Anyone here not use midi for playback when composing?

[HobbyCore]

I'm a bit of a hermit and I've started reading more on how other 'electronic' composers work. I'm quite surprised to see that it seems like no one works how I do

More or less, I've never used midi except to hook stuff together. I play all my parts by hand and record it straight into PT (including drums). If it sucks, I just delete and start over until I get it right. That means I spend a lot of time fine-tuning tempo-synced effects to the MS and automating them for tempo variance etc...

I started out with an alpha juno and a 4-track, so I've never really known any different

I'm starting to feel like I'm at a huge disadvantage in my workflow. I'm curious if there's anyone else that works similar? Is it worth changing? How do you work? I've lots of questions now...

[MartianWaves]

I work in the similar way you described - just one monotimbral synth, and a single track recorder.

My music may sound simpler and inferior to the multitracked DAW mega productions but I've never had any satisfaction from listening to or making pre-programmed music.

I don't feel I'm at disadvantage, it's quite opposite in fact.

[esaias]

Our workflow is like this (and I find it working out very nicely)

Record almost everything whihc is possible as MIDI, but do not quantize, edits only for correcting bigger mistakes (and velocities so that accents work out properly). Play again if it sounds bad just like it was raw audio.

If there is lines in the song that require more "feeling" then record it in one go (the again midi editing only for bigger mistakes)

Then do the arranging with MIDI, maybe some velocity editing is required and making transitions/make some notes last longer to overlap parts etc.

Then record audio as whole song lenght, don't use loops.

and voila! Suddenly you have something in your hands that sounds gazillion times more organic than your previous apple-loop -compositions :P

-Tomi

[Susceptor]

I personally think it's definitely worth to start yousing MIDI. Not only that it's easier to compose, correct any mistakes, but the automation tweaking and the fact that it's much easier to keep track of everything.

[wax808]

Originally Posted by HobbyCore

I'm a bit of a hermit and I've started reading more on how other 'electronic' composers work. I'm quite surprised to see that it seems like no one works how I do

More or less, I've never used midi except to hook stuff together. I play all my parts by hand and record it straight into PT (including drums). If it sucks, I just delete and start over until I get it right. That means I spend a lot of time fine-tuning tempo-synced effects to the MS and automating them for tempo variance etc...

I started out with an alpha juno and a 4-track, so I've never really known any different

I'm starting to feel like I'm at a huge disadvantage in my workflow. I'm curious if there's anyone else that works similar? Is it worth changing? How do you work? I've lots of questions now...

I use an MPC as the sequencer for just about everything I do. I'm used to working with loops in Electronic music.

I also play guitar and sing. When I record that stuff it's just like you describe your workflow obviously. I've tried to do electronic music the same way, and it's a ton of fun and usually turns out very well. The spontaneous and fluid nature of what comes out is some of my favorite stuff.


IMHO, if you can do this, you are at a HUGE advantage over many of the people out there. Especially beatmakers.

There is no reason you cant do a little bit of both. Sequence the Kick and snare for example, but play the hi-hat and synths live for example.

[alexp]

Drums and basslines are sequenced. Pads and other things I play in live, through the entire track (not just looped). Its a great way to work, and it gives the music an organic vibe, as opposed to a strict time everything is exact sound.


alexP

[sleepwalker]

That's more or less me. Depending on the bassline, I may play that live too, but usually after having programmed it first.

I actually program most everything, then start replacing stuff. The downside is that I'm totally married to the DAW's tempo much of the time.

I'll occasionally bust out the 8track 1/2 if I want to do everything by hand.

Originally Posted by alexp

Drums and basslines are sequenced. Pads and other things I play in live, through the entire track (not just looped). Its a great way to work, and it gives the music an organic vibe, as opposed to a strict time everything is exact sound.


alexP

[Stiff]

I almost always record hardware synths to straight audio files. I even do that with VI's as well nowadays. It's better for me. It forces me to make decisions, move on, as well as spend time and effort to find the sound I'm looking for from the 1st second.

[butterfly]

Anyone here not use midi for playback when composing?

..................mainly out of necessity. Now it may be that all the midi interfaces I've used just stink but I've never found midi to be that reliable, with hardware anyhow. It may be my imagination but I don't think it plays back exactly the same each time, there seem to be very subtle little timing discrepancies. Have generally in the past done drums with a soft sampler but if I could avoid that I would also, lately been dropping my audio drum samplers straight on to the arrange page and sequencing there.....gives me peace of mind at least. I think it's very important that the rythmic foundation is consistently rock solid, so that when you are laying down the freely played or sung stuff, the subtle rythmic pushes and pulls which give a track vibe are not compromised with any latency issues from midi.

[Tibbon]

I only really heavily use MIDI either when live, or trying to sync up multiple rhythm based machines (Linndrum, Machinedrum and x0xb0x).

Otherwise, if I'm just tracking my Voyager or whatever... then it's audio only. I don't have a compelling reason generally to use midi to track it.

IF I had a larger console or more inputs I have a feeling I'd use midi more.

[carbon111]

I only use MIDI to control modules or sync arps and drum machines with my DAW.

I rarely ever record a MIDI track, usually it's all audio from beginning to end.

[HobbyCore]

I really oughta learn to sync things.

[crufty]

my workflow
opt a) open piano roll, paint notes. sometime obvious sometimes not. 90%
opt b) when feeling moved, record midi live. Usually don't quantize.
opt c) sometimes playback as part of 2 track mixdown. depends how much I feel it.

painting notes in piano roll is so easy. @ 1/32, 1/64 resolution you can paint in where'd you be late or early when playing back live.

[HobbyCore]

Originally Posted by crufty

my workflow
opt a) open piano roll, paint notes. sometime obvious sometimes not. 90%
opt b) when feeling moved, record midi live. Usually don't quantize.
opt c) sometimes playback as part of 2 track mixdown. depends how much I feel it.

painting notes in piano roll is so easy. @ 1/32, 1/64 resolution you can paint in where'd you be late or early when playing back live.

But isn't that playing late/early the whole thing that makes music groove?

I couldn't imagine playing with a drummer who always played spot on the beat.

[chrisso]

Like others, a mixture of both for me.
I think some human performance is a real bonus for any piece.
Most often I use midi so I can hear a part over and over again, without having to play it.
I then adjust some notes, and most often parts of the sound, which is just as creative as playing things for real.

I've learned that combining something thats ultra-quantized with something that is being played live always grooves like hell.

[crufty]

Originally Posted by thx1138

I've learned that combining something thats ultra-quantized with something that is being played live always grooves like hell.

thumbsup

Also, humanize a bar, double time or half time it. Lazy but quick!

i definitely envy people who can play 1/16th notes @ 120bpm+. Even @ 90 I struggle. Practice practice practice!

[Popbott]

One of my best buddies works completely in an audio environment using MIDI only for his drums. Quanatizes audio to a grid in Protools using Beat Detective, which comes with Protools. This makes for being able to do some nice stuttering effects (A'la artist like BT) and not to mention being able to use a non multi-timbral synth for several different times in the same track.

I like this method or writing very much but have strayed away from working this way as I love to go back and edit/replace sounds. I like to "sculpt" my mixes before commiting audio and most of my best changes occur at the end of a mix. Working in a MIDI environment with multi-timbral synths that have multiple outs to different channels on my mixer allow me to do this.

Another reason I choose not to work this way is that it is very time consuming. Sure, it can be more detailed to work with audio tracks than MIDI, but I usually work on detials at the end of my mix anyhow, after tracking to audio.

I guess it's best to work in whatever ever environment you are most comfortable in. However, this thread is really making me think twice. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods, IMO.