I have such a huge problem with music software being so expensive.
It's among the reasons why I have shied away from using Live any
more, and barely use many other expensive packages.
When you learn to play the trumpet, you buy a trumpet. You might
upgrade, or you might even start learning on a pro model. But once
you know the trumpet, you know any trumpet. The quality of the
physical instrument itself will affect how you're able to interface
with it, but basic use and musicality never changes.
Perhaps this is an antiquated ideal. Any amount of expense might get
you a primo instrument, but no amount of money will ever
fundamentally make you a better player.
It seems like the cost of music software equates to the cost of being
able to use someone else's imagination. And not because a user asks
around for tips, but because the user can so very easily default to
the loops shipped with the app, or the way default plugins make echo/
delays sound, or whatever. Harkens back to that question of plugin
presets that's shown up here before.
I guess what I mean to say is that to 'start' in microsound shouldn't
necessarily mean finding the right software package first. Is this
too idealistic of an approach to creating music?
Maybe this has nothing to do with the original question (surely,
there are many more answers to be questioned when starting to make
this kind of music than just what software is in use), but I just
have this uneasy feeling in my gut when it comes to music software
these days. Everything is trying to be everything to everybody, which
is probably why stuff like max, sc and pd are in such large use with
people on this list (at least), because they are programming
languages, not software packages.
The point was hit home with me when I was (thoroughly) enjoying a
listen to Download's new album, "FiXeR", with a friend of mine. In
the middle of some really cool section or break or something, he
pipes up "HA he's using Live for that, i've used that same exact
pattern" and it kind of ruined the listening experience for me at the
time.
My buddy isn't at fault for this, but it proves there is a certain
approach to listening to electronic music these days that is more
"how did he do that?" than just plain listening. My friend personally
knows better, but I think there are a lot of people that just want to
replicate what they hear instead of being inspired to create
something new. Folks too often seem to want to know why 'technically'
something was done instead of what creative process on the back-side
inspired that something to be done.
-m
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