Advanced Sound Canvas units (SC-88pro and up) really worth it?

[Justus]

BTW: Don't you think that many times the songs have "their own life"? I mean that when I'm making my sequences, most times the final result has little to do with regard to the original idea or plan

Yeah, I pretty much NEVER completely adhere to the original plan.  Like I said, the plan's not important.  It's only important to have one.  I don't really spend as long making it as it probably sounds.  I do find it useful to write in English what I want out of the music though.  Don't you ever get several hours into writing a piece of music and just go off on some wild and inappropriate tangent sometimes?  This used to be a really big problem for me.  Now, I know when I'm getting too far off-base.  Of course, whenever I have those crazy ideas, I'll write them down and save 'em for something else.

I guess my approach to music is a weird mix of left and right brain.

No, I think all of the Sound Canvases have controllable filters. In the SC-55 - SC-88Pro, the cutoff frequency and resonance are controlled via NRPNs. With XG, and in the SC-8820/8850, the NRPN control is still there, but you also have the option of using defined CCs.

Ah, NRPNs.  Yeah, that's how I had to control the filter on the Sound Blaster Live soundfonts (an undocumented feature that almost nobody knows about on the SBLive, I might add.  Damn you Creative Labs!)

Do you suppose you could use something like MIDI Ox to force controllers to manipulate filter NRPNs?  It's been a little while since I played with that program.  That might make it easier.  Cus yeah, it was a pain in the butt to do filtering on the SBLive!

[Tom]

I know when I'm getting too far off-base.  Of course, whenever I have those crazy ideas, I'll write them down and save 'em for something else.

When I write, I go wherever my spirit and the music lead me. I don't plan it out at all, beyond the particular style and mood that I'm wishing to create.  The music flows in any direction I'm feeling at the time.  I don't mind going far off-base, as long as I don't lose the original goal completely...and as long as it makes sense, musically.

[MusicallyInspired]

I know what you mean. Sometimes I completely abandon the original ideas. A couple songs on my site are examples of that. A New Dimension and The Spiral Sky. Both were meant to sound completely different. I don't care at all if it takes on a life of its own. Sometimes it can be fun. And if I still really wanted to do what the original idea was I'd make two pieces.

[BlueMax]

I know how that can go!  I have some original sketches on paper for one of my competition-winning pieces.  Stuff like intros and bridges and noodly stuff in the middle is all completely different.  Only the basic plan and melody remained static. 

[MusicallyInspired]

I don't know how you guys write stuff down on paper. I tried it once...never worked out. I couldn't write music to save my life. I either burn things into my brain to remember later or record little pieces of music as WAVs and go back to it later on.

[Justus]

When I write, I go wherever my spirit and the music lead me. I don't plan it out at all, beyond the particular style and mood that I'm wishing to create.  The music flows in any direction I'm feeling at the time.  I don't mind going far off-base, as long as I don't lose the original goal completely...and as long as it makes sense, musically.

Exactly.  It doesn't matter how the music is written as long as you're writing the music you want to write.  That's the bottom line.

In my experience though, there are many different music-writing methods that are worth trying out, because sometimes I can make completely different kinds of music depending on the methodology.

For instance, if I abandon computers completely and write all my notes out by hand on manuscript paper using an acoustic piano, I can write music that sounds completely different than when I use Finale.  If I write music by recording random phrases into an MPC and then sequencing those, I can do things that don't sound even remotely the same.  Ultimately though, when I'm not just farting around and I need to produce music in an established style, I am the most comfortable using the method I mentioned....but everyone's different, and every musician approaches the "task" of music differently.  That, and learning alternate music writing methods is in some ways more difficult than learning to play a new musical instrument.

I don't know how you guys write stuff down on paper. I tried it once...never worked out. I couldn't write music to save my life. I either burn things into my brain to remember later or record little pieces of music as WAVs and go back to it later on.

Like anything else musical, it takes practice.  Since I had already played violin in orchestras for years before writing any music, I could already read music about as quickly as I read English, so it wasn't a big deal.  From there, writing it was as natural as going for reading to writing English.  This is especially true if you're a good sight-singer.  I will say this though: if you simply record ditties of melodies and then regurgiate them later for your music making, you must have a really good ear!

[BlueMax]

Paper requires being able to read music pretty well, as well as being able to "hear it in your head" accurately enough to be able to write it down without having to plunk away on the keyboard to hear the note that's in your head.  Of course, it's such a distinctive method, everyone has a different composing style, including the writing process.

I wish I could just break the gaming addiction and spend my evenings writing music instead of relaxing with an hour of "Sims" or whatever.    Well over 20 years of computer gaming is hard to break....  I *want* to write music - but after a long, hard day I also just want to relax... something that doesn't require any effort. 

Good music requires effort. 

[Tom]

Dianne's an excellent piano sight reader; no different than reading a newspaper for her; she plays what she reads with little of no errors, at speed.  I, on the other hand, am hopeless.  When I was young and first learned guitar, I could read for guitar pretty well (didn't require guitar tabs for chords, either.)  Those days are long gone, though, after I became more proficient playing by ear -- and let my reading skills dwindle.  These days, I only play for fun, anyway. 

Dianne will occasionally score what she writes using Finale.  That's so she can share a piano piece with her students.  I never do.  Only rarely do I create a tablature if I use new chords that I'm not familiar with; and only when Dianne and I play together.

[Alistair]

Interesting guys, very interesting.

As for this comment:

I wish I could just break the gaming addiction and spend my evenings writing music instead of relaxing with an hour of "Sims" or whatever.    Well over 20 years of computer gaming is hard to break....  I *want* to write music - but after a long, hard day I also just want to relax... something that doesn't require any effort. 

Good music requires effort. 

Although I don't write music/compose generally, I have the same syndrome as BlueMax with game music enhancing. It's really tough- RPG's, or Diablo II, or playing something with the wife, or.. soundtracks? Soundtracks rarely wins- I wish I had the discipline of Tom and could churn out 5 or more tracks at a time- I rarely get 5 tracks done in a 2 or 3 hour session.

Regards,
- Alistair