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RaveTogether
Starting Member
United States
8 posts
Joined: Aug, 2024
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 Posted - 2024/09/17 : 21:39:01
I'm wondering what it was like for producers using only software based music production in that era. The same programs were around, Ableton, lots of VST plugins etc.
I can't find any information online. Was the workflow smooth and fast? We you waiting for things to render after each change? Was it all sample based? Did artists make complete quality songs with only their computer and no external keyboards or hardware?
The reason I ask is I had a powerful Mac back then, but I never tried cause I didn't know how to get started. Today I'm making music using a modern fast computer utilizing all my CPU, the plugins are fully emulating classic instruments as opposed to samples in most cases running up that CPU. YouTube says we always need faster and faster computers.
What was it like? Could it be done today with a classic mac and abandonware?
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DJ_FunDaBounce
Advanced Member
Colombia
1,994 posts
Joined: Nov, 2001
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Posted - 2024/09/18 : 02:54:29
I bought my first production computer (PC) back in '97 along with a version of cubase and re-birth. Can't recall the specs but I'm pretty sure it ran lower than 200 megahertz. I used cubase to trigger samples on a kurzweill with 8 outputs and a roland juno 106. Had a little rack with a novation bass station and an E-mu "orbit" and an mc-303, too. All fed to a tascam 16-channel mixer. My soundcard was a midi-man, which was the predecessor of m-audio. It only had a stereo input and output and midi/in/out/through I believe. everything was daisy chained through midi. mixdowns went to a sony DAT recorder.
Through the years I've come to realize how lucky I was as many artists of the time had more humble setups than that.
I don't have much to show from that era in terms of recordings, except for a track I made for my girlfriend at the time.
__________________________________
"Fun with a capital F-D-B!"
http://www.brightspeedrecordings.com/
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DJ_FunDaBounce
Advanced Member
Colombia
1,994 posts
Joined: Nov, 2001
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Posted - 2024/09/18 : 03:04:01
quote:
Originally posted by DJ_FunDaBounce:
I don't have much to show from that era in terms of recordings, except for a track I made for my girlfriend at the time.
said track (for the curious):
__________________________________
"Fun with a capital F-D-B!"
http://www.brightspeedrecordings.com/
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DJ_FunDaBounce
Advanced Member
Colombia
1,994 posts
Joined: Nov, 2001
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Posted - 2024/09/18 : 03:41:31
This thread got me digging up some stuff! lol!
I made these 2 on a cracked version of reason v1.0 around 2001-2003. The pc at that time ran at 233 mhz.
__________________________________
"Fun with a capital F-D-B!"
http://www.brightspeedrecordings.com/
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RaveTogether
Starting Member
United States
8 posts
Joined: Aug, 2024
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Posted - 2024/09/18 : 05:45:44
Thanks man, I'm actually listening to your stuff now. I think it's good to look back and keep the history. I was listening to some old HHC today and noticed a lot of stark jumps where the producer didn't use sweeps or risers, but the raw cuts made the song better, I think. maybe all he had was a simple setup and going by instinct he made the most of it and proved you don't always need to follow rules to get the vibe across.
I'm emulating the Juno 106 with a VST and filling in the notes on Ableton. I just don't have room for the equipment even if I could track all the hardware down so that's something better about today's music production. I've heard of Cubase and rebirth, and I've been reading about them a bit but there is a lack of articles where people just talk about them, its like old software and peoples experiences with them vanishes without a trace on the internet today.
I found this forum post on Reason V1 https://forum.reasontalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=7523173
It looked like a great program, nice interface. Do you remember if you still needed your external hardware or was the software complete back then? Were Stars and Hearts and Little Pie made with only Reason's default samples or did you have to search around for sample CD's or use your external patches from your Juno?
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Edited by - RaveTogether on 2024/09/18 06:10:26 |
DJ_FunDaBounce
Advanced Member
Colombia
1,994 posts
Joined: Nov, 2001
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Posted - 2024/09/18 : 13:25:14
quote:
Originally posted by RaveTogether:
Thanks man, I'm actually listening to your stuff now. I think it's good to look back and keep the history. I was listening to some old HHC today and noticed a lot of stark jumps where the producer didn't use sweeps or risers, but the raw cuts made the song better, I think. maybe all he had was a simple setup and going by instinct he made the most of it and proved you don't always need to follow rules to get the vibe across.
I'm emulating the Juno 106 with a VST and filling in the notes on Ableton. I just don't have room for the equipment even if I could track all the hardware down so that's something better about today's music production. I've heard of Cubase and rebirth, and I've been reading about them a bit but there is a lack of articles where people just talk about them, its like old software and peoples experiences with them vanishes without a trace on the internet today.
I found this forum post on Reason V1 https://forum.reasontalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=7523173
It looked like a great program, nice interface. Do you remember if you still needed your external hardware or was the software complete back then? Were Stars and Hearts and Little Pie made with only Reason's default samples or did you have to search around for sample CD's or use your external patches from your Juno?
Starz n Hearts was done using Reason only, using the stock synths and samples taken mostly from vinyl. Reason didn't have vst support until version 9 (2018) I think. I used sound forge to sample and edit.
I used to have the jungle warfare sample CD's for the amen and stuff, but I had to leave the cubase setup behind for health reasons (ie. excessive drug use). That's why I had to start over with the pirated version of Reason for a while. The only hardware I had with the reason setup was a midi keyboard.
__________________________________
"Fun with a capital F-D-B!"
http://www.brightspeedrecordings.com/
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DJ_FunDaBounce
Advanced Member
Colombia
1,994 posts
Joined: Nov, 2001
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Posted - 2024/09/18 : 16:17:23
Btw, Cubase and Reason were used by practically all the big names of that era. Especially Cubase.
Sy & Unknown, Breeze and Styles, Brisk & Ham, just to name a few.
__________________________________
"Fun with a capital F-D-B!"
http://www.brightspeedrecordings.com/
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RaveTogether
Starting Member
United States
8 posts
Joined: Aug, 2024
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Posted - 2024/09/19 : 01:08:19
You can find all of those sample CD's on archive.org, here is Jungle Warfare: https://archive.org/details/zg-jungle-warfare_202407/VOL+1/
The best way to search is to go into google, then search for archive.org "name of sample cd"
Archive.org's own search is too complicated alot of times and brings up lists that are too huge and unsorted.
Good to know about what they used, I'm trying to make more songs with that vibe so maybe I should simply, my current setup has too many options.
Maybe in the future, when we are all on subscription based computers and software, there will be a fresh group of new artists that go back to the early versions.
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