I've been writing this blog since 2006 and in that time I think it's fair to say that the main focus of it has been around software (or apps as we now seem to refer to it). Hardware has played a part but a smaller one on the whole.
However, increasingly I seem to find that I'm drawn to hardware these days. A friend recently bought a Kaossilator 2, which is a device I've been considering for some time now, and I've been on the verge of buying an OP-1 on countless occasions.
So what is it that draws me (us?) to hardware more than software? Is it simply the pull of a physical object that can be unboxed, held, connected with? Is it a reaction to apps being centre stage for such a sustained period?
Personally I'm not sure, I seem to move between liking the physical object to preferring the ability to have everything in a single device. In fact, I'm not sure that there is an answer, perhaps it is just a cyclical thing.
Anyway, I thought I'd share this and see if anyone else had any thoughts on it.
12 comments:
Life is mostly a nostalgic experience, and hardware brings you back to your formative years when all this was so new and fresh.
But lest we forget all the bloody cables, and adapters and batteries and the delicate relocation when we changed residence...not too mention the fickleness of selling all your gear to purchase state-of-the-art gear you just bought a year prior.
Software can do everything hardware could ever do, and we will be able to replicate analog synths perfectly in the coming years, bet on it.
The OP-1 could be considered a postmodern instrument, it's as sexy as any iPad and looks cooler too...but it's much less powerful and practical than any iPad and the asking price still makes me chuckle even today.
Mobile apps reawakened my interest in music. I've bought some hardware in the past year -- the touchscreen interface is good for some things, not for everything -- but most of what I've put on SoundCloud has come out of my iPod and Ipad. I went to Japan earlier this summer and there was something about the experience of travel -- or maybe it was just jetlag -- that made me want to play, record, and arrange.
My software backlash began with acquiring Eventide Timefactor, then Space, then Pitchfactor then the minikaosspad 2, the Monotron... It's been tremendous fun and creative joy to get my hands on these. And the result is i' m even more enthusiastic about combining these effects and sounds with Live, rediscovering the power of Max for Live.
My software backlash began with acquiring Eventide Timefactor, then Space, then Pitchfactor then the minikaosspad 2, the Monotron... It's been tremendous fun and creative joy to get my hands on these. And the result is i' m even more enthusiastic about combining these effects and sounds with Live, rediscovering the power of Max for Live.
I've been going through the same thing lately. Much of my music making has been based around the iPad, which I really love. However, making music on an iOS device (or Android for that matter) can be as frustrating as it is fun. The limitations of the hardware and processor can hinder my creative impulses.
Therefore, I've been longing for an honest to goodness dedicated device such as a synthesizer with lots of rich sounds, a physical keyboard and a built in sequencer that I can use without having to unplug "this" and replug "that" before I can create something.
But as you've mentioned, the temptation is always to get more and I suspect that once I have my dream synth, I'll be yearning for the next "thing". I'm certain it's human nature to want that intangible "thing" that will provide you with the next thrill, whether it be the next cool app or a cool piece of hardware like an OP1 or Monotribe.
I'm a magpie. I have bought an OP1, a wavedrum and Kaossilator Pro, all with the intention of piping the output into a daw.
None of them blow me away like the Animoog on iPad, and I find none of them as immediate to use, but I can't quite look at them in the same way. For me it's about repeatable performance I suppose and I just haven't mastered the touch interface. I suppose the same is true for the K Pro.
I don't think the next generation of electronic musicians will have this problem, and in the meantime I'll be in the corner noodling around with my toys regardless.
I have an OP1 and a Kaossilator Pro and among others, the Animoog on iPad and I feel the same about all of these. They are all incredible performance toys, but even on the OP1 there's a lack of precision that allows me to do the same thing exactly the same way twice in a row. In a lot of ways, I suppose that's the draw, and I do love them all.
For me it's all about repeatable performance if I'm going to use it seriously*, otherwise it's really really fun just noodling around.
*author doesn't do anything seriously anymore.
Hardware is origin.
Software - in most cases - virtual copy of functions..
it would be strange not to love hardware =) hw is cute
but software sometimes is more flexible and useful, yeah
We should start a support group. I have the same inclination on an emotional level, but at the rational level I know this is folly.
Working with hardware is a massive pain in the ass. There are some exceptions, but for the most part hardware is a constant conflict between tactile feedback and visceral frustration. You either have presets that don't match up with the current knob values on the parameters, or you have no presets at all.
There is a reason most of the big guys work entirely in the box these days. The Pro's don't have time to fuck around with remembering how everything was set up. It is just not a productive workflow.
I am saving up to replace my car, and it is a constant struggle everyday not to blow the savings on starting a modular synth. Stay strong and take it one day at a time. I've been spending a lot of time in Reaktor lately, because it reminds me of all the things hardware can't or shouldn't do.
I agree. I also flit between the two. This last 18 months I've scrimped, saved and ebayed to boost my hardware collection from practically nothing to a Monotron, a Kaossilator, Meeblip Micro, Atari Punk Console, Nebulophone and finally (after MUCH ebaying and loft-clearing!) a DSI Mopho.
I don't fully understand the appeal other than the precision and immediacy of the user interface. There's only 3 knobs on the Nebulophone, but subtle play between them leads to cool results. I experiment more with hardware - with software I just play with presets.
The only "obvious" other difference for me is the analog stuff. Whether that's analog filters on digital gear, or entirely analog gear. You just can't get that subtlety and interaction on digital/software. An imperceptible tweak on a Monotron knob and the thing starts gently moving through FM-style modulations.
I suppose there is another appeal of hardware - you can line it all up on your desk and say, "look, I have a studio!" and you can see where your money has been spent. I've spent over £300 on iOS apps (more than the above hardware cost!) and somehow it doesn't feel like an investment.
But right now I've got a few things left to sell on ebay and I'm looking for more cheap hardware! It's addictive!
GAS. I got it too last year and left the ios music making behind. I still use some of the toy type apps and synths that i sample from. But just a hardware seq/sampler and shruthi-1 are letting me make better music than when i switched to just ios for a while. Part of it for me has been the tangibility of the physical and pushing the limits of what i could do with the hardware. I guess it ended up being more fun and sounding better when i had limitations. Now i make tracks, complete them and find interesting ways to piece together layers to build up my sound. It keeps me interested and on my toes. I do integrate my ipod into some parts of a track. In the future i might get a midi interface for it and sync it to my existing setup. But not as a controller or controlling something on it. Just as another layer.
I've been going through this as well. Interesting. I'm far from alone. But I think the argument of exploration through pushing 'limits' on hardware is a valid one.
I definitely feel that although I CAN, I don't enjoy the process of creating music on a computer half as fun as on a piece of hardware... nor even for exploring sounds.
I think part of it (for me) has to do with not looking at a computer screen and using a mouse. There is a disconnect I don't "feel" literally with hardware - even something like an MC505, which I used for years despite it's "limitations". I seem create sounds/music more-so by listening/intuition with hardware. Even mapping hardware to computer software doesn't seem to cut it for me. Inexplicable (?).
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