Recording is no fun. I need a change. what to do?

[RyanC]

Eh...

It's kinda the gig, people who don't have a lot of experience playing with bands think it's a million times better. But not really, especially if you strive for excellence. Long rehearsals, differences of opinion, being tired and frustrated with your bandmates. Recording with a band is the same. Lots and lots of takes, even if you track the whole band, then you just have to run a lot more takes to get things right.

Even if you see the rare band recording that was made in a couple of days it doesn't take into account all the hours they spent rehearsing.

Or playing solo, hour after hour logged in front of an instrument trying to hone the fine details of your playing.

Doing anything with music at a high level is more rewarding then it is fun.

[Polarelch]

Originally Posted by A Normal Zombie

Light the lava lamp

<- definitely my next purchase, after my dad dropped and broke my old one, when I moved 2 years ago! tutt

Also your suggestion about listening to old songs of mine is really good. Will do that.

I'm actually playing in a project, doing the bass with the Mopho, but we just had one gig so far. Hope we can do some more, and I might take over the polyphonic parts of their former keyboarder.
Apart of this, I do want to found my own band soon.

[steelyfan]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Yoozer

Great idea! Let's exchange a big screen for... uh... a tiny screen.

How about not looking at a screen at all? What's the size of a screen got to do with my ears?



cheers,

steely

[foodeater]

I bet you'd dig Audio Hijack! Hit cmd +option + . to start recording, hit it again stop. Go to it's recording bin and drag the files into your DAW.

[rachel]

what I am doing is running Audacity alongside Logic and just letting it record everything from the audio inputs freewheeling so I do not feel any pressure or worry about Logic syncing etc, then just jam over the top just like a tape deck. Low tech, no pressure and then I can revise later....

rachel

[enossified]

Originally Posted by Polarelch

What about Zoom R16? It looks interesting.

No MIDI synch if that is important. Otherwise, it's nice for recording, not so much for mixdowns...they clearly expect you to use a computer for that.

I've heard some live performances a friend recorded with his R16 and mixed in Gargeband, they sounded very good.

[Franz Schiller]

Originally Posted by Polarelch

What about Zoom R16? It looks interesting.

The R16 DOES indeed work to catch your inspiration.

Of course, it has NO midi, so you're just dealing with audio. It also has pretty crappy built in effects.

However, THEN once you catch it, you either have to mix it onboard, or drag it onto your computer to mix it. So you still probably have to use a DAW at some point.

[kraku]

How about if you buy an iPad + this software to record all your synths and mix them as needed:



For more information on a simple to use 8 track reel to reel iPad application (plus much more) go here.

[qtuner]

Perform your music live for an audience.

[Diametro]

Originally Posted by Polarelch

All this sitting, staring at the screen, mouse-clicking and focussing doesn't do it for me.
Sometimes yes, but mostly it's demanding to do the first steps to get into the flow again, after a break.
I miss the fun part in recording.
I love to play my synths, but what can I do to also love recording?
I'm using Logic, which is already a bit more fun than cubase, but still I get tired after a few minutes. I didn't get on with ableton, my music isn't loop based but very linear.
I don't think changing the DAW would be wise anyway.
And maybe it's just the wrong time of the year.

Anyway, I'd like to ask you what added *fun* into your workflow and studio.
And to make it clear, I'm not a pro, but my aim is to record my songs, and I have loads of song ideas. I just didn't find the right way yet to get them down...

I've come to the growing realization I ABSOLUTELY HATE working with Logic ...

Got this ...




But haven't installed yet ... Between recording projects and a studio move ... Really looking forward to the change, though ...

I know it's crazy, but Logic has the most boring and drab interface I've ever had the mispleasure of working with ... Even Cubase had a better presentation ... Everything is too small, gray and samey with Logic ...

I know they all have certain features, but isn't UI pretty important in a DAW? I think so ...

I've thought about going back to some kind of digital recorder, but for me, you just can't beat the level of fine tuning necessary to make a track "finished."

The next best thing would seem to be an audio interface/mixer ... but those still seem to be a bit rare and the prices rarefied ...

[hubiedubie]

What about an Elektron Octatrack? Completely hands on, intuitive and importantly lots of fun. You have lots of synths that can be sequenced and sampled with it. Just hit the record button on your DAW, jam and then you can arrange the results later.

[Dubtek71]

Buy a Cirklon! Received mine yesterday. It's AWESOME!!! Most fun I have had with gear in years. I was up til 2 am and I have to wake up at 6am. After work I will be straight back at it.....

[Diametro]

You may just have to get over that for you recording/mixing MIGHT NOT BE TOTAL FUN ...

For me, playing, improvising and composing are the truly FUN parts ... Recording is more like, OK now it's time to refine and save this concept ...

Certainly there are aspects of recording that are fun, and as the project inches closer to completion, there's the various stages of satisfaction ...

But if you really care about making quality tracks and not just sketches -- which IS fine if that's what you're comfortable with --you may just have to suck it up and tell yourself not every aspect of music production is going to appeal to you in the same way ...

Once upon a time, it was unheard of -- more or less -- for one person to do everything ...

Now this is our calling and perhaps curse ...

(That said, I would love a hardware recorder or keyboard workstation that approaches the functionality of a computer DAW ... I just haven't seen anything that does it for me ... )

[mattg082]

Lately I've just been going back to the whole make a simple drum beat...Kick Snare then just pick a synth I custom made/like and then just hit record for 8 minutes or so. Works pretty great after smoking a spliff haha. Then as I come back over the days I'll cut out/loop the good parts and make something out of them. A lot of the times I just keep my system on and ready so any time I get in the mood I can just go at it. It's just when I get the "vibe" and have to boot my system and set things up it's gone. Having a session open all the time that I can just push one button and play keys on and go back to later works great.

I remember reading a article with Trent Reznor from NIN and he said he did it a lot. Just played to one beat a bunch of stuff for one and then next day chopped them up. Sometimes you get a great feeling when there is something there that's great you forgot about you can just cut out and go with.

Find a way to take the thinking and the extensive programing out and just have fun! Then do all the hard work when you have a little something going on. I have a acoustic guitar for this reason so I can just play without dealing with anything. <Music is suppose to be fun! Do the mixing work later after you have a song unless you have templates already set that you like. Just remember it's all notes and if the composition is good it's good even if it's a bunch of stock sounds. No need to kill creativity digging through a billion samples all day right at the start.

[Whalez]

Originally Posted by mattg082

Find a way to take the thinking and the extensive programing out and just have fun!

that IS the fun part lol!

i think I must be super lucky for this because i'm for real, EVERYTHING is the fun part for me especially the little details and all the programming

i can't think of a more awesome thing to do than every part of making dance music i love all of it

i love all the thinking you can never get bored you always just have something to do

the two months since i started are the best two months of my life so far i know that much except all the times when i'm in school or whatever and WISHING i was at home in front of the computer, thats the only sucky part lol

[lovenara]

take a break for every artform,you can not do it good on a daily basis

[J.W.]

I sometimes find things get a bit complicated (I use Logic Pro 9) so I went back to basics: I've been using Garageband for Mac and also Garageband for iPhone/iPad, and the fun of music making has come back! With the iphone app you can sample sounds, "play" the smart instruments (strings, guitar, bass etc), and there are various amp sounds for electric guitar. All you need to put arragements together. It's brilliant yet so simple. From the app you can transfer a project to Garageband for Mac.

I'm also using Garageband for Mac to do straight recording. I wouldn't necessary recommend the iPhone version - an iPhone is portable of course so great if you're travelling - but the Mac version is so simple to use. And once you've recorded some songs then you can of course open these projects in Logic for proper mixing and mastering etc.

I'm using the tiny Apogee Jam interface for the iPhone/iPad. It allows 24 bit recording via the line in input of the iPhone/iPad dock, and you can also use it with an Mac (usb connector is supplied). The Jam is designed for guitar and bass but there's nothing stopping you from plugging in a dynamic mic or battery powered condenser mic.

I don't work for Apple by the way! I'm just glad I've discovered Garageband as an easy and quick way to record without too much complexity taking over and spoiling everything.

[Praxisaxis]

A lot of the suggestions here are good.

I sense a pattern: increasing "fun" with music is usually synonymous with increasing self-discipline.

Ie., suggestions like these:
"play with other people"
"play the instrument"
"work on a live set"
etc, etc,
All require a degree of extra effort.

On the other hand, sometimes you just need to make music in a relaxing way. (personally I've found the most relaxing music is just jamming with friends, with no demands, no expectations, etc.)

As for my own specific tip... get a microphone and record sound effects. I've had a marvelous time doing this recently, incorporating novel sounds and samples into my electronic music. It's like a whole new world of sound, but not far removed from synthesis once it's captured digitally. One I did recently involved pouring nails into a metal bucket, then reversed for a pre-snare strike kinda thing. You can collect old objects that have unusual noises... I'm looking for clockwork devices at the moment. Not for everyone, but might help someone who's stuck in a rut.

[ttaralli]

I've also been thinking about switching over to a digital multi-track recorder. I really feel like the laptop hinders the creative process for me.

Has anyone made the switch? Any recommendations or things I should look out for?