Game changers

[MetaDronos]

There are some instruments/effects/etc that become real game changers for music we create.
Powerful tool can expand all ways of expression in our music.

My list of (r)evolutional steps (in random order):

* ValhallaRoom
* iZotope Iris
* M-RGT Ambitron
* MMultibandReverb
* PhotoSounder
* SpectrumWorx
* HG Fortune's synths
* Audiobulb Ambient
* Reaktor (it opened the whole universe of great ensembles for me)
* ValhallaShimmer

What is your list of game changers?

[Thought Experiment]

This could be an interesting thread. Here's my list in the order in which they occurred to me:

- Sonic Charge: MicroTonic2 (the version where morphing was introduced)
- Camel Audio: Cameleon 5000
- Audio Damage: Automaton
- Linplug: Cronox 3 (the version which introduced morphable filter-types - yes, I like morphing :D )
- Valhalla DSP: UberMod
- Sonic Charge: Permut8
- AnarchySounds software: Anarchy FX suite (particularly Spectral AutoPan)
- AnarchySounds software: Anarchy Rhythms

[john k-n]

Game changers... let's see a little more personal on my list. :-)

* realizing at such a young age I liked to "just play" piano more than what the teacher wanted me to play. (1970's)

* the rented gigantic Clarion 4-track cassette deck we'd get for a week at a time (and rented Korg Super Drums and Super Percussion) (1984-1986 era)

* buying my first synth - a Siel DK-600 - a weird mix of digital with analog (1985)

* buying my korg dss-1 synth and korg sdd-1200 dual delay in 1987 - both I still have and both are very much part of my sound

* learning controlled feedback loops with my peavey xr-600 head and pounding on it to make the reverb springs rattle

* due to lots of reasons - picking up bass and finding it really was part of me like a piano is (1989)

fast forward...

* computer? music? giant tape deck in a computer? holy cow! several apps before finding Vegas 1 and Vegas 2.0 which i used for years (1996-2005)

* mp3.com - where so many things started for me - meeting and connecting with all those other people that like ambient - some friends i still have (2000 ish)

* Fruity Loops - I used 3.0 or 3.5 for so long it's ridiculous - I miss it now (I'm all mac now)

* doing sub.terra on The Foundry label - having Vidna Obmana, Saul Stokes, M Bentley remix my material? Wow. how fantastic... and my first project that was fully "mine" on actual CD. (I had a remix prior on a Hypnos cd).

* my days co-owning AtmoWorks and then launching Relaxed Machinery - so many good friends, connections, so much good music - joining AtmoWorks - leaving AtmoWorks - launching Relaxed Machinery all three were major game changers in different ways for me personally



* Biggest game changer? digital... cdbaby, bandcamp - huge change in getting my music and my artist's music to ears, and getting other people's music into my ears. Total unstoppable game changer.

[seismic1]

Playing in a band with a Mellotron back in the '80s. That gave us such a big live sound. Now I use VSTis for those sounds, but they can still make the hairs on the back of my neck tingle.

[GaryG]

Could be Tracktion for me.

Had dabbled with a few DAWs before but when it came along a decade ago, it kind of proved I *could* do what I wanted/imagined on a computer. Before that I felt all the more traditional DAWs (cubase etc) were just extensions of the hardware recorders I'd used before without the patchability. Tracktion showed me you could be just as experimental with patching etc. And obviously without the limits of hardware (woo, six reverbs in a row... )

Shame it never kept pace on the development front though hopefully it will rise again once the current 'catch up' is done.

Another changer was reading an interview with *someone* (wish I could remember who...) in the early 90s who was making music purely with feedback techniques (inputless mixer stuff). Finally got me out of the 'instrument/sound generator into effects' paradigm, it's legitimate to just mess around with effects and process the inherent noise if it's what does it for you etc.

[[Aphelion]]

Everything Spectrasonics make. Kontakt, Reaktor, Rob Papen's stuff, Massive, Altiverb and Dubdelay plugins, Guitar Rig.

[GregH]

70's = morley wah volumepedal, ARPAxxe, 2-track cassette recorders, a book on recent classical music, the name of which I can't remember, realising guitars could be tuned to anything at all
80's = 4 track reel to reel, Yamaha DX21
90's = convolution, field recorder (mini disc)
00's = Kontakt, AdamA7 monitors to finally hear things,this made a huge difference, good headphones Beyer DT250's, Jackson guitar with sustainiac pickup, Reaper-shouldnt underestimate this. Adobe Audition- shouldn't underestimate this one either

[GregH]

This could be an interesting thread. Here's my list in the order in which they occurred to me:

- Sonic Charge: MicroTonic2 (the version where morphing was introduced)
- Camel Audio: Cameleon 5000
- Audio Damage: Automaton
- Linplug: Cronox 3 (the version which introduced morphable filter-types - yes, I like morphing :D )
- Valhalla DSP: UberMod
- Sonic Charge: Permut8
- AnarchySounds software: Anarchy FX suite (particularly Spectral AutoPan)
- AnarchySounds software: Anarchy Rhythms

thanks for that mention of anarchysounds-I'd never heard of them and they look pretty interesting

[KrisM]

Octatrack - the single most versatile piece of gear I own.
OP-1 - the most inspiring, and quite versatile. Easily stands on it's own, too.
EWI 4000S - a self-contained wind instrument that I can play expressively and record easily (no mics, pres, etc)
Five12 Numerology - software. yo dawg, I heard you like step sequencers. so I made you a sequencer that you can modulate with sequencers so you can sequence your sequencers with sequences.

[S1gnsOfL1fe]

Octatrack - the single most versatile piece of gear I own.
OP-1 - the most inspiring, and quite versatile. Easily stands on it's own, too.
EWI 4000S - a self-contained wind instrument that I can play expressively and record easily (no mics, pres, etc)
Five12 Numerology - software. yo dawg, I heard you like step sequencers. so I made you a sequencer that you can modulate with sequencers so you can sequence your sequencers with sequences.

A hardware guy! Very nice. I assume you'd be using Numerology to control all that luscious hardware?

I'm a huge fan of Numerology. Been using it for years and on the beta team for N4. In touch with Jim from Five12 and going to hopefully get him on the ambient online podcast sometime soon! :tu:

Cheers and welcome to the forum Kris!

-S1gns

[Ciberithm]

First game changer was the introduction to ambientonline.org - thanks S1gns.

Second would be spending the time to learn how to use Ableton Live. The creative possibilities using just the built-in sounds and effects are great, but I also use Valhalla Room and Shimmer, Nomad Factory Magma, and Fabfilter effects. The sampler in Live Suite is good enough for my needs, so I rarely use Kontakt for anything other than playback of existing library sounds.

Third would be getting a decent controller. I'm now playing automation instead of drawing it. It's a lot easier and more expressive. I'm using an Arturia Keylab 49 with Live. It has Live mappings out of the box; volume, expression, and breathe controller inputs; lots of knobs and faders; and even after-touch.

[KrisM]

A hardware guy! Very nice. I assume you'd be using Numerology to control all that luscious hardware?

I'm a huge fan of Numerology. Been using it for years and on the beta team for N4. In touch with Jim from Five12 and going to hopefully get him on the ambient online podcast sometime soon! :tu:

Cheers and welcome to the forum Kris!

-S1gns

Thanks for the welcome I love Numerology, but the Octatrack is my sequencer (no computers allowed on my table :D ). I keep it installed on my MacBook Air because there are times when it's all I have with me, and it's still an amazing 'DAW' of sorts. Can't wait for 4 to drop.

[S1gnsOfL1fe]

First game changer was the introduction to ambientonline.org - thanks S1gns.

No doubt!!! That's what this site is here for...the game changer for ambient folks. To offer so much variety and inspiration that anyone who comes across the words that lie within these forums is permanently changed...forever! :thumbsup:

That's the goal anyway...but it's nice to hear about those who we actually connect with.

Cheers my friend!
-S1gns

[Intro Spectral]

For me, Ableton Live and the realization that my music is my OWN to make :D

[Evata]

here's some guideline on Ableton http://downloads.ableton.com/misc/ma...guidelines.pdf