I thought I’d start by writing casually about creative processes.
Who’s with me?
I have one guiding principle regarding my tools:
“As little external dependence as possible.”
This means: operating as much as possible within a closed system; virtually no plugins; no external communication with other computers; No AI ! (Not least because AI is extremely detrimental to one’s own creative genius.)
This became established for me very early on due to my live performances.
Because anything that happens outside the “inner core” jeopardizes robustness and stability. The biggest nightmare for a live performer is a crash during a performance..
And I can tell you: in over 20 years, I’ve had exactly
⨠⨠ ZERO
crashes. And I’ve played a lot. Furthermore, I still work with 15-year-old equipment—and it still runs—well, at least up to a certain point at producing, where the CPU can’t keep up. 😂
But that’s why every feature I consider for inclusion has to undergo a rigorous stress test to pass.
For example, I’m a big fan of the “ZL Equalizer” because, for being open source, it’s incredibly versatile. However, I wouldn’t recommend using it in a live performance, as it’s possible for it to suddenly stop working and simply pass through the unprocessed audio data. 🤷🏻
Dear fellow producers, what about you? Feel free to share your experiences and workflows. I’m definitely extremely curious and always eager to learn new things. 🤗✍🏼