We musicians love our toys. And in this ever-busy, distracted modern life, where time is limited and computers are always in our faces, it's invaluable to have portable hardware instruments that can relieve creatives from the stress of daily existence. Indeed, compact synths/samplers and other tiny music workstations have become all the rage. And many mobile musicians are prepared to spend a significant amount of cash for the experience. But in terms of writing songs, just how useful are they? And can they replace the more traditional ways of producing professional tracks?
Portable Synths Are Here to Stay
Portable synths, samplers and music workstations are hardly a new invention. Many of us discovered them as kids, messing around with tiny Casio keyboards. If we were lucky, some of us got our hands more fancy musical devices, like our brother's percussion pads and old Roland grooveboxes.
Although this generation of kids have long since grown up, it seems they still want to play. Even younger folks who learned, to swipe left or right on an iPhone, are also searching for something different. Something more tactile and "real" to play with. Closet musicians spending nine hours at their day jobs staring at screens in their cubicles would much rather take time out to fool around with knobs or buttons than die of boredom scrolling through Instagram on their lunchbreak. In fact, for both the young and old, modern technology has probably led us here.
Yet another reason for this growing trend perhaps lies in the fact that music-making has now become more accessible than ever, even for those who aren't technically trained in music. With the plethora of equipment offering step sequencers, chord modes, automatic scale progressions, easy manipulation of samples, etc., practically anyone can create great rhythmic and melodic ideas.
These creative time-outs don't have to cost you an arm and a leg either. teenage engineering's Pocket Operators are a great example of reasonably feature rich synths and samplers for under 100 bucks. With step sequencing and pattern chaining, you can create entire ditties on a palm sized device. Roland has also gone all out on the compact craze, recently releasing a bunch popular mini synths, beatmakers and samplers, like the Roland Aira Compact Tweak Syth, Compact T-8 Beat Machine and the Compact P-6 Sampler. And like the TE Pocket Operators, all these units can be combined and synchronized to establish an impressive mini performance rig.
Of course, underlying these factors is the steady popularity of electronic music, as well as the revival of synth pop in the early late 90's and early 2000's, and then again during COVID times. This is yet another reason that the demand for synth and sampler toys keeps growing. And brands like teenage engineering are not only getting more popular amongst hobbyists. Established albums have been inspired and largely recorded with all-in-one compact music workstations, like the now legendary OP-1 Field and the lo-fi-friendly Roland SP-404MK11 Sampler.
Whether you're a musician or hobbyist interested in dipping your toes into the world of compact music-making, before making any significant investments here are some pros and cons worth considering:
Advantages to Compact Standalone Music Workstations
Especially if you're used to working with DAWs, it can be incredibly refreshing coming up with ideas in a new way with new parameters. It's likely you'll come up with melodies and beats that you never would have if working track by track on your computer.
More important, producing music becomes tactile and fun again; like guitar strumming and piano playing, we are not tethered to our computers. And when I move to synth and sampling hardware, for me, the focus often becomes less about melody and more about the sounds themselves and all the possible ways I can manipulate them. As a result, I begin to take a much more granular approach to making music than I would on a DAW, where I tend to just pick out sounds from a library. Happy accidents also seem to happen more frequently when I'm writing music in this less conventional way.
Of course, compact synths and samplers are the most optimal for genres such as electronic, low-fi, hip-hop and general groove making. And coming from a realm of complex melodies and choruses, I found myself getting more interested in these somewhat simpler genres and switching gears in my own songwriting approach.
Of course, the most obvious advantage of compact instruments is that you can make music anywhere inspiration strikes. Somehow, it feels like more work making the time and effort to enter your home studio, powering up all your equipment and sitting down to write. Using portable music devices somehow feels like less of a commitment, which for me, takes a lot of the pressure away from coming up with a good track. So, being able to just pull out a field instrument when you're sitting on your couch or visiting your in-laws is a major draw.
Disadvantages to Compact Standalone Music Workstations
With all that said, there are downsides to relying on hardware instruments to do your songwriting. Many of these models don't offer an easy way to create fully fleshed out songs. They're great for ideas, but when it comes to threading melodies to choruses together, often the pattern chaining process can be laborious. In fact, sometimes, there's no way to make complete songs at all. Rather you're often limited to a finite number of measures in a step sequencer. There are exceptions of course. But you're also usually constrained in the number of tracks you can create, even on more advanced machines. Vocals are another issue. Although there are standalone workstations that accept microphones, they typically can't handle large diaphragm condenser mics. Mixing and mastering is yet another obstacle. So, for most musicians and on-the-go producers, at a certain point, you will have to go back and cooperate with your computer.
Furthermore, the learning curve in conquering these instruments can become quite steep. Often, people get quickly frustrated by all the trial and error it takes to learn how to use complicated compact workstations. In many cases, it can take weeks before you reach a point where you feel an immediacy in the music making process. And even then, the process of song creation can be less efficient than if you were working on your computer's DAW. So, at the end of the day, is the intention to be productive or to have fun?
Lastly, price can become an issue. If you consider that you can buy an iPad with a DAW, like Logic Pro, you have yourself a portable standalone music-workstation with a lot more power and functionality than what most compact sequencing instruments can offer. And often, this option is cheaper than investing in a rig of music hardware, especially when compared to the most high-end synth/sampling workstations available on the market.
Final Verdict
If we can admit that standalone music workstations are inspiring additions or companions to your studio artillery, rather than a true replacement for your computer and DAW, then we can appreciate their true value; such devices are here to re-introduce the idea of play. And since play inspires creativity, these toys do possess an element of genius. All you have to do is fiddle around with the incredibly capable OP-XY (which does have song mode) to see how much creative potential it offers.
Accommodate your you need for fun and take a break from your computer. Admit that you're bored with how monotonous creating stems on a DAW can be. And even if these cute hardware devices aren't getting you as far musically, who cares? We all need a time-out. There are plenty of grown adults who spend just as much money on model trains or drones. At the end of the day, you're still creating.
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