Anyone else here hate using presets?

estevan carlos benson · Post by **estevan carlos benson** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:01 pm

I mean I use them but for as long as I've been doing this (ten years with little to show for it) I don't like using presets. I've even created my philosophy around it that but I end up breaking it more and more.

Something along the lines that I won't use presets mimicking acoustic instruments but I made an exception for acoustic drums and pianos. I also wont use presets for classic instruments. Now I've broadened that. Now I use 808/909 samples and presets and standard traditional bass synths on occasion. It's disappointing.

Who else here feel compelled to spend a large portion of their time on sound design just for the sake of putting a piece of music together? I've gotten lazier with it myself only because I want to focus more on songwriting than designing sounds but it's a constant struggle for me.

I think the stupid idea came to my mind when I realized the artists that interested me the most were those who were able to balance strong music with very fascinating sound design (nin for example).

machine+1 · Post by **machine+1** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:06 pm

I can't stand presets either. I usually erase all the presets from my synths as soon as I buy them.

ubermnd · Post by **ubermnd** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:10 pm

i separate my workflow into sound design and composition. sometimes, the magic just aint flowing and rather than spend ours trying unsuccessfully to sequence something i turn to building racks or designing synth patches and fucking around with sounds in general. i dont have any tune in mind when i do this but its a process of building a library of my own bits and bobs so when i am in the right mood for composition, i have all this random stuff at the ready.

presets are fine for sketching out ideas but you really should at least tweak them a little. i view them as a tool for figuring out the particular synths architecture, a starting point from which you develop your own sounds. What you could do is remove all the presets from your synths so that all you ever get is a blank patch that forces you to make your own sounds everytime.

estevan carlos benson · Post by **estevan carlos benson** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:10 pm

machine+1 wrote:I can't stand presets either. I usually erase all the presets from my synths as soon as I buy them.

You know you're right. I should probably be so daring. I used to completely ignore them but now they're like lazy temptations... no offense to everyone else.

estevan carlos benson · Post by **estevan carlos benson** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:15 pm

ubermnd wrote:presets are fine for sketching out ideas but you really should at least tweak them a little. i view them as a tool for figuring out the particular synths architecture, a starting point from which you develop your own sounds. What you could do is remove all the presets from your synths so that all you ever get is a blank patch that forces you to make your own sounds everytime.

Are there preset sounds you use as exception to the rule? emulators of classic instruments -- analog or electronic? Just curious.

ubermnd · Post by **ubermnd** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:20 pm

i don't consciously care for emulations of anything really. i tend to use synths for basses and sfx. i generally make my pad and rhythm sounds from mangled samples.

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:34 pm

If a preset works then use it. If nothing else they are a good starting point in getting the sound you are looking for. There are far more difficult tasks in getting a song done than "OMG I used a preset!!" and quite honestly the listener isn't going to care.

Personally what I need to do is start a database of my go to presets on either something like a spread sheet or kore because too often I'm loading up softsynths and hoping for the best only to go through 4 or 5 and still not finding what I am looking for. I'm of the belief that a lot of times the sound (preset) can inspire the song but there are some things you just don't want to have to blindly hunt for when those random sounds put a solid idea in your head.

Grappadura · Post by **Grappadura** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:35 pm

I see no reason to "hate" presets. Its just some settings on your plugin, so what. Besides, as already mentioned, they give you an idea of what the plug is capable of.

catalyst · Post by **catalyst** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:35 pm

i separate my workflow into sound design and composition. sometimes, the magic just aint flowing and rather than spend ours trying unsuccessfully to sequence something i turn to building racks or designing synth patches and fucking around with sounds in general.

Yep, same here

Also - personally I don't delete ALL the presets when I first get a synth, but I do find it aids productivity to get rid of those that I don't like or know i won't use as they just get in the way later, so I do that as a matter of course when I get something new. The others are kept mostly as inspiration/start points. It's very satisfying to make all your sounds from scratch though, for sure.

stonee · Post by **stonee** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:40 pm

I find it easier to build my own sounds as aposed to searching through presets for the sound i want.

sometimes tho, i find a preset I like, and an idea will grow from it.

Nick the Zombie · Post by **Nick the Zombie** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:44 pm

I have a hard time feeling good about using presets as well. Like the original poster, I think it's because I value sound design as much as I value composition. When I rely on presets in the final version of a track, it's like a betrayal of my own standards. I just sit there and think "I could have taken that opportunity to put a truly unique mark on that part of the track."

That's not to say that EVERYONE shouldn't use them, because some people just want to write a track and focus on the composition. That's just as valid as the way I approach things. I better get my flame-proof suit on though, because I've nearly been run off a forum (which shall remain nameless) for expressing this same sentiment before.

- Nick

estevan carlos benson · Post by **estevan carlos benson** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:45 pm

I guess this is less an issue about "presets" and more about modern sound design as music. I tend to lean towards sound design in my productions and i'm quietly jealous of those who don't. For me it's not so much a crutch, but my brain is better with that than traditional song writing..

Anyhow, I've fallen victim to presets a bit too much. Maybe I'll just delete half of them.

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:53 pm

Some people have an odd basis for self loathing. It's like dying and finding out there's no God or heaven. Maybe you should have banged a few hookers and used a few apple loops.

Nick the Zombie · Post by **Nick the Zombie** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:55 pm

beats me wrote:Some people have an odd basis for self loathing. It's like dying and finding out there's no God or heaven. Maybe you should have banged a few hookers and used a few apple loops.

LMAO. You just don't understand me because I'm complex and sad on the inside. Last time I used a preset, I started cutting on myself.

ubermnd · Post by **ubermnd** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:55 pm

I find presets useful, but i'm reluctant to use them untweaked. that way, the music you are making is determined to an extent not by you but by the sounds you are using. when i started out the tunes i ended up making were driven by the limitations of the presets i was using instead of me conceiving an idea and knowing enough about sound design to realise it properly. these days (i like to think) i know what i'm doing so i can get pretty close to the sounds i imagine. as a production philosophy however, i do think that it is better to make your own sounds.