do you usually record or click and drag?

[mahogare]

i only click and drag in fl studio because i don't know how to play something in tempo. are there any pros in recording?

[slowfreq]

I've been writing music for 16 years and I can count on one hand the number of times I've recorded my notes in. I always click them in. With that said, every other producer I talk to thinks I'm weird for this, so take it with a grain've salt.

[Possibly]

I tend to play things in where I can, but will occasionally do a bit of point and click.

My feeling is that playing things/or trying to is a good way of improving on that instrument. After all, the only real way of improving is by doing - and playing an instrument should be fun and something that you want to do and improve at as a musician/producer.

If you can't play something at a particular tempo, slow it down in your DAW to a tempo that you can play it at and record that way, then speed it up.

I don't think there's anything wrong with drawing in stuff - I just think there is sometimes a risk that it can end up a little robotic.

Ultimately, only you can decide the best way to express yourself and what your ideal workflow is, but it takes effort, whether you focus that effort on playing an instrument well or production chops, or some middle ground.

[Daru925]

I got tired of only clicking in fl studio piano rolls - because i want to input and hear one chord, not just one note- bought a small midi keyboard, that came with ableton live lite.

The various ways you can record and re-record ideas without ever clicking; and not needing to play in real time either, got me hooked.

Just one example, hyrbid beetween click and playing notes. (skip to 2:45)

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

Fl studio probably has similar features.

TLDR: buy a cheap midi keyboard even if you still mouseclick the notes afterward. Game changer.

[FinaLee]

At 12/26/23 11:04 AM, Possibly wrote: I don't think there's anything wrong with drawing in stuff - I just think there is sometimes a risk that it can end up a little robotic.

This is the crux of the argument from certain circles, especially older producers, and I would say there is some validity to it.

If you look at some songs that predate the drum machines, you’ll probably see a range instead of a single number for the tempo (or an average if they really want to stick with one number). This is because the band was often playing along to the rhythm section in recordings, which meant that there was going to be some pull and drag in the tempo. Even the best percussionists couldn’t possibly be expected to play exactly on a grid, so if that’s the foundation for a beat, then you’re realistically going to get a tempo of something like 138-142 instead of 140.

This human “error” can be very subtle to the casual listener…to a point. They often have a hard time describing the stylistic marker of a band that is not playing directly on a grid without being presented some extreme examples. They use words like “groove” or “flow” on the slight chance they recognize that something is giving the song another dimension, but more often than not, they don’t really put a lot of thought into it.

Which leads us to today, where even genres that extensively use recorded instruments are quantized into a grid anyways, leading to a bunch of grumpy old men and hipsters huffing and puffing about how music today just doesn’t hold a candle to THEIR music that’s totally awesome and the pinnacle of sound design.

My take is that if you’re making anything that can easily fall under the umbrella of “electronic music,” then don’t worry about recording notes. If you are into rock, metal, or anything that requires wearing a bow tie were it to be performed live, then consider operating off the grid.

I will note that while today’s rock producers still quantize recordings, it’s not to the point where everything is precisely on the line. They’ll give one kick drum note a few millimeters to the left, another to the right, etc in order to avoid said robotic sound.

[SpazOmmo]

It depends on what I use

[ironmmlp]

i record and then edit

i record for giving me an idea of what i want to do, and then edit for correcting what i record.

[vestik]

At 12/26/23 04:28 AM, mahogare wrote: i only click and drag in fl studio because i don't know how to play something in tempo. are there any pros in recording?

It depends on what you're comfortable with. I personally prefer to click them in, recording just makes me feel off-beat especially if my audios and headphones are messed up, you get me?

[Czyszy]

I never record MIDI in FL Studio, because of the very high latency and unprecise keystroke tracking.

FYI I have a very old computer and I'm forced to set my Block Size to fricking 1024 cuz otherwise the CPU pops and crackles are unbearable. Even when I'm recording live guitar or vocals, I can't monitor via FL Studio because of that latency, thus I have to mute FL and then monitor directly from the interface. :( So, input FX? Sorry, but nope.

[d00dfayz]

All depends on the kind of sound I'm going for.

For drum machines that are supposed to sound like drum machines, I always draw the notes in on a step sequencer. But for a looser Dilla style hip hop beat it might be better to record the drum hits.

For basslines and non-pad synths, I might record it and then quantize or I might plot the entire thing into the sequencer. But I always record the pads manually and leave it mostly unquantized unless it's a fat no-attack type of pad that needs precise timing.

And then there is the Roland MP600 which is a synth that sounds a little bit like a piano and has no MIDI (it's from the late 70s). I either play that live and record it, or if I only need stabs or house chords, I'll record one stab and one chord at a time and sequence it in the DAW.

[Nue22]

At 12/26/23 04:28 AM, mahogare wrote: i only click and drag in fl studio because i don't know how to play something in tempo. are there any pros in recording?

Not really. It creates a layer of complexity that is totally not necessary. After trying to incorporate midi keyboards and controllers multiple times, I realized that most DAWS have a capability equal to or higher than any MIDI controller, so using one is kind of redundant. It can't be compared to a "live" instrument, because at the end of producing, most people will look to finely tune their automation and notes anyway, making it a setback for the average DAW user, so it isn't helpful other than to create a rough draft, but even then, doing that will take a completely different set of skills to be able to do.

[Nue22]

Blip, your music isn't bad btw.