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How many of you compose on a work station?


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I, for one, can't imagine composing on a workstation. I've never tried, but I once tried to sequence a song on an 808ex and nearly went mad! I prefer to have everything laid out on my computer screen; I like being able to see everything that's going on at once.

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That's nice ...

 

I do, actually ... or rather, am trying to increasingly ... although I'm aiming to go "all the way" with my workstations ... at some point I imagine the bigger projects would get pulled into Cubase ...

 

newsetupde5.jpg

 

Here's a ditty I made last night quickly and completely using my synths with no computer except to get it on the net ...

 

granted it's raw -- and pretty simple -- and would actually prefer to edit/etc. in Cubase ... but sometimes a workstation is enough ... (This music will probably be used as background music in my podcast ... )

 

It would probably be a different animal if I did it in Cubase ...

 

As it is ... the piece was composed mostly in real-time with just a few tracks of overdubbing ...

 

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=405125

 

It's called "Ditty" and it's the first song ...

 

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I'm back to composing on a workstation. That's how I started back in the 1980s when a PC cost more than a synthesizer did.

 

I did use an Atari ST with Master Tracks Pro for some years as it had better editing and tape synch (remember tape? ;) ) facilities than my SQ-80 offered but as the Atari got old and unreliable I decided to go back to a computer-less setup and bought a Motif ES.

 

While you can certainly see everything on a computer screen sometimes seeing less is more.

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i don't have a workstation as such, but i do most of my writing infront of my E-MU XL-7 command station.. while i don't care too much for the xl sounds, the Proteous and Vintage Synth sounds are quite allright.. i use it mostly for quickly getting ideas down. when i want to actually record the whole song, i'll just record the audio into the computer.. but all the ideas and stuff i've already recorded in the XL-7...

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Originally posted by Meatball Fulton

While you can certainly see everything on a computer screen sometimes seeing less is more.

 

+1 :thu:

 

Although anyone who doesn't have me on ignore knows I love visuals ... sometimes I think it's better to move away from a graphical approach to music (sequencing, visible wav files, silly softsynth skins) and keep it more in the ethereal realm of sound/time -- like on a workstation.

 

Not that I'm dissing a graphical approach to music-making -- because that's an entirely valid approach or even as a sub-approach.

 

Each method has its use and application.

 

Even though composing on a workstation involves some compromises compared to a computer-based setup (that's how I started), it forces you to use a different approach that for me I like.

 

It will be interesting to see if workstations continue to advance or really begin to languish into oblivion ...

 

 

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Originally posted by Meatball Fulton


While you can certainly see everything on a computer screen sometimes seeing less is more.

 

 

Hm, I guess I never thought about it that way! I've always just liked seeing "the big picture" while composing...so I can concentrate on arch and form. Now, generally speaking, this is one of my weaker points as a composer, so perhaps I need to see "the big picture" more than other people. I wonder how much using a workstation would change my output; that's something I should try to find out!

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Originally posted by IcedNote

I, for one, can't imagine composing on a workstation. I've never tried, but I once tried to sequence a song on an 808ex and nearly went mad! I prefer to have everything laid out on my computer screen; I like being able to see everything that's going on at once.

 

 

 

For piano score and arrangement I'd agree. However, I can't stand staring at a computer screen anymore. Plus there are too many distractions on computers.

 

I don't take my computer home with me.

 

instaed, I am left to figuring out how to get the best out of the intruments I have. From time to time I'll work on the laptop though, as it has great sounds and I can make larger works.

 

Right now, I'll compose stuff almost entirely on my Monomachine... the K2000 can handle more complex melodic passages.

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Originally posted by zarquin

i don't have a workstation as such, but i do most of my writing infront of my E-MU XL-7 command station.. while i don't care too much for the xl sounds, the Proteous and Vintage Synth sounds are quite allright.. i use it mostly for quickly getting ideas down. when i want to actually record the whole song, i'll just record the audio into the computer.. but all the ideas and stuff i've already recorded in the XL-7...

 

 

+1, XL-7 + Pop & Planet Earth ROMs.

 

Chuck

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