Do I deserve an APC40?

[jonbongjovi]

Hi Guys,

I've been lusting after the apc40 for some time now, my oxygen25 has a mere 8 knobs and while i use the track controls alot i feel im doing too much with the mouse..

Now I've been playing with ableton for some time gotten to know my way around still havent made a full solid track that i'm happy with though.. will getting the APC40 just slow down my progress as ill have to learn new ways of doing things.. do i even deserve it if I havent made a full decent track yet?

Cheers,
Jon

[footsy]

Hi Guys,

I've been lusting after the apc40 for some time now, my oxygen25 has a mere 8 knobs and while i use the track controls alot i feel im doing too much with the mouse..

Now I've been playing with ableton for some time gotten to know my way around still havent made a full solid track that i'm happy with though.. will getting the APC40 just slow down my progress as ill have to learn new ways of doing things.. do i even deserve it if I havent made a full decent track yet?

Cheers,
Jon

Why would you say you don't deserve it? you're not a professional musician doesn't mean you can't make music. Get it if you feel you want one, that is my next investment.

[eddiex]

buy one.....it will up your game...you deserve it.

[swishniak]

"make a full solid track that (you're) happy with (first)."

an apc40 aint gonna do it for you

[eddiex]

jonBONGjovi classic!

[mholloway]

I looked into this, and the answer is No, you don't.

-M

[aisling]

"make a full solid track that (you're) happy with (first)."

an apc40 aint gonna do it for you

this!

[jonbongjovi]

yeh thats the thing I know the APC40 wont make the track for me but will it speed my workflow or just slow me down while learning it?

[aisling]

yeh thats the thing I know the APC40 wont make the track for me but will it speed my workflow or just slow me down while learning it?

Everybody deserves their favorite shiny toy.....I did not become a confident guitar player by having lots of guitars. ALthough I did try that route. I learned my instrument by practicing as much as I could. The same with DAW production. I make my tracks in live, but have only a standard m-adio axiom controller. That is my story, everybody has their own personal strory and outcome. Only you know the answer.

Not trying to sound self righteous.

[supamonsta]

Now I've been playing with ableton for some time

is that 2 weeks? 6 months? 3 years?

because a new control surface can open new possibilities to you, as it also can loose you in the process if you don't really know what you're doing, where you wanna go, etc. Trust me I'm a real gearslut, and more than often, LESS IS BETTER...

BTW, I don't think an APC 40 is particularly interesting to make tracks. It's a huge one for live shows, but I don't think it will really help you get tracks done...

good luck

[jonbongjovi]

I've been playing about a year now.. got alot of good stuff from tom cosm, groove3 etc.. i guess i know my way around Ableton ok now..

You mention the APC40 maybe isn't too great for making the tracks, but rather for DJing etc.. I've been eyeing up the maschine mikro too.. would this be something that could boost my productivity with regards to making tracks?

Don't get me wrong I like my oxygen8 but its annoying that I had a mission getting all the knobs to map.. I'm really just trying to move away from using the mouse so much because i think it bottlenecks my workflow to an extent.

Then again maybe I'm seeking the crutch and an excuse as to why I haven't got a complete track I'm happy with.

[regretfullySaid]

Then again maybe I'm seeking the crutch and an excuse as to why I haven't got a complete track I'm happy with.

I'm thinking this out of my own experience. It's just going to be another distraction. How will you expect to finish tracks when you're playing with making a live set with either others music or parts of your unfinished tracks? Either way, you're going to have to finish tracks, right?

I've used controllers and thought they would help with my workflow but they don't. They help with performing. Sure, some knobs are going to help for automation but I don't think using a controller has really sped up a production/editing process any better than having to using the KB and mouse, unfortunately. It won't make any difference in your completing a track. Hold off and complete a track, and then another couple. At least in this way you'll have completed tracks to convert into a live set so you can THEN use your controllers to perform with.

Once I put my controllers down and focused on a getting a track done, it's worked. I can use them later when I have more original material for a live set (for me, I don't care to dj as much as produce, so I need to produce before I can dj those productions, obviously) My controllers (except for ipod, because there's stuff written and played in there good enough to use on tracks, not just remote controlling) have been chilling for like a month and I've gotten a lot more done. Reward yourself with the APC40 by completing some tracks. Another plus with that is maybe you'll get a better deal with price going down in time.

Now, if you wanted to use step-sequencing as part of your writing process, like starting tracks on the fly from scratch and doing it live, that's another thing, but if you think about it, is it really going to be any quicker than drawing the notes in the piano roll? Performance is one thing, editing is another.

[humnumb]

I've been eyeing up the maschine mikro too.. would this be something that could boost my productivity with regards to making tracks?

Yes but I would actually recommend the regular Maschine. Either way Maschine will definitely make everything faster as it can eliminate the mouse from your workflow and lets you do everything from the hardware: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6z1gDGgULA

Integrates seamlessly with other DAWs like Live too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WcbjOm1uhY

[sporkles]

I'm not too convinced that any device is necessarily going to help you mane tunes more quickly. Chances are you'll spend a lot of time merely getting used to the device, but this is more a question of preference than of efficiency. Sure, twiddling knobs and pushing buttons on a flashy controller feels cooler than mousing around, but if you want to pretend you're on a spaceship, play computer game instead. You mentioned Tom Cosm as a source of inspiration: as far as I recall, he uses the mouse all the time when producing, drawing in automation rather than recording it, etc.

I've been really frustrated because my Launchpad refuses to work on my new computer, but I've realised that I don't need it at all to make music. It's cool and flashy, but it's first and foremost a performance tool, not a production tool. If your main mode of production is to jam in Session view, and you need to constantly launch new clips, I'd seriously consider a foot controller instead, like the Softstep. Other than that, I'd recommend a simple controller with (a minimum of) 8 endless rotaries, and use sensible Racks with Instant Mapping: that's really all I need for production.

YMMV, of course, depending on style of music and other factors.

[regretfullySaid]

Yeah, like an LPD8. Then you can also set up some of the pads using Clyphx to "arrow" through devices and tracks left and right. That is a good shortcut to have.