Music Design?

[Otto Matta]

Are you a composer?

Yeah, see, I don't know. That's the issue. I compose, but I don't know if I'm a composer, with all that implies. In the past when I've said this I've felt pretentious, if not a bit inauthentic. At least where I come from, if you tell someone you're a composer, they're going to expect classical music, not electronic dance grooves.

 

I guess I'm hoping, at least for myself, that I can actually get to a stage of electronic composition where I'll feel more genuine about calling myself a "composer".

 

As far as the 'Music Design' thing goes, to me there are three kinds of electronic music producers: musicians, technicians and those who combine the two areas to make the good shit.

Agree. Do you ever feel like you're "designing", though?

[NEMO.BOFH]

Yeah, see, I don't know. That's the issue. I compose, but I don't know if I'm a composer, with all that implies. In the past when I've said this I've felt pretentious, if not a bit inauthentic. At least where I come from, if you tell someone you're a composer, they're going to expect classical music, not electronic dance grooves.

 

I guess I'm hoping, at least for myself, that I can actually get to a stage of electronic composition where I'll feel more genuine about calling myself a "composer".

Agree. Do you ever feel like you're "designing", though?

surprisingly here in Spain I have met a lot of people that understand when you say you compose electronic music. I think its their vocabulary, they just dont USE fancy new words hehe. I have met the "Americanized" (you know, the ones that use english slang and so on in their language, Spanglish) Spaniard as well, and he would refer to it as "being a dj" but if you explain, no, i am not spinning 2 disks, im actually using instruments (be they virtual or not) then they understand.

 

What makes YOU feel pretentious is that people dont accept new forms of music, and new methods of music. However, what on earth do they know if they never have composed themselves? If someone told me I am not a musician, or a composer, cause he didnt understand my music, then I would just walk away, its not worth taking up that discussion. Or no?

 

Sound Designer sounds so wrong though, cause it would imply you design a sound, not a track? Music Designer? But still, why label it, just go with the flow and COMPOSE what comes into your mind!

[devious]

Sound Designer sounds so wrong though, cause it would imply you design a sound, not a track? Music Designer? But still, why label it, just go with the flow and COMPOSE what comes into your mind!

How about we just agree on a "sound creationist-track designing implementist composing technician?"

Then we can all hug and be o-k!

 

-dfuggin

[NEMO.BOFH]

How about we just agree on a "sound creationist track implementist composing technician?"

Then we can all hug and be o-k!

 

-dfuggin

im OK haha.

[devious]

im OK haha.

How about this, I design the sounds, I make great armpit sounds. Colin composes, Otto markets, Nemo brings in the spanish women, needle ninja dances on the stage [he's a ninja] and acts as a crowd callah! And well, you get it! We'll have an AWESOME show. And when shit breaks, we'll just call the "techs" from guitar center ahEHAHEAHEEHAHAH

 

=[[[[[[[[[ I was trying to be funny and I know you're Okay nemo. it was a joke.

 

I've been bored. I've spent too much time on pienews lately. I need a break and I think I'm going to spend the rest of the week away from here. I move on Saturday and when I get my shit setup, PIXXX! Maybe then somebody will talk to me here

 

-d

[Otto Matta]

surprisingly here in Spain I have met a lot of people that understand when you say you compose electronic music. I think its their vocabulary, they just dont USE fancy new words hehe. I have met the "Americanized" (you know, the ones that use english slang and so on in their language, Spanglish) Spaniard as well, and he would refer to it as "being a dj" but if you explain, no, i am not spinning 2 disks, im actually using instruments (be they virtual or not) then they understand.

 

What makes YOU feel pretentious is that people dont accept new forms of music, and new methods of music. However, what on earth do they know if they never have composed themselves? If someone told me I am not a musician, or a composer, cause he didnt understand my music, then I would just walk away, its not worth taking up that discussion. Or no?

 

Sound Designer sounds so wrong though, cause it would imply you design a sound, not a track? Music Designer? But still, why label it, just go with the flow and COMPOSE what comes into your mind!

Yeah, people understand "compose electronic music" here too. But somehow that's different than just "composer" to 99.9% of people. Again, at least here "I am a composer" means exactly "I write/create/make classical music."

 

I wish in a similar way I could use one word to describe what I do to someone, instead of having to actually describe it with paragraphs. It would help if I actually knew what I was doing myself, because it seems ambiguous, somewhat "applied" and somewhat "fine".

[devious]

Yeah, people understand "compose electronic music" here too. But somehow that's different than just "composer" to 99.9% of people. Again, at least here "I am a composer" means exactly "I write/create/make classical music."

 

I wish in a similar way I could use one word to describe what I do to someone, instead of having to actually describe it with paragraphs. It would help if I actually knew what I was doing myself, because it seems ambiguous, somewhat "applied" and somewhat "fine".

I've never had a problem talking about EDM or electronic dance music. I guess it's big here though in Minneapolis. Big enough that anybody you even say EDM too will be say WHICH?

 

I honestly thought at least 30% of americans knew by now with all the anti-rave laws and shit it'd be easy to speak about without referencing composer. I think honestly, anywhere, if you say I'm a composer, most of the population is going to respond with the common assumption of classical music in all honesty. I wouldn't say anything about composing to a general posse. It's simple enough saying 'I play around with EDM' in my case since I'm really not writing as much as I'm learning right now

 

-d

[Colin OOOD]

Do you ever feel like you're "designing", though?

There is an aspect of electronic music-making known as 'sound design' in which one samples, synthesises, or otherwise creates, shapes and designs the sounds one intends to use in a composition (aka 'a track'). When I'm doing this, yes, I feel like I'm 'designing' something as I am attempting to create a sound with a specific aim, or design, in mind.

 

There is also the career of 'sound designer' which (as far as I know) involves the designing of sound effects or synthetic acoustic environments for use in broadcast media, film, or art installations. I don't ever feel like I'm doing this though, as I don't work in TV or film.

[Reznik]

yes we are sounddesigners. at least in an early stage of our music production process when we load up a synth and start from scratch programing/designing a certain sound we have in mind.

[devious]

Apart from being an average nobody, even an asshole sometimes, I'd like to consider myself a producer. Gotta love that term!

Well, like women, most men are producers too in their own righteous egotistical ways. Women just get to be producers naturally because that's what nature gave them. Thank goodness I'm not a female. Ouch! Bad enough watching my son be born.

 

 

 

 

AHA k, I'm relaly not here, I'm on a break from psynews. bye.

 

 

-d

[cronodevir]

Why not jsut call ourselves....musicians?

[devious]

Why not jsut call ourselves....musicians?

Because it's just too simple, duh.

-d

[Anakoluth]

composer does not necessarily mean you are writing classical music. it can be classical, but also jazz, pop, whatever.

 

the only thing the word "composer" refers to is the aspect of writing music in a notation system. thus there is a difference between composers and people who produce music or play an instrument. usually, a composer does not play his compositions by himself. no sane man would write down techno tunes in a notation system, hence granting us the status of composers would be wrong.

[Colin OOOD]

composer does not necessarily mean you are writing classical music. it can be classical, but also jazz, pop, whatever.

 

the only thing the word "composer" refers to is the aspect of writing music in a notation system. hence there is a difference between composers and people who produce music or play an instrument. usually, a composer does not play his compositions by himself. no sane man would write down techno tunes in a notation system, granting us the status of composers would be wrong.

I've always taken 'composing music' to mean the same as 'writing music', the act of writing, or creation, being separate from the subsequent act of production in which the music that has been composed is rendered into a form which we can actually hear. When Mozart played his sonatas on the piano, he was performing, perhaps even producing, the music he had composed. When he was improvising, the acts of composition and production occurred simultaneously.

 

I reckon, anyway.

[Anakoluth]

tripple nipple.

[Anakoluth]

I've always taken 'composing music' to mean the same as 'writing music', the act of writing, or creation, being separate from the subsequent act of production in which the music that has been composed is rendered into a form which we can actually hear. When Mozart played his sonatas on the piano, he was performing, perhaps even producing, the music he had composed. When he was improvising, the acts of composition and production occurred simultaneously.

 

I reckon, anyway.

hmm. that would underline my point, innit? however, i agree.

 

moreover, one can compose without knowing how to play an instrument, of course it's quite helpful, but if one can read notes very well and has some great powers of imagination, it is not essential. for instance, ravel, the composer of the fucking annoying bolero, did know how to play the piano, but he hated it. he seldomly used it, means only in cases in which he could not imagine the sound of his composition.

[NEMO.BOFH]

yeah:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composer

 

but it is a little vague, dont you think?

[Otto Matta]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composer

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Neither "composer" nor "musician" nor "songwriter" actually describe what we do.

[NEMO.BOFH]

Yeah, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Neither "composer" nor "musician" nor "songwriter" actually describe what we do.

but these are out of date descriptions, that hardly apply to ANYONE anymore hehe. Time to update I would say.

[Otto Matta]

but these are out of date descriptions, that hardly apply to ANYONE anymore hehe. Time to update I would say.

I don't agree. I think they're accurate, and are in accord with the definitions I know, which is why I brought up this topic. Even if they're outdated, they can't be updated because their meanings have solidified over many, many years.

 

composers write music via notation (usually)

musicians play the music (a guitarist for a rock band is a musician)

songwriters write music with lyrics (song = sung)

 

"Producer" makes more sense than "composer", but even that requires more information.

[NEMO.BOFH]

I don't agree. I think they're accurate, and are in accord with the definitions I know, which is why I brought up this topic. Even if they're outdated, they can't be updated because their meanings have solidified over many, many years.

 

composers write music via notation (usually)

musicians play the music (a guitarist for a rock band is a musician)

songwriters write music with lyrics (song = sung)

 

"Producer" makes more sense than "composer", but even that requires more information.

I write the music, I perform the music and I do sing. I write down a lot before I actually open up the computer. Makes me a composer. I just dont use a notation system, I use a keybased system, as I dont know scores. But I still think that the overall view on what a composer is, is VERY out of date, and needs to be re-defined.

[acidkills]

I just asamble vibes and freq, I dont create anything, oscilators are oscilateing constantly from the moment I turn my synth on, I just model them to my taste..

[Otto Matta]

I write the music, I perform the music and I do sing. I write down a lot before I actually open up the computer. Makes me a composer. I just dont use a notation system, I use a keybased system, as I dont know scores. But I still think that the overall view on what a composer is, is VERY out of date, and needs to be re-defined.

If you tell people you're a composer you're ultimately going to mislead them. That's a problem.

 

I just asamble vibes and freq, I dont create anything, oscilators are oscilateing constantly from the moment I turn my synth on, I just model them to my taste..

So then what do you call yourself then? Can you think of one word that describes exactly what you do?

[NEMO.BOFH]

If you tell people you're a composer you're ultimately going to mislead them. That's a problem.

So then what do you call yourself then? Can you think of one word that describes exactly what you do?

maybe you are, i am not misleading anyone.

[Otto Matta]

maybe you are, i am not misleading anyone.

Well, you actually are if most people think a composer is someone who creates classical music with notation. The thing is, it doesn't matter what your own personal definition of something is if everyone else agrees on a different definition.

 

I don't call myself a composer, because it's misleading.