Secret weapons

[Groundy]

 
Well done Lilly, She's a beauty....

Alex

[Mike Huntingford]

For me, it must be a combination of things and not a single weapon - consider it more an artillery barrage if you will:

1. Audio In - Do most coloring of sound via the instrument prior to entry into the DAW - use on board FX - do subtle tweaks using DAW FX.

2. AD Converters - what ever audio interface you use, choose one with great AD Converters (I personally have settled on MOTU interfaces).

3. DAW Controller - this is where the work of making a multi-track composition really come together - when I am creative, I don't need to slow down my creativity because of finite use of a bloody mouse - get a DAW Controller (I have had terrific success with my Mackie Control Universal Pro - it's big and easy to use and always dependable).

4. Minor mistakes - keep em!  Makes it personal and human!

5. DAW - I've tried them all - but, I have come back to the fully integrated Cakewalk solution - SONAR Platinum 64.  I can quickly get my projects done.  The pro-channel is totally the sculptor's tool!

6. Recording Source - for me, even stereo sources (like my keyboards), I will almost always record separate track channels - that way, via panning, volume control, channel width, and pro-channel sculpting, I can exactly place that instrument exactly where I want it in the mix.

7. Final Mixing - done outside of DAW, don't use normalization - let your original designed dynamics be! Also, Don't be seeing Red with the levels - get close.

[T.C. Elliott]

After commenting on two other threads, using a BR-900 vs a converter into the computer and tweaking presets, I've come to realize that my BR-900 is seriously my (not so) secret weapon.  I can tweak so many tones and vibes and the built in drum machine gives me a great backdrop to record ideas and songs to. After having it for 9 years (or more, maybe) it's almost second nature (even though I still don't use it to its full potential) to get ideas down. If it were to break today I'd be in serious trouble, for sure.