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Are presets limiting creativity, or are we using them wrong?

MarcosSs

I've seen this debate come up quite a few times, and I think there's more to it than simply saying that designing sounds from scratch makes you more creative.

A preset is just a starting point. You can spend hours tweaking oscillators, filters and modulation to create a patch from scratch, only to find it doesn't work in the track. Meanwhile, a factory preset might be exactly what you need, especially once you start tweaking, layering or processing it.

That said, preset browsing can easily become a habit in itself, where you spend more time searching for the perfect sound than actually making music.

I think there's a difference between knowing how to design a sound and knowing which sound a track needs. Both are valuable skills, but they're not necessarily the same thing.

What's your take on this? Do you prefer starting from an init patch, or do presets help you find ideas you'd never have come up with otherwise? And is the real issue with presets themselves, or how we use them?

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Comments

JesterMgee

Back in the 90s when I used trackers I had a genius mate who was technically brilliant with computers that claimed even using downloaded samples for music was cheating and he would only use minimal pre-recorded samples insisting unless you recorded and manipulated the audio yourself it was cheating.

It's an "each to their own" area really. I mean, a grand piano has a "preset sound" just happens you can't load a new preset so you have to make do with the one that comes with the piano.

Nothing wrong designing a sound from absolute scratch and I feel anyone that uses synth plugins that did not grow up around hardware synths really should create a few from scratch so they can learn how all the filters, envelopes and modulations work but honestly, starting out with a blank canvas for a song idea and also choosing to start with a blank synth can be tough to push through every time.

What a preset sound can do is sometimes trigger ideas you were not planning on. Many times I ahve been looking for "something" for a project not knowing what kind of sound I want, just it needs to be in a certain sonic range (maybe it's a lead, or a string, or a high synth…) and in the process of digging and messing around, you find a sound that doesn't fit your project but instantly triggers another idea so you save it out as a copy with a basic idea and it gets you excited for another potential idea. The same can happen when designing from scratch too.

Using tools like Komplete Kontrol can streamline this process as it makes flipping through presets much faster however, it can also reduce that "happy accident" potential since usually if you are after something like a string, you filter by strings so won't happen across something completely different like you would if you were flipping through a dedicated synths presets.

Also consider that sometimes a "Preset" is a fully constructed multi-gigabyte samples instrument such as Kontakt instruments so deciding you want to arrange an entire orchestra and setup 64 microphones and record every note from every instrument first, i'd say using a preset saves some manual work and lets you actually be creative and explore an idea more…

So there are no right or wrong ways other than using AI to make it all for you, then you lose out on ALL of the above experiences which IMHO is what the whole process is all about!

Kymeia

Presets are really just a form of memory, if I make something I like I want to be able to get back to it again or use it as a starting point for something else. So they can be very useful, as long as you don't over rely on 'borrowed' memories from others and also make you own. Maybe that is a metaphor for other things eh? ;)

MarcosSs

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270954#Comment_270954

I really like the point about happy accidents. Some of the best ideas can come from stumbling across a sound you weren't even looking for.

I also agree that learning the basics of synthesis is valuable, even if you mainly work with presets. Understanding how a patch works gives you a lot more freedom to shape it to fit your track rather than just accepting it as it is.

I guess the real difference is between using presets as a creative starting point and relying on them to do all the thinking for you. The same goes for designing from scratch, really. You can build a technically impressive patch and still end up with something that doesn't serve the music.

For me, it always comes back to what you do with the sound once it becomes part of the track.

MarcosSs

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270957#Comment_270957

I like the idea of presets as a form of memory. The only thing I'd question is whether the distinction really comes down to where the sound originated.

You can design a patch from scratch and still be borrowing someone else's ideas, consciously or not. Equally, you can start with a factory preset and take it somewhere the original designer never intended.

Maybe the more interesting distinction isn't between borrowed and personal sounds, but between using a sound as it is and making it part of your own creative process.

Would you say it's more about the source of the sound, or what you actually do with it?

Kymeia

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270972#Comment_270972

Yes indeed, I don't see it as an either/or thing. Every memory is based in a context, ultimately rooted in culture and relationships.

MarcosSs

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/270989#Comment_270989

Exactly. I think presets work the same way. They carry the influence of the people, cultures and experiences behind them. The real creativity lies in what we do with them, how we interpret them, and the meaning we give them in our own musical context.

nightjar

Using presets is absolutely fine.

The basic elements of a song are typically: melody, lyrics, chords and rhythm.

There are unlimited possiblities of creation within these four basic elements and using only presets.

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