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Doing music: AKA: "making a song or jam"
It seems 2 schools of thought to my observation.
People like myself, who use the apps and play/sequence them live as if a virtual band was playing. Then record and edit.
Others which seem increasingly common of sampling a chord of this, a stab of that, and just ret-riggering, arrange, +fx, and assemble songs/jams like a bunch of samples arranged and or played back with another app.
For instance, BM3 seems to have much of this from what I see.
I also see people say I sample Sunrizer into blank...........whereas I like to play Sunrizer for the whole song.
What is your approach?
Is there a technical reason you find it works better on iOS for you?
Comments
I much prefer the play live/record/edit method but using hardware synths instead of apps, BUT this is not easy for me on IOS at the moment as I only have a stereo input, so cannot record a full performance and then do a mix afterwards....I am going to alleviate this by getting a multi I/O interface...This won't fully solve the problem as I have circuit and electribe sampler which are both multi timbral, and not all the apps I use have multi audio outs...for now recording a performance means recording a stereo mix (usually in AUM) and mastering it as best I can.
This is where the other method you mention comes in.....I can render my loops/samples....import them into Cubasis.....make an arrangement using the loops/samples...then record live played tracks one at a time afterwards. This takes a lot longer, is less rewarding during the playing/recording phase...the sound of the end result is better, but the tracks tend to lose some fluidity due having the main structure pre-programmed, BUT I do now have individual tracks for everything and mixing is now possible.
To try and combat the fluidity loss I have tried to record a live jam, import the recording into Cubasis, and then rebuild that performance from the original loops and samples.....and play/record live tracks on top.....this is very time consuming....and a bit mind bending sometimes when trying to work out exactly how i managed to play something...this gives the best end result but is the least rewarding process.
The problem is not a new one....if only there was 1 input (and therefore recorded track) for each sound...meaning you could capture a live performance and then edit/mix to suit without all the 'additional' work with rendering and importing and arranging samples.
One way of getting round this is to only capture MIDI during the live record, then you can replay the midi and record audio for one sound maker at a time.....this is only a real option if everything you are using has MIDI I/O...which not everything does plus there is work needed to adjust for MIDI latency during recording.
For me the playing live method works best when I have hardware synths and controllers to use.
The arranging building blocks approach is easier than Live recording when there is only the touch screen available.
I use a mixture of methods usually. I like to play my parts in real time, either via hardware or software synths, and then go back and grab the best phrases to arrange and manipulate. I get the feeling of an instrument being played in real time, but I have the flexibility to arrange it as I see fit.
BM3 is my main DAW now and I pretty much play parts in live. I sample stuff, but it’s pretty much sounds I play in, mainly because IMO I can do more without worrying about straining my iPad if the sounds are sampled.
Some AU apps take little juice, but some synths and fx eat my Air2s power for breakfast. As for rearranging, I still do that with parts I’ve recorded and sounds / sound fx. I do very little rearranging of others loops now, as I find that boring after a while - that’s not me putting down that way of having fun, it’s just not the way I play now.
I will still often make sequences and loops to be chopped using random means, especially for drum beats - just to get something going. Problem I have is I no longer live near any of my old friends - this means I now JAM alone
I think this is the reason I no longer ever finish anything - In essence I believe I need others around me to really bring out my own talents. Alone I am just many ideas with little firm direction 
I'm with @Tarekith on this one...
But I generally start programming a basic rhythm and chord sequence, and then record everything live, eventually making my guide track obsolete or infimal part of the musical layers
That includes hardware too, be it instruments or grooveboxes, they get recorded live
Thanks all for your feedback!
I wish I could play. It’s all LEGO blocks for me at the moment. Working on it...
All I do is play sequences of notes and see how it sounds - some of it works out
Quantize = instant Pro.
Pretty much this
To be honest, sometimes I get a good chord progression for a verse, lets say... But suffer a bit to get good variations for a chorus, or bridge. (Using Chordbot as an analogy, I would generate 4 chords, but have the problem with the rest)
How do you guys work around this, no matter if using building blocks or playing live?
Sorry if this is too off-topic!
Trial and error mostly.....but some tricks I have employed
Awesome tips, Andy! Thanks so much!
Guess i've been burnt for trying to overthink it
Thats what she said
You're welcome
Good tips. Ta.
I do one track at a time and make myself do one-takes on each, no matter how long the track. On the first track, it forces me to be focused, and on the ones after to not get too cute with it. I’ll do multiple takes if necessary and abort halfway through if I’m really not feeling it, but I haven’t had to lately; this method has been working for me.
That is more my approach
I find that the process is more rewarding and the music has a ....vibe or energy of urgency that translates most of the time.
As opposed to the copy paste masterpieces that bore my ears after several verses of the same patterns emerging, even with "randomization"
One take also limits me from "over doing it" as far as sounds apps etc or just ideas for it.
I’m a copy/paster. Gotta put in the time to vary things. Always. I wouldn’t rely randomization, i usually change stuff myself. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell where you need to draw the line but I always fall back to rule of three. Play something, repeat it, then it’s gotta have a obvious degree of change after that, etc. ideally though you vary the repeat as well just enough. Being a copy/paster I’ve discovered there’s a whole art regarding “degree of repetition and degree of change” I can’t play well so I bang out original loops to string together. Plus I prefer music that has pretty distinct structure so it almost helps me stay organized. But yeah if you don’t take enough time to “smooth out the edges” it’s bad news.
I don't want you to think I am knocking the approach.
I do it to here and there.
But, my satisfaction and best stuff comes from the other format approach.
Yeah I find the one take approach gets plenty of fun natural variations. I experimented with automating effects for a while, but it’s not for me. I just prefer everything to be as natural as can be. Some may call it lack of effort in really polishing something, but I counter with doing the one-takes is just as much effort. And I like stuff to just breathe, usually letting the instruments shine on their own as opposed to warping them into something else entirely via effects (I’m usually a bread and butter reverb/delay/chorus effects guy)
Honestly my problem is I just don’t have the rhythm chops to play consistently for longer takes. I’m good with 4 to 8 bars, 16 if I’m really feeling it, but I run out of steam, lose time, and don’t know what to play. And somehow I’ve gotten into a very specific workflow that requires an erase button playable along with the keys or some other method of instantly punching in to midi loops. But it’s all good cause I have a lot of fun
Well, to be fair, I couldn’t do that either. I’m a poor drummer and I’m either making ambient stuff or pop music with a drum machine/samples. Guitar bass and keys though, I stick to my method mentioned earlier.