Feel free to try out styles or bands that don’t match your personal musical taste. You might discover skills you didn’t know you had and learn new music or new techniques. Making music with others can give your creativity a real boost. Here are a few bits of gear you could take a look at: They come in mobile versions that are also suitable as field recorders, and somewhat larger ones with integrated mixers. Today’s counterparts are digital recorders that usually record on SD cards. The possibilities were extremely limited, but I’ve seldom felt as creative as I did then. I have fond memories of my first attempts with a cassette four-track recorder in the early 90s. It can be very liberating to draw a line in the sand and get rid of things we (come on, be honest) actually hardly ever use).įor capturing ideas without a computer, a standalone multitrack recorder is a good idea. Working with hardware is perceived by many as more inspiring and creative. But as musicians we sometimes make the mistake of accumulating more equipment than is good for us. This is another reason why so-called DAWless setups are becoming increasingly popular. If you suffer from Plug-in Acquisition Syndrome (PAS), you may spend more time searching for the right sound or effect than making music. If your first idea is immediately followed by “Which of my 10,000 bass drums is the right one?”, your creative moment sometimes evaporates faster than you can press record.

With its infinite possibilities, the software tempts you to lose yourself in details instead of letting your creativity flow.

This is especially true when working with a DAW. Fresh ideas then often come all by themselves. If you limit yourself to a few instruments, effects or plug-ins, you force yourself to intensively explore the possibilities of each individual device or instrument. Paring down your setup is a well-known and often successful way out of creative misery. If we search doggedly for our next idea, often we can’t seem to find it. We can’t expect ourselves to be creative all the time. But periods where creativity seems elusive are a normal part of being process. As musicians, we sometimes blame ourselves and doubt our ability. If you like to be creative, blockades often feel like a humiliation.

Casio cz 101 manual