Getting originality out of Ableton do people just use loops?

[SyntheticPop]

Hey Yall,

*preparing myself for a public roast*
... ...
...I am VERY new to the sequencing/Ableton world. What are all these electro/dj's/synth rock bands doing with Ableton as far as making loops and laying down tracks? Do a majority just use the stock sound bank? I highly doubt it. Been listening to a lot of Miike Snow, Passion Pit, Foster the People, Roysopp, Battles, and the list goes on... and it's inspiring me to want to do my own flavor of synthpop and dance music.

I'm a total rookie when it comes to this stuff but what is it that all these bands do to get their own sounds? What do you guys recommend? Just tweak shit using Ableton's stock library sounds? I am having fun with the HUUUGE sound bank in Ableton, but where's the originality in that? Some advice would be great.

Thank you

[Sibanger]

Do a majority just use the stock sound bank? I highly doubt it.

Trust your intuition.

It is a good place to start if you have no idea.

Then you may want to move onto synthesisers, using and tweaking preset sounds.

Once you advance a little, you will be wanting to learn about synthesis & sound design and how to make your 'own sounds' etc.

[SyntheticPop]

Great guys, thanks much for the responses. Really wanted to get some input on this subject.

[i3igTripplets]

I spend most of my time fiddling with Operator and automation lanes. But if something sick is there, I sure as heck will sample it and save the loop, as well as the clip (to preserve the track devices and settings).
Have a quick look at the Clips section of the manual for tips on saving clips, I wish i would have earlier

[merges]

There are virtually infinite combinations of effects that one can apply to a sound, especially using Live's amazing audio effect racks, to turn a "preset" or a loop into something entirely different. I think what Live is great for is working fast: A loop can turn into a melodic instrument can turn into a loop can turn into an effect can turn into a song really really fast.

[murgatroid]

I get like a deer caught in the headlights when it comes to the mind boggling infinite choices there are to create a sound or a loop. You can literally take a bit of audio and use just explore tiny sections of it in a Reaktor sampler instrument for example and spend the next ten years making sounds from that one piece of audio manipulated in a million ways.
Or stick in in Simpler and loop small sections of it and maybe create some rhythmic ideas and keep building and building.

I realize it might feel a bit like cheating to use pre produced sounds. I feel like its cheating when you can simply press a single note on any one of these evolving soundscape type synths and create an entire composition just from that!

So yeah, grab audio from wherever and mangle and deform it into something new to use. Just think...any bit of audio can be processed in an infinite number of combinations of Live's audio effects alone, never mind any third party stuff as others said.
Use softsynths to make your own 2, 4, 8, 16 bars of music and turn that into audio clips to use

I get intimidated by too many choices with all this modern software. I almost wish the stuff was pared down to where choices were limited and work with that. Although, one should have the discipline to work with limited parameters chosen for a particular project. Unfortunately I don't.

[oblique strategies]

I get like a deer caught in the headlights when it comes to the mind boggling infinite choices...

Brian Eno addresses this in an article titled 'The Revenge of The Intuitive'
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.01/eno.html

Excerpt:
"The trouble begins with a design philosophy that equates "more options" with "greater freedom." Designers struggle endlessly with a problem that is almost nonexistent for users: "How do we pack the maximum number of options into the minimum space and price?" In my experience, the instruments and tools that endure (because they are loved by their users) have limited options.

Software options proliferate extremely easily, too easily in fact, because too many options create tools that can't ever be used intuitively. Intuitive actions confine the detail work to a dedicated part of the brain, leaving the rest of one's mind free to respond with attention and sensitivity to the changing texture of the moment. With tools, we crave intimacy. This appetite for emotional resonance explains why users - when given a choice - prefer deep rapport over endless options. You can't have a relationship with a device whose limits are unknown to you, because without limits it keeps becoming something else."

[The Carpet Cleaner]

Use everything you can.
The only rule : keep only what you think sound really good. ditch everything else.

[Rave]

Lots of bands use guitars right? The originality is brought on by their music and not by what stomp box they used. Just write good music. I don't give a sh*t how u got there.

[pencilrocket]

Creating your all sound by yourself doesn't always mean making good music. Many famous producers working in industry are using presets and loops like vengeance to produce songs for artists. They use every mothod to get their job done as effectively as possible and are getting stable results by this way. And consumer are enjoying their work.

If you now want to produce music I think you can use any presets and loops to get your job done firstly. But it can't be applied to those who just want to gain skills of sound designing.

[gjm]

Brian Eno addresses this in an article titled 'The Revenge of The Intuitive'
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.01/eno.html

Excerpt:
"The trouble begins with a design philosophy that equates "more options" with "greater freedom." Designers struggle endlessly with a problem that is almost nonexistent for users: "How do we pack the maximum number of options into the minimum space and price?" In my experience, the instruments and tools that endure (because they are loved by their users) have limited options.

Software options proliferate extremely easily, too easily in fact, because too many options create tools that can't ever be used intuitively. Intuitive actions confine the detail work to a dedicated part of the brain, leaving the rest of one's mind free to respond with attention and sensitivity to the changing texture of the moment. With tools, we crave intimacy. This appetite for emotional resonance explains why users - when given a choice - prefer deep rapport over endless options. You can't have a relationship with a device whose limits are unknown to you, because without limits it keeps becoming something else."

I skipped reading the full article when I saw it mentioned a couple of days ago. However, I just came back to it and I am glad I did.

Just a general shout out... if you have 5-7mins and want to read something that has potential to provoke you about your approach to music... this might do it.

[pencilrocket]

From that redundant article I can't see nothing but "less is more".