How do you guys handle quick sketching of ideas etc..?

[mhschmieder]

I returned exclusively to paper a number of years ago after realizing that anything else leads to likely loss of ideas or important details.

I then try to remember to photocopy the paper and keep a separate copy at my office in case of a fire or disaster at either location.

I have a lot of short-hand techniques that allow me to capture sweeping ideas (usually my musical compositions come to me 100% intact in giant flashes of lightning), without losing more than 10% of the core (the process of writing inevitably takes enough focus to lose something along the way, even when using short-hand techniques).

It is rare that I can't fill in the details many years later, even if I don't get to a mock-up right away.

The only improvement I can think of would be if I had some sort of touch surface and could do all of this really quickly using natural handwriting against some sort of staff paper background.

This wouldn't help original capture; it would simply remove a step towards the computerized notation phase of a project. There is such a tool for this but it costs $3K last I checked.

[Guitar Gaz]

Perhaps I missed something with all this talk about writing notation on paper - I thought this thread was about sketching musical ideas in DP. I mean, I write lyrics on paper or email them to myself from my phone , and I write down chord structures at times , but I didn't think that was the point of the question - the thread is about how to do things quickly in DP when you get an idea.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

The obvious answer is setup an efficient (i.e.: fast loading) VI and hit record. The problem is if DP and/ or your machine isn't running, you'll have to switch brains and could loose the musical thread.

[Henry Robinett]

Perhaps I missed something with all this talk about writing notation on paper - I thought this thread was about sketching musical ideas in DP. I mean, I write lyrics on paper or email them to myself from my phone , and I write down chord structures at times , but I didn't think that was the point of the question - the thread is about how to do things quickly in DP when you get an idea.

True. But I was saying, for myself, that that's late on the work flow, sketch idea. That's all. For ME DP is not really a sketch pad. For me.


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[Henry Robinett]

Also FOR ME I lose time trying to use it as s sketch pad. Maybe not being a pianist I'm not fast enough. But when I sequence an idea BEFORE I've written it I become glued or enamored or disappointed with the PERFORMANCE. As a composer I like the fluidity of having it all in my mind or under my fingers on the guitar, or on paper, still imagining the drums, bass, changing tempos, feels etc.

So FOR ME DP is not a good sketch pad.

But yes, regardless, I have various templates ready. I have my MIDI tracks labeled and set up to my favorite drum prgms, Falcon, Kontakt, mics, guitar tracks. The less I have to set up and arrange the better. That's a inspiration killer.


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[Robert Randolph]

Perhaps I missed something with all this talk about writing notation on paper - I thought this thread was about sketching musical ideas in DP. I mean, I write lyrics on paper or email them to myself from my phone , and I write down chord structures at times , but I didn't think that was the point of the question - the thread is about how to do things quickly in DP when you get an idea.

True. But I was saying, for myself, that that's late on the work flow, sketch idea. That's all. For ME DP is not really a sketch pad. For me.


All the best,
http://www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

For me, I don't have much of a choice. A lot of of the stuff I end up want to check real quick is 'technical' in natural. How a microphone placement sounds, check the stereo spread of something or other analysis, maybe try some random effects on an idea, perhaps I'm transcribing something and want to loop a small part etc... lots of random things I end up wanting to do throughout my free time.

My ideas aren't musical ideas, they are usually ideas regarding how something sounds or could sound when recorded or modified. I mostly do tracking of bands and sample libraries. So I'm almost never on the end of composing the musical ideas.

I do appreciate the ideas thusfar, but I'd like to make it clear what it is that I do, so that this question has some more context.

[Henry Robinett]

I see. We then templates are your friend, right? The good thing about them is you set them up for your own style and work flow. And save them. I often have so many incrementally saved as I perfect the set up over time.


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[Henry Robinett]

I think the thing that was confusing was the titled subject of the thread.


All the best,
www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[MIDI Life Crisis]

My ideas aren't musical ideas, they are usually ideas regarding how something sounds or could sound when recorded or modified. I mostly do tracking of bands and sample libraries. So I'm almost never on the end of composing the musical ideas.

I do appreciate the ideas thusfar, but I'd like to make it clear what it is that I do, so that this question has some more context.

That's a completely different question than how most of us would interpret it. I don't really think much about tech setups at all until the final sessions. For fast and dirty when I don't want to use paper, I pop on the Zoom recorder, but for MUSICAL sketches.

[mikehalloran]

. . .That brings up another point. How many people can remember songs in their actual key? Most pop songs that I know, I remember in the key in which they were recorded. Ditto classical music. I use those as crutches sometimes to help me find the key I'm writing in. . .

Not sure how old I was when I noticed this about myself. Perhaps when I moved from trumpet to fretted strings when I was 11... Definitely by the time I was 13... I noticed that I could find the key of any song relative to the opening notes of Day Tripper or Pictures at an Execution. Fortunately, we had an accurate turntable in our home stereo.

[mikehalloran]

Perhaps I missed something with all this talk about writing notation on paper - I thought this thread was about sketching musical ideas in DP.

For most of us, it appears that the answer is, 'We don't'.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Well, the musicians, composers or songwriters (there is a difference...) generally look to their instruments when they need to work out ideas. In this case, DP is your instrument and you should be fluent enough with it to not even ask the question. Sorry, but my response now it:

[Henry Robinett]

Well, the musicians, composers or songwriters (there is a difference...) generally look to their instruments when they need to work out ideas. In this case, DP is your instrument and you should be fluent enough with it to not even ask the question. Sorry, but my response now it:

Of course! I'm very fluent with DP personally. I've been using Performer intensively since ver 1.2. But, for me, when writing it takes time to find or decide on the drum kit, play the parts Kick, snare, hat, fill, toms, Percussion, then decide on the bass sound, let alone which VI, then play it all before I lay the guitar or keys.

Writing is a different and quicker process. It's helped me to identify what part of the process I'm on to speed things along.


All the best,
http://www.henryrobinett.com
Check out my latest CD on iTunes.
I Have Known Mountains by Henry Robinett
https://itun.es/us/pi6C_

[MIDI Life Crisis]

It should be clearer now.... I was responding to this:

My ideas aren't musical ideas, they are usually ideas regarding how something sounds or could sound when recorded or modified. I mostly do tracking of bands and sample libraries. So I'm almost never on the end of composing the musical ideas.

I do appreciate the ideas thusfar, but I'd like to make it clear what it is that I do, so that this question has some more context.

[Robert Randolph]

I think that this thread would have worked out a lot better if I was able to write a slightly longer subject, or if I came up with a shorter one that better communicated my intent. Folks seem to be replying to the subject rather than the OP (or my clarification). I can understand how it's confusing, but I did try to clarify in the OP that my 'ideas' are not compositional in nature.

I simply want to be able to use DP without the rigamarole of creating a new project, then eventually deleting all the project assets manually. I do various things throughout the day that require a quick pop in and out of a DAW. Currently I use Reaрer, which I hate otherwise, because it lets me do this pop-in/out very quickly.

The idea of a permanently blank project is useful.