@@christianholmstedt8770 Still considering that video! May or may not happen, not sure I want to be 'the free plugin guy' again. Just need to make it a video worth making, not sure what the story is quite yet.
@@VenusTheory Nothing wrong with being 'the free plugin guy' every now and then. I'd be an inspiration for musical idiots like myself to see what can be done. I can't read or write music to save my life but it's fun to just make sounds. Anyway, still looking forward to it.
Really great content here! Considering the type of music you're creating, what's the 2-3 plugins that's worth investing for if we are to move on from free plugins?
It seems creativity comes more from a coherent high-level vision than from restrictions by themselves, and restrictions are just a way to sort of brute-force at least some high-level vision.
I agree. In fact it's interesting when you think about how the first step of most scoring jobs is assembling a palette of moods and sounds, which is pretty much doing the same thing creatively - restricting down your options into something more focussed and manageable. Setting self-imposed restrictions just sort of simulates that and creates some kind of identity or structure that you can work within.
As a musician with ADD, I get easily distracted by too many options, but I also get bored by too few. So it’s a constant struggle to find the right balance.
I found a perfect middle ground. Set extreme constraints, then make something. It might be very bare bones but just do it. Then come back later to the project, and without significantly changing anything, edit the work without those rules
Second that! Have made the decision that my studio gear should fit into my backpack, and be light weight, hence have now got an iPad, two Korg microKeys and a Korg microControl. Working on reducing my some 40 softsynths to just a couple. Too many creative choices with the current stack…
I found that limiting your options based on project works great. I vary my setup based on what I want to make or perform. When I travel I bring a different little groovebox with me every time, unless I'm working on a specific project. This is great for songwriting, and depending on my setlist I just use the hardware needed for livesets.
Recently I went back to some old music I made and decided to try 'improve' it - I loaded up all the new VSTs I had, added layers to the sound, used all kinds of mixing techniques I had learned etc. I then listened to both pieces side by side and I just felt like... it's different, but is it better? At first I felt quite depressed about it - had I not improved? But then I realised that the original was made with intention, using my ears, just making what I wanted. My 'improved' version was just trying to substitute my creativity with technology and gimmicks. Since then I've tried to strip down my production process and it's been helping immensely.
I agree to an extent. I’m having this conversation with my wife (rapper). We have notice when we bring back a song we did years ago. That was out of key, mixed terribly and remade it on a better mic. Yes it improve drastically we both agree. Same time it’s like the “energy” was gone. Almost felt spiritual. I believe this has to have a deeper meaning behind it.
Hey Cameron, there aren't many youtube creators that make me sit down, turn other things off, and really pay attention. You do. Thanks for all your effort. Inspiring stuff.
One thing rarely pointed out about minimal setups, such as cash strapped musicians, is that it pretty much _forces_ you to explore the limits of your tools and become proficient in them. You can't just find something that works how you'd like, and as you become familiar with your tools it will reshape the ideas you're expressing into something new.
I think minimal choices are better for a lot of things. I seemed to enjoy video games better when all i had were a few. Now i have hundreds and play none of them. 🤷♂️
One time I went to my friends house, downloaded the demo of FL Studio on his PC and made what ended up being the leading song for my first EP. Limitations really do help a lot with creativity.
Absolutely. I think the times I'm most efficient with creating something are when it just HAS to get done with X,Y and Z and not my 'usual' grab bag of stuff.
Over the last couple of years, I've been eliminating distractions from my life. I deleted apps from my phone, excluded plugins from my workflow, sold my PS4 and Switch (I barely have enough time to play games on ONE device, my PC) and even limited the number of streaming services I'm subscribed to at once. Most recently, I switched from an online calender to a physical one. It's been a gradual but steady way into being more focused, more present, and more creative.
@@organicfrequenciesI guess I can see that but if you’re so limited there’s only so much you can to before it sounds all the same, if we’re talking playing wise limiting yourself is great you come up with way more interesting licks however if we’re talking producing and writing wise having a wide range of instruments to choose from and things to work with is wayyyy better because then you will be able to create a sound more desirable to you and make overall less same sounding music
@@Bloorgusgoorge Agreed, but I think it's all about balance in the end. Finding the right amount of gear that's just enough to make you want to create but that's not too much so you end up switching from one machine to another without getting to really understand them fully.
@@Bloorgusgoorge I don’t think it all sounds the same when you have less. I think you learn different ways to use the same thing. Take jazz or more acoustic music for example, imo because of more sound limitations there is a lot of variation in how the sounds are played and single sounds can sound interesting on their own because of that. And then I think, more so because the sound is analogue, it has a more authentic feel to it that makes me appreciate the musicality more.
This ties a bit into workflow efficiency as well. It's nice to be able to materialize your ideas without getting side-tracked by extra decision-making.
This is so true. I know producers who literally only use one softsynth for everything and their music is amazing. Limiting your options is better than having your options limit you.
I agree 100% I had to go through a "maximalist" experience or approach to realize what I needed, liked, and what inspired me, and how to use it. From there I think with maturity and experience I started to understand how to discipline myself with fewer options when I know I have the option of more. I removed a lot of equipment and packed it away, I removed a bunch of VST's, I got rid of unnecessary steps, and started using what came in the "box" less third-party additions. Across the board, Phone Apps, Social Media, Studio, Songwriting, and Video Editing, what I've found is that enjoy everything more, and also that my days are full of accomplishing things that matter, still a work in process, but I think you're on to something. Great Video.
Minimalism, let's GOOOOO. I'm very inclined towards minimalism as an approach and even an aesthetic, but I think the general ideas can be helpful for anyone (including maximalists and collectors of gadgets) to avoid unnecessary stress or have a healthier approach to stuff and work. It's all about intentionality, even if hipster nerds like us might tend to take it to more extremes.
That's some sort of miracle because just as i started reinstalling my windows and questioming all plugins that I own and considering to put limitations on my creative precess, here you are with this video, also I'm competetly in love with that Essentialism rule anyway.
It's insane how right it is, whenever I make music and I just tell myself to keep it simple and to not be greedy for "catchy" melodies everything works out It's like adding too many layers in a song- everything gets messed up
I love that he doesn't answer the question for us, he leaves it open for all of us to answer on our own. Appreciate you being open to put your thoughts out here for us to wrestle with! ♥
Haha well appreciate it! Suppose the lack of an answer also comes from the fact that I'm not really smart enough to find a good one. Plus it's way more interesting to see all the discussion in the comments as a result!
thought provoking content is hard to come by in this age of Everything All the Time content. It's refreshing to mentally engage with the content you are consuming and have some introspection.
Option paralysis is real! As someone who used to believe that buying the next best VST would make me a better composer, I can tell you that I snatched up as many as I could. After a while, I had so many libraries, that I didn't know where to start with making something new. It wasn't until a friend of mine made up a list of restrictions and said "Make something without any of these," that I realized that forcing myself to be creative within set parameters was far better for growth than having seemingly unlimited choices. Awesome vid as always, Cam! I recommend your channel to every single fellow composer that I meet. Edit: Spelling
You’ve become very quickly my most watched producer/youtuber. And, as a therapist, I appreciate a lot the time you spend reading and quoting scientific literature, instead of reporting some folk psychology collected here and there. Thank you for all your work, Cameron!
I just acquired my first synth with no presets (Subharmonicon) and really appreciate how it forces me to stick with exploring a sound, knowing I can’t just switch away when I get stuck or bored.
Nothing beats a strong composition. Adding too much will just make your comp messy. That being said, if your song has too many competing ideas, cutting the worst ones will take you to places you've never gone before. The most straight-forward way to create something great is just by having a ton of ideas, eventually you'll run into gold.
My brother I love minimalism, and also Im a musician who procrastinates a lot. Allow me to tell you this is one of the best videos I have ever seen, thank you for sharing your wisdom.
I wrote so much more music when I only had a midi keyboard and a couple of sound modules. Now, I have seemingly unlimited choices of sounds and only spend time preset auditioning instead of actually using those presets to write.
Great Point/video... I agree 100%... When I was a "starving" artist alongside starting out i had minimal supplies and shared equipment I felt i made some of my best work... Now that i have the funds and equipment I find myself falling into endless rabbit holes... Though creatively fulfilling, I feel the amount of completion is much more limited...
It's especially true in an era of free/cheap plugins, endless libraries of samples and presets and new gear coming out daily. I recently decided to focus on the gear I used the most in the last two years and tried selling everything else. I still have a bunch of stuff I need to get rid of following a major clean-up session. It says a lot about the crap we hoard over the years which end up collecting dust or giving you too many options that usually gets discarded after hours considering them. Less is definitely more.
There is non-stop wisdom in this video. Many things I've known intuitively, but you do a great job of articulating and expanding on them. It is tempting to use every tool in the shed . . . but it always ends in tears.
Thanks - that’s really useful! Best way I’ve found to stay focused is to write a score showing melody, chords and riffs - doesn’t take long and forces you to make decisions quickly based on purely musical grounds.
When it comes to music my second favorite comes from Sun Tzu: “There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard." I learnt this more in 4 to 3 notes. Deciding to learn music for fun and maybe make some short melodies. I was shocked when I read the note sheets of some game tracks and saw that the same note was used twice or thrice, yet when played it sounds like completely different notes. Instead of 3, it sounds like they're playing 5. And when I made up some small pieces on a virtual keyboard, limiting myself to 3 notes. I was excited when I managed to do that illusion myself. To turn not 5 but mere 3 notes into almost a whole guitar string's worth of notes by order and tempo. That also confuse and infuriate me like the subject in your video about sampling. When I wonder "If I, an amateur nobody who just touched notes for fun could make original melodies and loops this easily on a whim. Then why is it that professionals, whose practiced and studies these things, resort to sampling and just straight out stealing entire pieces. Shouldn't these professionals be able to do what I just did like clockwork. Why do they need to steal centuries old pieces from Bach and Chopin. Why reuse the Hall Of The Mountain King a million damn times I KNOW WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMIND ME!"
This is a great way to break the monotony and stagnation that can occur in the creative process. I recently did the exact same thing when I moved my studio space and upgraded my Mac.. I left a lot of old plug-ins behind on the old hard drive and reduced the amount of equipment I was pretending to use for my productions. It's amazing how much you can see when you clear out all the obstructions. Thanks, -The Moosh
Excellent video. After surviving a traumatic brain injury, I learned the value of reducing decisions to reduce brain fatigue. Essentialism is... essential. "Less is more" pops up multiple times every day.
"You know you've achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away." Antoine de Saint-Exupéry * (1900 - 1944) (*) He is best remembered for his novella The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince).
I think that limiting your resources can make you strive for more creative solutions, but I really want to shout out that you mentioned Braid because that game is phenomenal.
I often struggle with this, and only recently was feeling stuck looking for new plugins, checking newsletters, etc., instead of just putting in the hours. Figured out some things on my own, but your video feels very helpful, too. Eliminating distractions and sticking to a few tools is key.
man this music journey is so much fun the more you learn the more you realize you knew nothing, i started with an at2020 a broken laptop, leaking headphones and very bad noisy room after 2 years i now got an NT1 a brand new desktop pc with minimal fan noise, m50x and a room with very good acoustic treatment and honestly the difference is night and day i feel like i can finally produce in peace and let my creativity do the hard work without focusing on so much on technical problems
i think its true choosing some limitations is important as it provides focus but we have no way of knowing how much wasnt created because of limitations imposed, rather than chosen.
For me, only having gear that I use often and for a specific purpose is necessary. Restricting choices forces me to learn my gear/software thoroughly and to use it creatively. For others, tinkering and getting inspired by new gear spurs creativity, but personally I feel this exercise often gets in the way. I like to learn and look at new gear and workflows but it’s important to consider the real creative implementation of things vs the conquest of more material.
Completely agree. I have recently been working on a feature film where I needed to develop a minimalist score. So my approach to the process was very minimalist in nature. I decided to only use a very limited set of plugins, less than 1/4 of what I would normally use . This forced me to really know the plugins well. Also, I made a conscious choice to choose plugins that I had NEVER used in scoring before. As a result, the compositions and ideas became the focus, not "finding the sounds". Martin Gore from Depeche Mode has one of my favourite quotes. "Constipated by choice." There are way too many options, both free and paid and if you start out trying to find sounds, you will never finish what you started out. Focus less on the options and more on the ideas. Free yourself to approach your compositional process outside of your comfort zone.
Brands of any type have to keep bringing out new products and keep selling stuff but much of it just repackage what you already have but dont know how to use. It is a big market to exploit.
Returning to music to do electronic production, I started with just Logic and built ins and finished my first EP. I actually bought some plugins at that point and refined sound design and do more mixing, but if I’d spent more time learning more about builtins and especially mastering Alchemy, I could’ve stayed there longer. Creativity was easy there - constraints plus years of built up ideas. I also got stuck for a little while getting everything setup on setup - with my move to an M1 Max, least productive period since I’ve been back in music. The further I go the more I realize option paralysis/decision fatigue is the biggest barrier to my creativity. Like the habits book says: people don’t rise to their aspirations, they fail to the level of their systems. The further I go the more I see that creativity is 99% about refining and maintaining the process by which you make things.
There's a beautiful value in embracing your limits and working with what you have. We have an innate drive to acquire more because we think that will remove creative limitations... But in the end what we thought would free us ends up paralyzing us.
two equally important points: 1 - limitation absolutely does breed creativity, and i really wish more youtubers in the synth & gear world focused more on "do more with what you have" versus advertising whatever is hot & new. do musicians truly have GAS, or is it just a case of constant advertisement to a demographic that maybe has a little more disposable income? (you & benn jordan are doing a great job at providing a great counterpoint to that) 2 - i moved to italy 3 months ago & would kill for a case of flavored sparkling water from aldi
That makes a lot of sense, too many choices wears me out, or I can't make a decision in the end. My usual way of working is to research the heck out of something, gather all these ideas in, and then pare it down. The info gathering takes the most time, and it can make it pretty hard to figure out where I want to go with a project.
Blimey! That very basic setup at the beginning is almost exactly what I have. I also never really plan to produce anything. Start a synth, noodle about for a bit and if that works, just follow the noise. It doesn't always work, but it's a joy when it does. I'll generally know within about 30 mins whether to continue or shut down, but I think it's important to not get annoyed if it doesn't work. Sometimes it won't. I've always had the suspicion that perhaps I'm too minimal gear wise, so this video resonates so very much with me. Thanks.
Check out the story of Keith Jarrett's Koln Session. There's a great podcast about that: Cautionary Tales, and the episode The Unplayable Piano. It also broaches on Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies, which forces creators to use limitations and challenges, which helps explore outside of "the box".
There is another point that perhaps we are at our most creative when starting out in a new field, hence the musicians that have a great first album but struggle thereafter. It's a separate, but equally valid issue that when we are starting out we don't usually have much equipment. Thanks for the great content!
Wow, how very similar to my rule of life now for 25years. The rule of the one, everyday one important task gets done at home. No overload, but slowly one bite at a time the elephant gets eaten 👍. Marie Kendo’s book on only keep only what brings you joy was a great help too.
These are all extremely good insights that extend well Beyond the surface of simply making music. Most people need to hear and ingest these types of wisdoms. Most won't.
Man, I came across your channel a few weeks ago and there hasn't been a single video that hasn't helped me in some way. From the free plugin recommendations (including your Decent Sampler packs, which are awesome) to all the insights into the mental/philosophical side of making music and being creative in general, it's a real treasure trove of useful information. Thank you!
Less, but better - I can wholeheartedly agree to this. Getting rid of distractions and minimizing decision making really helps to clean up everything in your life - not just in the creative realm :-)
Direct and to the point. You always find something relevant to really drive home and it's never really dumbed down so much as simply worded. My favorite example for this case is many of Jack White's interviews. He's so prolific because he's focused on limitations. If he's stuck, he removes bits rather than adding them.
I think some people think of minimalism as a very specific hyperfocused state of mind, that is also achievable with more tools at your exposal, so long as you remain focused and know how to manage your distractions - turning off notifications etc. I know for a fact that I can turn into a giant scatterbrain even when planning out a track on a piece of paper. It's so easy to get caught up in "No, notes first! No, sounds first! No, message and mood first!" and feeling helplessly deadlocked over the thoughts like that. Seriously, I'm spending way too much time thinking about how the instrument's behavior and timbre dictate what notes sound good, yet you need to have a certain harmonic/melodic/thematic idea in mind to start inventing stuff. I found the answer to be minimalism in a sense of what you're doing, deliberately separating your process into very limited things you can do. Like "Only sound design, no notes" or "only working with a piano sim, a piece of paper and a music theory book/resource/chordie app today", or "only moving things around on your timeline, creating sections, not instruments. And when your track is more fleshed out, you can start being a bit more flexible. Minimalism is so appealing, but it's also, I feel like, a massive burden - minimalistic aesthetic and stuff is very OCD/perfectionist. I'd be constantly thinking what plugins are "minimalistic", what's more "sustainable, fair and minimalistic, but effective" - to use a stock reaper plugin, a good but offbeat open source EQ, a weird untested but easily modifiable JS script, or a AHOY YE MATIES, ARR 'd industry standard full feature EQ? Honestly, having just written that list, I can see why some people limit themselves even more by going only open source, or only stock plugins. But, again, if you want results, it's about your focus, your inner peace and mindfulness of what you're hoping to achieve right now. Sorry for a bit of a rant, it's just that this topic and your thoughts on it hit rather close to home for me. Thanks for your video!
Thank you for this channel. This is the content I needed and I'm sure I'm not the only person in these comments who feels this way. It's like, producer specific therapy and your small doses of "laughter is the best medicine" truly make me feel better. Thank you
I think compartmentalization of processes help with music production for sure. You can only do one thing at a time and it takes energy and focus to make it good.
The simple laptop, interface, and controller setup has really helped me actually release more music. I like having options for input, but I need to be able to streamline everything so I get stuff done. Love this vid
Good point. I have been painting with Watercolors all my life. The key to painting with this medium is minimalism. There is a saying in the circles of watercolorists "more is less and less is more" (Tony Couch). This idea has been taken to the extremes buy using just the primary colors (red, blue and yellow) one flat brush, one round brush, paper, one pencil and the rest of the minimal tools. But if realism is your intension you have to take the time to understand the mechanics of the medium and have the skills to draw and the understanding of Perspective, Shading etc.. This concept of course can be used for any creative endeavors. I also apply this when creating music. But the same thing applies, you have to understand music theory if you want to do a film score. The two movies you mentioned worked because of their naivety of the medium which led to interesting new discoveries in presentation that's all. As for seasoned creatives. If we have learned our craft there are so many avenues to choose from we start to get overwhelmed and blocked. Sometimes no matter what you try it just doesn't work. At that point we loose confidence and it all spirals out of control. Then what? Take a walk, get another cup of coffee, check our e-mail. Sometimes that works. In your case you have a scheduled job that has to be done. So you have to find the self discipline to finish and get paid no matter what the outcome. The deadline is waiting. But the excitement of exploring something new will never return to us. So those happenstance moments are lost in our knowledge of the medium. We may have one every so often but like any long term relationship we have to find other ways to make it work. This in turn starts the search for the new sound or new color and the never ending quest for the afore mentioned things. GAS, some people get caught up into this viscous never ending cycle. Let's face it life is limited. No worries though most people are happy with the same old routine same old music and so on. That's why it all works. Every once and a while though someone breaks the boundaries of this and the magic happens again. As you age, you see its all been done before. Round and round it goes just like a sinusoidal wave form. Life goes on.
this video is so important! We already know that minimalism is in most cases the best we can do but in this video it occures more cleary to me, why is it so. thank you!!
Some of my best ideas come when I limit myself to a completely different process. I didn't have a tracker background when I first tried sketching ideas in Sunvox, and learning how to problem-solve in a modular tracker environment definitely made me come up with some really creative solutions.
@@VenusTheory Almost 100 % and got 4 songs on a game in progres this weekend, so can't complain.It took way to long time to come here but hopefully a start worth continue!
Man, your thought process is so nice and you put the action into it.. This is helping me a lot for life, in general. Thank you for sharing, not everyone knows to where to find this kind of conversation or thought
I was cycling around 3 weeks ago and came across this audio book called Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and that blew my effin mind. I literally adapted that to my music and now I am down to the very and I mean very basic of what I need and it's the best feeling ever!!!! May not work for all, but it surely works for me!! Big fan of the page by the way!!!!!!!
I enjoyed listening to the commentary on minimalism. Made me think of my own journey in the amateur recording hobby. I started out in the 80s with a dynamic kick drum mic, a very cheap Realistic mic, acoustic guitar and a stereo cassette deck. I had many ideas for songs and recorded their basic structure using this setup for a few years until I purchased a cheap 4 Track cassette machine. Then over the next few years added a drum machine, bass and electric guitar. Through the next 30 or so years, I added an 8 track cassette which was replaced by a DAW. Then more mics, synths, etc. I was following the industry as it told me I had to have more and more stuff to have better music. As I looks at the industry now, it’s all setup to sell the latest plugin, virtual instrument, guitar amp sims, and whatever. But I don’t hear a lot of creative stuff coming out of the industry. It all background noise, mixed together with indiscernible parts. I like what you stated about getting down and making music (or anything) by choosing a minimalist approach. Great advice. Often I use the approach of over stuffing songs with ideas and then going back in and cutting out the stuff that doesn’t contribute to the song or makes it muddy. So I’ll end up with a more concentrated song that focuses on the basics. With this being said, the music industry as a whole seems to use a minimalist approach when creating new songs. It so minimalistic that it seems most songs are a couple of chords going round in circles with no differentiation between verse, chorus, beginning or ending. You know exactly where the song will end after the first few measures. While minimalism in recording may be a good idea to get the tracks down, the use of minimalism in creating music has made it boring. Of course, I come from the background of listening to stuff that came out in the 60s, 70s and 80s where groups were trying to outdo each other with every album and produced Dark Side of the Moon, Point of No Return, Synchronicity, Boston, Fragile, SGT Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and hundreds of other incredible works. And while the studios they worked in had the best equipment to be found, they also had to work within the constraints of what the industry had to offer at the time. Which, for the most part, didn’t include DAWs, plug-ins and re amping. So, as you’ve explained, the constraints were the guides but the creativity was able to push through. You’ve stated a couple of ideas that buck the entire current music and electronic recording industry. That is that substance is much more satisfying that flashy new high tech gadgets. It’s like watching an older well acted, well written movie and understanding why it’s so much better than one built on pure adrenaline and action. They are both entertaining but one makes you think while they’ll the other leaves you wanting more like a drug addict. I’ll listen to this again and write some of the ideas down.
New to the channel. The vids provide thoughtful discussion and insight. A lot of my favorite musicians have always encouraged this approach to making music. Just recently, while listening to a twitch stream, it was said that, with regards to retractions, it was ideal to create complexity from a limited number of choices. For me, I like having a lot of things to choose from, but then working with only a few things.
What a cracking idea for a video. Speaking as one who has (relatively) bugger all equipment I find that any library I add only serves to add indecision and angst over what to use and how to use it. It muddies the waters and fuels procrastination, so I've elected to stick with what I have and keep things as simple as possible in order to create more and better. Then again, I'm a complete noob and too old to learn much more than life's already filled me up with, so ignore anything I say 😁👍
This was awesome, you made made me realize I have so many of those "not so important but they leave a sense of achievement" things to wipe out of my neverending to-do list to just focus on my real goals.
I've been following this channel since I found a 5 year old Sylenth1+Saturn 2 neuro bass tutorial about 3 years ago and man it's fuckin awesome to see how much it's grown. Always dropping top-tier videos, Keep being awesome man!
This is an awesome video. I will add something for the listening audience, that objects and media all take your light/energy. Everything you see or look at takes a small or certain amount of your energy, thus, the more objects, colour and media (media typically being the main culprit and this includes posters and art) you are in close proximity to (i.e. your workstation), the less energy there is going to be available for projects, interactions, chores and the such. I hope my comment helps, albeit a little esoteric, I know.
Reminds me what a music teacher once said about John Cage. Which was that people wrongly tended to assume that his daily life was somehow wild. When actually, he was extremely consistent and had highly defined routines. This ties with what recent research on decision fatique. This is also an idea you come across in recent research on addiction. Which is that as people get caught up with addictive substances (including nicotine and alcohol), their decision making reserves get increasingly used up in trying to maintain control. Leaving them less and less for enjoyable, creative, social activities.
i think this is why switching to mostly DAWless for my work flow has improved my output significantly. Having limits on how many channels, drum sounds or synth sounds I can generate causes me to hyper focus on fine tuning each instrument rather than giving into the impulse to just keep scrolling through hundreds of samples or VST's and not actually making anything. I say this after writing exclusively on Ableton, Reason, Acid Pro, Sound Forge and Rebirth and Fruity Loops 3.0 (in my teens) for over 20 years.
Amazing and detailed video of what the modern producer and creative human can find in its career as obstacles and dilemmas. I deeply, deeply love this philosophical and psychological format you went for, hope the other options on Quitting Music and Nostalgia from the poll are still valid for future videos!
I immediately thought of the idea of “songs made with natural limited resources in the old times, which have become legends and whose content consists of three or four main music ideas”.
First video in a while with an original soundtrack! In other news: is minimalism actually beneficial?
🎸 Bandzoogle ► bandzoogle.com/?pc=venustheory
I was hoping to see what you were going to produce with an old laptop, free plugins, and a cheap MIDI controller.
@@christianholmstedt8770 Still considering that video! May or may not happen, not sure I want to be 'the free plugin guy' again. Just need to make it a video worth making, not sure what the story is quite yet.
@@VenusTheory
Nothing wrong with being 'the free plugin guy' every now and then.
I'd be an inspiration for musical idiots like myself to see what can be done. I can't read or write music to save my life but it's fun to just make sounds. Anyway, still looking forward to it.
@@VenusTheory Please do make that video. Don't approach it as 'the free plugin guy', approach it as 'how can I help beginners get up and running guy'.
Really great content here! Considering the type of music you're creating, what's the 2-3 plugins that's worth investing for if we are to move on from free plugins?
It seems creativity comes more from a coherent high-level vision than from restrictions by themselves, and restrictions are just a way to sort of brute-force at least some high-level vision.
That why I used Reason 4 for ten years because I mastered the limitations to pretty much make any sound I wanted.
Great way of putting it!
I agree. In fact it's interesting when you think about how the first step of most scoring jobs is assembling a palette of moods and sounds, which is pretty much doing the same thing creatively - restricting down your options into something more focussed and manageable. Setting self-imposed restrictions just sort of simulates that and creates some kind of identity or structure that you can work within.
What a comment, succinct and sweet.
that’s the best articulation i’ve read
As a musician with ADD, I get easily distracted by too many options, but I also get bored by too few. So it’s a constant struggle to find the right balance.
The struggle is real!
I found a perfect middle ground. Set extreme constraints, then make something. It might be very bare bones but just do it. Then come back later to the project, and without significantly changing anything, edit the work without those rules
@@producerseph_ Very nice!
Second that! Have made the decision that my studio gear should fit into my backpack, and be light weight, hence have now got an iPad, two Korg microKeys and a Korg microControl. Working on reducing my some 40 softsynths to just a couple. Too many creative choices with the current stack…
I found that limiting your options based on project works great. I vary my setup based on what I want to make or perform. When I travel I bring a different little groovebox with me every time, unless I'm working on a specific project.
This is great for songwriting, and depending on my setlist I just use the hardware needed for livesets.
Recently I went back to some old music I made and decided to try 'improve' it - I loaded up all the new VSTs I had, added layers to the sound, used all kinds of mixing techniques I had learned etc. I then listened to both pieces side by side and I just felt like... it's different, but is it better? At first I felt quite depressed about it - had I not improved? But then I realised that the original was made with intention, using my ears, just making what I wanted. My 'improved' version was just trying to substitute my creativity with technology and gimmicks. Since then I've tried to strip down my production process and it's been helping immensely.
I agree to an extent. I’m having this conversation with my wife (rapper). We have notice when we bring back a song we did years ago. That was out of key, mixed terribly and remade it on a better mic. Yes it improve drastically we both agree. Same time it’s like the “energy” was gone. Almost felt spiritual. I believe this has to have a deeper meaning behind it.
Hey Cameron, there aren't many youtube creators that make me sit down, turn other things off, and really pay attention. You do. Thanks for all your effort. Inspiring stuff.
❤
Ayyyyyyyyyyy well glad to hear it, suppose that means I'm doing something right for once haha.
Same here! 🎉
One thing rarely pointed out about minimal setups, such as cash strapped musicians, is that it pretty much _forces_ you to explore the limits of your tools and become proficient in them. You can't just find something that works how you'd like, and as you become familiar with your tools it will reshape the ideas you're expressing into something new.
That’s just it.
My buddy has three expensive synths and can barely work one of them. My sister has a Roland D-50 and has mastered the fuck out of it.
I think minimal choices are better for a lot of things. I seemed to enjoy video games better when all i had were a few. Now i have hundreds and play none of them. 🤷♂️
One time I went to my friends house, downloaded the demo of FL Studio on his PC and made what ended up being the leading song for my first EP. Limitations really do help a lot with creativity.
Definitely can make a whole albums worth of music from free versions of DAWs.
Absolutely. I think the times I'm most efficient with creating something are when it just HAS to get done with X,Y and Z and not my 'usual' grab bag of stuff.
That does work !!
Over the last couple of years, I've been eliminating distractions from my life. I deleted apps from my phone, excluded plugins from my workflow, sold my PS4 and Switch (I barely have enough time to play games on ONE device, my PC) and even limited the number of streaming services I'm subscribed to at once. Most recently, I switched from an online calender to a physical one. It's been a gradual but steady way into being more focused, more present, and more creative.
I think we sometimes confuse creativity with productivity. More options make me more creative, but not more productive.
I'd say less options actually make me more creative and productive. But everyone is different I guess
@@organicfrequenciesI guess I can see that but if you’re so limited there’s only so much you can to before it sounds all the same, if we’re talking playing wise limiting yourself is great you come up with way more interesting licks however if we’re talking producing and writing wise having a wide range of instruments to choose from and things to work with is wayyyy better because then you will be able to create a sound more desirable to you and make overall less same sounding music
@@Bloorgusgoorge Agreed, but I think it's all about balance in the end.
Finding the right amount of gear that's just enough to make you want to create but that's not too much so you end up switching from one machine to another without getting to really understand them fully.
@@Bloorgusgoorge I don’t think it all sounds the same when you have less. I think you learn different ways to use the same thing. Take jazz or more acoustic music for example, imo because of more sound limitations there is a lot of variation in how the sounds are played and single sounds can sound interesting on their own because of that. And then I think, more so because the sound is analogue, it has a more authentic feel to it that makes me appreciate the musicality more.
Nailed it
the b reel of you writing video b reel on the to-do list made me very happy
What a voice👍👍🔥🔥 I see you switched to Reaper. Cool! I do my stuff in it as well.
This ties a bit into workflow efficiency as well. It's nice to be able to materialize your ideas without getting side-tracked by extra decision-making.
Absolutely. Way too easy to get caught up in the 'stuff' rather than working towards the 'thing'.
In 1995, I recorded an album on one cassette using an Ensoniq ASR-10 and a four-track Tascam Portastudio. A few people loved it. Good enough.
This is so true. I know producers who literally only use one softsynth for everything and their music is amazing. Limiting your options is better than having your options limit you.
bro i didn't know this video was from venus theory youtube has been recommending it to me for like months
I agree 100% I had to go through a "maximalist" experience or approach to realize what I needed, liked, and what inspired me, and how to use it. From there I think with maturity and experience I started to understand how to discipline myself with fewer options when I know I have the option of more. I removed a lot of equipment and packed it away, I removed a bunch of VST's, I got rid of unnecessary steps, and started using what came in the "box" less third-party additions. Across the board, Phone Apps, Social Media, Studio, Songwriting, and Video Editing, what I've found is that enjoy everything more, and also that my days are full of accomplishing things that matter, still a work in process, but I think you're on to something. Great Video.
Minimalism, let's GOOOOO. I'm very inclined towards minimalism as an approach and even an aesthetic, but I think the general ideas can be helpful for anyone (including maximalists and collectors of gadgets) to avoid unnecessary stress or have a healthier approach to stuff and work. It's all about intentionality, even if hipster nerds like us might tend to take it to more extremes.
I'm pretty sure it was you who said "better to marster using a few devices then to have loads of devices you dont".
That's some sort of miracle because just as i started reinstalling my windows and questioming all plugins that I own and considering to put limitations on my creative precess, here you are with this video, also I'm competetly in love with that Essentialism rule anyway.
It's insane how right it is, whenever I make music and I just tell myself to keep it simple and to not be greedy for "catchy" melodies everything works out
It's like adding too many layers in a song- everything gets messed up
I love that he doesn't answer the question for us, he leaves it open for all of us to answer on our own. Appreciate you being open to put your thoughts out here for us to wrestle with! ♥
Haha well appreciate it! Suppose the lack of an answer also comes from the fact that I'm not really smart enough to find a good one. Plus it's way more interesting to see all the discussion in the comments as a result!
thought provoking content is hard to come by in this age of Everything All the Time content. It's refreshing to mentally engage with the content you are consuming and have some introspection.
Option paralysis is real! As someone who used to believe that buying the next best VST would make me a better composer, I can tell you that I snatched up as many as I could. After a while, I had so many libraries, that I didn't know where to start with making something new. It wasn't until a friend of mine made up a list of restrictions and said "Make something without any of these," that I realized that forcing myself to be creative within set parameters was far better for growth than having seemingly unlimited choices.
Awesome vid as always, Cam! I recommend your channel to every single fellow composer that I meet.
Edit: Spelling
I think you're absolutely right ... but it's so hard to choose!
You’ve become very quickly my most watched producer/youtuber.
And, as a therapist, I appreciate a lot the time you spend reading and quoting scientific literature, instead of reporting some folk psychology collected here and there.
Thank you for all your work, Cameron!
I just acquired my first synth with no presets (Subharmonicon) and really appreciate how it forces me to stick with exploring a sound, knowing I can’t just switch away when I get stuck or bored.
Nothing beats a strong composition. Adding too much will just make your comp messy. That being said, if your song has too many competing ideas, cutting the worst ones will take you to places you've never gone before. The most straight-forward way to create something great is just by having a ton of ideas, eventually you'll run into gold.
My brother I love minimalism, and also Im a musician who procrastinates a lot. Allow me to tell you this is one of the best videos I have ever seen, thank you for sharing your wisdom.
I wrote so much more music when I only had a midi keyboard and a couple of sound modules.
Now, I have seemingly unlimited choices of sounds and only spend time preset auditioning instead of actually using those presets to write.
Start with nothing, learn everything. Start with everything, learn nothing.
Wait, how can i not to watch videos from silky voiced and wonderfully handsome mustache man? Unthinkable!
"As little design as possible" seems like good advice for any discipline, especially music production.
Great Point/video... I agree 100%... When I was a "starving" artist alongside starting out i had minimal supplies and shared equipment I felt i made some of my best work... Now that i have the funds and equipment I find myself falling into endless rabbit holes... Though creatively fulfilling, I feel the amount of completion is much more limited...
It's especially true in an era of free/cheap plugins, endless libraries of samples and presets and new gear coming out daily. I recently decided to focus on the gear I used the most in the last two years and tried selling everything else. I still have a bunch of stuff I need to get rid of following a major clean-up session. It says a lot about the crap we hoard over the years which end up collecting dust or giving you too many options that usually gets discarded after hours considering them. Less is definitely more.
There is non-stop wisdom in this video. Many things I've known intuitively, but you do a great job of articulating and expanding on them. It is tempting to use every tool in the shed . . . but it always ends in tears.
these objects have a hold on you and you can quickly find yourself holding on to the past because u are looking at once was..instead of what can be
LOVE the thumbnail/ opening frame!👍
Thanks - that’s really useful! Best way I’ve found to stay focused is to write a score showing melody, chords and riffs - doesn’t take long and forces you to make decisions quickly based on purely musical grounds.
Can't say it was just slimlining things but minimalism certainly helped my creativity.
When it comes to music my second favorite comes from Sun Tzu: “There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard."
I learnt this more in 4 to 3 notes. Deciding to learn music for fun and maybe make some short melodies. I was shocked when I read the note sheets of some game tracks and saw that the same note was used twice or thrice, yet when played it sounds like completely different notes.
Instead of 3, it sounds like they're playing 5.
And when I made up some small pieces on a virtual keyboard, limiting myself to 3 notes. I was excited when I managed to do that illusion myself.
To turn not 5 but mere 3 notes into almost a whole guitar string's worth of notes by order and tempo.
That also confuse and infuriate me like the subject in your video about sampling. When I wonder "If I, an amateur nobody who just touched notes for fun could make original melodies and loops this easily on a whim. Then why is it that professionals, whose practiced and studies these things, resort to sampling and just straight out stealing entire pieces. Shouldn't these professionals be able to do what I just did like clockwork. Why do they need to steal centuries old pieces from Bach and Chopin. Why reuse the Hall Of The Mountain King a million damn times I KNOW WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE TO REMIND ME!"
Less is better for sure you get the point !!!! thanks for sharing your knowledge and thoughts
This is a great way to break the monotony and stagnation that can occur in the creative process. I recently did the exact same thing when I moved my studio space and upgraded my Mac.. I left a lot of old plug-ins behind on the old hard drive and reduced the amount of equipment I was pretending to use for my productions. It's amazing how much you can see when you clear out all the obstructions.
Thanks,
-The Moosh
Just wanted to say your videos are always huge source of inspiration and solid advice I apply in my music everyday. Great video!
Ayyyyyyyy thank you. Exactly what I want to hear!
Excellent video. After surviving a traumatic brain injury, I learned the value of reducing decisions to reduce brain fatigue. Essentialism is... essential. "Less is more" pops up multiple times every day.
"You know you've achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away."
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry * (1900 - 1944)
(*) He is best remembered for his novella The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince).
It sure does. Loves you to use your available resources at it’s maximum capacity. Also gets your creative juices flowing.
I think that limiting your resources can make you strive for more creative solutions, but I really want to shout out that you mentioned Braid because that game is phenomenal.
That's why I still use Reason 4 despite having Reason 12. I like the limitations.
That final level was utterly 🤯🤯 ingenious
I often struggle with this, and only recently was feeling stuck looking for new plugins, checking newsletters, etc., instead of just putting in the hours. Figured out some things on my own, but your video feels very helpful, too. Eliminating distractions and sticking to a few tools is key.
man this music journey is so much fun the more you learn the more you realize you knew nothing, i started with an at2020 a broken laptop, leaking headphones and very bad noisy room after 2 years i now got an NT1 a brand new desktop pc with minimal fan noise, m50x and a room with very good acoustic treatment and honestly the difference is night and day i feel like i can finally produce in peace and let my creativity do the hard work without focusing on so much on technical problems
i think its true choosing some limitations is important as it provides focus but we have no way of knowing how much wasnt created because of limitations imposed, rather than chosen.
For me, only having gear that I use often and for a specific purpose is necessary. Restricting choices forces me to learn my gear/software thoroughly and to use it creatively. For others, tinkering and getting inspired by new gear spurs creativity, but personally I feel this exercise often gets in the way. I like to learn and look at new gear and workflows but it’s important to consider the real creative implementation of things vs the conquest of more material.
Thanks!
Completely agree. I have recently been working on a feature film where I needed to develop a minimalist score. So my approach to the process was very minimalist in nature. I decided to only use a very limited set of plugins, less than 1/4 of what I would normally use . This forced me to really know the plugins well. Also, I made a conscious choice to choose plugins that I had NEVER used in scoring before. As a result, the compositions and ideas became the focus, not "finding the sounds". Martin Gore from Depeche Mode has one of my favourite quotes. "Constipated by choice." There are way too many options, both free and paid and if you start out trying to find sounds, you will never finish what you started out. Focus less on the options and more on the ideas. Free yourself to approach your compositional process outside of your comfort zone.
Brands of any type have to keep bringing out new products and keep selling stuff but much of it just repackage what you already have but dont know how to use. It is a big market to exploit.
Beautiful video as always & congrats on 200k subs.
Returning to music to do electronic production, I started with just Logic and built ins and finished my first EP. I actually bought some plugins at that point and refined sound design and do more mixing, but if I’d spent more time learning more about builtins and especially mastering Alchemy, I could’ve stayed there longer. Creativity was easy there - constraints plus years of built up ideas.
I also got stuck for a little while getting everything setup on setup - with my move to an M1 Max, least productive period since I’ve been back in music. The further I go the more I realize option paralysis/decision fatigue is the biggest barrier to my creativity. Like the habits book says: people don’t rise to their aspirations, they fail to the level of their systems. The further I go the more I see that creativity is 99% about refining and maintaining the process by which you make things.
In every aspect of life, minimalism is always the way to go
This is perhaps one of the most relevant videos I have ever seen in my 25 years of life.
Thanks, i really needed this now! 🙏 i started to drown in all the stuff i have, but this video opened my eyes.
There's a beautiful value in embracing your limits and working with what you have. We have an innate drive to acquire more because we think that will remove creative limitations... But in the end what we thought would free us ends up paralyzing us.
two equally important points:
1 - limitation absolutely does breed creativity, and i really wish more youtubers in the synth & gear world focused more on "do more with what you have" versus advertising whatever is hot & new. do musicians truly have GAS, or is it just a case of constant advertisement to a demographic that maybe has a little more disposable income? (you & benn jordan are doing a great job at providing a great counterpoint to that)
2 - i moved to italy 3 months ago & would kill for a case of flavored sparkling water from aldi
This video was extremely insightful. Thank you!
The set up he showed at about 1 minute in is basically my whole set up
Great video. I've been a minimalist for a year or 2 now and its cool to see a video on how it can play out in making music.
That makes a lot of sense, too many choices wears me out, or I can't make a decision in the end. My usual way of working is to research the heck out of something, gather all these ideas in, and then pare it down. The info gathering takes the most time, and it can make it pretty hard to figure out where I want to go with a project.
Blimey! That very basic setup at the beginning is almost exactly what I have. I also never really plan to produce anything. Start a synth, noodle about for a bit and if that works, just follow the noise. It doesn't always work, but it's a joy when it does. I'll generally know within about 30 mins whether to continue or shut down, but I think it's important to not get annoyed if it doesn't work. Sometimes it won't.
I've always had the suspicion that perhaps I'm too minimal gear wise, so this video resonates so very much with me. Thanks.
Been overthinking a lot of stuff recently and found this incredibly helpful and inspiring. Keep it simple. Thank you
Check out the story of Keith Jarrett's Koln Session. There's a great podcast about that: Cautionary Tales, and the episode The Unplayable Piano. It also broaches on Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies, which forces creators to use limitations and challenges, which helps explore outside of "the box".
There is another point that perhaps we are at our most creative when starting out in a new field, hence the musicians that have a great first album but struggle thereafter. It's a separate, but equally valid issue that when we are starting out we don't usually have much equipment. Thanks for the great content!
Wow, how very similar to my rule of life now for 25years.
The rule of the one, everyday one important task gets done at home.
No overload, but slowly one bite at a time the elephant gets eaten 👍.
Marie Kendo’s book on only keep only what brings you joy was a great help too.
These are all extremely good insights that extend well Beyond the surface of simply making music. Most people need to hear and ingest these types of wisdoms. Most won't.
Man, I came across your channel a few weeks ago and there hasn't been a single video that hasn't helped me in some way. From the free plugin recommendations (including your Decent Sampler packs, which are awesome) to all the insights into the mental/philosophical side of making music and being creative in general, it's a real treasure trove of useful information. Thank you!
Less, but better - I can wholeheartedly agree to this. Getting rid of distractions and minimizing decision making really helps to clean up everything in your life - not just in the creative realm :-)
Direct and to the point. You always find something relevant to really drive home and it's never really dumbed down so much as simply worded.
My favorite example for this case is many of Jack White's interviews. He's so prolific because he's focused on limitations. If he's stuck, he removes bits rather than adding them.
I think some people think of minimalism as a very specific hyperfocused state of mind, that is also achievable with more tools at your exposal, so long as you remain focused and know how to manage your distractions - turning off notifications etc.
I know for a fact that I can turn into a giant scatterbrain even when planning out a track on a piece of paper. It's so easy to get caught up in "No, notes first! No, sounds first! No, message and mood first!" and feeling helplessly deadlocked over the thoughts like that. Seriously, I'm spending way too much time thinking about how the instrument's behavior and timbre dictate what notes sound good, yet you need to have a certain harmonic/melodic/thematic idea in mind to start inventing stuff.
I found the answer to be minimalism in a sense of what you're doing, deliberately separating your process into very limited things you can do. Like "Only sound design, no notes" or "only working with a piano sim, a piece of paper and a music theory book/resource/chordie app today", or "only moving things around on your timeline, creating sections, not instruments. And when your track is more fleshed out, you can start being a bit more flexible.
Minimalism is so appealing, but it's also, I feel like, a massive burden - minimalistic aesthetic and stuff is very OCD/perfectionist. I'd be constantly thinking what plugins are "minimalistic", what's more "sustainable, fair and minimalistic, but effective" - to use a stock reaper plugin, a good but offbeat open source EQ, a weird untested but easily modifiable JS script, or a AHOY YE MATIES, ARR 'd industry standard full feature EQ? Honestly, having just written that list, I can see why some people limit themselves even more by going only open source, or only stock plugins.
But, again, if you want results, it's about your focus, your inner peace and mindfulness of what you're hoping to achieve right now.
Sorry for a bit of a rant, it's just that this topic and your thoughts on it hit rather close to home for me. Thanks for your video!
Thank you for this channel. This is the content I needed and I'm sure I'm not the only person in these comments who feels this way. It's like, producer specific therapy and your small doses of "laughter is the best medicine" truly make me feel better. Thank you
Love the Eisenhower planner. I use it regularly.
I think compartmentalization of processes help with music production for sure. You can only do one thing at a time and it takes energy and focus to make it good.
The simple laptop, interface, and controller setup has really helped me actually release more music. I like having options for input, but I need to be able to streamline everything so I get stuff done. Love this vid
minimalism is also a style, a way to create music, and not about how much equipment you have
Arguably the best video i have seen from you and a great one to start the week
Constraints, making rules, changing them to simpler ones, right on!
Good point. I have been painting with Watercolors all my life. The key to painting with this medium is minimalism. There is a saying in the circles of watercolorists "more is less and less is more" (Tony Couch). This idea has been taken to the extremes buy using just the primary colors (red, blue and yellow) one flat brush, one round brush, paper, one pencil and the rest of the minimal tools. But if realism is your intension you have to take the time to understand the mechanics of the medium and have the skills to draw and the understanding of Perspective, Shading etc.. This concept of course can be used for any creative endeavors. I also apply this when creating music. But the same thing applies, you have to understand music theory if you want to do a film score. The two movies you mentioned worked because of their naivety of the medium which led to interesting new discoveries in presentation that's all. As for seasoned creatives. If we have learned our craft there are so many avenues to choose from we start to get overwhelmed and blocked. Sometimes no matter what you try it just doesn't work. At that point we loose confidence and it all spirals out of control. Then what? Take a walk, get another cup of coffee, check our e-mail. Sometimes that works. In your case you have a scheduled job that has to be done. So you have to find the self discipline to finish and get paid no matter what the outcome. The deadline is waiting. But the excitement of exploring something new will never return to us. So those happenstance moments are lost in our knowledge of the medium. We may have one every so often but like any long term relationship we have to find other ways to make it work. This in turn starts the search for the new sound or new color and the never ending quest for the afore mentioned things. GAS, some people get caught up into this viscous never ending cycle. Let's face it life is limited. No worries though most people are happy with the same old routine same old music and so on. That's why it all works. Every once and a while though someone breaks the boundaries of this and the magic happens again. As you age, you see its all been done before. Round and round it goes just like a sinusoidal wave form. Life goes on.
this video is so important! We already know that minimalism is in most cases the best we can do but in this video it occures more cleary to me, why is it so. thank you!!
Some of my best ideas come when I limit myself to a completely different process. I didn't have a tracker background when I first tried sketching ideas in Sunvox, and learning how to problem-solve in a modular tracker environment definitely made me come up with some really creative solutions.
so, you transferred from DAW to Tracker workflow and found you are more creative?
I look forward to your videos. Helping me a lot!
thanks
Eddie
Very interesting video, and reorganising the studio this comming weekend will be interesting to see if things are getting better.
Let me know how it goes!
@@VenusTheory Almost 100 % and got 4 songs on a game in progres this weekend, so can't complain.It took way to long time to come here but hopefully a start worth continue!
Man, your thought process is so nice and you put the action into it.. This is helping me a lot for life, in general. Thank you for sharing, not everyone knows to where to find this kind of conversation or thought
I was cycling around 3 weeks ago and came across this audio book called Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and that blew my effin mind. I literally adapted that to my music and now I am down to the very and I mean very basic of what I need and it's the best feeling ever!!!! May not work for all, but it surely works for me!! Big fan of the page by the way!!!!!!!
@Venustheory798 looking forward to it!!
I enjoyed listening to the commentary on minimalism. Made me think of my own journey in the amateur recording hobby. I started out in the 80s with a dynamic kick drum mic, a very cheap Realistic mic, acoustic guitar and a stereo cassette deck. I had many ideas for songs and recorded their basic structure using this setup for a few years until I purchased a cheap 4 Track cassette machine. Then over the next few years added a drum machine, bass and electric guitar. Through the next 30 or so years, I added an 8 track cassette which was replaced by a DAW. Then more mics, synths, etc. I was following the industry as it told me I had to have more and more stuff to have better music. As I looks at the industry now, it’s all setup to sell the latest plugin, virtual instrument, guitar amp sims, and whatever. But I don’t hear a lot of creative stuff coming out of the industry. It all background noise, mixed together with indiscernible parts.
I like what you stated about getting down and making music (or anything) by choosing a minimalist approach. Great advice. Often I use the approach of over stuffing songs with ideas and then going back in and cutting out the stuff that doesn’t contribute to the song or makes it muddy. So I’ll end up with a more concentrated song that focuses on the basics.
With this being said, the music industry as a whole seems to use a minimalist approach when creating new songs. It so minimalistic that it seems most songs are a couple of chords going round in circles with no differentiation between verse, chorus, beginning or ending. You know exactly where the song will end after the first few measures. While minimalism in recording may be a good idea to get the tracks down, the use of minimalism in creating music has made it boring. Of course, I come from the background of listening to stuff that came out in the 60s, 70s and 80s where groups were trying to outdo each other with every album and produced Dark Side of the Moon, Point of No Return, Synchronicity, Boston, Fragile, SGT Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and hundreds of other incredible works. And while the studios they worked in had the best equipment to be found, they also had to work within the constraints of what the industry had to offer at the time. Which, for the most part, didn’t include DAWs, plug-ins and re amping.
So, as you’ve explained, the constraints were the guides but the creativity was able to push through.
You’ve stated a couple of ideas that buck the entire current music and electronic recording industry. That is that substance is much more satisfying that flashy new high tech gadgets. It’s like watching an older well acted, well written movie and understanding why it’s so much better than one built on pure adrenaline and action. They are both entertaining but one makes you think while they’ll the other leaves you wanting more like a drug addict.
I’ll listen to this again and write some of the ideas down.
New to the channel. The vids provide thoughtful discussion and insight. A lot of my favorite musicians have always encouraged this approach to making music. Just recently, while listening to a twitch stream, it was said that, with regards to retractions, it was ideal to create complexity from a limited number of choices. For me, I like having a lot of things to choose from, but then working with only a few things.
What a cracking idea for a video. Speaking as one who has (relatively) bugger all equipment I find that any library I add only serves to add indecision and angst over what to use and how to use it. It muddies the waters and fuels procrastination, so I've elected to stick with what I have and keep things as simple as possible in order to create more and better. Then again, I'm a complete noob and too old to learn much more than life's already filled me up with, so ignore anything I say 😁👍
This was awesome, you made made me realize I have so many of those "not so important but they leave a sense of achievement" things to wipe out of my neverending to-do list to just focus on my real goals.
I've been following this channel since I found a 5 year old Sylenth1+Saturn 2 neuro bass tutorial about 3 years ago and man it's fuckin awesome to see how much it's grown. Always dropping top-tier videos, Keep being awesome man!
This is an awesome video. I will add something for the listening audience, that objects and media all take your light/energy. Everything you see or look at takes a small or certain amount of your energy, thus, the more objects, colour and media (media typically being the main culprit and this includes posters and art) you are in close proximity to (i.e. your workstation), the less energy there is going to be available for projects, interactions, chores and the such. I hope my comment helps, albeit a little
esoteric, I know.
Reminds me what a music teacher once said about John Cage. Which was that people wrongly tended to assume that his daily life was somehow wild. When actually, he was extremely consistent and had highly defined routines. This ties with what recent research on decision fatique. This is also an idea you come across in recent research on addiction. Which is that as people get caught up with addictive substances (including nicotine and alcohol), their decision making reserves get increasingly used up in trying to maintain control. Leaving them less and less for enjoyable, creative, social activities.
i think this is why switching to mostly DAWless for my work flow has improved my output significantly. Having limits on how many channels, drum sounds or synth sounds I can generate causes me to hyper focus on fine tuning each instrument rather than giving into the impulse to just keep scrolling through hundreds of samples or VST's and not actually making anything. I say this after writing exclusively on Ableton, Reason, Acid Pro, Sound Forge and Rebirth and Fruity Loops 3.0 (in my teens) for over 20 years.
Amazing and detailed video of what the modern producer and creative human can find in its career as obstacles and dilemmas.
I deeply, deeply love this philosophical and psychological format you went for, hope the other options on Quitting Music and Nostalgia from the poll are still valid for future videos!
I immediately thought of the idea of “songs made with natural limited resources in the old times, which have become legends and whose content consists of three or four main music ideas”.
Imagine a world where everything was presented with such clarity, detail and absence of bias. Well done sir!
Your transition to becoming the musical Vsauce is almost complete. ❤
Love your b-reel jokes!! The detail in the script and videography is amazing!! The subject of the video is a very helpful reminder
“ creativity only comes from limitations for if you have everything, this is no need to create”