Ricky Enger
after all the #movuary posts, I have questions about whether it makes sense for me to #MoveIntoMusic, or something. I have a birthday coming up and this seems intriguing. Here's my situation. I've played an instrument before but my skills are quite basic and I have almost no experience making multi-track things. Not looking to set the world on fire, just want a fun creative outlet. I'm playing with Ableton Note right now, and it's fun save for how difficult it is to play what I want using the on-screen pads. Questions: I have very little space, i.e. could I play this thing on my lap?
I don't have an external midi controller (see also lack of space) but given my current skill level, would the onboard pads likely be enough?
I'm fine with a learning curve, but am curious how much I could realistically do almost immediately.
Is something like this overkill for someone starting from my level? If so, what's a more sensible and accessible alternative?
What glaring thing have I not considered but should have?
Mar 2 at 12:19pmWeb
Show threadBorrisMar 2
@ricky_enger One. Yes. Two. Yes. Three, also yes. Do it.
Show threadBorrisMar 2
@ricky_enger Don't think of it too much like a traditional instrument. It can be if you want that, but it isn't like a straight up regular midi controller. I promise, you can have all kinds of fun even if you basically don't have a clue about music for the most part. Also, now has never been a better time to get into Move, thanks to the move everything project.
Show threadRicky EngerMar 2
@BorrisInABox That sounds ideal. What I don't understand yet is how editing works. I know I can play something and if I like it, I can capture it. Or I can start recording and then play something. Given that perfection in the first time out is unlikely, what's the process of fixing mistakes? Or fine-tuning something? Does it happen on board the unit, or is that where something like Ableton Live comes in?
Show threadBorrisMar 2
@ricky_enger Put it this way. I have still not yet installed Ableton live. I have no idea how it works. I've been using move for 1.5 years. So, yeah, everything I've done has been on device.
There is the handy undo button, plus you can edit things at the step level, which is determined by the quantize parameter. You can cut, copy and paste notes or entire bars within clips, rearrange clips, all that without touching a real DAW.
Show threadKara GoldfinchMar 2
@BorrisInABox @ricky_enger I have installed Ableton Live, and have done more with my Move than Live. Weird since I've been clammering for Live to be made accessible for 20+years.
Show threadKara GoldfinchMar 2
@BorrisInABox @ricky_enger I think the reason why is I get the feeling that Live works better when controled by hardware. Arrowing through slots and whatnot using a pc keyboard feels like moving through a spreadsheet to me. If it was something like OpenMPT which might as well be a spreadsheet then that's fine. But Live isn't supposed to be like that at all.
Show threadKara GoldfinchMar 2
@BorrisInABox @ricky_enger Seconded the above 2 posts.
Show threadKerriMar 2
@ricky_enger Thanks for posting this. I'm also a bit Move-curious, or more accurately, keyboard-curious. I love my ukes but I'd like another instrument that'd let me play around with a greater variety of tones and rhythms. Size is also in issue as I live in a studio apartment. I know almost nothing about audio production though, so would the Move still make sense for me?
Show threadRicky EngerMar 2
@dotsonapage It sounds like it might still make sense, or at least you could still do things and gather that knowledge as you go. I'm in a similar boat.
Show threadScottMar 2
@ricky_enger One other option occurred, get a small MIDI controller hooked up to iOS, that way you could play parts in to Note on a mini piano keyboard, physical drum pads etc. That doesn't have the standalone magic musical doodah factor Move has now that it can actually be used standalone accessibly, but would be just as quick of a way to get you plonking down parts for a lot less money. If you're at all fussy about the speech synth you want to hear, this option might come out ahead too. At the moment there's only ESpeak and Flight speaking on the Move when you want to use it as a purely standalone device.
Show threadBorrisMar 2

@Scott @ricky_enger Also worth considering:
If you want zero latency monitoring through something that isn't just the phone's speaker, and you also want a MIDI controller, you have a few options:

1. A Bluetooth MIDI controller, with some audio output connected to USB-C.
2. A USB-C hub with built-in audio output, or an audio device plus a MIDI controller connected to the hub.
3. An audio interface with MIDI ports with a controller connected to that, which is then connected to the phone via USB-C.

Want all that plus charging at the same time? Your hub needs power delivery.

Then, on top of that, it's just way more fun having a bunch of buttons and knobs for controlling the device. Automation is certainly possible with Note and a controller with knobs, but you have to first map out what each of the knobs do. You get more tracks and more power, but you sacrifice some of the best things that make Move worth having with Note.

Show threadRicky EngerMar 2
@BorrisInABox @Scott Oh, that'll teach me to read all notifications before responding. Yep, that does a nice job of answering some of the questions I had about a setup with a controller. Sounds like there's lots more room in a setup like that for me to misunderstand/break things, though glad to know it's not impossible to do.
Show threadRicky EngerMar 2
@Scott I had considered this but then became confused about many things, like how I'd get audio from my phone to monitor, navigate the UI, etc, if I have something plugged in via USB C. I assume there's Bluetooth, but would there be a lag? ESpeak is a definite dealbreaker, but I'd be okay with Flight.