ve never mastered even one of them and by the time I got all set up and ready to go the creative juices dried up. Now with my set up now I turn it on and start jamming right away. Yes I’m glad I have the DAW to record in to when I need to but I’ve had so much fun jamming I’m finding it hard to do that. Another good post , thanks for sharing.
Hi Raymond 👋 I’ve been in the same boat soooo many times. I originally thought the limitations of hardware would turn me off. Time is precious. Being able to jump in right away can make or break a writing session. Cheers 🍻
Why do you need a mixer before the audio interface? What is the advantage of plugging everything into a mixing board first rather than directly into the audio interface?
Great video. Very informative. I'm using the Digitakt and Digitone with a Roland Jupiter XM and some loopers and agree with the points you have shared. The jamming first and finishing in Logic X after is a much more organic work flow. Peace.
You nailed some really good points in this video
as someone who tried to stick their pinky toe in as cheaply as possible starting with circuit bending then instantly moving to building an entire synth one circuit at a time....its hard to know what you want or need....buying things used is a great way to save but then youre usually locked into keeping it. i have an entire box of chips and boards for projects i thought i wanted but never made. i have a closet full of speak and spells and 80s toys because i thought thats what i wanted. so watching stuff like this helps. i ended up getting a used one plus, model 12 that i repaired...and an empress zoia for 350$ based on your recommendations. the mpc and zoia arent here yet but im having one issue with the model 12 where sometimes it just goes down in volume on its own then comes back when it feels like it
What’s the track that starts playing on the background at min. 5:00?
I grew up dawless when I started I had two ensoniq mirage a turntable and a tape machine now I'm still dawless exact for the last mile of production for combining video and audio
Rewatching this with about a year of experience playing around with my setup, I have an MPC Live II, and I feel like that's a good option for people who want to reduce screen time without being TOO limited. It can do just about everything, and with MIDI and CV/Gate outs, it make a good hub/brain for additional gear. Currently the MPC One is about $700
Love it thanks so much. Would you mind elaborating on sequencers, in particular what to keep in mind when going without a dedicated sequencing device? So for example if I wanted to play dawless techno on a volca keys+minilogue xd only, (how) would that work making usw. of the minilogue internal sequencer!? Thanks!
Really great thought on dawless. Also enjoyed hearing about how you record and jam.
Thanks for watching 🙏
Have a look at the Deluge I really enjoy using it.
I use DAW and akai MPD32. I lay everything down w the mpd then tinker w Logic Pro. In Logic Pro you can have 100 different drum machines. It’s awesome.
Great video! I started recently with a MIDI controller and Ableton, but felt like I couldn't do much. It changed when I got a Pocket Operator and later on a Korg NTS-1. Now I have an electric kalimba and several other gear.
Hardware is great for jamming and DAW is great for sequencing a complicated pattern and finishing/mastering.
Great video, thanks a lot for taking all that time to share your views on the topic and how you guys approach your music making.
You've been a real inspiration since i discovered your channel last year and pandemic helping i've dived back into music and built a small hybrid setup with the same aim as you have.
Start out the box, jam and have fun, then bring it all in the end to the daw for polishing.
That’s amazing to hear LFF! Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙏
Treat gear like rich people treat the housing market. I started back in the 90's with an on-sale Akai sampler. I loved it and sold it and bought an RMX and an yamaha a400 and then sold them for an electribe and a dx200. I also in the meantime bought an EMU audity2000 on sale and a second hand rs2000 which I sold laster for more than i paid for them to buy an electribe sampler (hated it and sold) and now am making music with an analogue 4 keys (2nd hand ebay) an MPC live (2nd hand ebay) and a TB3 and Tr8 (on sale).
You would have to be rich to buy all that gear this guy has.
Thanks! I second the negatives, but still prefer DAWless over in the box. Question: what are the coloured cables you are using?
There from Seismic Audio! www.amazon.com/stores/page/E60EE6E6-783B-4CB4-A1B5-3DCD0185F35A?ingress=2&visitId=f814d36d-d4e3-4c84-8acb-fd3f2a5e1702&ref_=ast_bln&productGridPageIndex=2
So glad am not the only one with paralysis from analysis hehe
Thanks for the awesome Video! It is very informative. I like that you are reffering to different instruments one can use in his or her setup.
I prefer the DAW system because being old school and coming the days of old when no one could afford going to a studio, I think DAW is and always will be awesome. Using it with an awesome midi setup it can't be beat. Young people can go somewhere and hide with their anti computer, hating selves. Love DAW, and the modular synthesizer systems period. Combined they're they're the ultimate creative systems. Go DAW!!
Definitely enjoy your video's...great tunes. I learned some things. I actually use (now, in 2021) mostly a DAW, with hardware (guitars / keyboards), but I also have an entire set up based around a Tascam DP24 24 track multitrack, a Boss ME80 guitar multi effects unit, a Roland DR880 drum machine, and an old Yamaha $200 keyboard. I use the Tascam setup mostly for fun and jamming; getting a fresh approach to ideas. Yeah, it definitely takes up space. I need a house...with a garage.
i like the minimal approach to things.. that’s why i, at least at the moment, prefer a daw-setup.. you just need a computer, headphones and eventually a midi keyboard/controller!
before, making music on a computer was always unintuitive to me, i think that’s why i didn’t start making music until last year.. so i bought a groovebox and had fun with it, but soon i realized that for the sounds i like, it is not the best. i had not much sample space and i like making downtempo music, which often has long sounds and atmospheres.. i must say that i‘m not into sound design and synthesis, rather composing with presets and samples, i love kontakt instruments from native instruments.. also i didn’t like that whole cable mess and that i have to buy this and that so that i have things set up the way i like it..
so once i learned the approach to making music, i switched to a daw and it made making music with samples much easier for me.. you can still have limitations with a daw.. i have ableton live lite which has only 8 tracks and not as many devices as the full version.. i also love the native instruments maschine concept.. but since i switched to linux, that’s not an option at the moment.. i use the open source daw LMMS, which is by the way a great piece of software, but in comparison to other daws limited.. and you don’t have to have every plugin available, just stick with a few and you’re fine..
also, making music with the phone/tablet is a fun option.. i dont like that’s limited to apple devices mostly, but i think making music with touch devices in connection with a midi controller is the future and is a good compromise between daw and dawless..
so yeah, for some type of musicians, dawless jamming is not the best option :D and currently i’m enjoying the fact that i don’t have to do much menu diving..
Great video! Very useful advice and overview.
I've been 100% in the box for 16 years. I've used MPC's for decades. I actually own the older MPC Touch and have been using it as a VST for the last 4 years. I'd probably start a hybrid setup with a Roland Jupiter XM and possibly the MPC Live 2 or One. I don't need it but I'm curious about it.
Excellent video, man. Always love your chill, to-the-point vibe. You guys know your shit, no doubt. I got into dawless stuff during the pandemic, because of your channel, and Jade Wii, mostly. I've been DAW-centered for a long time because it's certainly the fastest method for me, as a mostly-solo person (and computer geek). But there's a lot to be said about dawless jamming.
My sub-$3,000 dawless / hardware setup: Novation SL MK3 49-key (as the hub for sequences), MPC One (for computer-less wrtiting and/or finger-drumming/loop triggering stuff, along with the SL MK3), Circuit (mostly for the synth sounds, and/or sync'd up to the SL MK3... Microfreak (because Microfreak, haha), Model:Samples (for whatever, sync'd to the SL MK3), and then the Behringer TD-3 and RD-6, just because they're cheap and fun. Oh, and a Sonicware LIVEN 8-bit Warps (so much fun and fairly easy to use). Everything's connected to an ADAT (each device is mono, not stereo, except the MPC One) connected to my main Focusrite interface, so I have 16 total channels (no mixer... I just go directly into Reaper and mix there... a small midi controller can mute/solo as needed, and also kick in plugin reverb/delays via buses). It's fairly hassle-free and fun. Everything's on a 3-tier keyboard stand with shelving to fit everything. Not a big burden, space-wise.
Most of the time, just writing/recording track-by-track using Reaper gets me the closest to finishing songs, though. The jams are usually just that-- jams. Some I record, most I don't. I often wonder about the ratio of people recording their jams vs. simply "jamming" and then powering their down, haha. Probably more than a lot of us think.
Thanks again for the great video, brother! Keep up the awesome work, as always.
Tbh you can easily make a cheap DAWless setup for under 500. My first setup was a second hand Novation Circuit for 180, Behringer TD-3 for 150, a cheap 4 channel Soundking mixer for like 50 and used my dad's old FX unit which goes for around 80 on reverb. You can easily entertain a crowd with that setup for hours
On the Euro-rack issue of not getting back to what you did "yesterday" or an hour ago, wouldn't snapping a picture of it and calling it a respective name be the solution?
Very helpful. Thanks. I have started recording all of my eurorack jams now because the magical moments come and go and are almost impossible to reproduce. I send a clock from Ableton to the modular sequencer and then multitrack record every sound that the modular makes. I still miss stuff :D
Thanks man. Super helpful and grounded.
I was hardware only and loved it until I desperately needed a new sequencer.
Now with a DAW , there's no going back for me. Both is the best way👍
What I am missing is a hugely customizable and expandable keyboard workstation with huge dawlike screen, loads of endless encoders with digital scratchpads underneath, with online updates, sample libraries and hardware slots inside for new synth engines etc. In effect it could be a kind of fully hardware Kontakt. You should be able to set it up how you want it with the ability to save setup snapshots. If I knew it would get me what I need and the ability to evolve I would pay a stack to start in such an ecosystem. Surprised Korg or Roland etc havent gone that route.
The recall process requires more work on your end, by documenting your favorite patches and setups. Most patchable instruments come with some blank "patch template" sheets at the end of the manual, you can use to make copies and write down your wiring and precise know/slider/button configurations. Yes, it's absolutely not as seemless and convenient as having built-in preset capabilities, but it gets the job done.
I'm fallowing you on Bandcamp now. Keep on doing what you do. You are very inspiring.
Thank you Blu Duvel! ❤️❤️❤️
What a great video, thank you!
Ps: how are you capturing your voice? Sounds really clear but I don't see a mic close by 🤔
Just outside the frame right above my head 😉
Interesting video. I write a lot of instrumental commercially licensed music under performance rights organization, BMI Inc and I use not only hardware synthesizers but also many acoustic instruments for the tracks that I write. On the acoustic instrument side, many times I'll record over the air (OTA) into a stereo digital recorder (TASCAM DR-05x) as it's easy to record and also portable, and during the writing process I can simply use some great studio headphones hooked up to it and re-record the track. But I still use a DAW for cleaning up the track, adding / modifying the EQ a bit, and add small effects like reverb. For "me" it's more of a ease of recording and portability that I find liberating.. Like the old 4 track tape recorder that I had back in the early 80s (I actually still have one stored away). I'm also thinking of buying a small 6 or 8 multi track recorder and match it up with an analog mixing board that I have, using that for my poly and monophonic analog synthesizers, again just for the ease and portability of songwriting, but in the end... again for "me"... It is easier to export the track(s) to my computer afterwards, and then edit and add effects / EQ in the DAW software.
7:36 I'm pretty sure that all the greatest orchestral composers didn't use a daw.
I have a music 1010 black box a Novation circuit tracks Orba midi controller and 3 pocket operators, I love dawless cause I can just create and no menu diving he’ll my circuit tracks don’t even have a screen I love the Tactile feel I just want to push buttons and twist Physical knobs
I bought a Deluge early 2020 and have been using that as my DAW ever since...I really enjoy using it...Sometimes I will even take my Deluge to work if Im working on a tune that requires intricate time consuming details...I get a fair bit of down time at work.
Another option: just use the computer as a recorder, and connect all your hardware; synths, guitars, mixer, what not to it. You get the fun and sexiness of all that hardware, plus the ability to have better editing and mastering power. And using all hardware, you will not tax the CPU nearly as much as you would using tons of plug-ins, etc.
I decided to give dawless a shot because anytime I open the daw I feel like I'm forcing creativity. I like sitting at my keyboard and practicing. When an idea comes, I don't wanna have to boot up a daw, make sure everything is connected properly. I just wanna go.
Great vid and explanation. I have a DAWLESS setup and record everything into a zoom h6 recorder..is there any hardware equipment i can buy for mastering?
for what my experience is worth; I love hardware synths but I hate not to have a screen for anything that involves multitracking, sequencing or even for making drums. thinks like electron or mpc seem to be a complete pain in the ass for me compared to using live. I bought a keystep 37 and a microfreak and I like jamming with the arpegiator in both but as soon as using the sequencer is involved the fun stops; I prefer doing that in ableton (plus the usb midi clock I use seems to not be reliable at all). Eurorack and synths are great for experimental improv though. For performances; improvised or not; I'll always have the screen away anyway.
I really liked the way you explained this 👍🏼 respect
Thanks for this helpful content man..
I agree with everything here... the issue is, is money... the way to think about it is: you need a good DAW setup and then from there slowly build your hardware... hardware is the best... but it's really hard to have full song control... if you are starting the DAW will be interesting enough to be productive... you'll slowly get hardware over time and will prefer it... but if you just get the hardware you will always meet limitations when creating full productions... there also this latency thing that software can't match fully... I'm getting back into everything and I had been here before and brought hardware... the same lack of creativity you get with a DAW you get with the full production with hardware... the point is hardware is good, but build it slowly, due to the fact your thoughts will not match what the units actually do and it will take time to learn what a good hardware buy is... it can be simple things... I brought an MV8800 once and the 3 minute load time for each song killed the creativity... some things no one talks about before you buy them... there is this organic feel with all this hardware and sometimes you will need to reign it in and also start to make it into a full track... even have musicians play on it or people sing on it and some hardware units do this but not with enough control ever and this is where the DAW works well... in software just make sure you buy a small number of plugins but really good ones and learn a plugin synth rather than changing when the presets run out... if you are someone looking to just play live instrumentals then you could just go hardware... it will still be good to have a cheap DAW setup to stay organized with your music... I love hardware and currently, I'm looking to set up the DAW setup, then working on the mixed hardware and when this is all going well and money is coming in, then my own lust for the hardware for purely my own stuff will come then...
Hardware is not best for all the reasons you mention and more. The best solution for most people is s hybrid set up, consisting of a Laptop a DAW and a cupple of small sythersizors and a cupple midi controllers like Me.
Good discussion points here. No one really tells you about this sort of thing before you get into it, and by then, you've likely spent a good chunk of change that would have been better put towards hardware (or anything else). I think DAWs are, as you put it, essential and irreplaceable, but the real discussion, I think, is in workflow, and it's such a personal (yet limiting thing -- imagine how many people go through specific pipelines and end up sounding the same -- not necessarily bad) endeavour that only really develops with trial and error
Let me expound a little using a piece of gear as an example: Maschine Mikro MK3 -- procured because it was said to have fantastic pads, velocity sensitive and so on, but when I came around to it, I didn't really like the software. There are limitations to how it interacts with Ableton, too -- I'm not saying you can't use it with Ableton (you can, with some not-so-elegant workarounds) but the effect on workflow, to me, is immense, since it's already quite a lot to be wrangling my DAW, let alone two.
Not to sound like I'm crazily uninitiated, I just think that it's worth going slow with gear and really learning the parameters inside out so you have a better idea of where you want to go. Blah blah
Cool video. I just recently fell down the hardware rabbit hole, and specifically started building a euro-rack setup. I don't want to think about how much money I've spent, especially considering all the free/cheap synths available! lol
That said, as a guitarist/bassist I like the physicality of it, as you mentioned, and agree about the pro/con of being limited.
I don't think I would of got into production without a DAW but I would really love to get my hands on some quality equipment. I remember messing with a korg ms20 before I even knew about synthesisers that my friend had and I think he sold it for £20 which sounds ridiculous but that was how it went down. I would love that synth right now.
I've done some jams in the Bitwig, using the same idea of the hardware jam. Sometimes trying jamming with audio clips, made from the hardware jams. I don't like to compose in a DAW. Bitwig is pretty good, but yeah, it's much more creative making a beat on the Digitakt, hardware mixer and some my diy gadgets. I record the hardware jam on my iphone with a cheap mono iRig adaptor and the Audioshare app.
I want to start my dawless setup for live performances with low cost obsolete obsolete vintage retro equipment, low fi, preferably with midi rather than sync or cv / gate, using drum machine, groove boxes, phrase sampler, korg monotron, volca, casio vl1, midi sequencer, guitar pedals, half rack midi modules etc, maybe a nintendo with the DS10 a casio sk1 etc, what do you recommend? I'm digressing? is it a lot of G.A.S gear syndrom acquisition?
I’ve always leaned toward using multi tracks now I use mpcx I still have a daw but my best work is without the daw
I have used a Korg D1600 for over two decades now, it has 256 virtual tracks and decent on board EQ and FX, outputs to a CD. I much prefer that to locking up my laptop all the time and worrying about stupid plug-ins and the like. I never had that obsession with chasing whatever is newest...it is rarely better, just newer.
Cool video, ive decided to go with a hybrid setup which uses Ableton as a drum and bass machine that I route into a mixer along with my hardware synths. I think it has the best ... and the worst of both worlds. On the one hand, having all of the options from Ableton makes it super versatile and the hardware synths give you the tactile immediacy that a DAW cant offer (even with a Push) , however on the flipside I would really struggle taking this thing on "the road" unless I made a dedicated live setup.
No one ever mentions outboard compression, side-chain compression, multiband compression. It’s very quick and easy to turn all this dawless equipment into frequency overload hell. Although your point is essentially hybrid, this fundamental is never addressed in these videos. It has to be used in unison with a DAW, or you need a host of additional outboard processing gear, or the result just sounds tiring and messy. Just a simple outboard sidechain is so critical.
Best option for that is a Behringer XR18 - tons of inputs for hardware, you have compressors on every input and output channel, which can be sidechain keyed to any channel...and then the entire mix can be run through a multiband compressor. It's worth it's weight in gold...if you know how to mix.
Great video! I have a hybrid setup where when in jamming mode Live acts as a multiplexer between devices, and then I can leverage it later for the final project. The problem I have is similar to the "too many choices" issue, in that I got greedy and decided I wanted to be able to record MIDI *or* audio. And I also got greedy and wanted to keep the Push 2 in the configuration. In my heart of hearts, I feel like I should abandon recording MIDI back from the devices, because it really leads to a lot of complexity and tradeoffs that I constantly fiddle with instead of being creative. And having the Push there makes it tempting to use Live as the sequencer, which makes me want to configure (read: optimize and perfect as a distraction) the macros, which is another rabbit hole of time suck distraction.