dont lie. do you really never use presets?

rob sparx · Post by **rob sparx** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:12 am

I use presets but not for basslines and I often tweak them at a little bit. Don't see what the big fuss is about not using presets who gives a fuk where your sounds come from as long as they sound good? There's some sick presets on some synths that you'd have to be an idiot to ignore just bcos they're presets, they're a good starting point for making your own sounds.

DOOMTROOPER/T40 · Post by **DOOMTROOPER/T40** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:44 am

In my most recent track, the main synth is a preset, just EQ'd a bit.
As people are saying, if it sounds good and fits great with the sound you're wanting, then use it.
That's what they're for.
I don't think my new track would have the same effect if it wasn't the synth i used, to be honest.
But generally I use my own patches more than presets. I usually only use presets for textures and some FX.
Peace

freqone · Post by **freqone** » Thu May 07, 2009 7:27 am

two oh one wrote:If I can't find close to what I want in a preset, I will then synthesise something from scratch if I have the time.

But, I have absolutely no qualms about presets, because it saves time that is better spent on composition. I usually always tweak them just to make them fit in, but if it magically works and sounds good, who cares?

I don't like Arps in presets, though, because I feel that they're a sequence that wasn't written by me. Even though they're not. But they are.

I used to be obsessed and make absolutely everything from scratch, including synthesising drums, for geeking value. Soon, you realise that nobody fucking cares and the only people who can spot a preset are your peers. And peers can fuck off. Mostly nobody notices and if they do, they're concentrating on the wrong things about music, IMHO.

The only place I draw the line is that I don't like using samples or loops from other people. That feels like cheating, even after tweaking. I still feel sick listening to Choke, because I put a 'Jah' sample in it from somewhere or other.

And embarrassed I should be.

Moby used plenty of presets, and like him or not, he could knock out a memorable tune. So can Numan, another preset user. Maybe they're concentrating on the bigger picture, eh?

and again i agree with this guy right here,,,

freqone · Post by **freqone** » Thu May 07, 2009 7:29 am

oh ya and ,..... I come from a classical background, writing songs, programming,,, is what i have found I am boss in,,,,sound synthesis, IMO is tideous work and left to some one who enjoys it....lol If i was to sit there and make my own synths it'd be done half-assed,,,,and i dont want some half ass shit.....to work with

connection · Post by **connection** » Thu May 07, 2009 12:55 pm

I use presets, but try to never leave them as they are.

I'll tweak away until I have something that resembles what I'm after and work from there.

Same with drum kits. I use loads of sample but EQ and process them to sound nothing like the original but everything I'm after.

Creating from scratch is time consuming, but something I love doing. Just wish I was good at it! I still struggle with bass sounds. Crazy I know, but they always come out sounding the same...

ogbowe69 · Post by **ogbowe69** » Thu May 07, 2009 12:57 pm

i use presets all the time.
when im using ejay i have no choice.
i recommend ejay SE it has 3 different styles but its nt flexible but it rules!

ogbowe69 · Post by **ogbowe69** » Thu May 07, 2009 12:58 pm

have used reason once at college and it is more challenging
but i alter the presets to my satisfaction

dub1 · Post by **dub1** » Sat May 09, 2009 6:05 pm

I use them a lot. Presets set a foundation me, so I'd usually make few adjustments to get exactly what I'm looking for in the synth.

grooki · Post by **grooki** » Sun May 10, 2009 12:16 pm

I think presets are a great place to start when looking for a different sound... starting from different points often gets different results. Often I can't tell how a preset got a particular quality which I like, so I start from it.

One thing which I have started doing is saving my own presets when I find a sound I like. This is very useful...

gravity · Post by **gravity** » Mon May 11, 2009 7:27 pm

very rarely. i can probably count how many ive used over the last three years or so on one hand.

knobgoblin · Post by **knobgoblin** » Mon May 11, 2009 11:13 pm

most of my synths cant store presets anyway

POND LIFE · Post by **POND LIFE** » Fri May 15, 2009 12:25 pm

i disagree with the use of synth presets. dont know why, i just dont feel my tune is truly mine if someone else has created the sounds.
the only time i'll use them is occasional percussive stabs and the like, when the sound may as well have been a percussion/drum sample.

this is only my view, i dont judge others for using them, but it doesnt feel right for me.

glucosemusic · Post by **glucosemusic** » Fri May 22, 2009 1:59 am

i never use presets on synths, i use samples in reason refills and logic sounds but i never use preset synth patches. i start from scratch, choose all the oscilators and go from there

j wilderness · Post by **j wilderness** » Fri May 22, 2009 3:10 am

you have to at least fuck around with the preset at little to make it somewhat unrecognizable IMO. Whats the fun in using a straight preset anyways?

slothrop · Post by **slothrop** » Fri May 22, 2009 10:13 am

J Wilderness wrote:you have to at least fuck around with the preset at little to make it somewhat unrecognizable IMO. Whats the fun in using a straight preset anyways?

WRITING A FUCKING TUNE WITH IT!

Really, are you guys actually so bogged down in synth programming that you've forgotten that there's A LOT more to music than deciding whether your bass sound goes EUURGHHH or WUURGHHH? Listen to UK garage - I'll bet a pretty large fraction of the instrument sounds (except maybe the bass) are presets? Do you care? Do you notice? No. I don't give a shit whether Wookie picked up a generic e-piano preset or spent ages synthesizing his own generic e-piano sound because he's using it to play a bloody tune not show off his synth programming skills.

r · Post by r » Fri May 22, 2009 10:35 am

Slothrop wrote:
J Wilderness wrote:you have to at least fuck around with the preset at little to make it somewhat unrecognizable IMO. Whats the fun in using a straight preset anyways?
WRITING A FUCKING TUNE WITH IT!

Really, are you guys actually so bogged down in synth programming that you've forgotten that there's A LOT more to music than deciding whether your bass sound goes EUURGHHH or WUURGHHH? Listen to UK garage - I'll bet a pretty large fraction of the instrument sounds (except maybe the bass) are presets? Do you care? Do you notice? No. I don't give a shit whether Wookie picked up a generic e-piano preset or spent ages synthesizing his own generic e-piano sound because he's using it to play a bloody tune not show off his synth programming skills.

amen.

ascii · Post by **ascii** » Fri May 22, 2009 10:58 am

Slothrop wrote:
J Wilderness wrote:you have to at least fuck around with the preset at little to make it somewhat unrecognizable IMO. Whats the fun in using a straight preset anyways?
WRITING A FUCKING TUNE WITH IT!

Really, are you guys actually so bogged down in synth programming that you've forgotten that there's A LOT more to music than deciding whether your bass sound goes EUURGHHH or WUURGHHH? Listen to UK garage - I'll bet a pretty large fraction of the instrument sounds (except maybe the bass) are presets? Do you care? Do you notice? No. I don't give a shit whether Wookie picked up a generic e-piano preset or spent ages synthesizing his own generic e-piano sound because he's using it to play a bloody tune not show off his synth programming skills.

It's a difference in approach really, do you want to be remembered for making club bangers like Wookie, by knocking out a tune using presets? Or actually make something totally individual to you by programming your own synths and crafting your sounds like Autechre, Richard D James have done [ever woundered why they have such a cult following as opposed to artists like Wookie?]
Making your own samples and synth presents are what separates the men from the boys.

The only reason i'm saying this because you seemed to fly off the handle at that bloke, when he was only asking a question? What it comes down to is what YOU think it takes, to make a song YOU are happy with. It's all just opinion. Whether it's making your own custom sounds or sticking in a midi e-piano

miscreant · Post by **miscreant** » Fri May 22, 2009 11:34 am

ASCII wrote:
Slothrop wrote:
J Wilderness wrote:you have to at least fuck around with the preset at little to make it somewhat unrecognizable IMO. Whats the fun in using a straight preset anyways?
WRITING A FUCKING TUNE WITH IT!

Really, are you guys actually so bogged down in synth programming that you've forgotten that there's A LOT more to music than deciding whether your bass sound goes EUURGHHH or WUURGHHH? Listen to UK garage - I'll bet a pretty large fraction of the instrument sounds (except maybe the bass) are presets? Do you care? Do you notice? No. I don't give a shit whether Wookie picked up a generic e-piano preset or spent ages synthesizing his own generic e-piano sound because he's using it to play a bloody tune not show off his synth programming skills.
It's a difference in approach really, do you want to be remembered for making club bangers like Wookie, by knocking out a tune using presets? Or actually make something totally individual to you by programming your own synths and crafting your sounds like Autechre, Richard D James have done [ever woundered why they have such a cult following as opposed to artists like Wookie?]
Making your own samples and synth presents are what separates the men from the boys.

The only reason i'm saying this because you seemed to fly off the handle at that bloke, when he was only asking a question? What it comes down to is what YOU think it takes, to make a song YOU are happy with. It's all just opinion. Whether it's making your own custom sounds or sticking in a midi e-piano

Whats to say those artists dont use presets? There are thousands of plugins out there, i bet 90% of all well known producers will use presets somewhere along the line of making a tune.

slothrop · Post by **slothrop** » Fri May 22, 2009 11:53 am

ASCII wrote:
Slothrop wrote:
J Wilderness wrote:you have to at least fuck around with the preset at little to make it somewhat unrecognizable IMO. Whats the fun in using a straight preset anyways?
WRITING A FUCKING TUNE WITH IT!

Really, are you guys actually so bogged down in synth programming that you've forgotten that there's A LOT more to music than deciding whether your bass sound goes EUURGHHH or WUURGHHH? Listen to UK garage - I'll bet a pretty large fraction of the instrument sounds (except maybe the bass) are presets? Do you care? Do you notice? No. I don't give a shit whether Wookie picked up a generic e-piano preset or spent ages synthesizing his own generic e-piano sound because he's using it to play a bloody tune not show off his synth programming skills.
It's a difference in approach really, do you want to be remembered for making club bangers like Wookie, by knocking out a tune using presets? Or actually make something totally individual to you by programming your own synths and crafting your sounds like Autechre, Richard D James have done [ever woundered why they have such a cult following as opposed to artists like Wookie?]
Making your own samples and synth presents are what separates the men from the boys.

The only reason i'm saying this because you seemed to fly off the handle at that bloke, when he was only asking a question? What it comes down to is what YOU think it takes, to make a song YOU are happy with. It's all just opinion. Whether it's making your own custom sounds or sticking in a midi e-piano

I'm actually a synth geek and I pretty much never use presets myself, because I really enjoy fucking around with sounds. But...

I don't think self expression is like a set of exams where failing in one area drags your average down over the whole thing. Just because you don't individually hand craft every sound to your personal specifications (and tbh you probably actually need to be pretty bloody good before you can construct a rhodes sound that's better than any that is available to use as a preset) it doesn't mean that even if you write the most beautiful, deep, funky, soulful tune ever you can never get more than a B overall. It's far better, imo, to express yourself through those areas of the tune that you're good at and want to work on and not get paranoid that your tune "isn't really yours" because you used a preset synth lead rather than painstakingly constructed your own one that sounded almost indistinguishable from it.

I mean, it's only been in the last thirty or forty years that "sound design" has had any meaning at all.

Also, speaking of cult followings, pop quiz: who had more of an influence on the development of dubstep, Wookie or Autechre?

dont lie. do you really never use presets?

never ever

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