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Do People Actually Make Music Anymore?

  • Music

Yesterday, YouTuber Free Beat issued a challenge to his viewers to think of their three favorite pieces of synth gear, then find and comment on videos made using these items on small YouTube channels, and then choose one to link from Free Beat’s challenge video. I picked the Arturia Microfreak and Modal ElectronicsSKULPTsynth SE and CRAFTsynth 2.0 as my favorites, and dug into some YouTube searches.

What I found was, frankly, a little disturbing. For each synth, there were dozens upon dozens of YouTube influencers’ “reviews,” and dozens of YouTubers pushing patch sets for sale. But there was precious little actual MUSIC showcasing these fantastic little instruments — from any YouTube channels.

The Microfreak faired better than the two synths from Modal, with a few really good jams (shout out here to Obscure Sounds), but still relatively few on small channels. I did find, a couple of months back, PZedOz Music working with the Skulpt SE.

Which brings be back to my main question: Do people actually make music anymore?

Before you comment on my hypocrisy, I’m am keenly aware that I’m just as guilty as countless others of not producing, and that I really need to get my sh!t together and make and share some music — no matter how bad it is. With that in mind, I actually did start to post some audio snippets here on the site, with a new sub-page under the Music menu heading. The OPZED page now hosts a growing collection of snippets, out-takes, experiments, musical sketches and demos using the gear in my Creation Station. More than a few of these will be getting worked up into complete songs.

I did spend a terrific weekend last week camping with my wife and my new OP-Z, and there were some fruits of that labor.

Obviously, these are a far from complete, but they’re a start. And, as I’ve listened to them, I’ve decided that while there’s a lot to discard, there are a couple of bits that will make the basis of a pretty cool song — I really like the underlying groove, and there’s an electric piano motif that is really floating my boat.

I’ve also got plans for a number of videos about the various synths that make up the Creation Station, all of which are having to wait until I get the new studio together — a huge undertaking that is having to be wedged in to what little free time I have between “the day gig,” two bands, and the other bits and pieces that make up my life. And, hopefully, some music will actually come out of all that. It needs to, if I’m honest, or why else am I bothering, right?

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