DAW OR DAWLESS

[DOSS BS-1]

Usually I use Pro Tools and love it but there's a serious learning curve when you're beginning. I started with Garageband and then Ableton before moving to PT about 15 years ago. After you know one DAW they have a lot of similarities. Recording is easy, editing is a dream.

For plugins - Native Instruments Guitar Rig has some truly ILF drool-worthy effects under the hood and can inspire your creativity. Especially their granular stuff.

I tend to stick to the same 20ish things for 85% of everything…

Truth! In 2019 I revamped my studio rig and got rid of A TON of plugins. Option paralysis is real. Who needs 12 compressors?

When I'm in the moment I'll just grab my phone and record a video so that I can show my pedal settings. Or I'll just record it onto a looper (Ditto+ or Circle Looper). It's way more important to capture the moment than it is to get a high quality recording that's not in the moment. Nothing worse than forgetting the exact phrasing or feel or whatever because you were fiddling with technology instead of documenting the music. Most important thing is to find what works best for you and your workflow.

During lockdown I saw a video where Julian Lage was talking about doing one-minute improvisations so I started recording one per day for a couple months. It was really great. Of course some were crap, but I got a lot of good recordings and some real songs out of that process. Because it's only 1 minute there is almost no pressure. You start, you try to go somewhere, and then you wrap it up. Try it out when you get a new pedal and are inspired. This process really fits the venn diagram of something that's fun, creative, and productive. Highly recommended.

[friendship]

During lockdown I saw a video where Julian Lage was talking about doing one-minute improvisations so I started recording one per day for a couple months. It was really great. Of course some were crap, but I got a lot of good recordings and some real songs out of that process. Because it's only 1 minute there is almost no pressure. You start, you try to go somewhere, and then you wrap it up. Try it out when you get a new pedal and are inspired. This process really fits the venn diagram of something that's fun, creative, and productive. Highly recommended.

This sounds fun, I'm gonna do it.

[coldbrightsunlight]

That sounds very fun. I like Julian Lage's music, so he seems smart. This seems achievable too. Good idea.

[rfurtkamp]

I'm odd in that I've always used a DAW JUST like a tape recorder.

I even use a few seconds of "academy leader" because the tape heads/speed took a fraction of a bit of time to get up to sync.

I don't "edit" in, I record each track full on, as if I was cloning myself.

If the song doesn't work out, I accept the flaws as-is or I delete it and improv something else.

I don't use in the box effects.

The only time any plugins end up in the process (and that's going down slowly as I get more outboard gear) is for mastering purposes.

I'm functionally the same when I use my outboard eight track too, just less inputs (have 16 on the machine).