What do u think is the best hardware/software to keep up the creativity?

[SAVO]

Most young pros may say its by far Ableton 8 and that the world hasnt still realized that it can do everything u would ever want it to do and more.

Maybe it can do everything but...the same people that rave on about it have constant CPU usage paranoia and spend more time being amazed by all the plug-ins then actually just using them and being creative and above all, being prolific.

Sounds like the "best" tool ever is actually just the most power hungry. It gets in the way of creating which is how I end up justifying that the "middle-of-the-road" software programmes are better on the long run...

Even when one day I may have that dream studio with everything state-of-the-art, I will always have reason4 bleeping in the background. It may not be the best thing since sliced bread but i dont get worried over CPU usage, I ALWAYS learn as I'm creating, and therefore don't used to just relying on someone else's presets, so my creativity is always fueled. Its best sometimes when there's nothing already done for you so u learn to do it yourself and really push what you can achieve...

[Orb Gettarr]

Well, I can't speak to Ableton, but I personally think Reason 4 IS the best thing since sliced bread, and I also like FL Studio 8, which allows me to port my Korg Digital Edition plugins to wave files. I've only had Reason complain a couple of times about my machine not being 'fast enough' for the song, but I easily found ways around that- exporting songs to wave files is one way to do it, and then just post-process in Audition 3, or a similar software multitrack program.

Personally, I like to try different softwares in order to see which 'works' the best for my creative process, and the ones I've listed I use regularly after having tried many different ones- but who knows about tomorrow? I might find something that works better with my creative process- the technology is always improving, and as your hardware improves, the process is an ongoing one, so I like to keep an open mind to trying new things. I may try Ableton and find out I hate it, just like I hated Steinberg's Cubase. But some people swear by Cubase, so I guess it's a matter of what software works best with your hardware. As a general rule in computing, 'bigger plus faster' usually equals 'better'...

[wordless poem]

i use principally audacity,the open source music creation software,in combination with fruity loops 8...only i`ve never managed to do audio recording with fruity loops.
other wise for ambient guitar work,nothing beats using the effects and loop machine of native instruments guitar rig 3.
ableton live always gave me problems importing audio files,,there always cubase.....

[wordless poem]

i`m forming that which is becoming a social network for online musical creation,and is becoming a software extension for group musical,online projects,hear primavera by lena selyanina and wordless poem...

join and help form the new vital internet tool for musical creation,between those separated in space but not in spirit

www.newageopenmusic.ning.com

[SAVO]

yes actualy u are right. it is the best thing since sliced bread :)

Orb Gettarr said:

Well, I can't speak to Ableton, but I personally think Reason 4 IS the best thing since sliced bread, and I also like FL Studio 8, which allows me to port my Korg Digital Edition plugins to wave files. I've only had Reason complain a couple of times about my machine not being 'fast enough' for the song, but I easily found ways around that- exporting songs to wave files is one way to do it, and then just post-process in Audition 3, or a similar software multitrack program.

Personally, I like to try different softwares in order to see which 'works' the best for my creative process, and the ones I've listed I use regularly after having tried many different ones- but who knows about tomorrow? I might find something that works better with my creative process- the technology is always improving, and as your hardware improves, the process is an ongoing one, so I like to keep an open mind to trying new things. I may try Ableton and find out I hate it, just like I hated Steinberg's Cubase. But some people swear by Cubase, so I guess it's a matter of what software works best with your hardware. As a general rule in computing, 'bigger plus faster' usually equals 'better'...

[Vladimir Kozlov]

I'm trying to avoid PC or MAC when recording sound, using external recorder, synths, sequencers and hardware pedals\effect. Software (in my opinion) kills creativity.

[John Koch-Northrup]

Tools are tools... whether we're talking about a tape recorder, or Ableton, or synth, or a guitar, or few guitar pedals connected together, or an 808, or a cello...

It's all strictly about what mattters to *you*.
What *you* connect with.
What fires up your feelings, what feels right in your hands, what gets things going in your head.

There's no best thing to get the creativity going that's universal across a bunch of people...

For me... nothing beats the piano in my living room. Or my bass in my hands... or the knobs on my synths.

But that's me... and not you. You might really find Reason to be the bees knees. And someone else loves their guitar.

I have found that having too many things is overwhelming... I like to limit things and stick with what I know and gradually add something new once in a while. Others like to constantly immerse themselves in those new things - that inspires their creativity... and that's cool.

Anyway... back to work!

[Steve Brand]

For me, the music You make is all that matters. How you get there is, as JKN says, purely up to you, what suits your working method, whatever helps you create what you hear in your head and mind's eye. I'm not interested in buying the biggest, best and latest just for the sake of having the biggest best and latest. Neither am I nostalgic about some analogue past.

Personally, I like to keep things simple, and use what helps me intuitively and quickly achieve what I want to hear. I'm also a designer, and those experiences have informed my choices with music in many ways: whatever I use has to be compact, simple, intuitive, fast and transparent. The faster and more accurately I can "capture the moment," the more satisfied I am.

I started with a Fostex cassette 4-track (when they were VERY hard to find), moved to a Yamaha digital studio, and am now on a souped-up iMac. (About 8-9 years ago, I was fortunate enough to work with digital, non-linear, computer-based video editing tools, and that was real eye-opener.) Things are possible now that were never possible before, thanks to more affordable, easily available, professional quality tools. The landscape changes everyday, which is very exciting, and likely, I'll move on to whatever suits my working method at the time the best.

[Disturbed Earth]

To answer you directly Salv, I have to agree with "most young pros"...i rarely use the beast...it's handy to have around tho.
To keep up the creativity tho, depends on so many things. When u factor in work/ family/girlfriends/boyfriends/telephone calls/internet/cooking/driving/reading/going out and staying in...in other words the day to day running of our lives...to me that IS creativity...and what u choose to do with it musically, is all about how u manage your time.

I have yet to find anything...soft/hard/acoustic/pedals/whatever...that works, other than persevence with what you've got...and tha luv of what u do, does the rest/kicks in.

It's the purpose of when, and some knowledge of how...then u get to celebrate the occassion of what you've done....and it is released/from you.

[peter james]

cool topic salv. in reply to steve brand - I started recording with a Teac A-108 2 track cassette recorder, linked via a DIN plug to a portable mono tape recorder. i guess that's me showing my age haha! but they were pretty esoteric in their day, and pre-dated the porta studio by quite some way. i started my studio "career" using steinberg pro 24, then onto cubase, which i still use now. but it makes no difference to my creativity. it's just a means of getting from a to b. the best software is for me the most simple, no matter the horsepower. if you can switch everything on and itr works, whejn you NEED it to work, i'e when the moment grabs you, the spark lights the fire etc, that's the best tool. i use bias peak as well, which for me IS the best thing since sliced bread as it is profoundly simple, and does exactly what it says it's going to do. let me edit audio. for me the Mac is just a stand-alone recorder that i can put my ideas down onto, and record my samples and sounds into. nothing more. the hard/software is purely the facilitator that allows me, as steve says, to be able to make my ideas a reality. simple is, as simple does :-)

[Igneous Flame]

The creativity is in your head, the tools a means to an end.

From What I've seem on music forums 'most young pros' don't know what they are talking about.
There's no magic solution, you have to do it for years to get to be any good.

I used to play the guitar for 6 hours a day for years when I started playing, it took me years to
become even proficient.

I recorded loads of stuff on a 4 Track, then an ADAT. The vast majority of which was awful, it was a
learning experience. My mixes were always poor, I didn't realise that at the time.

I work exclusively on the computer now. Software has enabled me to process sounds in a way that
couldn't be done with FX units and the like.

I'm currently working on a project with a lot of guitar parts going on. I'm using FL Studio and I've
figured out a way to do what I want to do. It's taken months, but it's now fantastically flexible.
Like all the big name DAWs, FL is ferociously complex - when you really start looking at things. I
think there's certainly something to be said for sticking with something and really learning it.
Then actually using it.

[peter james]

absolutely pete. you said what i was going to say - but didn't. not everyone who can paint is an artist. i recently did a full reconstruction job on a song for a guy with a top spec mac pro, top of the range software, and all that stuff. it took me 2 days to get all the tracks fixed to a point where they were able to be mixed down into something coherent. it doesn't matter What you use, without the idea, the creative energy and the drive to learn and understand the process, it counts for nowt. if i'd been alive back in time, i'd have tried to figure out a way to multitrack on a wire recorder. i've just thought that maybe my input isn't that valid on this topic, as i don't use software to make my sounds or to create my pieces internally on the computer. for me, if it can record and play back midi efficiently (like cubase does), that's all i need.

[zerofish9]

Jumpin in the frying pan here...
I haven't recorded anything since the late 90's, but I'm about to start up again, so I need to spend more time learning some goodies from you guys in these forums. I picked up a cheap piece of software three years ago called Magix..(sure everyone's laughing ;0 ..I wanted it just to get my feet wet and start figuring out the digital scene, I instantly fell in love with the process!
Personally, I'm all for anything that lets me spend less time on the foundation(work) and keeps me fluidly and imaginatively "playing"! I want to be able to exact the snapshot of what originally stirred me as quickly as possible, otherwise I lose steam and want to move on to the next piece. The adventure of getting there is definitely part of the process,- in all things, but I find in art/music it's a lot about enjoying the final product so you can melt way back into your original dream. It's really about re-producing that creative vision you first had and being in The Zone for as long as you can..the ultimate high!

Like Steve, I work in other art forms and find that they all tend to reinforce each other--I'd highly recommend to anyone to dabble in other stuff, or find other instruments to try out, because it just fuels the creative fire and you become more universally aware of who you are!
Ahh, yah, the good old Teac, those were the days~ha. But I don't want to go back, or to using an 8track Tascam.
I've checked out some of the software tutorial vids like reason etc..look pretty intuitive, but I also got to the point where I could pick out who was using what in their music, not sure if that's just un-originality on the artists' part, or if they're stuck to what those programs offer. Really original artists do more field recording, sampling and mic-ing to acoustic instr's. blended with digital to sound 'unique'...name of the game!
I currently use a Korg Karma, it works really well with my brain patterns and lets me do a lot of things on the fly, so it keeps me creative! I have Cubase LE, but haven't played with it enough yet to know If I'd like to get the full version or use pro tools etc., even though I'll prob. be able to get away with the light versions out the gate. I need to get a new sound card/converter--I had E-MU 0404,-pkg'd. w/cubase & oh, Ableton..(yah, not fond of that one). I'll probably get the set top box this time and use pro tools.
One thing I'll definitely be getting is Omnishpere! Along with some new hand drums, mic, and digital field recorder(may use tascam in this case ;) I should be good to gO!->