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  3. question of general interest...

  • question of general interest...

    J
    J

    As an artist/composer, do you find the complexities of VSL and all the intricacies of the various audio software programs we use, to be a burden on creative flow? I do.

    When I would like to just be running with an idea, or experimenting with sounds, etc, the last thing I want is to have to hassle with a lot of "issues".

    When I read the posts in these forums I see tons and tons of "issues" over and over are being addressed.

    That is why I like to work in Propellerhead Reason so much. It is simple, straightforward and most of all stable.

    To me, Cubase and VSL seem daunting and complex and I fear losing time and inspiration by getting bogged down in "infrastructure issues".

    So, I am curious what you all feel about this and how much you think VSL contributes to that ease of use, or how much it hinders creative flow.
  • D
    D

    The only real issue I have are trying to get the composition right on paper. Once I've done that, the only issue I have with Nuendo and VSL is the boredom in trying to realise my composition using samples.

    DG
  • W
    W

    I don't know about Cubase - it is probably a hassle like most of the DAWs nowadays.  I ended up creating a strange system to avoid exactly what you are talking about - having to deal with technical stuff instead of think about music.  I don't like any of the overcomplicated DAWs that are universal nowadays, so I use a reliable old sequencer on a secondary computer, and MIR VE on another.  

    I like MIR and VE because even though they can be used in a complicated way, they also can both be used very simply once you get them set up.  For example - you can do an entire composition with one or two patches if you want and then a final mix by just moving icons around on a stage.  You are not forced into using the gigantic Presets and complex EQ.  Also, VSL software seems extremely stable, at least on my setup.  And they are updating it constantly to fix any bugs. 

  • S
    S
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    @jamsa said:

    As an artist/composer, do you find the complexities of VSL and all the intricacies of the various audio software programs we use, to be a burden on creative flow?

      In my case, composition and production are not simultaneous, so the question of software being a hindrance in my creative flow does not arise at all. But for music production, when you begin to work with VSL, you'd better be ready to spend some time studying the structure of VSL patches, knowing how they sound, how to control your instruments within VI or VI-Pro interface, building custom presets, templates, etc... I didn't find it tedious, quite at the contrary, I had much fun... but I really spent (and still do) a lot of time doing these things. In my experience, it feels like learning a new musical instrument... and it's wonderful. That learning curve just makes the production process somewhat slower at the beginning, that's all.

      I haven't had any software issues using VSL, Sibelius and Reaper in a Windows 7 system. So far, my experience with VSL and Reaper has been very satisfactory and straightforward. With Sibelius I've struggled a bit more to get things working smoothly, but I finally managed to use it as a "simple sequencer" that does everything I need... and I guess this was possible due to the flexibility and power of VI-Pro and VE-Pro rather than to Sibelius' playback capabilities. Nevertheless, using a DAW should be much simpler if you don't suffer from "notation homesickeness" while working, as it's my case due to the classical background. 

      In any case, I wouldn't be afraid of VSL being a burden for creativity. As William says, I also think they are indeed user-friendly tools (I'm specially in love with MIR-Pro (^_^)). Of course, we're talking about samples here, and it's sometimes a bit "frustrating" dealing musically with them, but I couldn't imagine a more simple, intuitive way of doing it than by using the software VSL has come up with.

      Anyhow, as I guess all this is just a matter of personal preference, you can always buy a VSL key, mess around with the demo licenses, and see how it feels and works for you... specially if you plan to invest a lot of money in it (^_-)

      Best,
  • N
    N

    For me, while writing a piece, I stay strictly in Finale, using stock Finale sounds.  I work far too slowly to want to even think about sample sets, articulation patches, etc.  After a piece is finished, then working towards a realistic mockup, and working with the VSL samples make sense.
  • civilization 3C
    civilization 3C
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    @jamsa said:

    As an artist/composer, do you find the complexities of VSL and all the intricacies of the various audio software programs we use, to be a burden on creative flow?

    I don't, not now, at all. The most creative period of my life owes directly to having the sound before me to this extent.

    My point-of-view here is that the technology is a palette and it's a matter of familiarity with it like anything else. I didn't get it all at once and I didn't expect to, and I did my due diligence. I am not hindered by Cubase or VI/VE Pro, or what-have-you in the least. The first thing I do is set up the orchestration and I like to spend time considering it, it is part of the creativity.

    In the beginning I was seriously daunted by it, eg., Cubase - more than that, Gigastudio - and stared at a blank slate for a long time. But I found that getting in there and finding out what I needed from it got rid of that problem; I learned the task when I required it, climbed the steps I needed to as they arose before me.

    all that said,  per "tons of "issues" over and over are being addressed."

    I am not faced with that so often. I wouldn't let other people's issues scare you. For me Cubase connected with VE Pro is quite stable.
  • civilization 3C
    civilization 3C
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    @jamsa said:

    As an artist/composer, do you find the complexities of VSL and all the intricacies of the various audio software programs we use, to be a burden on creative flow?

      In my case, composition and production are not simultaneous...

    using a DAW should be much simpler if you don't suffer from "notation homesickness" while working, as it's my case due to the classical background.

    That makes sense to me. Composition is production for me, not two separate workflows. I wrote music pencil to paper for years; I don't miss it myself... Now that I can hear an idea at once, there isn't a level of abstraction to wonder about.
  • E
    E

    I find "the complexities of VSL and all the intricacies of the various audio software programs we use" to be a huge burden!! Not so much on the creative flow, but then it depends on how you work. Do you sit down on your keyboard and stare at the ceiling while concentrating on what your sound is like more, or what it is you are playing?

    You see, DG, Servandus and myself, we all use pen and paper (or notation programs), and production is a COMPLETELY separate act to creation for us. It is not a handicap! The music we write cannot be written any other way. Not if anybody is ever to perform it, save for ourselves on our home-rig. Notation is vastly superior, faster, more efficient, and a more complete way of creating the blueprint of a musical work than playing inside a sequencer, if that work calls for real instruments. What's the incalculable difference? One is the most objective/consensual set of instructions available to us for the realization of a musical work, the other merely being one of hundreds of possible interpretations/realizations of that same work. Now it can be done the other way (sequencing first, notation later), but it is time consuming, very cumbersome, so only necessary if one cannot notate to begin with.

    If you come from a tradition which values the performance of the work higher than the work itself (ethnic, pop, jazz, etc.), then you'd better learn all these hardware/software intricacies to the highest level that you can.

    If, on the other hand, you come from a tradition where the work is ALWAYS more important than any realization thereof (say symphonic music), then the electronics are just a convenience - albeit very necessary to many a professional today for a variety of reasons, but they shouldn't present a headache during the creative process at all. Or I like to pretend as much, that is until VSL comes up with a 'Play' button that performs my orchestral scores beautifully, without the need for any automation on my part (dreaming on...)