Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Discussion of Digital Performer use, optimization, tips and techniques on MacOS.

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Babz
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by Babz »

Seriously, though, one of the best ways to "master" (however you want to define it) much of this stuff is to get a Groove 3 All Access Pass.

They've got a great DP 8 tutorial series and all the Native Instruments stuff, including Razor, Monark, Skanner, FM8, Absynth, Kontakt, Massive, etc. I've been working my way though the DP series, and even though a lot of it is review for me, there are always nooks and crannies to be discovered -- all taught by this guy, Eli Krantzberg, who truly is a MASTER of so many of these products.

And there are other great video tutorials to be had all over the web. This may be a time of plethoric VI and plug-in choices, but it also has never been a better time for tutorial resources.

http://www.groove3.com/

http://www.macprovideo.com/tutorials/audioplugins-topic

http://adsrsounds.com/

Best,
Babz
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MIDI Life Crisis
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

I like stayin igorint. Lol
2013 Mac Pro 32GB RAM

OSX 10.14.6; DP 10; Track 16; Finale 26, iPad Pro, et al

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stubbsonic
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by stubbsonic »

Fascinating thread!

I wander/stumble in and out of a behavior-pattern where I seek/gather/accumulate tools (mostly software, but a few gadgets). I'm pretty enthusiastic about developers who make great sounding VIs. I'm also quite curious about how things sound and how they work. My library includes freeware, some hard-to-pass-on sale prices, etc. Other times (like now) I'm more in a mode of talking myself out of adding things (even freebies) to my teeterin' tower o' tools. :roll: And even ways to pare down what I have.

Currently, I have way more software than I can possibly use or even learn. But, I never know which of these things I'll pull up for a project. And the kinds of projects I get are all of the map in terms of style, and often allowing some experimental sounds into the mix.

As for the verb "Master"-- sometimes people like to polish the meaning of a word so much that they make it barely usable. Call me a fool, but I have mastered the use of a hammer. If I used a hammer more, I'd probably use it more efficiently, but the nail goes into the wood either way. But I'm not missing some essential understanding of that tool. Not everything has to be some sparkly, unreachable ideal. :deadhorse:

I could imagine making a list of all the VIs that I have on my Mac; then, putting an asterisk next to the ones I want to learn more about. That might involve getting a basic sense of the personality & strengths of a VI (perhaps by browsing presets, or by just working with knobs for a couple hours). Next, I'd want to somehow mark the presets that would be "go-to". I wouldn't bother trying to delete crappy presets, that would take too long. But accessing faves would be useful.

But I think the main challenge with OPTION-OVERWHELM is finding ways to shift focus back to music, to content/ideas (melody, harmony, rhythm); and away from the shiny objects that sparkle in our nests.

There are some apps that are, or could become more central to our creative work. Some are going to be a heavier lift to learn than others. In the last few years, I picked up Finale 2012, Reaktor, and Numerology. All three are amazing apps requiring a pretty serious commitment of time & effort to learning. Hell, for as long as I've used Performer and DP, I still have quite a lot to learn!!!
M1 MBP; OS 12, FF800, DP 11.3, Kontakt 7, Reaktor 6, PC3K7, K2661S, iPad6, Godin XTSA, Two Ibanez 5 string basses (1 fretted, 1 fretless), FM3, SY-1000, etc.

http://www.jonstubbsmusic.com
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Shooshie
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by Shooshie »

I understand what people mean when they say that nobody can master anything. It's a point in your own journey, probably punctuated by many notions that you'd mastered something, only to learn that you hadn't, so that you are left with the notion that the whole idea of "mastery" is absurd.

But then... I also understand this. (Michael Moschen, maneuvering a single crystal ball, back in about 1987) What he is doing is visually engaging, and yet it's not so unlike what we do when we master a piece of music on a piano or other instrument. The time commitment is similar, too.

The pursuit of mastery, no matter how far it leads or how unattainable, is one of the most rewarding of human endeavors, and once you leave behind the mundane, the common and natural, and you begin to uncover the secrets paths that reveal more of themselves, so that the journey becomes all-encompassing, the result is a kind of knowledge that becomes more and more universal the higher you take it. One learns to take seriously the term "mastery," for it's an important concept, one of the most profound of human explorations, and yet it leads to a state of complete humility. Blustery ego is a clue that one has not gone far in the pursuit of mastery, yet unwavering self-confidence without egotism may appear to be the same thing. One who is well on down the path knows the difference.

So, don't be hard on anyone who tries to master something. It's very important at least to try. And if we didn't try, where would art and music be?

Shooshie
|l| OS X 10.12.6 |l| DP 10.0 |l| 2.4 GHz 12-Core MacPro Mid-2012 |l| 40GB RAM |l| Mach5.3 |l| Waves 9.x |l| Altiverb |l| Ivory 2 New York Steinway |l| Wallander WIVI 2.30 Winds, Brass, Saxes |l| Garritan Aria |l| VSL 5.3.1 and VSL Pro 2.3.1 |l| Yamaha WX-5 MIDI Wind Controller |l| Roland FC-300 |l|
labman
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by labman »

stubbsonic wrote:
I could imagine making a list of all the VIs that I have on my Mac; then, putting an asterisk next to the ones I want to learn more about. That might involve getting a basic sense of the personality & strengths of a VI (perhaps by browsing presets, or by just working with knobs for a couple hours).
Hiya Stubb, What we did maybe 10 years ago when we realized we had way too many tools at our disposal, was to design 3 keynote 'launcher' files. One for Libraries, one for plug-ins and one for hardware. We carry them around on our iPads, and also each room has them on at least one mac, so they are accessible.

The Libraries one, for example, has all our libs sorted by role in a graphic layout. (i.e.: winds, strgs, horns, perc, gtrs, etc.) Each master category has hot links so that if we punch the word World - it then explodes into the screen that divides out our main world/ethnic sections, into world winds, world voce, world ambiences, world perc. Then hitting 'world winds' takes us further down the line in terms of roles. The same thing is done in our plugs keynote file., so we can more easily remember which 'dynamics' tool might be best in a given situation.
AMPGUI themes - Andy rocks!, 3 macs, MacPro 768GB ram, 16core OS11.7.10, DP11.31, all Waves, all SLATE, PSP, IK multimedia & Audioease plugs, all PAlliance, Softube, tons of NI VI's all air Spitfire, all Audiobro, all Berlin, EW PLAY, LLizard, MachFive3, Kontakt5, Omnisphere, RMX, LASS, all Soundtoys, Lexicon AU's, melodyne and others I know am forgetting, cause I'm old...Also mucho outboard rigs, MTPs, DTP, antelope WC, and 4 control surfaces with Raven.
labman
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by labman »

Shooshie wrote:
One learns to take seriously the term "mastery," for it's an important concept, one of the most profound of human explorations, and yet it leads to a state of complete humility. Blustery ego is a clue that one has not gone far in the pursuit of mastery, yet unwavering self-confidence without egotism may appear to be the same thing. One who is well on down the path knows the difference.
Shooshie
Here Here! I want that phrase laminated on our walls somewhere! Well spoken Shooshie.
AMPGUI themes - Andy rocks!, 3 macs, MacPro 768GB ram, 16core OS11.7.10, DP11.31, all Waves, all SLATE, PSP, IK multimedia & Audioease plugs, all PAlliance, Softube, tons of NI VI's all air Spitfire, all Audiobro, all Berlin, EW PLAY, LLizard, MachFive3, Kontakt5, Omnisphere, RMX, LASS, all Soundtoys, Lexicon AU's, melodyne and others I know am forgetting, cause I'm old...Also mucho outboard rigs, MTPs, DTP, antelope WC, and 4 control surfaces with Raven.
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stubbsonic
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by stubbsonic »

If I were to choose between two versions of "mastery"-- one jewel-encrusted, unattainable; and the other, more folksy, achievable, and actual-- I would choose the latter.

One traveler approaches the top of a mountain. When she reaches the top, she continues to pace around, then takes out a shovel, and begins digging little holes and piling up the dirt onto the peak so that she can continue to climb. She strives for a lifetime to make the mountain more pointy and for her to stand on one long toe-nail on the tip of that point.

Meanwhile another traveler, enjoys the accomplishment for a moment, observes that there is more to be done, and continues the journey. Other mountains.

Seriously, with a concept like "perfection" there are no degrees. It is an unattainable absolute. An artist can always approach, but never arrive. That's ok.

I like to think of whatever I'm trying to do as "growth". I don't obsess about the object. I listen to what I'm doing, and allow it to evolve.
M1 MBP; OS 12, FF800, DP 11.3, Kontakt 7, Reaktor 6, PC3K7, K2661S, iPad6, Godin XTSA, Two Ibanez 5 string basses (1 fretted, 1 fretless), FM3, SY-1000, etc.

http://www.jonstubbsmusic.com
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stubbsonic
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by stubbsonic »

labman wrote:
Hiya Stubb, What we did maybe 10 years ago when we realized we had way too many tools at our disposal, was to design 3 keynote 'launcher' files. One for Libraries, one for plug-ins and one for hardware. We carry them around on our iPads, and also each room has them on at least one mac, so they are accessible.
That must have taken considerable time & effort to organize. Cool idea though!
M1 MBP; OS 12, FF800, DP 11.3, Kontakt 7, Reaktor 6, PC3K7, K2661S, iPad6, Godin XTSA, Two Ibanez 5 string basses (1 fretted, 1 fretless), FM3, SY-1000, etc.

http://www.jonstubbsmusic.com
labman
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by labman »

stubbsonic wrote: That must have taken considerable time & effort to organize. Cool idea though!
The original building was a lot of work. We update each file at beginning of each month.
AMPGUI themes - Andy rocks!, 3 macs, MacPro 768GB ram, 16core OS11.7.10, DP11.31, all Waves, all SLATE, PSP, IK multimedia & Audioease plugs, all PAlliance, Softube, tons of NI VI's all air Spitfire, all Audiobro, all Berlin, EW PLAY, LLizard, MachFive3, Kontakt5, Omnisphere, RMX, LASS, all Soundtoys, Lexicon AU's, melodyne and others I know am forgetting, cause I'm old...Also mucho outboard rigs, MTPs, DTP, antelope WC, and 4 control surfaces with Raven.
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Kellog
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by Kellog »

Regarding the original question, (just saw this post) I sometimes buy plugs/VI's and then don't get to them. One thing that gets me quickly back into them is watching youtube reviews and tutorials (as Babz mentioned) of the products. Often those show me ways of looking at the product to suggest usages I might not think of on my own. In the end they get me excited to dive back in and use em. Thanks for your honesty, made me feel less GAS attacked. Peace, all!
Mac mini (2018) 3.2 Ghz 6 Core Intel Core i7 w/64 GB ram, OSX Catalina 10.15.7, DP 10.13, UAD Apollo Quad, Komplete 13 Ultimate, Superior Drummer 3, EZ Keys, EZ Bass, EZ Mix 2, Stylus RMX 1.7f, Avid Eleven Rack.
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Prime Mover
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Re: Do you MASTER ALL your VIs and plug-ins?

Post by Prime Mover »

I think I'm pretty good about not buying plugs that I never use, but I could understand falling into that trap. Well, I've bought the odd bundle like Komplete that I'll probably never use everything from, but of things I specifically seek out, I'm too poor to waste money on •••• I won't use, so every purchase is a very intensely considered one.

Ya know, I've never thought of doing tutorials one effects/VIs but that sounds like a great idea, and eye opening! I do video and graphics tutorials all the time and it's really expanded my usage of complex visual design techniques, so why not for audio? Wouldn't mind diving into Absynth or Skanner. I'd probably do a one month pass and watch everything I could.
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