Making music in the office

[David_Rothbaum]

great thread! i work at a post production facility and maybe 2 times a week i bring the modular. I try to find an empty edit suite (which usually has great monitors) and hang out for a few hours after work experimenting with things. I usually don’t write or record anything cause inevitably someone will stop by and ask what it is etc. but I am able to learn and experiment with stuff.

[iggrok]

Just got a new OP-1. I actually got it for this exact reason. After all, it’s a portable synth

[wolfgangschaltung]

It was incredibly cathartic and a great way to zero-out the headspace before delving into work.

I think this is important

I don’t do it as much I used to but probably should return to this for my own health. Two important phases of my life included extensive play without documenting/saving it all.

I do have a Nord Lead in my office to reset my mind and get into a creative state when preparing presentations. I often feel that this goal-less playing leads to some of my better ideas. I never record something, as this would distract me from my work, and as composing is not what I am getting payed for.

But in contrary to @glia and @Galapagoose I did not yet manage to be relaxed about letting these ideas just go. It more often feels like a loss to not do something with them…but at the same time I have to admit that I always enjoyed these creative moments way more than putting these moments together into a coherent composition with some sort of dramatic development. I really do suck at this…guess that’s why I never found someone mad enough to pay me for composing ;).

[jasonw22]

I need to start putting my iPad into my bag for the train on the way to and from work.

Some apps I enjoy:

Audio routing:

• https://audiob.us/

For playing pads and leads (can be used as a MIDI controller with other synths) and also includes a step sequencer for drums:

• http://www.olympianoiseco.com/apps/chordion/

Much more advanced rhythm sequencer:

• http://www.olympianoiseco.com/apps/patterning/

Melodic sequencer:

• http://www.fuguemachine.com/

Drum synth:

• http://mominstruments.com/elasticdrums/

Sampled drums:

• http://www.drumjamapp.com/

Tracker, non-traditional DAW, modular (cross-platform, will also work on a Raspberry PI quite well, or any other platform)

• http://www.warmplace.ru/soft/sunvox/

Synth reproductions:

• https://www.arturia.com/products/ipad-synths/isem
• https://www.arturia.com/products/ipad-synths/imini
• http://www.korg.com/us/products/software/ims_20_for_ipad/
• https://www.moogmusic.com/products/apps/model-15-app/

Original iPad synths:

• https://www.propellerheads.se/thor
• http://www.yonac.com/magellan/
• http://2beat.io/oscilab/
• https://www.moogmusic.com/products/apps/animoog-0
• Alchemy (sadly no longer available)
• http://www.waldorf-music.info/en/nave-overview
• http://thumbjam.com/
• I used to recommend Roli Noise, but I’m genuinely confused about what’s going on with that app

DAW

• I use Garageband, but it’s awfully heavy, would love a lighterweight recommendation. Why oh why did I buy the smallest version of iPad storage?!

[Random]

Big fan of chordion, dot melody, and patterning from olympia.

Also a fan of Borderlands. People have seen me using it and asked if it was ‘like that Tom Cruise movie.’ Very intuitive.

http://www.borderlands-granular.com/app/

[ppqq]

During the summer I had an MPC2000 setup on the coffee-table in our workshop. I’d make a beat in 15 minutes each morning after riding to work, make an iphone recording if it was worth remembering, or just switch it off (the zip drive is broken so no saving). It was incredibly cathartic and a great way to zero-out the headspace before delving into work.

Awesome. I did something similar with a plumbutter a few years back. It was fantastic. Best way to kickstart the day. Better than eating your Wheaties!

Thought to all - does anyone work in an environment where break time or after hours evolves into music making?

Do mean with others? Not for me, but I’d love to see that change.

I like to keep my op1 in my backpack and take little music breaks out in our studio backyard.

I’ve also made generative patches in reaktor blocks and left them going for hours to listen to (on headphones) while working.

I don’t have an OP-1 but have put together various “groove boxes” for the same purpose. The plumbutter was the closest I came to something self-contained that inspired play. In the end, I passed it on since I felt like I was a bit too much exploring Peter’s strange sonic world than my own but I do miss the intimacy and liveness of it. Neat that the OP-1 runs on a battery. Awesome for mountain-top jams. Loved my Tetrax for that!

I do have a Nord Lead in my office to reset my mind and get into a creative state when preparing presentations. I often feel that this goal-less playing leads to some of my better ideas.

I love this theme and totally agree! All the more reason it would be great to weave more play into the work-day. (Bonus points for being a good alternative to whittling away spare moments on social media.)

I need to start putting my iPad into my bag for the train on the way to and from work.

Thanks a million for all the recommendations (And @Random too!) To be honest I’ve totally written off iOS for music making despite knowing one of the Oly Noise folks and good initial impressions of Patterning. Maybe I should revisit.

Cheers!

[jasonw22]

Just remembered another one I keep meaning to try. Live coding of music with JavaScript on the iPad.

scriptSonic

Looks like a very interesting tool for iPad users that like JavaScript. http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2016/02/17/scriptsonic-combines-the-power-of-computer-music-with-the-immediacy-of-a-touchscreen/

[Random]

Do mean with others? Not for me, but I’d love to see that change.

Yeah, I meant kind of a lunch jam thing.

We’ve done that a few times but it isn’t normal and we had to take it outside, but hey, sitting under a tree with a guitar… can’t be beat.

[iggrok]

The plumbutter was the closest I came to something self-contained that inspired play. In the end, I passed it on since I felt like I was a bit too much exploring Peter’s strange sonic world than my own but I do miss the intimacy and liveness of it.

Interesting you feel that way. I’ve only had my PB for a couple of months, but I feel you could make it your own given its endless possibilities.

[ppqq]

Interesting you feel that way. I’ve only had my PB for a couple of months, but I feel you could make it your own given its endless possibilities.

I loved it and in fact had one twice (both v1) and while at times I felt too much like it was playing me I think that was partly lack of imagination. To be honest, my passing it on was primarily about setting and sticking to goals around focus. All things being equal, I’d love to have all of his instruments handy on a whim and would never hesitate to recommend any of Peter’s instruments to anyone.

How’re you getting on with yours? A v2? I tried one once and found it actually a bit easier to tame. Anyway, yeah, hope you’re having fun!

[ppqq]

Woah. Just watched the borderlands teaser. Inspired stuff!

[iggrok]

Makes sense. We all have to focus / prioritize. If not, GAS can take over and make us unproductive

Re: my experience so far, I am in love with the PB. It’s exceeded my expectations. At first I thought it would be another take on modular, but quickly realized it’s a comprehensive, standalone instrument. For example, I created a relatively simple patch last night and essentially created an entire beat:

https://soundcloud.com/nervioss/shits-poppin

Anyway, that’s what I am up to.

[rknLA]

AudioShare is a really solid single-track recorder that plays nicely with Audiobus. I had a really productive jam session on a train ride last week using it to record various parts (Elastic Drums, ARP Oddessy, Korg Module) and cutting them into roughly synced loops to play around with in Samplr

[Random]

It is my favourite go-to on train rides and other moments. On an iPadPro you can really get in to the manipulation of multiple variables…

[jdormit]

I have a little Korg nanoKEY2 that I keep in my briefcase (I’m a software engineer at a mid-sized startup in Boston). I keep it hooked up to my laptop with GarageBand running and noodle around on it while I’m running builds or reading docs. Usually, I’ll be listening to music which I’ll improvise on top of. I find it to be a really good alternative to pulling out my phone and reading Hacker News or whatever.

[Bloopy]

I once secretly recorded a coffee machine operated by a colleague, and then used the sample later. For a laptop mic on the opposite side of the room, it came out surprisingly well, but it was a damn noisy machine!

[steveoath]

Pocket operators are my staple work playthings.

[Simeon]

+1 for patterning, but full disclosure, I only discovered it after being asked to contribute a sample pack.

[kirklandish]

I can’t imagine actually making music in this setting.

My work is pretty relaxed as well, but I also can’t really imagine making music or practicing at work. In the past I thought of bringing a practice pad and practicin rudiments in the stairwell. Really I would just rather go for a walk in my downtime though.

[PacificNorthWes]

At my current job I have a fairly cheap (but surprisingly nice once set up) Fender Squier Jazz bass next to my desk. Bass is my first real instrument, so it doesn’t require much thought for me to pick up and jam on, plus when it’s not plugged in to an amp it’s fairly quiet so I don’t feel like I’m bothering my coworkers. I have a little usb interface on my desk that typically just gets used as a headphone amp, but I can also plug into that if I want to hear it in my headphones (I have Guitar Rig on there) or record something I come up with.