8 years ago, when I first started making music, I had a chance to ask the legendary underground beatmaker Ohbliv about the gear he uses. He answered: "It doesn't matter what you use as long as you know what you are doing with it... It doesn't matter as long as you've got an EAR, that's your biggest and best instrument you have man." I couldn't forget this inspiring answer and I wanted to share here with you as well. Thank you for the wonderful video!
What if I told you, you are not stepping away from the computer, you're just lying to yourself. It's a computer that looks less like what you expected a computer to look like, but it's still a computer. If you put a sticker on your laptop that says "this is not a computer", or you removed the wifi adaptor from your laptop, would that help you? If it would, then do it. If you want knobs on your laptop, get a korg nanokontrol and velcro it onto the laptop.
@@WarrenPostma Yes, some hardware controllers can help for the "move away from the computer part". Probably everything that could minimize mouse clicks and looking at the computer screen will do the job. If you could also sit on the couch and not on the computer chair then it would be perfect! Probably Native Instruments Machine is such great controller.
@@WarrenPostma Hmm, good question. If you imagine NI Machine as another computer then probably the one with bigger screen is better. Maybe it was a bad example. Maybe just a controller that could replace mouse movements and clicks for the sound design could be a better example in that case. But, honestly, if someone is creative and has the talent to make music than he/she can do it on whatever device, with simple wooden sticks even. :)
@@mkpatashnik Right. I keep hearing that haptics matter, and I believe it, but I think haptics is a thing you can build by choice of controllers and software choices, as well as by buying dedicated hardware and learning to LOVE the limitations of that hardware, and let it drive your creativity, But that's just one of the dozens of possibilities that branch out before you, to enjoy.
Koala Sampler is also available on iOS (for $4.99) for anyone that doesn’t know. Flying Lotus mentioned in an interview that Koala on iOS is what he uses when he’s mobile and doesn’t have his whole setup with him.
14 years ago, when I started making beats, GarageBand was my first daw. I learned how to make beats though there, I remember when I used to tell people I started on GarageBand, they'll be like "wait really!?" It doesn't matter what you use at the end of the day. Just create!
I list my best budget stuff for music making Android Koala, caustic, gstomper, Ios Koala, beatmaker3, korg generell apps Games Korg nds m01, nds nitrotracker, psp beaterator, psx1 music 2000 (many oldschool dubstep artist used this software) Analog Po33 - jazzy lofi house, jazzy hiphop, jungle Po32 or maybe behringers new hirotribe - psytrance techno minimal Model cycle/sample Novation circuit But thaaaats it I am fully glad with caustic ikaossilator and my po33 But i think i buy some new stuff But my daw forever will be beatmaker 3
The best hardware I used in my opinion is my Novation Circuit. It doesn't have a screen and it has simple and fast workflow. I taught several people who thought they cannot write music in 40 minutes how to use it and they did their first songs after quick tutorial. All this variety of gear and software, and controllers are about interface. Some intefraces allow you to transform your idea into actual piece faster. Some interfaces are complex and require certain skill (like guitar). But the goal is the same - create a piece of music. Its bad when people are thinking that they need better gear to make better music. No, they need to master the interfaces they have right now.
For most people, the device sitting in their pocket right now is the most powerful computer they've ever owned and will be surpassed again with their next upgrade. If you're a musician you will find a way to make music with it. And it's better than doom-scrolling through Twitter. 😁
"For most people, the device sitting in their pocket right now is the most powerful computer they've ever owned and will be surpassed again with their next upgrade." I never thought of that! My desktop is such a big part of my life, I forget many people don't own a computer other than their phone.
Gear really doesn’t matter when it comes to how you make your tracks. As long it works, does what you want it to do, and you are equipped with the imagination and creativity to make unique things, you’ll go FAR. I literally started off on an iPad long ago and then again in 2019 on my PC chopping in a VIDEO EDITING PROGRAM 😅. I found what works good for me, and while it can be nice, you don’t need to spend much or even ANY money to peruse your creativity in music! All you need is a semi modern device and a vision
caustic i use for some years for fun. i liked immediately, because it reminded me of reason. you have a new follower. with the hiting the bell and everything. thank you. 😊
i needed this video. i've been under a groovebox rabitt hole quest. and yeah, the more I think about it, the more I notice that my free copy of ableton live "lite" is better than most of the $700+ music boxes.
SuperCollider, Sonic Pi, and Puredata are all free and very educational. Absolutely different approach to music and synthesis though than everything listed here. I figured I’d share since I have been learning PD & Sonic Pi to help with GAS.
Best budget music making device? For me, I'm using Bitwig on Pop OS 22.04, on my cheap and fast computer. The operating system is free (as in both the price and modding of the OS), compared to both Mac OS and Windows. The cheaper Bitwig 16 track-version I'm using cost around 100$. I connected my old MPD218 for midi. No timestretching of samples in Bitwig, but I use my ears and count the rhythm. It's all about using the talent you have, not about what gear you use. I need new headphones though :-)
I’ve spent the last two years deeply into iOS music, most people really don’t seem to understand how affordable and professional it is. Better than 90% of hardware available.
For anyone passing by here and thinking “you guys are crazy, mobile device…(palm) it’s ridiculous” confirming every word in the comment above. I left my mac-based production setup for iOS ~4yrs ago and really never looked back lool. and I really wanna stress attention in “affordable” part of the comment. Production software for iOS is in most cases more innovative in regards of user interaction because of multi-touch display is being #1 input condition in case of the OS and at the same time - having all the benefits of PC/Mac based DAWs/Plugins professionally-demanded features and capabilities, all the software is just dramatically lower in price than identical solutions for the laptops and desktops. I mean, you literally save a fuck-load of money on plugins/effects/synths and get much more technically progressive solutions in the end
@@phatplates Agreed. I've also spent a lot on hardware that could be replaced with software too. I just don't think it's really necessary. If someone is making it work without it, good for them.
This is some really great advice. It really puts the music making process in perspective. You're right. You don't need a lot of fancy gear to make music.
I dont know for ios, but for android you can plug any usb midi controller in if you need tacrile feedback. you can get a lot of good controlkers with synth keys, pads, sliders and knobs for less than 100 $ euros pounds. You can very easyly map any control on your controller to any control in fl studio or caustic. I am using flstudio mobile and most of the time I find its workflow better than flstudio or cubase. I only go back to a pc daw when I want to use a particulary nice VST like Vital, or BBC symphony orcestra (both free VST)
I wouldn't say the computers I already have are free, but I *would* say I've already *spent* that money and they're perfectly adequate for the job, so why spend *more* money?!?! Maybe it's just semantic hair-splitting on my part? Good point nonetheless. Like pro photographers will tell you, you don't need to rush out and buy the latest and greatest all the time. The best camera is the one you've got with you now. :D Actually, now that I think about it, my 10yo MacbookPro *was* free. It belonged to a friend's sister; she'd bought a new machine and this one was just gathering dust so she gave it away. It makes a terrific linux music workstation. :D
Clearly you do not have a real job. I do. I spend hours on a computer. The last thing I want to do is use my recreational music time on a computer screen. Now to figure out how to block this channel so I do not see it anymore.
Love this inclusive view on music making. I started on my phone. Then got a wack old laptop that could barely run 2 vsts. Then finally got a powerful Mac. But all those devices made good music.
This is a better movie. I was looking at the Korg Volca FM 2 however can see finding a decent FM synth over all platforms is better. My only gripe with apps is paying for one and the developer stops updating them. The Volca has 6 operators and the NFM does as well. NFM last had an update 2 years ago so the Volca is newer. It would be great to see a comparison movie of FM synths across platforms. Then other synths as well. Programming the DX7 was always difficult and some apps have done a better job. So a movie comparing iOS FM synths, then Mac, Windows and Android. The DXi app has a great UI, however limited features. I have used Dexed on Windows and even Web versions as well. I teach sound design in a school so always looking at different options.
Whoa! Nice! We used the same astronaut count sample. 👏 I have it on a track I released on an EP in 2014. Great minds think alike 😂 Love the channel and thanks for your insight 🙏🙏
Haha, it's so cool that you "tease" the OP-1 just like these music gear influencers :D Just to be told "No, you fcking prick, you don't need this shit at all!". Genius!
agree here, hardware is good if you want to disconnect from the digital and jam, but after using caustic 3, flmobile, koala, and more for a decade+ its more than capable of studio quality sound.
On The Beatles: "In 1967, tape editing involved cutting tapes with a razor and using sticky tape to attach the cut ends together." Today, I can put 100 tracks on a free copy of Reaper on a 7 year old laptop and make a decent song. All The Beatles used for Sargeant Pepper were 4 tracks total. In other words, the focus is not supposed to be on the gear looking cool, but the musical ideas from the artist. Thanks, Playpm. Bringing us back to reality!
Totally agree. I use to record my songs on tapes and multitracking with a walkman plugged in my stereo to add tracks over tracks.everything plugged via rca and jack.. that was good old time and it did sound good.
Is that guitar MIDI and did you build it or buy it? I’m 2 years into building guitars and I never thought to cut off everything around the pick guard! I gotta have one.
Hey Michael, I newly discovered your channel and have been really inspired to put together a pocket-sized portable rig. I have one main issue. My phone doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack. I got a splitter that allows me to plug in headphones and a usb c connection device. However, there seems to be a power issue and my controller isn't getting enough juice. I was thinking I could connect another splitter to the splitter I use now, hoping to add charging capabilities while using my controller and headphones. Can this be done on a Samsung s20?
@@eltripps9684 have your tried looking into "audiophile" bluetooth dacs? They have very, very low latency and should be workable with a daw. You may need to change the latency settings inside of your DAW. I know you said mobile device but I'm not sure if that would have those settings. Something to look into though. I would recommend the BTR7 and BTR5
I'm happy for you your phone is free. Mine is not. I just bought it for another reason then making music. But if you don't already have a smart phone (many people don't) then it may not be the cheapest way to make music. That's nitpicking because you are right that is a nice tool to make music. People tend to forget that the new generation of smart phones (or even an 3-4 year old ones) are more powerful then pretty much all hardware devices. There is not competition between an MPC One and a new smart phone for raw power. The point of the video seems to me to tell people they already own nice ways to make music. "Stay with the Mac you own if you don't fell the limitations" EXACTLY! It's my opinion that computer are powerful enough for music making since 15 years. So any device ten years old could be enough to make great music. The only reason to update it is because it is not used only for making music. This brings me to your opinion at the end; why do people use hardware? Are they thinking it would make better music with them? Of course, some think yes. Maybe because they believe the hype. Some need the tactile feel like you said. Some want to make music with their ear and not with their eyes. I like hardware because it makes me think about making music differently. All of the common reasons make no sense to me. I don't believe the hype like PE. Tactile feel can be achieve by just using controllers with a phone and by the way, the touch screen of the device is a great way "touch" the sound. Making music by ears with a phone is achieve simply by not looking all the time at your phone. It is much easier to do with a phone then with a tablet or a computer but that's just an habit to form. Personally that is why I like making music on my phone better. I have a old tablet with music software that I don't use.
On a side note, I'm really happy you decided and are able to make videos more regularly again. Your video are always nice and make me think (which is not the norm of music making videos!). Happy subscriber here!
@@maximerobin Have you used SunVox on Android? I’m curious about the latency. I like Fractal Bits and PixelWave, but I’m slightly intimidated by trying to operate a modular DAW on a 6-inch screen…
@@crnkmnky alot actually! I bought a cheap used old tablet for it and I curently use it on my iphone. The latency is quite alright. In fact, I don’t see a difference betwen sunvox on my iphone and sunvox on my old ZTE android tablet. That said I don’t use 10 reverbs on my tracks or record 10 tracks in audio at the same time. The only time I got latency is when I tried to put 16 fx chain and control the bypass of those with a midi controller. (I also tried it on a Raspberry PI with no latency)
Love your videos. I still use the iPad 6 with koala 🐨 and an old Mac book air. Having a nice sample library at your fingertips is amazing. I feel you, the modern world can really take a toll on someone’s creativity these days, living to make and spend money in repetition. It’s sad, we can’t stop change I’m afraid. So much technology and still it hasn’t made me a better musician honestly. Too much, too soon, and we don’t seem to perfect what has already been released before releasing a new product. Mass marketing. Do you enjoy fl mobile or GarageBand more?
Please do music making tutorial for android first, I guess many people underestimated android for music making (including me). One thing that bothers me so much is the latency
@@playpm I tried fl mobile, but the latency is just too much, even on the on-screen keyboard.. caustic is a bit better, but still not ideal for recording. drawing on piano roll is the only option.. lol
For me , in Caustic OpenSL option is great for solving audio latency, in FL studio you can try native or fast. I have a Redmi K30, CPU is snapdragon 730g, also not really powerful, but it's ok to do finger drum.
This point can't be made strong enough. Why are expensive digital guitar pedals even a thing (e.g., Strymon) when they are only crappy little computers that digitally process sound? They should do all that inside your laptop .They could sell the software and a controller box (pedal) but the pedal would only be a very well designed user-friendly midi controller for the software. I think companies like Arturia could sell midi control boxes that are specifically designed for individual software synths they sell - I LOVE great physical interaction. But the digital sound processing should all take place on a computer.
I've made some songs on FL Studio (videos in my channel) but I quickly ran out of inspiring sounds from the built-in synths. I haven't gotten into sound design there, but one thing I really appreciate with synths is the inspiration I get from great presets. For the most part, my songs start from a good preset and noodling around on a keyboard. That's very hard to do on a mobile in my opinion. Totally possible in a (free) DAW and a used $40 keyboard though.
I consider gear to be my next step and variation. I started to make music 20+ y.a., went through the most of the software created back then. Gear is just something different to bring inspiration and satisfaction like a new toy like a phone or other temporary stuff which we don’t use to 100%. So it’s like a matter of choice, I’m glad that I know I can achieve the result I need from different sources and loosing my gear won’t be the biggest lost in my life. But they are funny :)
i started out modestly a few decades ago recording and mangling tracks in audacity, then decided to buy a midi keyboard, which came with a five star collection of model synths, plus ableton live lite. suddenly, the computer cpu went through the roof. i got spooked and bought a basic set of hardware synths and things, as i began to lose trust in computers, with their operating system updates. if you install the latest update, it could damage the computer, old software won't run, the computer freezes or crashes things. old perfectly good software becomes obsolete, forcing one into the subscription system. however, things constantly change. glad to learn about what's happening these days
I knew there would be another desktop person here. 😅 Last year, I bought a refurbished workstation PC for video editing and music production. I haven’t used it much yet, but it performs pretty well.
Nowdays I'm using 2 desk computers (PC) conected to 2 audio interfaces. A digi 003 wich I use with Protools and a RME babyface pro to run Ableton live. I use Protools to record audio and midi tracks (notes or automation) and Ableton live for VST instruments and plugins for audio procesing. After many years of making music in diferent ways, I found that this way is what I was looking for.
I started making beats on an iPhone 3GS🤯🤯🤯😱😱😱😱😂😂😂😂and now my iPhone XS is my little beast in my pocket. Good wired earbuds and I can make beats anywhere easily. Create loops in GB and cook them in Koala and you’re good to go🏆
You are definitely the best adviser for us on budget amigo. Thank you fo da suggestions and keeping it real. You a KINGDADDI 👑🏓🎼like myself 💪🏾👑🎼🧜🏼♀️🧜🏼♀️
I would love to make music on my Pixel 4a phone, but the latency problems are still just enough to make it unsatisfying. Koala sampler especially has issues. So maybe I can make my Android phone the best music device, but I think it will have to be my next one.
Caustic is amazing, but I wish it would get updated. Ever since android 11 or so, it broke the file browser in caustic for navigating to your samples etc. Also, the midi sequencer could use a huge update to be more touch friendly with two-finger zoom etc.
well, I agree that a desktop or mobile app can replace any piece of gear in terms of functionality and ease of use, but still there are some pros in having a physical gear: - physical controls just feel more expressive and overall better than touchscreen or keyboard and mouse. yeah, you can get around that with midi controller, but midi controller is a form of gear); - I'm a designer, so my work requires a lot of screentime, and because of that I try to keep my hobbies away from pc or phone. devices like MC-101, Model:Cycles and Circuit don't have a (big) screen, so all the workflow is built around physical controls. also, all these devices are capable of making full tracks without pc or phone involved, so it's a perfect match for me; - sometimes limitations can boost creativity, because the more choices you have the more difficult it is to handle the process; - sometimes you just love the design of device and that gives you additional inspiration; but I also agree that you don't really need to spend a lot of money to make great music, and it's a good thing to be reasonable and think twice before buying something expensive if you don't really know why you need it or before buying a new gear if you already have a bunch of devices
What you probably want is a small midi controller, audio interface, and your current laptop. If you need a laptop, a used windows laptop around $200 will do.
Yesterday, a friend told me that she didn't have room in her life for a synth and was wondering what is the best first piece of gear to buy to start making electronic music without a lot of space. First, I sent her a link to this video. 👍 I love the concept of your channel!
God damn it, I tried my best but still become an online gear sales man aka gas trigger... It's a travel guitar branded Otenee here in China, cost me $60. Not sure if it's available outside here. But there's a similar brand called Traveler guitar, they sell Travelcaster model like this. but I won't pay more than $100 for this crap, I don't care the guitar tone as long as it's well tuned and playable, I'd rather buy a Squier Bullet with that money.
