Make Music, Not PowerPoints

In which I discuss another reason why I record using DAWless devices... and experiment with a clickbait title. How'd I do? 🤣
You can listen to the new song (Sand) at the end of the video or at:
jordanseal.bandcamp.com/track...
/ sand
#songwriter #dawless #recording #newsong #tascam #model12 #sand

[@robwebb9413]

It's no joke, limitations are what sets creativity free.

[@42pyroboy]

Real shit.

[@VapidVulpes]

Eeexxxaaccttlllyyy!!!

[@tomstewart2685]

Absolutely. It's one of life's most fascinating paradoxes. When we try to fight our base emotions (fear, anger, panic) we often make them stronger, when we try desperately to fall asleep we end up wide awake (and vice versa) and when we are limited, we can better unleash our creative potential. There's a reason why the original Star Wars trilogy is so much better than anything made since the introduction of CGI. Now that they can do anything, they end up doing nothing. The same is true for modern music production.

[@anthonygettig3058]

As a voiceover talent, I spend just about all day every day in Pro Tools. But when I want to make music, I set it aside and take the dawless approach for exactly the same reasons you covered. You really said it best with the title of this video. Also, screw the tinfoil hats that say the Model 12 and similar devices are not dawless. Your explanation is 100% spot on. Keep up the great work! I dig your music!

[@Fezzler61]

Done. Spend no more time justifying your approach. Have fun. Make music.

[@bobmartin770]

I'm totally with you on the dawless approach and philosophy brother.

[@GregWallis]

I've had my Model 12 for a week and it's fantastic. Slightly quirky but definitely something that is closer to a Portastudio experience than many would think. And as I bought the original 144 - yes I'm that old - I assure you it's true. I love what you're doing, keep going. As for the "it's still a DAW" point, it really isn't. It's an analogue experience that uses digital technology but it's not a workstation, it's a modern tape recorder, that has incredible digital features. And, like the original Portastudio, it inspires in a way that a computer DAW never really achieves. I use both, which works nicely.

[@remowo_]

Hi Jordan! There's nothing like the ease and sensation of connecting my electric piano to my little box a the tascam dp-008ex which I can actually have on the piano. 🎉

[@late4suppa1]

I have a Tascam 12 and have moved all recording out of my DAW. I only use my DAW now to master. Just bought a vintage cassette tape and record to that as well. WAY BETTER SOUND!

[@azuraq25]

Yo Jordan! Great video & I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. Love my Tascam portastudio for exactly the the reason you said - it’s me playing my instrument not clicking little dots in a screen. Been building my studio the last couple months & hands down the Model 16 is the better experience. Not only are you performing your music, you’re NOT DEALING WITH COMPUTERS!! The Tascam doesn’t crash, there’s no latency, no crazy configurations, troubleshooting takes seconds not hours - just a direct line of recorded music. Still, DAW’s have their place & I’m getting better using mine, but yeah - DAWless devices are the way to go

[@azuraq25]

I will say in defense if DAWs though - it allows me to visualize the music like tape & that can help with comping. I like to perform & then bring it to Reaper for comping & mixing & that’s like best of both worlds. Also I just got a free modular synth rack with over a 1000 synths & all the cables I’d ever need - for free. That doesn’t happen in the DAWless world😂

[@ianmargolycz]

I think, good on them for having thousands (and thousands) of dollars worth of gear and infinite tracks, outboard gear and plug-ins, but I say, what can you do with a few tracks and a microphone?

[@JD-vj4go]

It only costs a few hundred bucks to get setup with a software DAW. Reaper is sixty bucks, a decent interface is two hundred bucks, and audio assault makes cheap good quality plugins. There's also plenty of free plguins.The DAW also includes all the basic plugins you'd need. The most expensive piece of software I have is ez drummer three and they do half off sales frequently.

[@ianmargolycz]

@JD-vj4go I guess my point is that I'm more impressed with someone who can make something with the limitations of a DAWless setup.

[@JD-vj4go]

@@ianmargolycz I get the appeal of DAWless recording. The DAW leads to option paralysis very easily. And the way everything can be clicked and dragged and time aligned leads to performances that sound robotic to me. I also think DAWless is more fun. My old Tascam cassette recorder was just a lot more fun than reaper. Sometimes the DAW feels like more computer work. I just meant DAW recording doesn't have to be crazy expensive.

[@ianmargolycz]

@JD-vj4go Oh, I agree. I had a simple DAW and laptop setup for many years. It seemed to run it's course though, for me creatively. I'm wasn't too savvy with it to begin with, so maybe that's why DAWless is more appealing to me personally. I think my post was more a reaction to all the clips I see online of people flaunting their high-end gear. Seems there's a ton of people that buy massive amounts of equipment for their home studios, and it seems like it's not really about the music at that point. Plus, with all these plug-ins, I feel like there's a high percentage of the music not being created but automated instead.

[@_aaron_mcdonald]

@@ianmargolycz ​ @JD-vj4go You both may be interested in a setup/video I just posted a couple days ago that sorta has to do with everything you're both saying. Kinda inspired a bit by Jordan's channel in general.. but I also had a fostex cassette 4-track many moons ago that I have no idea what I did with, and when I looked into getting a new one I couldn't rationalize spending the money on it so I attempted to setup reaper + free plugins in a way that does the things that make DAWless appealing to me. There's still something to be said for being away from the computer all together, but even with my compromised setup I immediately noticed a focus shift away from the "PowerPoint" mentality as Jordan put it and toward ::gasp:: MUSIC. ..anyway.. might be interesting in a "Huh.. that's a thing some random person on the internet did" sort of way. The video is "DAWless-ish Reaper Setup" on the videos tab of my channel.

[@BdotRASS]

It's so strange hearing someone else explain same experience that I've had with daws. Got myself a tascam dr40 a few years back which is cool (bar the overly complicated overdubbing feature), never heard of the pocket studios before; kinda wish I'd found out about them before getting the pcm recorder.