WHY use SEQUENCERS ???

[OH]

Hi all!

I am still in the process of deciding, which sequencer to buy. I wonder, for what a sequencer is good for, I mean: WHy not just get a professional HD recording software like Samplitude??? As far as I see the only true advantage of a sequencer is that it allows to use one track with different sounds. And, o.k.: One gets note-sheets.

Any comments...?


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O.H.

[Bill]

Well, most of us can’t compose a whole piece of music in our head, keeping track of every detail.

Novelists use word processors. Musicians use sequencers.

[OH]

>[B]Well, most of us can’t compose a whole piece of music in our head, keeping track of every detail.<

O.k. But what exactly makes THE BIG difference to harddisk-recording??? I can record to audio tracks and compose this way.

Bill. I just try to figure out what the MAIN & MAJOR advantage is compared to an audio-recording program.

Thanks for your reply




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O.H.

[Bill]

> I can record to audio tracks and compose this way.

True, But how do you know what you’re going to play? How do you know what the other instruments will be doing?

A sequencer holds every detail of your music before it’s performed. An HD recorder holds your music after it’s performed.

Think of the writer who dictates his novel to tape. It can be done. But if he wants to change a word, he has to re-record that passage. With a word processor, he could just change the word.

[gigaDiga]

I think what Bill\'s trying to say is that...

with a sequencer you can compose, arrange, bring dud notes onto the beat, delete other notes, change the instrument which plays the notes, even develop rhythms entirely through painting notes into the sequencer and never touch a drum pad, then randomising them.

with hard disk recording it would seem that the composing process is happening largely in your head. you think of what it\'s gonna sound like, you get some musicians to play it, then you record it to the hard disk. Beyond this there may be some effects, cutting and pasting etc but ultimately there is not the amount of tools to allow the composing process to carry forward which a sequencer has.


Perhaps it\'s as simple as...

you can compose with a sequencer but you can only arrange with a hard disk recorder.


gigaDiga


(why do I get the awful feeling I\'m about to be burnt at the stake for what I\'ve just said)

[OH]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=\"1\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bill:
> I can record to audio tracks and compose this way.

>True, But how do you know what you’re going to play? How do you know what the other instruments will be doing?

A sequencer holds every detail of your music before it’s performed. An HD recorder holds your music after it’s performed.

Think of the writer who dictates his novel to tape. It can be done. But if he wants to change a word, he has to re-record that passage. With a word processor, he could just change the word.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Bill. I definitely don\'t want to bore you, but:
every proper HD recording software allows cutting and editing, right? One can change a word and then rerecord just that step. With regard.

With regard to composing:
What is the difference in recording a track to HD and to a sequencer. If I don\'t want to use it I can silence it. From there I can record a second track and build my composition around it, right??? I can mute everything I don\'t want to hear. I can copy and delete. You see: There must still be something I am missing.



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O.H.

[OH]

>entirely through painting notes into the sequencer and never touch a drum pad, then randomising them.<

I see the advantage. SURE:
If I were a composer (and not so much a musician) who had melodies in his head and is able to directly write them into notes, it makes sense. But I am a guitarist, playing each and every track with his future Ztar or guitar-to-midi unit. I HAVE to RECORD each track (no step by step insertion of single notes). Isn\'t a HD recording program enough then???



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O.H.

[Bill]

> every proper HD recording software allows cutting and editing

It’s not that you can’t do it that way. Of course you can. That’s what people did before sequencers.

Working with a sequencer is faster and easier by a huge margin, and allows much greater control. That’s why people use them.

[Paul George Webb]

I use sequencers as compositional tool, much more than HD recorders. However, that\'s my style. The supreme law for creating music is: DO WHAT WORKS. If going directly the a HD recorder works best for you, then go for it! If writing music onto a paper score is what works, do that. If plunking out tunes on a piano works best, do that. Mozart composed entire symphonies in his head - every note, every instrumentation; and only then did he commit it to paper. I can\'t work that way.

HOWEVER, I think it would be a mistake not to learn how to use a MIDI sequencer. It\'s one of the basic tools of an electronic musician. You will never know how well it fits your style until you try it.

But, above all, just keep on creating music!

Paul George Webb

[gigaDiga]

OH...

I\'m actually not convinced that you, as a guitarist, need to delve into the world of sequencers. If you\'re music involves live guitar, live drums, singing etc then I\'d stick with what you\'re happy with, perhaps even look at hardware digital multitracks.

One thing you\'ll realise when you start looking at these types of forums is that working with software, sequencers, gigastudio, etc is a crazy juggling act that can, at times, leave you attending to technical computer problems when all you want to do is make music.

The reason why people like myself have the patience to bear with these frustrations is, more often than not, because we are using the computer, often via a keyboard controller, as our compositional instrument. Your Guitar never crashes whereas my computer does. I\'d stick with whatever helps you to get that music out if I were you.

peace

gigaDiga

[OH]

>I\'m actually not convinced that you, as a guitarist, need to delve into the world of sequencers. If you\'re music involves live guitar, live drums, singing etc then I\'d stick with what you\'re happy with, perhaps even look at hardware digital multitracks.<

Well. You see: I\'m a \"one-man-band\" and want to use Giga to help me make proper Pop/Rock/Jazz productions. I do not play piano, brass or drums, you know. I will get my Ztar in a few month. This midi-controller seems to be a guitarists\' dream and I think for using Giga I need a sequencer as suggested.

Thanks




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O.H.

[OH]

Working with a sequencer is faster and easier by a huge margin, and allows much greater control. That’s why people use them.[/B][/QUOTE]

Thanks to all of you for sharing your thoughts. Now the question. Which sequencer?
Do you think the new SONAR (Cakewalk) might be the all in one solution. Or do you think other sequencers are more complete or easier to work with?

Thanks again


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O.H.

[LHong]

>>>Well. You see: I\'m a \"one-man-band\" and want to use Giga to help me make proper Pop/Rock/Jazz productions. I do not play piano, brass or drums, you know. I will get my Ztar in a few month. This midi-controller seems to be a guitarists\' dream and I think for using Giga I need a sequencer as suggested<<<

Some comments for you as follows:

First, you most of us here are One-Man-band studio! Second, \"Pop/Rock/Jazz productions\" as basical composing does need pianos, guitars, basses, drums, strings, brass parts (tracks). Each parts must has own scale-scoring, you\'ll probably still need to learn the basic keyboard as the MIDI-Controller to enter (record) the melody or/and background-tracks. I mean the guitar-MIDI-Controller sometimes might be not comfortable (even for the guitar tracks), it\'s hard to have the piano, violin/orchs/brass tracks well done unfortunately. I don\'t own the Ztar but when I was using the GR-MIDI-synth (Roland), there was some limitation on the MIDI converter like semi-tone problems, velocities, MIDI noises (wierd events), etc (my friend also has same problem), it might be not a big deal when it\'s used as live! So just to have some ways to verify it works for studio before to purchase it, find the good one, might works!
Last, there are a few of Seq-MIDI-Audio available like Cubase, Cakewalk, Logic, when you decide to use the Sequencer, try to get the DEMO version then determine a better detail what you\'ll need. Other important things also are to make sure the Seqs would works in your PC-performance + soundcards + Gigastudio. I\'m sure you can find a lot of helpul informs in this forum.
Good lucks,
Long

[This message has been edited by LHong (edited 02-21-2001).]