I'm getting more and more eager to start fiddling with controllers and synths, but I'm faced with the problem of just how many boxes-with-buttons-on-them I need to purchase, before I'm able to properly record some music. If I purchase a mediocre to decent synth that has an arpeggiator and other basic tools, and maybe chock up a little more cash for a cheap drum machine, do you know of an online/virtual software that will allow me to loop these individual sounds without a loop pedal? Or, what are your suggestions for doing what I'm trying to do?
I understand not having an actual loop pedal will keep me from being able to layer up all the sounds live but I should still be able to record them individually, and layer them with something like GarageBand the way electronic producers/DJs do.
In other words, how do I become Pink Floyd with, say, $150? Or, J. Dilla?
Or this guy?
My band is getting annoying because we can't do anything but play blues rock, and that's only fun if the rest of your band has the patience to learn the blues scale, which they don't. I'm feeling very motivated to try to do something on my own, so I'd appreciate your help on this!
Tagging kleinbl00 and thenewgreen cause I know they make sounds happen
You don't mention preferred environment. There's nothing he's doing that couldn't be done in GarageBand. He's got a mild 'verb that he's singing through and a couple slapback-delays, combined with some bullshit little hipster synth. GarageBand is a great learning program. When you've hit the limits of GB you'll know. But that assumes you're on Mac. There's no PC equivalent of GarageBand. People always shout about Audacity, which is a piece of shit, and Reaper, which is a neat little program but not nearly as user-friendly as GarageBand. But hey. Reaper is cross-platform. Loop production centers around the Akai MPC school of thought. Here's an MPC-60. It's older than you. Here's an MPC-60 in the wild. You might recognize it. The current champion of MPC composition is Native Instruments' Maschine line. It is expensive, except when it's not. got an iPhone or iPad? $5. I bought iMaschine for Dante 'cuz he needed something. In 12 hours he'd not only composed the track, he'd painted the fucking painting. If you want to do that crazy loopy Pink Floyd loopy shit, that comes from an Oberheim Echoplex and its ilk. We would also accept an Akai Headrush or a Boomerang E1, 2 or 3 but it's all about the Oberheim (now sold by Gibson). Throw up three music examples. I'll tell you how I'd make them after I finish running errands.
To add to kb, I own a Maschine Mikro and can confirm the controller and environment are very nice. I'll talk more in detail if requested but I'm short for time so I'll just say this. Trying to record instruments into Maschine using a mic and loop it in real time can be a bit problematic. With midi controller it's fine though. It generally wont loop it straight away and instead wait another full cycle before triggering it. However, I haven't updated my Maschine software for a while and I know it's had some significant updates recently. Perhaps it is fixed now. But yeah, generally it's a very easy to use and fun set-up. I don't use it nearly enough. Here's a really quick Hubski live improvised jam I did using it. As a piece of music I know it's not that great and a bit eggy, but hopefully it gives you an idea of its potential.
Amazing! What you demonstrated in that video is exactly what I want, in terms of capability. I might make a plan to save up for that mikro for now then.
I'm glad you got what you needed from it. I should add that a lot of the stuff I was doing through the laptop trackpad and keyboard can actually be performed from the controller itself. Especially so if you get the full size Maschine controller. The software is made to work seamlessly with the controller. This obviously allows for a lot quicker workflow than I displayed once you've got it down.
Hope you don't mind if I hijack Pabs's thread a little bit here. I have similar interests, and am similarly clueless about where to start. Say I pick up a Maschine Mikro or an MPD26 (preference? I feel like you're gonna say Maschine, but the Akai is $150 cheaper and I don't have an iAnything); how do become this guy?
Hijack away. Shigeto uses an MPD26 and Ableton Live. https://www.ableton.com/en/live/new-in-9/ Looks like $500 for Ableton and $200 for a controller. Maschine Mikro: $350 (or less, from Audiodeluxe, but they seem out of stock), includes Maschine, the software that makes things happen. Me? I'd buy a used Maschine Mikro on eBay, mess with it, download a trial of Ableton, mess with it, and decide which software is more intuitive for you. If you want to spend another $500 on Ableton, you totally can. 'cuz Maschine will totally work with Ableton.
So in the case of one of those Maschines, I would have to hook up a synth to be able to make melodies and mess with them, right? Otherwise, I would have to get pre-recorded sounds online, and The Maschine would allow me to loop it all together and make the beats as well, because I can 'upload' any sound I want to each of the pads and record phrases using them? Just want to make sure I understand. It seems my only inhibitor is a lack of fat $tacks.
No. It's got a bazillion sounds in it (or in the case of iMaschine, a handful with more available for a few dollars each). It will, of course, take the 2.21 gajillion samples that have been ported to Maschine format, as well as MP3, .aif, etc. If you have an iPhone, download iMaschine. Fuck with it. You will then be 95% of the way to understanding how these things work.So in the case of one of those Maschines, I would have to hook up a synth to be able to make melodies and mess with them, right?
Is there any particular reason you want to do this in hardware? Is it important for you to do this live? I produce my music almost exclusively with software, and you'd be hard pressed to find an argument that would convince me to go in any other direction. All the hardware you need is a computer, a MIDI (USB) keyboard, and maybe an audio interface if you want to use microphones. The argument for software is that there is an astounding array of synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, and FX out there, and you can get them all in one box. They are also cheap, and require no physical maintenance. It also gives you (along with a DAW) ultimate control over alll parameters, with envelopes and sequencing, etc. The argument against, is that you have to use your keyboard and mouse (mainly the mouse) to interact with them. For me, it's a no brainer. If you absolutely need a knob or something to interact with during a live show, you can buy a MIDI controller that has some, and configure them yourself. The argument for hardware is that you get a single purpose unit, which has been tailor made for the task it's supposed to perform, ideally giving you a better user interface, since it offers custom buttons, etc. I find this to be inspiring to work with, and it also feels more immediate, as if I'm more in touch with the instrument. However, the difficulty in controlling the parameters from the DAW, MIDI delay, as well as only being able to get one sound at a time from each unit always keeps me from actually using hardware much at all. It's for people who don't mind investing a lot of money. For making a full electronic music production, the user interface you get from a modern DAW like Ableton Live is probably going to blow any hardware sequencer out of the water, too. I don't know exactly what you want to accomplish, so it's hard to give any very specific advice, but no matter which route you end up going, you probably want to get a DAW. Personally I'm very happy with Ableton Live. I think it's perfect for electronic music, but it may be slightly hard to use if you're completely inexperienced with studios or DAWs, although I think it's nothing that you shouldn't be able to get through with some tutorials. Some other candidates are:
Fruity Loops
Sonar
Cubase
Reaper NOTE: If you don't have, and don't want to buy, and audio interface, get asio4all! It's an audio driver which allows for minimal output delay from DAWs. This is if you use a PC, apparently it's not necessary for Mac. For synthesizers, etc, look up VSTs if you don't know what that is. Basically software audio plug ins. There are a bunch of pretty nice free ones out there if you care to keep it legit:
Minimogue
Synth1
mellowsound (mellotron VST)
tb tapeworm (mellotron)
Basic 64 (chiptune VST)
Magical 8-bit plug (chiptune VST, very easy to use) If you're just starting out, and want to see what's out there, you could just pirate a bunch of stuff and see what you like. I'm happy to give you some more pointers if you want to know something more specific.
I've shared his stuff on Hubski and everywhere forever, it never gets traction. This man is a genius.