Quote:
Originally Posted by polak
You're so out to lunch I don't even know where to start. You think cause you rattled off some VST's you have credibility? I really didn't want to keep this going cause it's pointless and I'm getting genuinely frustrated which is stupid but you are completely clueless in terms of what it takes to make good EDM music.
Also your main argument in that post is backwards in my opinion. Teach an EDM producer the basics of an instrument and they will probably master it a lot quicker than a "musician" would master EDM production. When you make EDM you have to know your notes, your chords, your scales, different techniques like vibrato and portamento, you have to know what an arpeggio is, what a harmonic is. You need understand music just like you would playing any other instrument. It would just be a matter of learning how to physically play the instrument.
What differs and what makes your argument fall apart is most musicians focus on one or two instruments when they write music while an EDM musician has to understand how every instrument, every synth, every effect, every aspect of production works and how they work together. You don't have the luxury of being able to strum a guitar, sing a little tune and than have someone else (i.e. a music producer) put it all together for you. Take your hypothetical average competent guitarist, put him in front of a mixing board, compressor or an equalizer and most of them will probably be clueless. Only seasoned musicians with plenty of studio time would have any clue what they are doing. Well here's a fun fact for you...
You can't be successful in EDM without mastering that aspect of music.
It's not an option. So while Mr. EDM producer has to learn how to physically play an instrument, Mr. Guitarist has to not only learn how to use a VST, he also has to learn every aspect of music production. Now I'm being nice and I'm assuming we're letting Mr. Guitarist off the hook and letting him use preset sounds. Sound design is a whole other aspect that quality EDM producers need to understand as well which is an instrument in itself. I'd love to see Mr. Guitarist handle something like this:
Now a days most EDM producers don't have analog synths like that but the premise of sound design is still the same. You just don't have to physically turn the knobs and route your patches. Oh and in case you don't know what "sound design" means, it's creating the actual sound. So before you can even play a note, you have to figure out how to make a sound.
But yeah. Playing the solo to sweet child o' mine should really garner more respect.
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Haha.. oh boy. I think you've watched a little too much "Get Him to the Greek" lately.
Your view of musicians is just astounding. In this day and age the musician will sit down and contribute through the production process, and in lots of cases, take on the process themselves. They will at least have a working knowledge of it. But the biggest flaw in your argument is that working with recordings from a studio or outside a studio takes a lot more work than samples electronic artists work with, which require next to no cleaning up. Adding reverb, EQ effects/adjustments, distortion/overdrive, modulation effects like phasers, and panning your tracks to give a full sound is the extent of what these samples are put through, which isn't difficult, it just takes time. There aren't usually many if any clean up tools required because the sounds are already in good, clean shape from the get go. With studio/external recording you have to think about the whole environment in which it is taking place. Microphone types, locations, room size to account for reverb, the dimensions and surfaces of the recording space to achieve a specific sound, soundproofing, arrangements, equipment/hardware, use of pop filters etc. And that is pretty much a science in itself, you would know that if you'd learned about it. It takes a really good ear to make it come out right. Cause the production process afterwards can only give it so much.
Electronic artists have it easy in that regard. What they do with their sounds may be creative and impressive, but they're already working from sounds that have a certain level of quality to begin with. Some like to go to a studio and record their own samples and that certainly adds more to the production. But a lot of these artists use clean, stock, computer generated synths, or pre-recorded and cleaned up samples and beats that really don't need much work, aside from the added effects to make them their own (or their "design"), which require fairly straight forward tools contained in the software to gain the desired effects. And the various instruments they keep track of are actually also work just the same as synths, and require no knowledge of how any of these instruments are palyed in real life. Recording all these instruments within the computer is basically just playing a keyboard for each instrument. Sure, artists may have a vast knowledge of music theory, and understand how the sounds/frequencies work but they're not physically doing it themselves, or recording it themselves, and there is a difference there.
In reality though (in regards to the main argument you made) the production process you're discussing is actually far more immense and complex when it comes to live/studio recordings compared to internal electronic creations. Sorry polak, but you've actually only defeated yourself with that argument without quite realizing it..
Would love to keep running in circles but the manner in which you're reacting to all this is a little worrisome. I'm just going to leave it there.