limitations among musicians?

[Maya Clars]

Do you think limitations make musicians more creative? We're used to think that only with creative freedom you can write whatever your mind came up with, but It also can be difficult when you have a lot of options, for example 100+ plugins. I feel like when there are some limitations, you brain gets more creative and experimental. What do you think?

 

[PitchTempoAndriy]

A useful constraint has a clear musical purpose and an escape hatch. For example, try finishing a rough arrangement with one instrument, one reverb and no new plug-ins. Set a short deadline, then listen back and name the actual problem: weak melody, crowded rhythm, or lack of contrast. Add another tool only if it solves that problem.

It helps to separate composing from polishing, too. Limiting the sounds while writing can reduce auditioning; keeping that limit during the final mix might just hide something the song needs. You could make two short versions of the same idea, one restricted and one unrestricted, and compare which decisions improved the music. The useful measure is the result, rather than how few tools were used.

 

[TalismanRich]

Limitations don't equal creativity. If you write lyrics do you limit the number of words you can use? Would you limit yourself to 4 chords if the song would be better with more?

I've never felt like I needed to use every plugin, microphone, track etc on a DAW. People talk about going with tape because it limits your options making you more creative. For me, that's poppycock. Back when I had 4 tracks to use, it was mostly a source of frustration, not a "creative limitation". I hate bouncing tracks, was never happy with the results. I couldn't afford a 16 track machine, so it pretty much stopped me from recording, except for doing some live stuff.

Once I got digital (16 tracks), it brought me back to doing recordings at home. Now, I use whatever resources I need, but tended to operate in a linear mode, not unlike tape. I might have 4096 tracks available today, but I don't need to use them. You could punch in with tape, you can punch in with digital. No difference. I don't really assemble songs from snippets and samples. Get a full drum track, play a bass track all the way through, do a guitar part. I'll do vocals as much as I can, but tend to screw up verses, so I'll record verses over if I need to (I usually do!!) I'll do guitar solos on a track, but it' will normally be done complete, not assembled.

I've mixed songs for others that had 20 or so tracks, but it was nothing that couldn't have been on a 24 track tape machine. It might be Bill's lead on one track, Mary's harmony vocal on another, Becky's harmony vocal on a track, Becky's second harmony on a track. That has nothing to do with creativity.

The only thing that digital has that tape doesn't is the undo button and that's a great function to have.

 

[rob aylestone]

Limitations make musicians less creative. There is a huge difference between somebody who is musical and somebody who isnt. A friend of mine from the 70s always wanted to be in the bands. The trouble was, using what we know today, was that he was a producer, not a musician. He could play tuned instruments and ended up as a drummer. An awful one. He couldnt keep time, he couldn’t do fills in the time available and he could not repeat the same thing or remember what he had played. Really nice guy. Eventually he moved into another interest, making money. He was very good at it. Now, he has returned to music with AI and nice gear. It’s awful. While AI can be useful, I guess, it needs steering. He can’t steer because as a musician, he is limited. He is like a chef, buying a bag of every ingredient and throwing them in a pot. That does not make him a cook?