Help : / need some insipiring

zulixia · Post by **zulixia** » Wed May 05, 2010 9:07 pm

Basicly, i have really gone off my EMX-1, i have had it since last christmas...and i just seem to be getting no-where with it...ive made 1 song and thats it, and its only just good enough to make you jiggle at most...

Also ive been regretting getting EMX-1 rather than ESX-1 because i feel so limited with EMX-1...like im just stuck with the same synth sounds over and over, and forever...

Can you give me some inspiration here??!?? Or something to make me like it again...

Show me some tracks you've made...but please not minimal, thats all i seem to see people making right now.... hardtrance or just something that makes you wanna go for it!

Thanks : )

reddone · Post by **reddone** » Wed May 05, 2010 9:24 pm

hmm , well mate i dont do trance or anything or hard-dance ... so im not sure what to say , but ... i can offer 1 seriously good bit of advice ... tubes !

Those tubes you have ( if its the standard ones ) are not actually very nice sounding , they make the mx all squeeky/sqauky and take away from the sound of the engine .

I know how you feel , its like the machine seems capable but a little short of the mark ... i nearly sold mine then tried high qaulity tubes , now i will NEVER sell the thing .

The tubes are easy to pull out ( they are like plugs ) and upgrade .
ALOT of people have/had your problem .. but you can fix that .

Send a youtube link to me of a track you feel is what you want to make and i will see if the sounds can be done`on my box .. if not then maybe its time to sell-up !

Cheers

chad9477 · Post by **chad9477** » Wed May 05, 2010 9:30 pm

I sympathize...I've had my EMX for about 5 years now and have gone through a couple of stretches -- several months long each -- where I got tired of its limited sound palette.

But don't despair. Every time it happened, I took a decent break, tried some other gear, and invariably came back to my EMX refreshed and newly inspired.

I doubt most of the stuff I do would qualify as arse-shaking motivation, but I have no doubt others will post plenty of good tunes for you. For the moment -- or whenever you do come back to your 'tribe -- here are a few "tricks" that help me break out of creative ruts:

-Listen to a bunch of music in a genre you don't usually pay attention to. I do mostly downtempo stuff and when I need a boost, I crank up the techno.
-Scour the tips and tricks threads for ideas. Set yourself to put a new idea to use in a new track of your own.
-Find a track you like by someone else and see how closely you can reproduce it on your EMX. You may come very close, or you may fail more or less, but it always teaches you something.
-Try something random: String your effects together in a new way. Use a wave you've never used. Last night I piped drums through the talk mod and it gave me some wild sounds. See what you can find.
-A trick I got from someone on this forum: Take a pattern you like and scramble the knobs: new waves for all the synths, new drum sounds for all the beats, new effects settings, etc. Hit play (with the volume low at first

) and listen. You'll probably hear something new that takes you off in a different direction.

...Hope this helps. Good luck.

robosardine · Post by **robosardine** » Thu May 06, 2010 6:49 pm

Why don't you sell your EMX on ebay and buy an ESX- They both go for around the same price? You can always do the same in reverse if it doesn't work out and you want to go back. I would guess that the ESX is going to be much more up your street. What do you have to lose- you might even end up a few quid better off if you are lucky!

zulixia · Post by **zulixia** » Thu May 06, 2010 9:32 pm

Im not to sure what it is...im just in no mood for pissing about with packaging and stuff to swap it for an ESX-1...

i would only do it if somone lived in london area and just meet up n swap : / ....

I do have my Mini KP...but i wodner if i had saved for a little logner and got a KP3 alll my problems would be solved...

for now im just taking a break...my Mass Effect 2 Lower Afterlife remix has come a freaking long way when i think about it so i guess im kinda happy...patience i think.

If you have the time check out my other thread
Also if anyone can reccomend me a cheap sampler, or not even a smapler, just a pad to playback a voice...i think thats what i want...VOICE SAMPLES!

robosardine · Post by **robosardine** » Thu May 06, 2010 11:13 pm

You can't be bothered 'pissing about' with packaging- for five minutes with some brown paper and some bubbelwrap you can have what you want and save yourself more months of pining, torture and headaches! 5 MINUTES! Besides ebay has a 'pick up only' option so you wouldn't have to bother, and since you are in London you will be fine. You are not getting on with your EMX after months of trying- you are not getting much pleasure from it- change it and try another approach. A KP3 instead of a mini KP will NOT solve your problems. Do you really want to be sitting with something you DON'T want in two weeks time when you could be happy with something you actually WANT? There is a fair chance I would think that you will get your cheap sampler then soon after start wishing you had a better one. Don't forget the ESX has 2 keyboard/ synth parts. How much do you want to spend and how much sampling time do you want anyway?

zulixia · Post by **zulixia** » Fri May 07, 2010 6:17 pm

tbh not much sampling time...a couple o voice samples lasting like 5 seconds each is all i need...

but i got exams at secondry school right now, and im gunna blame my sudden dislike for everything on that...

thanks for the info guys, if i need summin done or some help, come to korg forums i say XD

robosardine · Post by **robosardine** » Fri May 07, 2010 10:22 pm

How much do you have to spend?

Dr Feelgood · Post by **Dr Feelgood** » Fri May 07, 2010 11:34 pm

I say keep it! You might regret getting rid of it once you get past your music 'block'. Im still surprised at the amount of sound manipulation that I can do with this box. It just takes a bit of time and a lot of patience and trial an error.

robosardine · Post by **robosardine** » Sun May 09, 2010 7:57 pm

It is a great box- but some people are much more suited to creating music by sampling. Dr F has found that he has already made lots of music with the EMX, but you have hardly any after a considerable time, so it isn't so much as a 'block' as not really getting going with it in the first place. Therefore it is probable that you will have a greater creative output, not to mention much more fun by mashing up samples on an ESX eg. Don't waste your valuable time. You have to try as many options as is practicable to find where your talents lie. The people with the greatest success usually have the greatest amount of failures behind them.

Nastyjoe · Post by **Nastyjoe** » Thu May 20, 2010 11:23 pm

First off, youv only made one song? man you havent hardly begun baby.

I suggest you try to recreate a song, like the guy up above said.

Maybe the Emx just isnt your style though, I LOVE video game soundtracks and aphex twin. I feel the EMX is just for that!

Either way bud, Iv created some wild sounds on this thing, and if you keep playing around i bet you'll find something you'll like.

zulixia · Post by **zulixia** » Tue May 25, 2010 11:54 am

I think i said in another post...but i stuck with her and its paid off...the mass effect remix i had before is getting up to notch...and i combined it with my Mini KP for the first time yesterday and it made it hella lot better...and figured out how to make a particular synth sound using the waves, so im glad i stuck with it...and i most certainly think it was good...but i will get a sampler in the near future...

Besides, i realised theres alot of heavy and hardcore sounds on it...which is perfect since im learning Shuffle and bought some phatt pants...can practice to my own music then XD... thanks for the support!