Anyone Else Have Trouble Concentrating?

[Jollyollyman]

Lately, i've had a lot of trouble concentrating and really building full arrangements. Does anyone else automatically set the sequencer for a 4 or 8 bar pattern and just loop it? and then i track and add changes and whatnot, but it just feels so 'copy and paste' ish, like it could have been made using those old sony acid loops. there's so much good music on here, if i may say so, and i admire how loose and, unplanned i guess would be a good word, it sounds. how do you guys do it?

i think what would help would be changing sequencers. does anyone know any good hardware sequencers?

[ellaguru]

hi
an "historic" sequencer is the alesis mmt8, now very cheap...
other:
the akai mpc series are very good sequencer/samplers.
the yamaha qy70 and rmx1, nice and cheap sequencers/synths

[Jollyollyman]

thanks for the help, i think that qy-70 is looking pretty swell right now. with these things, do you set the number of bars a pattern is, or do you just go?

[Acities]

i was having the same trouble until i blazed one!!!!

[modulr]

I skip patterns because they feel too restrictive. I usually have no idea what tempo I'm gonna play, and that rigid metronome drives me nuts. I usually end up just improvising (mistakes and all) for 5-6 minutes right into the ol' dp-08. Then I just keep layering until all 8 tracks are filled up.. export to the laptop, then edit it down to rougly 3 minutes of the best parts. After the first real edit I usually have a strong idea of where it's going, so if necessary I'll mix it down, then reimport into the dp-08 and keep layering until it feels done. When there's nothing left and it feels finished, I run it out to cassette (track 1/2 direct, and 3/4 compressed)... then eq, and maybe limit a bit.

[Jollyollyman]

now that's awesome^ i've always wanted to work that way, but i can never let go enough to just do it. I'm always paranoid about not having every track seperated and whatnot.

maybe i do need to smoke something green colored. crayons maybe

[Chuck]

Why don't you try not using a sequencer at all. Make some beats/loops using nothing but resampling and lots of effects. It really forces you to get creative with it. You'd be surprised at some of the interesting and unique sounds you can come up with by working this way.

[IIIII]

Why don't you try not using a sequencer at all. Make some beats/loops using nothing but resampling and lots of effects. It really forces you to get creative with it. You'd be surprised at some of the interesting and unique sounds you can come up with by working this way.

i find it the opposite. i make beats without the sequencer if i have a set idea, but for just getting down and being creative i find that it(the sequncer) helps. ill do a loop, and be able to add stuff and remove other sounds without having to make new resampled pads or go back to old ones.
either way its always good to get out of a comfort zone when you start to feel stale!!

[Jollyollyman]

yeah i think i might try that, thanks for the advice. its just hard for me to take the vision past the basic loop, gotta start being more creative. i'll definitely try that this weekend.

[mta7388]

I'm also bypassing the pattern sequencer on my 303 if I'm trying to arrange a song/full beat. Usually I'll use patterns just to play a short drum loop while I figure out how I wanna use my samples, and then fully sequence in logic express.

However, I do find that limiting yourself leads to better results. I used to be all software/computer, and now the 303 is my centerpiece and it's infinitely more rewarding.

[IIIII]

hell yeah. sometimes ill take a blank card and go to a friends house and hang out, relying on what i find for samples, or he will have a sick drum fill ive never heard and ill be back into creation mode choppin it up.

[PeaceGetBusy]

i was having the same trouble until i blazed one!!!!

this usually sets me straight as well, but what happens when we run outta "bud money"??

[IIIII]

then you hold your breath till you asphyxiate

[UbiquitousCanuck]

buds overrated, huff a can of paint and see how well you concentrate

[PeaceGetBusy]

@IIIII
@Johnny Canuck

LMAO!!