Examples of workflows

HI,

 

Is there a place here where I could find examples of workflows? I am not sure I will like all of them but having examples gives me ideas on how to enhance my own workflows.

 

thanks.

HI, Is there a place here where I could find examples of workflows? I am not sure I will like all of them but having examples gives me ideas on how to enhance my own workflows. thanks.

 

Not sure, but it would help if you could be a bit more generic and non-descriptive about what ever it is you are trying to accomplish.

sure:

 

Drum programming workflow (incorporating ultrabeat with ESX sampler when to do it: round robin, etc when to only use one program)

Changing between operations workflow (recording to mixing to mastering)

How to organize templates for better workflow

Evolution of workflows....how to get faster

matching workflows to skill level

"If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you'll never get it done."

~ Bruce Lee ~

not really my problem. My problem is that I jump in both feet first and then get lost. For example I tried working on my workflow and "predicting" the types of things I would want to do. So I create a template with things like an arpeggiator but then when I go into the template I get weird behavior and don't know if the routing of the arpeggiator is incorrect or can't remember the original use case I had in mind, so I delete it just to keep things normal. I also tend to do things the hard way always but would like to start getting out of that habit. Things like selecting various odd or even midi drum notes to quantize instead of the entire line, etc. I can continue to make music fine but it will be long and tedious without good workflows.

Maybe you are confusing creativity with work flow.

 

Workflow would be things like having a patch bay connected up to all your external gear, assigning instruments permanently to specific tracks, having a mix template set up, etc.

 

Where as creativity would be experimenting with sounds, trying different arpeggio patterns, adding echo to a vocal track, etc.

 

If you already have a four (or eight) bar idea, record it and then get creative. If you are starting completely from scratch, then you are in a creative stage and not a workflow stage.

 

When you leave you studio at the end of the day you should should have a good feeling about asking the question … "Did I do something productive?" While you are in the studio, you should remind yourself about being productive.

 

Interrupting creativity with workflow issues kills the productivity. Many musicians would spent hours in the studio with the tape rolling and just play whatever came out. Later on, everyone would listen to the tape and sift thru the noise in hopes of finding a good part that would fit the song.

 

Many of us get caught up in the creativity process during a work flow time. You may know all your parts and during the recording process (work flow), you stop to noodle around trying to find the perfect reverb setting for the hi hat (creativity). Save the mixing process for after, focus on the task at hand, which in this case would be recording all the parts.

 

I am still not sure what your typical workflow situation would be and how it is interfering with your creativity.

 

I also tend to do things the hard way always but would like to start getting out of that habit.

 

That's a simple fix.

Compare the hard way of doing things to the easier way of doing things and choose the easier way.

First of all thank you for your detailed response, I did get a lot from it especially this part:

Many of us get caught up in the creativity process during a work flow time. You may know all your parts and during the recording process (work flow), you stop to noodle around trying to find the perfect reverb setting for the hi hat (creativity). Save the mixing process for after, focus on the task at hand, which in this case would be recording all the parts.

 

Now for this part...

Maybe you are confusing creativity with work flow.

 

Workflow would be things like having a patch bay connected up to all your external gear, assigning instruments permanently to specific tracks, having a mix template set up, etc.

 

Questions I would ask are "WHY would I have certain tracks setup in a certain way?" due to what I want to ACCOMPLISH right? Well that changes, so I find myself removing things that I built just to make my life easier (ie simpler work flow).

 

Now this was my favorite..

 

I am still not sure what your typical workflow situation would be and how it is interfering with your creativity.

Me neither, I do different stuff (sometimes tracking live instruments, other times midi work,etc and I bounce around between them)

 

Compare the hard way of doing things to the easier way of doing things and choose the easier way.

 

That is my point of this post...to find the easier ways I don't know them.

Is there a place here where I could find examples of workflows? I am not sure I will like all of them but having examples gives me ideas on how to enhance my own workflows.

I have personally asked this question before but the truth is that everyone has different ways of working that they are comfortable with. I understand that you are gathering ideas right now, which is fine. You will need to try out a few different things and discover through osmosis what sticks and works. Here are some of my personal thoughts.

 

Drum programming workflow (incorporating ultrabeat with ESX sampler when to do it: round robin, etc when to only use one program)

Because Logic doesn't have specialized drum programming options like FL Studio or Ableton Live (I like Drum Racks and the built in Drum Machine in FL) the drum program question in Logic seems to get asked a lot around here. Now with the Drummer feature, Logic makes it so much easier to come up with a drum part which is almost too easy. Of course the Ultrabeat and EXS options are still there. And you can always get some sort of third party option like Geist or Battery.

 

Recently I've found that the best way to do drums (for me, anyway) is to place the drum samples directly onto it's own track, create a 4 or 8 bar loop, pack it into a Folder and then loop those Folders. By doing it this way, you eliminate the need for an extra plugin, you're dealing purely with audio and each component is already on it's track. And because you're dealing with Folders, you can manipulate everything as if they were regions. I admit, it is a little clunky but if you're using key commands it gets a little less clunky. Try it!

 

Changing between operations workflow (recording to mixing to mastering)

A lot of people will argue that it's better to mix as you go. But I've found that this makes you lose focus very quickly. I mean, I think you should get your sounds sounding decent in the beginning but there's no need to spend hour and hours on it. Spend a few minutes and proceed to continue writing/recording/getting your ideas down. This is where something like presets really come into play. Use your presets for your rough ideas. Once you have your track, then you can get into the mixing phase. Mixing will take some time depending on your abilities. Then when you're done with the mixing, move onto the mastering phase.

 

Several people might disagree with me, but you can compose, mix and master using Logic alone, and using Logic stock plugins alone.... depends on what you're going for/quality. Mastering is whole subject on it's own though...

 

How to organize templates for better workflow

Depends on what type of music you make. My personal journey with templates has been this: I started out building all sorts of templates for all sorts of situations. But in the end, I was never comfortable with them.. something didn't feel right. These days, I don't bother with them. However I do use Channel Strips a lot. I save Channel Strips and import them into the project I'm working on. This is my version of a 'template'.

 

If you do want to get into templates, I would suggest building templates based on all the different genres of music you plan to do. Make separate templates for rock, pop, EDM, film music, etc. Label them and put them in separate folders if you have a few templates for the same type of music. The basic principle when it comes to templates is that you should include the plugins you use the most and have all your routings configured in the Mixer, you should also have things like your preferred open Windows set up as well. A lot of the film scoring guys will definitely tell you that templates speed things up for them.

 

Evolution of workflows....how to get faster

Keyboard shortcuts. Use them. A lot. If you don't like the stock Logic keyboard shortcuts, change them. I NEVER use the Score Editor in Logic so I've taken those shortcuts and assigned those shortcuts to functions that I do use. Find out which functions you reach for the most when you're working and memorize the shortcuts for those functions or assign shortcuts to those functions (if they haven't been assigned yet) and memorize those custom shortcuts. For real speed, you should never have to look at your computer keyboard to do anything.. your eyes should always be on the monitor screen.

 

How do you get faster? As with anything, you need a lot of practice. The more you use Logic, the more accustomed to it you get, the faster you become. Luckily for us Logic users, Logic is super intuitive and you can get pretty fast with it even within a few weeks. Get to know all the Menus and where everything is.

 

Using a Magic Trackpad with shortcuts assigned to custom gestures gives me a lot of speed. But that's just me. Some people hate using the Trackpad and favor the conventional mouse. Again, this is all subjective and you will have to find what works for you. I hope I have given you some new ideas to try out and new concepts to think about. Good luck and enjoy Logic!

One thing I like to do is have a 'basic' template that has a few auxes already set up with reverb and delay, and sub mixes that I usually use in any project. That way if I'm building something and I want a bit of reverb its easy to send to "room verb" or "big verb" instead of getting bogged down in hunting for the perfect reverb sound. I've got about 4 instances of reverb preset for common settings from small to large.

 

Anything that I find myself doing a lot every time I start up a project I try to add to my basic template, that way it remains open and unrestricted but also has most of the miscellaneous work taken care of.

wow thank you Amp27 and 12AX7. this is huge. I would take much longer to reply but here is the quick version:

 

 

[list=]Thanks for letting me know that trying is normal not just a bad approach that will cause you endless misery

 

I am going to try your channel strip approach and thanks for letting me know you experience something similar with templates

 

Style of music is a great way to approach templates I will try that

 

I have a BCF2000 which I am learning and more shortcuts are on my horizon

 

For drums i am a little confused. First off when you say samples in stacked tracks are you talking about midi or real audio samples? I am not familiar with this method/concept, how would I quantize if it is audio? Also I am happy approaching drums the "logic way" without the drummer function but would like to know what that is...

First off when you say samples in stacked tracks are you talking about midi or real audio samples?

They are not stacks, they are Folders. And I meant real audio samples dragged onto the Main Window.

 

I am not familiar with this method/concept

Refer to this article if you are not familiar with Folders: Folders in Logic

Basically I'm using this concept but just for the drums. So I'll select the Kick, Snare, Hi Hat, and Percussion, and pack these tracks into a Folder. So I end up with a single drum Folder that I can loop/etc..

 

how would I quantize if it is audio?

Just place the samples correctly on the grid. For typical EDM, the kick would land on each quarter note, the snare on 2 and 4 and the hi hats on the eighth notes.

 

Also I am happy approaching drums the "logic way" without the drummer function but would like to know what that is...

You can use Ultrabeat or the EXS24. For Ultrabeat, use the Drag and Drop kit and drag your samples into it. Then you would either draw in your drum pattern in the Piano Roll or record the pattern using your MIDI keyboard. The EXS24 is a sampler, so you would simply load your samples into it and then sequence your pattern using the methods previously mentioned.

 

There are a lot of videos on YouTube that you can search around for if you need more information on this.

Yes I use Ultrabeat that way, I also have a folder hidden with all the mpc swing quantizations in a template. I was wondering if I was missing something basic with Logic drums (I am in the mode where I am moderately advanced but have gaps in knowledge also my flow is terrible and slow).

Yes I use Ultrabeat that way, I also have a folder hidden with all the mpc swing quantizations in a template. I was wondering if I was missing something basic with Logic drums (I am in the mode where I am moderately advanced but have gaps in knowledge also my flow is terrible and slow).

 

Then you're not missing anything really. You can also sequence within Ultrabeat itself when in Full View if you didn't already know that.

Yes I found sequencing in full view is great to get started but doesn't have fine grain control of various swing settings on various midi notes instead of the single knob for everything.

Yes I found sequencing in full view is great to get started but doesn't have fine grain control of various swing settings on various midi notes instead of the single knob for everything.

 

You're right. Everyone is hoping for some update to Ultrabeat or a brand new built in drum sequencer like FL Studio and Cubase have. I know I am.

Some notes on my drums workflow in logic.

 

I've abandoned using multi out ultrabeat and also don't use drum machine designer. At first look it looks nice, but at the end of the day you're quite unflexible with it. E.g. you cannot "bounce in place", in mixer you cannot just jump directly to ultrabeat instance from multi outputs, etc, etc...

 

Today I'm using one Ultrabeat instance per track (btw I see zero impact on performance comparing with multi out ultrabeat).

My custom made Ultrabeat banks have one drum instrument per bank: a bank with different snares, a bank with shakers, a bank with closed high hats, etc. Thus, on the midi track you can make a pattern with let say a closed hi-hat on C1. While playing your loop or region you can just press alt+arrow up / alt+arrow down shifting the midi notes and thus, select the ultrabeat sample/sound you find suitable for particular track.

 

My mixer looks usually like this:

 

Kick and snare/clap go to drums bus.

Kick --> Drums bus --> stereo out

Snare/Clap --> Drums bus --> stereo out

 

All the rest goes first to percussion bus, which goes to drums bus

Closed Hat --> Percussion bus --> Drums bus

Open Hat --> Percussion bus --> Drums bus

Tamb --> Percussion bus --> Drums bus

...

Shaker --> Percussion bus --> Drums bus

 

The idea behind this is to be able to process everything besides kick and snare/clap coherently. I usually use slight compression, EQ (cutting lows) and sidechaining if needed. I also sometimes send this bus to "New York Compression" bus.

 

From time to time I'm also creating separate buses. For example if I use more than one shaker it might be useful to create a "shaker" bus and put compressor or distorsion on it in order to glue all sounds together or change them in a coherent way. Another candidate might be the Snare/Clap bus, if I want to glue and process snare and clap together. Same for hi hats, etc... you name it.

 

As already mentioned above there is also a Kick Sidechain track/aux with no output and "New York Compression" bus.

 

I'm mostly in the house genre and I think my workflow can be genre specific.

But you might find this useful anyway

 

Cheers,

Alex

Some notes on my drums workflow in logic.

 

I've abandoned using multi out ultrabeat and also don't use drum machine designer. At first look it looks nice, but at the end of the day you're quite unflexible with it. E.g. you cannot "bounce in place", in mixer you cannot just jump directly to ultrabeat instance from multi outputs, etc, etc...

 

Today I'm using one Ultrabeat instance per track (btw I see zero impact on performance comparing with multi out ultrabeat).

My custom made Ultrabeat banks have one drum instrument per bank: a bank with different snares, a bank with shakers, a bank with closed high hats, etc. Thus, on the midi track you can make a pattern with let say a closed hi-hat on C1. While playing your loop or region you can just press alt+arrow up / alt+arrow down shifting the midi notes and thus, select the ultrabeat sample/sound you find suitable for particular track.

 

My mixer looks usually like this:

 

Kick and snare/clap go to drums bus.

Kick --> Drums bus --> stereo out

Snare/Clap --> Drums bus --> stereo out

 

All the rest goes first to percussion bus, which goes to drums bus

Closed Hat --> Percussion bus --> Drums bus

Open Hat --> Percussion bus --> Drums bus

Tamb --> Percussion bus --> Drums bus

...

Shaker --> Percussion bus --> Drums bus

 

The idea behind this is to be able to process everything besides kick and snare/clap coherently. I usually use slight compression, EQ (cutting lows) and sidechaining if needed. I also sometimes send this bus to "New York Compression" bus.

 

From time to time I'm also creating separate buses. For example if I use more than one shaker it might be useful to create a "shaker" bus and put compressor or distorsion on it in order to glue all sounds together or change them in a coherent way. Another candidate might be the Snare/Clap bus, if I want to glue and process snare and clap together. Same for hi hats, etc... you name it.

 

As already mentioned above there is also a Kick Sidechain track/aux with no output and "New York Compression" bus.

 

I'm mostly in the house genre and I think my workflow can be genre specific.

But you might find this useful anyway

 

Cheers,

Alex

 

I do something very similar but instead of Ultrabeat, I use the EXS24. I also use one instance of the EXS24 per instrument. I favor the EXS24 because I can load each instance of the

EXS24 with 128 samples.. I think Ultrabeat only allows for 25 sample at a time. It's really cool and efficient because I can simply change the position of the MIDI notes to test out each of the 128 samples loaded and hear it in context as well.

I used to run EXS24 before, but finally switched to UB, since I'm feeling more flexible while adapting/manipulating drum samples in UB.

However I think it is still a matter of personal preference.