Hacker News Reader

Comment by uranian | Hacker News Reader

A more appropriate title would be: Get started triggering samples.

Making music is really something different IMO.

I'm not an artistic musician, but it feels really satisfying to make something that is my own, even if musically it's really simple. Your comment is nothing but unnecessarily elitist.

There's space for all kinds of music, and for some, triggered samples under a grid is considered music.

Making music (also EDM) is really, really hard. Most people that try will fail, and Ableton knows that. They are just trying to sell their product here which is fair enough. But 'getting started making music' is like you only need their product, trigger some samples and you can be an artist too.

Try sit behind a drum kit for the first time, you think you can start making music? Most aspiring drummers need to practice for years before you can play a reasonable beat. Same with EDM, it takes many years of practice and improving all kinds of skills. This tutorial is just showing how you can trigger samples in a grid and how you can put this together in a DAW. For me that is not making music, sorry.

Btw, the resulting loops in the tutorial were not made by beginners, and listen to the result, is that music to you? Would you buy that? Another title that would be appropriate but not sell, could be: Get started making rubbish.

To be fair, as soon as you start messing with swing, it's no longer strictly a "grid" you're limited to. Timing and breaking the rules is where musical talent starts dancing with grids and boxes.

Ableton even recommend thinking beyond machine-perfect rhythm. https://www.ableton.com/en/blog/get-swing-drum-programming-t...

I find it funny the term "humanizing" is used in regards to adding swing. I guess no worse than a term like "moderate rock".

> But 'getting started making music' is like you only need their product, trigger some samples and you can be an artist too.

I mean, is that wrong? Unless you stick to some elitist definition of artist, why is someone who plays with these samples to create something not being an artist?

It's not wrong, just feels misleading. For me it's like Sublime text comes with a little tutorial with the title "Get started making apps", and only give an intro on making a hello world program in C++, to sell their product.

I don't get the problem with that either? Being an "artist", or "making apps" aren't hallowed titles. Are you treating it more like they're saying "You'll be a super successful musician" or "You'll be a multi-millionaire app maker"? Because I'm no seeing it like that.

Samples are just instruments, and sequencers are just composition tools. It's the end result that matters.

Oh so you're familiar with EDM?

Yes, studied music on the conservatorium and have been a professional producer for years doing pop and edm etc.. Used most of the known DAW's from FL to ProTools.

It's really not. Some of the most beautiful songs are just artfully arranged samples.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h5WJ6J6IlE

Everything is a remix, https://vimeo.com/14912890.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com