Following on from their Start Something campaign last year, which looked at the genesis of musical ideas, Novation recently made a video series about what they call “the tougher side of music making” — working to Finish Something.
Spending a month traveling around the UK and US, Novation staff talked with a range of artists about how they close out their compositions. Their big question: How do *you* finish something?
Answers ranged from making the final touches, to taking a couple of riffs and loops, to reviving compositions that had lain fallow for years, to letting go of paralyzing perfectionism, all the way to feeling satisfaction with the finished article. The results are highlighted in the video, below.
To help provide a little technical expertise to go along with the project-finishing motivation of the video, Enrique from Novation has produced a series of seven short (two to five minute) videos stepping the user through basic processes that you might consider.
Part 1: Making beats with Circuit, MiniNova and Bass Station II
Part 2: Tracking out audio & MIDI stems to Ableton
Part 3: Using MIDI from Circuit to create additional textures
Part 4: Use Launchpad Pro drum racks to add variation
Part 5: Complete arrangement using Launchpad Pro
Part 6: Perform the arrangement
Part 7: Hands on mixing using Launch Control XL
The full series is embedded as a playlist above.
and ?
It was suppose to be an 8 part series, but they only managed to finish the 7 parts.
Where did you get “8 part series” from? There are 8 videos: an intro and 7 “parts”, but I don’t see anything here claiming there would be specifically 8 “parts”.
Am I the only one who really hates the term “making beats”?
I don’t think you are alone, as I am a standing right behind you as I type this.
“let’s make a beat”, does sound like something a 5 year old would say. So, what are the alternatives for the term “making beats”? If I am asked I sometimes go for; “I’ve been f*cking some sh*t up”.
playing music?
well. they did manage to finish something
Eh, sometimes calling a piece of music a “song” or “composition” feels like a bit of a stretch. To me, “beat” implies a sort of disposable and workmanlike quality; a work of craftsmanship, rather than art.
How about finishing the Novation Circuit so that it has Sampling capabilities.
is you look at the video, you’ll see there’s 8 videos in this set.
How to finish something? You just need a vision and some instruments. Don’t need all that.
How about Novation finishing Supernova 3 already??? 😉