Capturing Ideas

This is a very wordy video on the topic of capturing your musical ideas. It's a lot of talking, a lot of personal experience and opinion, and very little in the way of music or playing any synths!

[@sinewaymusic]

To me, the solution is a quick voice recording on my phone. Like you, my music ideas start in my head and they can come when I least expect it. I have no time to start a Roland MC-101, or FL Studio Mobile, or any other sequencer and/or piano roll interface to capture it in the moment. The voice recorder does everything: it lets me sing, whistle, explain certain passages, explain what kind of sound I'm hearing, etc. I even hear the chords sometimes so I sing the individual notes in succession and explain how it's to be played and then just sing the base note of the chord to explain the progression. I once did this at 11pm when the idea came into my head, and it took me a few minutes to get it down to the details, and then I went to bed. The following morning, I had zero recollection of the idea. Then in the evening, I went into the studio and listened to my voice recording and it all came back to me and I made one of the best songs I've made to date, down to the bridges, buildups and drops as I heard them in my head the following night. So yes, I really do think you should keep it simple and just take a voice recording and not look for grooveboxes to record your ideas. Grooveboxes like the MC-101 serve a very different purpose in my opinion: they are a source of inspiration in themselves thanks to their particular workflow. I make different types of music on the MC-101 than I do on my MPC Live 2. And I make different music on Elektron boxes than I do in a DAW. To me, the instruments are an endless source of inspiration in themselves, but none of them are suitable for capturing a fleeting idea before it fades away from your mind. So, unless you have a phone with a voice recording app, get yourself a dedicated Zoom recorder or similar. 😊

[@Pepijn_a.k.a._Akikaze]

A fine piano tune indeed! I think any musician can relate to your struggle how to capture ideas instantly. A long time ago, when I got an idea while working at the office, I called my home telephone number and left the idea as a message on my answering machine. Later I bought a Roland hand held recorder for this but it doesn't have a built in speaker so you have to connect it to audio or headphones in order to hear what you played or, in most of my cases, hummed. Nowadays I use an audio recording application on my smartphone to capture ideas. I hum or sing or whistle or or tap them if I don't have an instrument within reach. To anyone else but me these captures sound ridiculous but what do I care? I save my ideas using names that refer to their style or inspirer. Later, when recollecting my ideas, I have no problem finding the appropriate instrument or sound. Besides, I can alway record instructions if I am afraid to forget the arrangement idea. There is no muscle memory issue either. Now I am working on a piece that uses two or three of those ideas. I am happy I captured them. It's not that you will only remember your good ideas. The strange thing, however, is, that once I capture an idea I tend to remember them better. When I was 16 or 17, I wrote down a four page piano composition in musical notation but it was a painstaking effort and since my first midi sequencer I haven't felt the need to do it again. I still have the sheets though, and one day I will record what I wrote 40 years ago. How fortunate we are. Beethoven must have lost many ideas before he got to writing them down. To conclude this, many ideas I audition later are worthless. What made me think at the time I captured them they were great? Well, if, let's say, only 5% is worth keeping, capturing them was worth the effort.

[@TheEleventeen]

⚜️x🤘🏻x⚜️

[@michaelkonomos]

Man I LOVE process videos. Thank you for this. I am still relatively new to music and hearing how other people do it is so helpful.

[@timdanyo898]

The audio record app on my iPhone is the fastest way to record a melody or beat from my head. Song ideas often hit in the shower for me or on walks. The iPhone is almost always right there.

[@macaronafterparty]

100%

[@wernervannuffel2608]

I do the same...

[@mgregory22]

4:09 That's why I like my Yamaha V50 synthesizer from 1989 because you can just turn it on and record sequences. It's got a linear sequencer, so it will play exactly what you play in. It doesn't sound that great, but it can create a represention of any sound really. Not battery powered, though, and it's a big 60 key keyboard. It's pretty much the only thing that I've been able to use to actually capture ideas from my head. Everything else is just way too complicated. But lately I've been abandoning these types of ideas. Like Zimmer said about playing familiar stuff when you sit down and noodle, I've realized the mind does the same thing. It chews on the cud you've come up with before a thousand times. So, when I put them down, they're not very inspiring when I hear them for real. The ideas I care about now are more structural and directional. They're all learning goals, like showcasing a piece of gear, or composing in a certain style. But I don't compose for money so I don't have deadlines or anything like that. I think the key though is to relax in all areas of life so that you don't need to wait for relaxation to occur. When you're relaxed your mind works better anyway.

[@EdgetoneStudios]

I always get my musical ideas when I'm walking. They are long gone by the time I am home. I kept thinking that I needed a quick memo app on my phone to at least sing them in. Finally this year I actually did that. I think I've used it twice. I've decided that overall I am not concerned about capturing inspirational ideas. I have faith that I will always be able to generate something I am proud of, whether through capturing ideas I thought of in advance, or making them up through noodling. It just requires starting again and not concerning myself with lost ideas. Thanks for the thoughts on this.

[@Jean-Mi_Paradis]

Great video Tim, very beautiful piano tune. For me, what works very well, it’s the audio recoding on my smartphone while away from home, and at home, my Akai Force. It really does the job. It boots fast, 64 pads, all sort of notes, a workhorse that Imhave either working on power adapter or power bank. Thank you for your videos!

[@michaelshannon111]

Keystep 37 and a 1010 music Tangerine - 8-note polyphonic sequencing with chord memories and strumming on the keystep, and a hardware "multi-sample" sampler for more expressive playability (might have to make some piano/string/synth patches, but will have more velocity expression) - both powered from usb power brick.

[@VisionsMusicGroup]

Hey Tim, my solution will not work for you, but you asked 😁 You laid out perfectly my primary struggle for decades; getting that idea out of my head and somewhere I will remember it. For me, 99% of my "new ideas" happen about 2 minutes before I fall asleep. So annoying. I thought I solved the problem of jumping up and turning on an entire studio, by buying a Jupiter-80 in 2014 with a built-in audio recorder... but as you pointed out, no MIDI, reverse-engineering. Finally, I had enough and I went completely overboard and bought the Kronos SE in 2019... and, at least for me, all my [idea capturing] problems are solved. Yes, Kronos takes 90 seconds to "boot", but at my age there are mandatory functions that must take place when getting out of bed anyway 🤪 so that buys Kronos time. Hit SEQ mode, hit Record, and ... idea, captured. Can't take Kronos on the train, though, so I just stay home. Who likes putting on pants, anyway? Not me. Good luck on your quest!

[@theveiledcreature]

An iPad and a small midi keyboard like the keystep is what you want. Alternatively, you could plug the keystep into the MC101 and control/sequence it that way. Add midi quantization later on the MC101.

[@CRayBeats]

What a EGO Eric has! :) Thinking everyone is going to have his Omnisphere open at the time of inspiration.. lol! Joke aside, I always have my DAW on.. :P

[@dominiquewarreyn1884]

And so I'm not the only one looking for the Holy Grail... A year or so into my quest, I've tried myriad different setups, in vain. MPC's, Elektron devices, beatboxes of all shapes, forms, and political affiliations. But! The other day, while recording a violin player a few blocks down my house, it hit me that perhaps I wasn't trying to solve the real problem. Perhaps I've been missing the old days and workflow of the Portastudio all along, and let KZbin convince me that I needed something else. Maybe all I need is an R20 or my multitrack tape recorder and nothing else. That, and that Beatstep Pro for sequencing, a device sadly underused next to my modular synth. I'm now seriously considering that option, as well as that of going back to writing my ideas onto a proper music sheet too. Who knows...

[@tomasrasmussen]

I can really really recommend everybody who have a talentgifted heart to get a digital portable recorder (eks. Tascam DR-05X). Mine are close to me and lightning fast I can turn it on and express my ideas in tones, describing words, chords and vibes/emotional imprint. This have helped me lots of times to capture many bright visions and ideas. And in same time I have a genius recording tools with me on the journey of something interesting shows up for recording to be able to continue working with om the sampler home in the studio. 💜

[@ydnasilliw]

The Deluge works for me in this way, no traditional keyboard though... Amazing wee box! The sequencer is unbeatable.

[@stinkypete9070]

same. I never noticed how much I used it to capture ideas until I sold it, now I'm in the process of grabbing once again, just so quick and easy to get anything going on those things, spose its a win - they now have screens now too. Also a beast of a rompler too if youre a cheap bastard multi sampling monos in lieu of a poly

[@MisterMajister]

Same for me! It takes a good while getting familiar with it, but once you do, it's wonderful!

[@zsixtyfour]

Absoutely. If you are looking for "turn it on, start creating" - the Delly is hard to beat, and is getting better all the time.

[@LuisTorres-qz5kr]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic Tim! Always good to stop & think about this important part of the (pre-)music creation process.

[@adamlilly9478]

21st century problems, am I right 🙌 Also, I totally agree and sympathize.

[@sleepisoptional]

what you’re describing is why i use maschine mk3/jam for quick ideas over ableton. once maschine is set up you dont even wake up the mac screen to use it. it works like hardware in that respect. sequencer is fast, its bus powered, looper is amazing. lock states and automation are faster and more powerful than ableton. can morph between scenes with 2 button presses and a crossfade time. hardware controller allows working without thinking. and companion jam controller is $200. plus you can use all your money plugins from the start instead of slumming with inferior onboard fx. its not an op-1 but a laptop + mk3/jam is a coffee table sized rig you can comfortably work with. with the keyboard controller of your choosing

[@Paintopia_VR]

A workstation keyboard will do this, something like the new Akai keyboard or a Roland Fantom/ Krog Nautilus.

[@ChristopherOrth]

Yeah, this is always a thing... a couple suggestions: 1 - Get a little gizmo that can capture the way you want, or an old laptop or whatever, and leave it running 24/7 with a keyboard plugged in. It's nothing but a capture station. Have a couple sounds loaded and ready to go, just walk up, press record and play, any time day or night. Completely separate your idea capture from your other production work. 2 - Have you considered using your phone? Granted, it still has the overhead cruft of turning on, loading app, etc. But it's going to boot up the app much faster than even the fastest computer will. Have a dedicated cable and little keyboard for it, make that very mobile, and in a pinch you could at least use the onboard keyboard for capture while in the grocery store line. And you don't need to care if the phone app is "professional" quality or not. It's just for capture. 3 - After trying everything over the years, I have fallen back to simply recording old school audio. I use my phone simply because it's what is near. It works flawless and nearly instantly for getting my ideas as I have them while playing guitar or keyboard, as well as things I just hum or sing. No care about audio quality, and of course I don't get the midi notes as you mentioned in the video, but I get something I have learned is more important for me which is the initial "feeling" of what I was trying to manifest in music. That I can always reverse engineer from audio, but I was loosing from midi stuff when a patch would change from software updates, etc. I lost more good stuff from having it in the computer than I ever did from not capturing it at all. And the actual notes played were rarely the important part... it was more the tones and textures, and the emotion. Anyhow, later I bring these little snippets into Bitwig or Ableton Live and start working with them as if they had been recorded directly into the DAW, and replace/add as I go. 4 - Maybe a dead end but I "think" something like the Zoom R12 might be worth a look? It's a multitrack recorder, but I believe one of those models has an onboard synthesizer that you can play via midi input. That would be fast and easy to use and would still capture midi that can be transferred elsewhere.

[@stevenhardy192]

As a synth newbie (I was recently gifted a Korg Monologue to learn subtractive synthesis), I've chosen to pre-order the Roland SH 4D as my second synth hoping it will capture ideas in a fairly straightforward/immediate way and also in my budget (in/around £500). I wanted to quickly capture polyphonic sequences, drum ideas, bass lines in one box, without a laptop, to connect to my controller that has 4 zones for splits/layers. A few more weeks to wait but I have high hopes!

[@AndyVonal]

ahhhh the perennial problem and so nicely put! I used to actually write out scores... I have a couple of completed "pieces" which I composed in my teens sitting at the piano with reams of manuscript paper, including a fully orchestrated piano concerto. I have no idea where I got the patience from! I have no suggestions regarding a solution to this problem, but I totally sympathise! Thanks for another great video, Tim!

[@danieldemayo6209]

The Novation circuit has a nice sequencer and you can play 4 octaves on the pads in scale mode. Synth sounds but you can can use it as a midi sequencer when you get home since it’s battery powered. It’s very simple, no screens or menus, but is still pretty powerful….

[@thomas.moerman]

+1 for skills/process/workflow videos!

[@garygimmestad4272]

Moleskine music notebooks and a pencil at the piano is my usual butterfly net. Or just the Moleskine. The downside is I sometimes jot too quickly and I go back to the page and can’t read my own scribbles. If I get ideas while I’m driving long distance I sing them into my phone. I like Capture for improvising and listening back for nuggets.

[@DKS-SYNTH-LAB]

Great video! ✌🏻

[@nativeVS]

It's an interesting problem. Every time I've needed to write music under pressure (at home) I've been using my VSL server also as a MIDI and Audio recorder, but having that running 24/7 in Summer is sadly not really an option. Like you I haven't found anything that really works, but since all my best ideas seemingly were in my head and not coming out of the hands a hand held recorder (or just voice memos) are the purest form of keeping record.

[@dudfaz]

Yesss - can totally relate to this! Nicely done. I wish there were more videos on youtube about PROCESS rather than gear (in my feed, anyway).. I've got an MC-101 which I have a love/hate relationship with, haha. But you've inspired me to just leave it set up with a midi keyboard plugged in and use it for this purpose. Cheers :)

[@midinotes]

One of the reasons why I have always loved having an arranger keyboard in my studio. Switch on and within a very short time I have access to great sounds, rhythms and backings, arps and a quick recorder. I can then export it to the DAW and polish it up. I have progressed to a Yamaha Genos which is quicker to boot than a workstation synth, it's always my go to keys.

[@jammystraub488]

Yep, an arranger keyboard with MIDI recording and built-in speakers is a great solution. Not sexy, but exactly what they were built for.

[@HeathcliffBlair]

Try singing the idea into a mobile phone recorder, including harmonic structures. At least it's cheap and super-fast if a little inelegant! 🙂I do it quite often - this morning, in fact, after waking with music playing in my head.

[@thekitchensynth]

Cobalt 8 /Argon module versions are pretty small …app is excellent that goes with it …and the arp and sequencer sections are superb. With a KeyStep you might just have something that works …worth a thought. Thanks as ever for well produced and thought provoking videos …always enjoyable and informative 👍👍

[@jacobastevens]

You have no idea how strongly this video resonated with me. When I'm at the computer, I'm a technician. All my good ideas happen when I'm somewhere else. The only solution I've found that REALLY works is the iPhone voice memos app. But that's far from ideal.

[@minimal.camera]

Hey Tim, another great video. I also constantly struggle with this, in fact its part of why I got into electronic instruments in the first place (and youtube as well). The best I've found for me thus far is an Elektron sequencer, and of course they come in various flavors. For a keys player like yourself, I think the Digitone (maybe Digitone Keys) is really the best option, as the others simply don't have enough polyphony. On the Digitone sans keys, the trig keys as a makeshift keyboard are actually quite playable, I like them a lot more than I expected. The biggest limitation in the sketchpad department is the max of 64 steps, so you can't write terribly long pieces, its more a workflow for writing loops or snippets. The multitimbrality means you can write both rhythm and melody in tandem, which I really enjoy. Sometimes I feel like I get my idea down as I imagined it, other times I feel like I get something new based on feedback from the instrument. So its not perfect, but its close. I love that I can power it on quickly, jot something down, turn it off (forgetting to save), and my idea is still right there when I power it on again. Elektron saves me from myself quite often. The Digitone is also pretty easy to power from a battery (via Ripcord or similar), and it is possible to mod it to have an internal battery. Now another that I've looked at for this purpose but never played is the Cobalt 5S. On paper it looks like the complete package that you described - portability, battery powered (internal even!), massive sequencer, solid workable sounds. I've often thought that I wished my Keystep 32 had some basic internal sounds so it could be self-contained, and the Cobalt 5S seems to be exactly that. I would love to hear your take on it if you do end up trying one. Here's a fun thought I had while writing this... many of us use voice memo apps on our phone to hum a tune to help remember and 'jot it down quickly'. Obviously that's audio only, and as you said you have to reverse engineer the MIDI out of that. But what if there was an app that actually interpreted the pitch, gate, etc. of your humming and generated the corresponding MIDI out of that?

[@breakspeare1220]

Maybe you don't have to reverse engineer MIDI from audio. There might be some apps that can actually do that. Recently now there are several apps or plugins that can take a .wav or other audio track and break it into 4 or 5 parts/tracks using artificial intelligence. And then if I'm not mistaken you could import an audio track with single-note melody into PowerTracks Pro Audio (for Windows only - XP to 10 and probably 11) and have it do a pitch to MIDI conversion automatically with a built-in function . . . from all the way back to 2001 and its Version 7.0. Even back then it was able to import .kar, .seq, .wav and .mid files.

[@666JGNotts]

I'm so glad it's not just me who suffers from this! Many a time I'm in the car listening to some old music and think that a particular Stranglers bass line (for example) with a bit of tweaking would make a great synth bass line. By the time I've got home, I've even forgotten that I've had that idea. It's only when sitting at the synths when I think "what was that great idea I had in the car" ..... no chance of remember it.

[@CNTRRNDM]

Great video! I mainly use either my PO-128 or my PO-33 to capture both rhythmic and/or monophonic ideas. When it comes to polyphonic ideas, I pretty much have the same problems you described in the video😕

[@gackooDuz]

Hi Tim, great Video. Thanks! when you compose a song, you can write it down over a lead sheet, or a chord progression on a guitar or piano. Mind you Song! With many electronic styles I like to be inspired by sounds. I then record this as a stereo mix in my console. Sometimes I make a kind of drawing that shows when, for example, a special sound or effect comes up. Everyone probably has a different approach. I'm similar to you. Once I have to turn on all the machines, the idea will be out of my head. I get the most ideas from the most impossible situations. Often, of course, when there is nothing to compose. I look forward to your next video

[@jasonwebster6397]

Back in the early days in the early 90’s, I had a Yamaha pss790 portasound keyboard. Cheap, mini keys, no velocity, unrealistic sounds etc.. however…. It took 1 second to turn on (no loading time), 1 button press later, a metronome was clicking ready to press record, with a piano sound auto loaded and ready to use. One more button press and you were recording. You then pressed stop, pressed one button to return to zero, another to record on track 2 ready to instantly go again. It had a dead basic 5 track sequencer. So in mere seconds you could get an idea down. 30 years later I have still not found a better quality version that’s this quick. I use ‘spire’ free app on my iPhone now, quickest and easiest multi tracker from switch on to recorded.

[@InterplainMusic]

Thanks for this video Tim, I am not on my own. I get a feel something feels inspirational an the ideas come later. I can be in a sleepy state an some great tunes have come along. I used a mobile app called Hum. Maybe give it a try. Most people pick up a phone first thing in the morning. Captures the idea an exports to MIDI..

[@billfsmusic]

After two years, I’m still a beginner. I have used Garage Band on my iPad to capture ideas. The nice part for me is that I can send the “noodle” files straight to Logic. My iPad is always with me, and it’s portable enough.

[@breakspeare1220]

And you can use Garage Band with other iOS apps and plugins, like Korg Gadget and Korg Module, I believe. I have these on my iPad but I've yet to try them together. There are a ton of iOS apps/plugins for audio and/or music, by the way. The great thing about them is that they are generally less expensive than their Mac OS X and Windows counterparts.

[@hubertvancalenbergh9022]

I understand what Zimmer is saying, and yet I find interesting ideas do come out of noodling. I would argue that ideas that are conceived in one's head are not superior or all that different. For how is it possible they are conceived in your mind in the first place? What's in one's head is mostly an amalgamation of what has been put there in the course of one's life. Of course, as with noodling, sheer endless recombinations are possible.

[@RonaldFigura]

Agree with the Casio CT-S500, although it is 61 full size keys. But it does check all the other boxes.

[@spectre.garden]

Beautiful comp and great treatment of the subject. My two cents... and probably nothing you hadn't thought of on your own journey... there's not a silver bullet method, but rather familiarity with a handful of methods that work best for you. Each sequencer type brings it's own flavor. Having a few DAWs and a few different hardware sequencer types allows me to feel like I can shape the way the composition will go, based on the idea itself, and not the technical aspects of getting it down. In other words, choose the capture method that compliments the idea. I find with Cubase I write with lots of open spaces between my phrases, where in atomic sequencers like Live or FL Studio, I build tight fitting parts. MPC One and the Roland Fantom allow me to move quickly to build out the skeleton of ideas that I can export into any DAW I would like to work with as MIDI or Audio. VCV Rack 2 pro and Bitwig allow me to be indulgent in the sound design aspects of ambience, and combine hardware in measure to avoid getting lost in sound design for it's own sake(which can also be a productive method for bank creation).

[@jeffevansmusic]

I have got a process for capturing ideas and it works for me. I have a Boss RC-3 looper setup here and its input can get a split of the whole studio mix. So I can come in, not use any computers etc, set a tempo and its click as hats at 1/4 notes and then switch on a synth and play it and it's being recorded. At the end of the loop I can switch sounds or add other synths in very quick and I end up with as loop that might have 5 or 6 parts in it. The quality is excellent and the mix is according to how I played those parts at what volume as each loop passed. It can then be transferred over to a computer later and imported into the DAW and reversed engineered.

[@lvilliankriss]

Since you use Cubase, I'd suggest an iPad with Cubasis installed along with the IRig keys mini. Super portable & checks all the boxes. 😁

[@PantaFlux]

What might work is a dedicated small notebook (or even an iPad) with just your DAW of choice and some instruments running (and only putting it into hibernation mode instead of shutting it down) and a good enough simple controller keyboard like a Keystep. Whenever an idea strikes simply wake up the notebook within seconds and go.

[@senacht]

I’m more traditional with my workflow, so capturing MIDI information rather than the sound is less important to me up front. I can always shift to MIDI after the fact as long as I don’t lose the notes or the feel. If I can just jog my memory I can invariably recall the complete idea. So I basically do the proverbial “run tape” trick. These days it’s digital more often than not. But singing an idea into my smartphone, jotting notes in my ever present notebook, or just recording everything automatically without thinking about actually using that recording in the final product is liberating. An old cassette recorder does the trick for that while the DAW is booting up.

[@wibblewabblewoo6249]

I write ideas I hear with a pencil into my manuscript notepad (always need a rubber too!) THEN go to an instrument to improvise.

[@patrikisraelsson5969]

You haven’t tried the small sibling to op-1, the op-z? I’m a sequencer guy and didn’t vibe with the op-1 so much even though it’s lovely in many ways. The op-z has a fantastically versatile sequencer and records midi that you can drop to your daw. No good keyboard though. But just connect a cheap midi keyboard that’s not to power hungry and you’ve got the perfect combo. Strap the op-z, which is tiny, to the keyboard and voila! A brand new instrument that fits all your needs. :) Also, thanks for the great video and lovely piano tune!

[@jammystraub488]

There's a whole world of keyboards out there to fit these exact needs. They don't get a lot of coverage because there's a stigma against anything with built in speakers. Others have already mentioned the Casio and various other arranger style keyboards. 👍

[@reddragonrespect]

this is probably why workstation keyboards are still popular.

[@robertsyrett1992]

I guess that's why I like grooveboxes. Switch it on and get your ideas out of your head. edit: I leave a Hydra Synth Explorer plugged into the Octatrack so there is always a keyboard handy, ymmv.

[@kentinjivek]

There are many items in the air that help to write down musical ideas but the topic is really important too and so as a consequence words - question is I think : machine presets before human ideas or the inverse?

[@sojourner-kl6ei]

Digitakt + Yamaha CP (both on battery pack) = almost instant recording of ideas. Most of my idea motifs don't exceed 64 steps at a time so it's easy to capture the pattern...then improve or correct any notes one step at a time if needed afterwards. With the firmware addition of songmode...you can now effectively record ideas (patterns) for as long as you like.

[@TMOFD]

I have the exact same problem. The best ideas came to my mind, when I'm on my way to work in my early shifts or right before going out. I've lost many great ideas that way. Now I try to just hum the melody or sequence in my memo recorder on my smartphone. A better solution would be really a MC-101 with a Mini Keyboard with 3 Octaves.

[@jacobastevens]

I had a Korg Kross and it does do what you describe, and I think is even battery powered. I should have given the sequencer more time, as I believe it was pretty powerful.

[@dobeeeeval]

Synthstrom Deluge is the ultimate scratchpad imo. Has an isomorphic keyboard and even a built in mic if you just want to hum into it. Still missing the true keyboard you want though.

[@Sadsoft]

Usually I use the audio app on my phone and then once I’m in able-ton later on I load up the track and convert harmony to midi. Then I play it against the audio and match up what ever blips and bloops it didn’t convert properly

[@JeremiahTrue]

This is something I’ve dealt with for ages. I’m not a great keyboard player and getting the idea out sometimes gets lost in translation. My other big issue is a combination of choice paralysis and getting lost in sound design and letting the thread of capturing the idea slip away in the process. I recently hooked up my old Groovebox again, a Yamaha RM1x, which I used well before getting into a DAW and the muscle memory still works. I’m thinking of going back and using that or my Korg Karma’s RPPR (needs repair) like I did before computer work. I could just play and record bits and pieces and then build sequences up in parts rather than looking at a blank project file with limited default sounds loaded and a giant, empty sequencer timeline.

[@unclemick-synths]

For non-noodling I record on my phone or Zoom H2n. I usually record my voice - it beats the muscle memory problem. I find it's important to do stream of consciousness and not go back and edit or the stream gets broken. I'm not a two-handed keyboard player (except for my piano lessons) so my ideas aren't complex. One thing I hate about recordings (audio or MIDI) is they're not like scribbles on paper - you can't just flick through them to choose what idea to run with.

[@lokelosk]

Since you tried the ELZ-1, maybe have a look on Liven XFM or the SmplTrek? Not sure how ideal they would be, tho, but from videos, sequencing seems to be fast and easy. For me, funny enough, having a laptop and Renoise helped a lot. The laptop stays on sleep, I open it up and it wakes up. Open Renoise and load a VST in seconds and voilà, I can record ideas using a 2-octaves "keyboard" instantly. It's not perfect, but it works well. There are tools that show a traditional piano roll in it, so it makes it easy to reproduce what you played without having to read the tracker interface (which I grew to like after a while, to be honest).

[@matt_phistopheles]

I'm more a noodling guy but I have a AR16C mixer from Presonus in my home studio where all my gear is connected to. So when I have something going or my modular system creates a happy accident then I just have to press the prominent record button on the mixer to instantly record everything to the SD card. This setup doesn't need a computer (it's not even connected most of the time) and I'm ready to record my voice, e-piano or guitar five seconds after I've flipped the master switch. It's only audio though but that is good enough for me.

[@stephenbreitling2327]

it happened to me many times, that i dreamed a finished song, woke up and wanted to capture it. obviously you can only put down the main melody line and maybe describe, what the sound was like. most of it will get lost though! in the stone age, i tried to write down the music score on paper, which i never was any good at, but nowadays we all have our smart phones and tablets, lying next to our beds. there you can open a recorder and sing in your idea or even use garage band and play in the tune on multitrack. you still can't plug a usb cable to your head and just save the song, but using some hand held device is the closest to that we have right now..

[@ktreier]

I use GigPerformer when I just want to explore sounds and ideas on my HW and SW synths. It has a record button and it records audio and MIDI.

[@rustyking5321]

Have you tried the new Akai MPC that has a keyboard?

[@gregorydolhy1407]

Consider a Casio CT-S500 keyboard. Highly portable, lightweight, battery capable, many excellent sounds, Easy&Multitrack recording modes, export song recordings as midi files via usb thumb drive, many drum patterns that could be inspirational, drum kit tones to play your own live patterns, nice feeling 5octave keyboard, built-in speakers, low price.

[@stevesm2010]

I've been toying with the idea of Dubler 2 from Vochlea Music for ages. £189 is a bit on the expensive side for me but if you could record vocals on a portable device and then play audio into Dubler 2 to convert to MIDI then perhaps it's the way to go. Has anyone tried this?

[@edmasters4454]

I like the CME Xkey Air bluetooth connected to my iPad Pro, as a simple, portable solution. Probably not what you're looking for as it's two pieces of gear. But a lot of flexibility with 3 octave keyboard and vast sound options on the iPad. Easy to import into Logic on the MacBook Pro later.

[@dankeplace]

Is this the PAT keybed? I have looked at it but wondering how key travel is.

[@edmasters4454]

@@dankeplace The key movement is minimal (flat keys with limited travel) -- though it has velocity and polyphonic aftertouch, both of which work fine. As a piano player, I'm actually (surprisingly) am ok playing it. Very different feel than a typical synth/keybed. But it's ok to play. I wouldn't want to perform live with it - but to record parts and capture ideas, works fine. And is very portable.

[@dankeplace]

@@edmasters4454 Thanks for the reply, I just wanted something cheap for PAT, still been looking for a good solution without having to fork out a ton of money. Even looked at the MicroFreak but the keybed is only 25 keys from memory.

[@bigbeatnut]

I can sympathise… I have exactly the same scenario, and the same problem … ideas when I’ve just woken up, gear too distant. Recently acquired mc101, I’m afraid at the moment I find it too hard to use without first plugging in a little 2 octave keyboard.

[@TheDavidPoole]

Hi Tim, How about a Korg MicroStation? Not exactly tiny, but i think it has 5 oct keybed. Don't know how file tx works, but it might be worth investigating. Cheers for the video, it's made me think!

[@gazzar67]

It saves the midi sequences to its SD card. It can run off a lithium battery pack via a step-up-voltage cable. It wouldn't be hard to mount such a battery pack inside a microstation. Power-on time is under 10s. Still, it's not small enough that you'd be unselfconscious carrying one around on a train.

[@pawnotdaw4559]

I know you want an all in one, but the mpc live would be quite good with a little usb keyboard.

[@ansibeats]

Hi Tim..MPC Live is portable great machine. It's not just a sampler any more or a "groove box" . It's capabilities are not very far from DAWs plus you've got bunch of good digital synths in the box. Best standalone unit you can get at the moment. I don't think even NI Mashine+ can compete at this stage. Akai Force is great too but it is not battery powered. It reminds me of Ableton Workflow. Autosample is great feature on the Akai units where you can sample any VST or external synth and turn it in to the keygroup with velocities and everything . Sequencer is very capable as well.. Honestly great machines...and yeah i made lots of beats on the toilet😂

[@ansibeats]

Forget to mention they also do MPC Keys Which is basically full workstation but it's not battery powered I believe. With MPC Live you just plug in any midi keyboard that is usb powered and you're good to go.. Anywhere

[@LucaRossoDeVita]

Novation Circuit Tracks maybe?

[@TheEleventeen]

Maybe something as simple as refurbished ZTE Axon M dual screen smartphone (64mb version used to be around $100) with easily replaceable micro SD card, with a Music Studio app (records audio and midi tracks, has wonderful looking user interface, double piano keyboard, easy import/export, can be used on Apple and Android devices). ZTE Axon M is discontinued item and most likely not legally supported by today’s mobile service providers, but I don’t use smartphones specifically for talking to people (it would be such a waste of computing power, wouldn’t it ?). Old world Amiga users from back in the day most likely have better solution for the device selection. I’m sure some of them will share it here.

[@johncarter2741]

Good article. I just use an iPad running cubasis for capture. By the way… Nice flat colour profile used on video

[@wernervannuffel2608]

It's the same problem I have for capture dreams. In the sleep-awakening stage I try to condens my dream-content and forms but - believe it or not - the moment I really wake-up it's... gone 😔 For my writing work I make use of always blanked sheets of (digital) ''paper''. Every thought and every idea is captured in this way. I'm working on a method to fix that problem concerning musical ideas.. Once I have it proofed I'll show it in a YT- video.

[@minimal.camera]

You can actually train yourself to remember dreams more vividly after waking. It takes a long time (took me probably 2 to 3 years of discipline), but you'll eventually get there. The thing that worked best for me is keeping a dream journal, immediately writing down my dreams when I wake up. Eventually I had to stop the practice because I was remembering so much, I would end up writing for 45 minutes to an hour, and I just didn't have that much free time in the mornings! It dovetails with lucid dream training as well. I haven't applied this to music though, that's an interesting thought.

[@wernervannuffel2608]

@@minimal.camera Thank you for your answer and given advice concerning dream memory. I know about keeping a dream journal and I write/record the most vivid dreams often in my computer diary ''dream book''. The most difficult dreams are specific ''thoughts and ideas''-dreams that vanish into oblivion once I wake up or preparing me to write them down. For musical ideas I try it in a different way. It's nothing about running to a keyboard or other gear. It's all about visual music approaches and graphic scoring methods. Once I've masterised it I'll make a video about it.

[@wernervannuffel2608]

@@minimal.camera Or waiting on the invention of oneirography devices... I'm working on this... too... Archiving all kinds of thoughts and feeling is ''my thing'' as independent researcher and artist.

[@freeze157]

The op-1 does have a sequencer, but it depends on your workflow, it might not be usable for your needs.

[@syntheticskystudios7325]

I record many of my "on the fly" musical ideas (when I'm not in the studio) on my phone. Sometimes, it's even easier to record a video of me playing a part on the keyboard (be sure to get the patch name/number on the video, too!) or just singing the melody, tapping out a rhythm on a desk, anything that works. No, these aren't "polished ideas", and no there's no MIDI data to them, but they're good enough for me to take into the studio to develop them further. (I also carry a pad of staff paper in my briefcase--which goes with me nearly everywhere-- and I occasionally write things out that way, when possible. (And that's as good, for me, as having MIDI data...)

[@EannaButler]

My solution? We all have a phone in our pockets or on the bedside locker.. Sing the tune into the phone, can annotate the idea with spoken words. Yes it's far from perfect, but you don't get much closer to immediate turnaround of idea-to-recording than that..

[@wjklaver]

Hello Tim, once a friend of mine told me that the best camera is the camera that you’ve got with you. Isn’t that also applicable to your “idea recording” problem? In that case: Did you think about Garage Band on your iPhone or iPad? It does record midi, you’re probably carry it with you most of the time and there is an easy export to Logic…

[@markdoran3114]

Try the Deluge Tim - portable and easy to capture ideas

[@Hyper5nic]

So, why not play and record an acoustic (or electronic) instrument on a pocket recorder or cam? No updates, no setting up a DAW or software. A small notebook is what I use too, for those moments I can't access any instrument or recorder.

[@PhrygianPhrog]

Michael Jackson would capture his ideas by recording himself singing all the parts on a multi-track tape recorder.

[@tgiencke]

Elektron Digitone, MyVolts Ripcord, USB power brick, MIDI keyboard of choice does what you want. Mount everything on a piece of carbon fiber with 3M Dual-Lock. Compose on “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”.

[@dominiquewarreyn1884]

BTW, how about 1010music's Bluebox?

[@ProfessorSynth]

I think the Synthstrom Deluge would fit the bill, an instant on, portable DAW

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Eliminating the computer from composing transformed my music. Now that I am 100% hardware, including a 24track hardware recorder, creating music has become child's play, with over 68 albums of music in the last 5 years. My studio uses a 32-channel mixer where each instrument has its own channel that never moves, and I turn on one switch and the entire studio except the Arturia Microbrute (needs tuned after 15min) is ready in just a few seconds. IF the instrument I choose to represent my idea is piano, then it is even simpler, using a digital piano that records MIDI with just a push of a button, the idea is down in just minutes. IF a synth sound, then I already have an 80% idea how to create the sound in my head because I know my synths so well. I rarely sell a synth, I work with them for a decade or more, and can sound design from simple to complex in 5 to 15 minutes. Once the sound is in my synth, the composing for that part becomes easy and magical. Once a part of the orchestration is solid and played back, playing melody over it or if melody then adding the accompaniment is also magical. My studio is set up to record in one take Vangelis style using both hands and feet, foot-pedals, various keyboards for live play, step and pattern sequencers shooting out phrases and loops, and a sampler with acoustic sample phrases played in...all this happening in real time recorded to a multi-track recorder. As the song writing progresses (practicing the song) I set up fine details of effects, EQ, and levels, and fine tune the sound designs so that I print to the recorder the finished song with all the audio engineering finished except the final mixdown to stereo master. I am performing with the exact song in finished form as recorded, I am totally immersed in it, feeling the reverbs, sound design, switching in and out sequencer mutes, hearing the completed song as I play. I use the most powerful MIDI pattern sequencer in the world, a blank style I program from scratch on an arranger keyboard to perfectly match the song I am writing. With the arranger I can simply change a chord and my entire pattern (up to 8 tracks deep) changes pitch to follow the chord. A fantastic composer tool changing chord progressions at will. Since the style is created by me just for the song I am composing, the backing music sounds real, because it is real, played in by me, and rarely quantized to 100% on grid. The arranger is just the foundation, using other synths/instruments, analog and digital, I complete the orchestration with an extremely wide pallet of sounds and rhythms. This one take allows me the full passion of the music, something I can never feel over-dubbing. One take means not making mistakes though, so I practice for a long time before hitting the record button. And so, I record in slight imperfections, the music is not locked 100% to a grid, and the passion of performing is human now, not computerized to perfection. Imperfect recording, you know, like the old days of reel tape and vinyl. Consecutive days are spent dedicated to this one song, so forgetting it never happens, and there isn't a strict finished song when practicing, because during the recording process I allow myself the freedom to explore and improvise with some delightful surprises along the way. Once in a while I don't make it through the entire song without stopping, either a major mistake in performing, or I don't like the direction the improv is going, and then start over. But this failure does not happen very often, I am well practiced before recording. And I am a performing solo pianist, I am accustomed to the pressure of being alone on stage owning all the errors that otherwise could be hidden in a band and not so obvious. Just because it is an improv doesn't mean it lacks structure. The pattern and step sequencer bring me back to the chorus and verses with some of the locked in sequences. If you can practice and perform nearly flawlessly, this is an incredible way to record....and record the song with all the passion of playing it for the first time. NOTE: I am currently replacing my cheap Casio instruments, 10 years with them and can't get anything good out of them. Soon I will be making my first recordings with high quality synths, groove boxes, and sampler. I was planning on replacing my old digital piano but found the new flagship models have not improved enough in 10 years to buy.

[@pixelfixer8702]

Maybe you should try the Sonicware Liven XFM. Battery powered, small, switches on quickly, it has 4 tracks of elektron style sequencer, 64 steps per pattern, 128 pattern (you can chain them), 6 note polyphony, and really really interesting FM engine. All of that for a very reasonable price.

[@wernervannuffel2608]

Or we need to wait on the invention of ''thought recording and reproduction devices''... 😎🎹🎼🎶

[@MeisseLee]

Wouldn't any workstation keyboard do? Like a Fantom. or any workstation with a sequencer..?

[@ak99uk]

A battery powered workstation, with speakers, which you could use on the toilet?

[@ge0rgeharris218]

Frank Zappa recorded everything and it went into the famous vault!!

[@Strages_Powers]

ipads are great for capturing ideas, countless polyphonic apps.

[@hufftalbot9296]

Not that I can do this, but the easiest way is to carry some score paper and a pencil and write it down.

[@lashtal]

AKAI MPC Live 2 (solution: plug a controller keyboard into it) :)

[@Wagoo]

Turning your computer and audio interface off at night is a bit extreme? They're designed to run 24/7. But that won't help you on the toilet, I suppose. Things like the MC-101 you could solve the no keyboard issue by plugging one in.. things with no battery power, you could use a powerbank.. I hum into an audio recorder on my phone/tablet, or sometimes Zoom H1, to get ideas down while AFK. Sometimes fire up Cubasis if I have my tablet with me.

[@TimShoebridge]

Ha! It's not so extreme given that the energy bill estimate I just received works out at just under £6000 for a year 😭😭

[@wrenchposting9097]

Surely there is an old battery-powered Yamaha Portasound that fits the bill.

[@RobertMatichak]

Laptop / iPad and à contrôler Keystep

[@simoningate2056]

Juno-G was just switch on and record

[@AutisticCuriosity]

Your just described an iPad! - recorder, instant on, any piano you like, any keyboard, any instrument, as many sequencers as you like! Anywhere on train in toilet. Simple easy stable. Yes it’s small but similar in size to Op1 but far better software! It’s got a sampler you can send your ideas to others. And even video your ideas in 4K I’m amazed your not mentioning it. Even garage band would be easily good enough. At least consider it. Yes it’s got limitations of a flat screen but it’s an ideas machine AND it’s got superb speakers too! And it of course can handle midi easily - you can even hook up a keyboard to it. The big problem with an iPad is it’s not sexy. It’s not a classic analogue music piece of gear you can show off in warm lighting next to a slow drip filtered coffee whilst wearing a beanie hat. It just does the job superbly well.

[@rytmonorm]

try an ipad with some short of portable midi keyboard

[@paulmakl6282]

I’m surprised you didn’t try the Hydrasynth explorer. It seems to check most of the boxes

[@hostnik777]

Wtf are you even talking about, the HE doesn’t even remotely tick the boxes he talks about in this video.

[@symbiat0]

First question I have to ask you Tim is, how wedded are you to the idea that you need a real keyboard? I ask because at the portable form factors you’re talking about, very few instruments will have a proper keyboard. Was the OP-1 keyboard “doable” ? Also as far as portably powered go, if you are open to using a USB power bank instead of batteries you have more options. The most portable option really is gonna be an iPad Pro with some soft synths but then you’ll have to deal with either an onscreen keyboard or plug in a USB controller (you could use the LUMI Keys wirelessly with an iPad Pro which is still a pretty portable setup). A hardware instrument that also springs to mind is the Arturia Microfreak (very flexible as far synth engines go in the latest firmware update), sure the keyboard is not everyone’s cup of tea but it does have a sequencer and a basic mod matrix. Another instrument that might be worth a look is the Uno Synth Pro desktop model - it’s a full 3 osc dual filter analog synth with a sequencer, a mod matrix and onboard FX (but here again you will be dealing with a keyboard that is very similar to the Microfreak one). I happen to own both of these and the Uno is very close to the OP-1 form factor. Both of these will require a bit of compromise as far as a the actual keyboard goes 🤨 UPDATED (Oct 18th): Just saw Arturia announce the new Minifreak which seems to tick a lot of boxes in your list of requirements