#42

Related, perhaps: when I first started programming drums (TR-606 and Boss DR-220E, so… a while ago) I would go crazy stacking sounds then wonder why my drums didn’t sound great. Then, I started programming things that a human drummer could play - i.e. not having a closed hat, snare and cymbal all on the same beat - and was astounded at how much better the drums sounded in a mix.

I guess this is just another “less is more” anecdote…

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#43

Somewhat relevant:

Not strictly about simplicity or minimalism, but does have some examples of the underlying complexity of supposedly simple melodies. Also the need to have some space, and using space to play with expectations.

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#44

Mine are split up so there’s 2 mantises and a mn skiff. Each can function as an instrument to itself, or play nicely together in any combination. Was getting self-conscious about using “too many” modules and being super sloppy with them…and then getting annoyed with myself for feeling self-conscious. The multiple case solution, if available, has def been working out for me at least.

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#45

–
Listen to loads of minimalistic music.
From the 20th-century avant-garde classics
to current soundscapes and field recordings.
Either acoustic timbres or electric beats.
Acknowledge the spaces in between notes.
Seek for the tao within you.
Breath.
Enjoy the Silence.
Meditate.
–

:person_in_lotus_position:

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#46

Off the top of my head and I guess I will be repeating some of the already mentioned tips, but the things that work for me are:

  • Limiting myself to one instrument (be it a hardware synth or a plugin). I made an entire EP using only the 0-Coast for example, and while challenging it really helped my learn the instrument inside out. Recently I have expanded this setup to include the Lyra 8 and I hope to make an EP using those two instruments (I posted some examples of the tracks I have made so far in the Lyra 8 thread). When it comes to plugins, I choose and Ableton native synth, set myself a maximum number of instances I can use them in (8 tracks for example) and see where that takes me.
  • Limit further. Instead of 8 tracks try 4. One sound playing at a time (hocketing is a cool way of overcoming this particular restriction). Don’t use reverb (or any other effect that you find yourself using often).
  • Writing down a list of attributes. This is something I learnt at college, where we had to make songs with a very strict list of requirements. Had to have 4 recorded sounds (field recordings help), 4 MIDI tracks, 8 percussion tracks, a change every 4 bars or so, a tempo change, a meter change…etc.
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#47

I have no wall, but I have more than enough. But of course I don’t use everything in every piece of music I make, and of course I don’t want to sell all the stuff that wasn’t used in the last thing I made or even in the last months.

It’s like spices on your shelf. Hopefully you don’t use every ingredient in every meal, but sometimes you reach for something and it’s really, really nice if it’s there to use.

I like my modular to be able to support any (or almost any) crazy experiment I will think of in the future.

Back on OP topic: No easy solution I know of but a few things that helped me:

  1. Making my sounds more “dynamic” or “changeable”. Modulation and hands-on helps me a lot.
  2. It’s easy to fall into the trap of slapping yet another sound or thing on the music, when in facts the problem is either that the sounds I have going are not saying enough or the whole composition or the idea behind it, is actually unclear or just really poor. I try to get better at killing my darlings earlier in the process, which helps in this regard.

I have no idea if this helps :slight_smile:

EDIT: All the above might come across as know-it-all, which couldn’t be further from the truth. I try to learn all the time. Sometimes I throw too much on a track, sometimes too little, and every once in a rare while, I like to think I, by a stroke of luck, got it just right.

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#48

This is maybe the best advice I’ve seen (at least for myself). For someone who comes from your typical four piece rock band, this totally changes the way I’m going to look at my future compositions. Thanks for sharing!

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#49

I like this metaphor, too, and frequently constrain my patches to four drum voices to mimic a human’s ability to perform four hits at once, no more.

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#50

That’s a metaphor I have been searching for without realizing it. :slight_smile:

Though I am a little bit more willing to let go of stuff that’s not getting used. If I find I just never bake sweets, but enjoy making curries, I’ll adjust my kitchen’s inventory accordingly…

#51

Of course, I’m not at all in the never sell anything camp.

EDIT: I guess it also depends on the width of styles, genres, sounds one makes. For instance I normally don’t do real ambient, but then one day I found myself making some ambient for my mom. If all my modules were geared towards glitch core (is that a genre?), the idea to make something for her would probably never have occurred to me.

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