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Fuck the Machine

Discussion in 'RedBanned TV' started by Mike Verta, Jul 12, 2017.

  1. Interesting post. It reminds me a little of the story of Robert Rodriguez where he shot El Mariachi with limited time and limited technology. He was forced to prepare diligently because of the lack of technology and resources available to him at the time. To make up for this he visualized his entire movie before he shot it. So he really had to understand his edits and reasons for them prior to making them. He couldn't just undo it a million times until he fumbled across something that worked.
     
  2. Yep. A million stories, from great artists, like that.
     
  3. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes x 1000. Is there a super like button ? ( jizz in my pants like) Bravo........ great post !!
     
  4. Awesome food for thought Mike. Your videos are always thought-provoking. And your observations confirm this conviction I have – that the music always always always turns out better the more formed it is in your brain beforehand. Before getting the computer (or guitar or piano for that matter) involved. Having the piece in your head helps you treat the computer like an extension of your creativity and not THE solution to all your creative problems. Anyway, good stuff man, thanks for sharing with us.

    Spellcheck helped me type this.
     
  5. "First Thought Best thought". It's actually a motto I live most of my life by. Especially the deeper down the commercial musical Rabbit hole I go. There isn't enough time usually to mess about second guessing stuff.
     
  6. Great video, I agree with the overall message completely, but I would not say there is no price of failure because you can quickly test things and see what works best - because even with the best technology advances you will always be able to work faster, better and more efficiently if you force yourself to be present in the process, work with intent and trust your instincts - time is always the prize to pay if you are fishing in the dark and not only that, it is also a mentally painful thing to go through every time you need to get something done.

    I speak from experience, because I started with all of the software available to me but the mere mental anguish caused by the process of going through arbitrary options to see what works best is the very thing that is forcing me to work hard on my skillset - and it works because it is steadilly disappearing from my workflow.
     
    Rohann van Rensburg likes this.
  7. Can't help but agree here. I think the abundance of software makes starting out harder, in a way. If all I had was a piano to write with, I wonder if I would have progressed more quickly in terms of competency. That said, learning the production side of things is important as well.
     


  8. Here is an example of what happens when you use technology as a crutch for the entire duration of your career.
     
  9. Great food for thought! I agree that advancing tech is facilitating less creativity (and potentially creating more work when we have infinite options) and I know personally I am most creative working within established limitations.

    However, I keep wondering how much of our mindset is driven by elitism(?). Regardless of the tech...the cream always rises to the top. So what if technology facilitates someone stumbling across a combination of sounds which produce a great result that serves a purpose? I can only assume traditional composers were appalled by early Tangerine Dream movie scores which subsequently inspired so many composers for years to come.
     
  10. This is charmingly meritocratic. Truth is, shit floats and gold sinks. For anything with weight and substance, it takes a powerful engine to stay above water. That engine is skill.


    Oh, and that "Deadmau5" thing is fucking tragic.
     
    Luke Johnson likes this.
  11. I AM charming! :) Again just to be clear I'm agreeing with your points. Are you only speaking to writing for orchestra? As proven in the Deadmau5 video: orchestration skills are irrelevant in EDM whereas kick sounds and LFO's are vital.

    I'm not crazy about his music but I can admire his success
     
  12. I would not say that they are irrelevant, this is just proof that like in any field, technology can mask the lack of skills that used to be absolutely crucial before. There is lots of EDM out there where the people making it are skilled pianists or former band players and the music is interesting and well structured.
     
  13. Quite the opposite, that video shows a guy that has VERY genre specific skills which happen to be computer based. And just because he hasn't studied suspensions and voice leading, etc doesn't make what he does any less skilled or valuable (he fills stadiums with fans of his music) it's just not applicable to all genres.
     
  14. It is not a genre specific skill, he fills stadiums because he has a the inner talents and a good ear, but his painful workflow is a result of not being forced to learn piano playing/never being a performing musician in the true sense. It is something he openly admits to in his videos and interviews, check this exerpt from his masterclass here:



    He is no doubt good at the specific thing he does, but if he had applied himself to learn skills that do not rely on a DAW interface, he would be in a whole different place altogether.
     
    Steven Faile likes this.
  15. He writes music he likes and is worth millions because of it, I'd hardly call that a crutch.
     
  16. He would not be able to do that without the technology available to him.
     
  17. Technically speaking, and not wanting to cause some kind of ruckus here, but all musical instruments are technology. A violinist can't play Violin without a Violin. And there are plenty of Violinists that can play incredibly well without Sheet music and reading the dots.
     
  18. Very true, but there is a clear difference between being able to jam with fellow musicians vs. having to sit down at a computer for hours to get your musical idea out there.
     
    Steven Faile likes this.
  19. Adam that aspect makes total sense to me. Thanks for clarifying. If he understood the piano roll notes and chord structure/cadence it would certainly serve him well. Although it's even more astounding that his gut instincts have become so strong without that knowledge. o_O
     
    Adam Alake likes this.

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