AdamGrossmanLG
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Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
Hello,
So I have been testing out the synth recording feature which came out last year. I am still trying to understand the use-case for this.
In the past and up to today, I play my keyboard, edit the notes, and then bounce the audio when I am ready to commit, then archive the MIDI and synth and hide it (or lately I've been using the freeze feature)..... which works great. What is the use case for the synth recording feature? I am wondering how others are using it and how it can help me.
Thank You!
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AdamGrossmanLG
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/12 21:59:56
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oh and I reason I don't use synth recording, is because i record pieces at a time, for instance, lets say I have a synth bass line. I will do the verse first. Then later on I will record the chorus. If the notes touch (last note from verse into first note of chrorus), the sound might be different (depending on the patch). This will not be the case if I use synth recording to record the verse and then again later on for the chorus.
To me, it seems best to record all the MIDI first, make the edits, and THEN bounce or freeze.
I am sure I am missing something, would love to hear a great use-case.
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stickman393
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/12 23:36:09
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Any softsynth that uses random components to construct the sound might not sound the same a second time.
That said, I haven't found a need for it, yet, but I'm glad it exists.
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AdamGrossmanLG
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/12 23:38:02
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stickman393
Any softsynth that uses random components to construct the sound might not sound the same a second time.
That said, I haven't found a need for it, yet, but I'm glad it exists.
that is true. I feel it's not the main reason for this though.
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Anderton
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 02:32:35
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☄ Helpfulby AdamGrossmanLG 2017/04/13 02:43:09
I use it for songwriting. Very handy to change patches on a synth, record a couple measures, change again, etc. This was in one of the early "Friday Tip of the Week" tips. It avoids having to do lots of program changes, controller re-assignments, etc. I'll dig it out when I'm at a different computer and do an excerpt of the important parts.
Some of this is a question of philosophy. I regard virtual instruments as evanescent. Operating systems change, manufacturers go out of business, etc. Audio is forever...I can open up projects I created decades ago and if they're audio, I'm good.
Also as has been noted previously, moving large blocks of audio around is easy...MIDI, not so much. So by converting instrument sounds to audio, I can do arranging really easily.
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AdamGrossmanLG
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 02:44:24
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Anderton
I use it for songwriting. Very handy to change patches on a synth, record a couple measures, change again, etc. This was in one of the early "Friday Tip of the Week" tips. It avoids having to do lots of program changes, controller re-assignments, etc. I'll dig it out when I'm at a different computer and do an excerpt of the important parts.
Some of this is a question of philosophy. I regard virtual instruments as evanescent. Operating systems change, manufacturers go out of business, etc. Audio is forever...I can open up projects I created decades ago and if they're audio, I'm good.
Also as has been noted previously, moving large blocks of audio around is easy...MIDI, not so much. So by converting instrument sounds to audio, I can do arranging really easily.
ok i could see that. that's a decent use-case.
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Sanderxpander
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 12:27:02
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I like that it allows me to go back and forth between midi and audio editing easily. I can record a short bit and grab it as a sample, cut/loop/reverse/pitch it etc. Also, I know that I can "bounce to track" but sometimes it's just more transparent to me if I have a multi-out drumkit in AD2 and I record it in place to audio.
post edited by Sanderxpander - 2017/04/13 17:08:15
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Anderton
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 17:05:13
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☄ Helpfulby abacab 2017/04/14 00:24:34
Here's an excerpt from Chapter 2 in "The Big Book of SONAR Tips," which is about Aux Tracks and synth recording. There's also an application with audio-for-video that really rocks.
Synth Recording to the Rescue
When people first started asking for virtual synth audio recording so they could record real-time parameter tweaking, I didn’t get it—recording MIDI controllers did the same thing, right? Pretty much, but several people mentioned the ability to capture random synth parameters that couldn’t be quantified as MIDI control…okay, that made sense. But it wasn’t all that important to me, so I figured synth recording was something I’d seldom use.
However as is often the case, once you’re given a new tool you find a new way to use it. This tip is all about incorporating synth recording into the songwriting process.
Rapture Pro has become my go-to synth because of all the modulation possibilities. But, I’ve also become enamored of the Instruments page. Each control can be a macro that makes huge differences to the sound—almost like calling up another program.
For example, on one program I have two controls for mixing in two elements, another control to “chop” the output with a tempo-synched downward sawtooth, step generation depth for a filter cutoff, hard sync sweep, distortion, etc. Manipulating these in real time allows a single program to change throughout the course of a song, but it was too cumbersome to get the improvisations right all the time—so synth recording to the rescue.
When using this technique, I record a few measures at a time and get as far as I can go, while I'm doing something like bringing in the extra elements and maybe increasing distortion over the first four measures. Fine, but let's say now I want to increase the sawtooth wave “chop” to add a rhythmic element starting at the beginning of the fifth measure. I set Punch start at measure 5, place the now time for some pre-roll (yes, you can have pre-roll in SONAR), and when measure 5 hits I’m ready to increase the sawtooth chop. As the Instrument page controls for the extra elements and distortion are already where they should be, there’s no discontinuity.
After recording the part, sometimes I’ll apply “DJ thinking” and punch in for a couple measures with several parameters dialed back to give a breather before everything comes crashing back in again.
The screen shot shows the Rapture Pro audio track. Each clip was a separate recording, and you'll noticed some are copied and pasted versions. The MIDI note below each clip drove the instrument as I played with the various parameters.
So with this technique I can improvise along a planned timeline, capture those performances that work best for any given section, punch in over parts I want to change to add variety, and do it all in a seamless way that doesn’t involve controller setups, assignments, and the like. What’s more, once these audio sections are laid down, they can be moved around to other parts of the arrangement without having to re-record everything.
So not only have I ended up using synth recording after all, it’s afforded a novel way to expand the songwriting process in ways that I didn’t really have before.
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Sanderxpander
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 17:12:09
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Don't forget you can also use comping with this approach to make sample-like chops, similar to what you're doing with punch recording.
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eikelbijter
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 17:57:15
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You know, for people who can actually play something in 1 take, without the need for editing and Frankensteining!
R
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AdamGrossmanLG
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 19:26:20
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eikelbijter
You know, for people who can actually play something in 1 take, without the need for editing and Frankensteining!
R
well I am glad MIDI editing is an option for people like me who have creative ideas but not a piano virtuoso. Didn't know the virtuoso's had such an elitist flare to them lul.
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Sanderxpander
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 20:06:59
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You have no idea how funny/appropriate it is that you accidentally wrote lul instead of lol :)
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chuckebaby
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 20:40:16
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AdamGrossmanLG
eikelbijter
You know, for people who can actually play something in 1 take, without the need for editing and Frankensteining!
R
well I am glad MIDI editing is an option for people like me who have creative ideas but not a piano virtuoso.
People like me too. 
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Anderton
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/13 22:55:17
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☄ Helpfulby tlw 2017/04/14 10:20:05
AdamGrossmanLG
eikelbijter
You know, for people who can actually play something in 1 take, without the need for editing and Frankensteining!
R
well I am glad MIDI editing is an option for people like me who have creative ideas but not a piano virtuoso. Didn't know the virtuoso's had such an elitist flare to them lul.
Beethoven was a terrible cello player, but he told cellists what to play by using something very similar to MIDI - notational data presented to a player. There's a difference between a player and a composer, and I see no reason why anyone would look down at a composer who is interested in composing for multiple instruments.
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abacab
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/14 00:34:29
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I will add that from the perspective of someone who started out with external MIDI hardware, before the era of soft synths, it was normal to record the audio out from your synth in real-time into your DAW tracks. When switching over to soft synths, it seemed that something was missing in Sonar in that regard, until they added synth recording. So I'm glad it's there. 
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AdamGrossmanLG
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/14 10:01:05
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I think I may know where the angst comes from. There are TONS of people out there who are not musical at all and just want to pretend they are musicians. They put in a 4 on the floor kick and 2, 4 snare.... load up some arpeggio, hit a few keys and they think they have a song. I kinda cringe when I watch those videos. Stuff like this comes to mind: https://youtu.be/LI0Lw_IGooI lul. I use all synths, but there is a song first flushed out before I even touch synths using either acoustic guitar or piano with a full verse, chorus, vocal melody, rough lyrics, etc.... this way I know whatever I do on synths has a strong skeleton of a song first.
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AT
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Re: Synth Recording: Trying To Understand The Use-Case
2017/04/14 14:24:03
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Well, if you use Alchemy's performance pad it is the easiest way to capture that, which makes it a great tool. I do a lot of evolving drone stuff that needs the pad.
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