Rise of Youtube tutorials and masterclasses..

[borg]

haha, sounds very much like me! My problem is, it's only once in a blue moon that I get to the point of finishing things. I had it exactly one year ago, when I was wrongly diagnosed with lung cancer. Made 15 tracks in one months' time, two hours of music, all new material, some of it among the best music I ever made...

[Lost to the Void]

haha, sounds very much like me! My problem is, it's only once in a blue moon that I get to the point of finishing things. I had it exactly one year ago, when I was wrongly diagnosed with lung cancer. Made 15 tracks in one months' time, two hours of music, all new material, some of it among the best music I ever made...

Sounds great, I'd love to hear some.

[Amøbe]

Me too - I actually have a mnml vinyl that's either called Borg or by a Borg at home (never really figured it out) - and always wondered if that was you

[borg]

definitely not me! maybe Ashley Borg? Anyway, us Borg are one entity/collective.
only cause my shrink told me to let others decide if it's good, so if you got some time to kill: https://soundcloud.com/borgtechnologies
I don't want to pollute the thread and go too off topic and fill it with my stuff. the tracks with covid label are the ones from that series, most need revisiting as they're too long. It was basically 4 hours getting the parts together, 4 hours of arrangement, and a mix/home mastering session. I also think my IDM is better than my techno. The two guitar tracks are even made in a shorter time span, just an afternoon.
Thanks for the interest, but it's not what I would call releaseworthy, so be warned...

[Amøbe]

definitely not me! maybe Ashley Borg? Anyway, us Borg are one entity/collective.
only cause my shrink told me to let others decide if it's good, so if you got some time to kill: https://soundcloud.com/borgtechnologies
I don't want to pollute the thread and go too off topic and fill it with my stuff. the tracks with covid label are the ones from that series, most need revisiting as they're too long. It was basically 4 hours getting the parts together, 4 hours of arrangement, and a mix/home mastering session. I also think my IDM is better than my techno. The two guitar tracks are even made in a shorter time span, just an afternoon.
Thanks for the interest, but it's not what I would call releaseworthy, so be warned...

Ooh - I'll give it a listen at work tomorrow

[mervv]

While obviously it isn't bad to share knowledge and teach others, a lot of the more popular techno-niche youtubers (like Julien Earle or Yalcin Efe) seem to be pushing the wave of commercialization as hard as they can. It's a lot of quantity over quality, and more focused on copying something (which is easy to demonstrate and teach) then teaching something open-ended like the application of a specific technique. Teaching sound design in a principle or technique-oriented way is difficult to begin with, and trying to emulate other sounds is a totally valid way to learn it. I think it just matters how and why you are presenting it or seeking it out. The path of least resistance is to make a video about how to copy Sonny Jim's Techno Lead from his latest release on MelloDonk Records, so that's what ends up happening. It's easier to explain and easier to digest.

To me the whole "Here are the FIVE THINGS YOU MUST DO to get signed to a label" and "THE SECRETS THE PRODUCERS DON'T TELL YOU" discourse is antithetical to what I think is valuable about techno or underground music in general. It's also just deeply not cool. The internet culture around making techno now is like making hip-hop beats or American dubstep was 10 years ago. There are often good tips in these videos and in general a lot of these people know what they're doing technique-wise, but I think the cultural impact is overall negative.

On the other hand, I can understand the desire to make this kind of content or make sample packs in order to support yourself doing what you love. I guess there are better and worse ways to go about that, though. My problem isn't so much with the youtubers themselves as it is with the culture around what they're doing. It also reflects the larger economic trend of monetizing all of your skills and every single moment of your life, which obviously goes way beyond just a handful of niche youtube channels.


It's not just videos. Part of why I love Subsekt is because it has so far avoided the pitfalls of larger production forums like r/technoproduction, which is just a never-ending stream of "how do I make this kick drum" and "when do I get signed to a label" with the same answers repeated over and over in each post. I think the size of this forum and its community and moderation style have helped it stay away from that.

I don't get too wound up about it though. As with all music, eventually everyone will forget the shit and only remember the good stuff.

[Amøbe]

only cause my shrink told me to let others decide if it's good,

Let's follow your shrink's advice https://subsekt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=11629

[Amøbe]

To me the whole "Here are the FIVE THINGS YOU MUST DO to get signed to a label" and "THE SECRETS THE PRODUCERS DON'T TELL YOU" discourse is antithetical to what I think is valuable about techno or underground music in general. It's also just deeply not cool. The internet culture around making techno now is like making hip-hop beats or American dubstep was 10 years ago. There are often good tips in these videos and in general a lot of these people know what they're doing technique-wise, but I think the cultural impact is overall negative.

This is something I definitely fear - especially because I really do love techno, when it allows itself to explore the weirder and multiple ways that it can be used as an expression and tool for community. I always have a hope that the more true-to-spirit raves are so exhausting that they will never really get commercialized in the way that happened with dubstep... but I fear it!

[seanocean]

there's some good advice, but i think overall there's no way that any of these videos are showing how to impart personality or telling the viewer the importance of creating something original. And i see a lot of things that the videos just don't get. I'd hate to say i know more but if the presenter knew how to come up with an original idea they would share that kind of process. Like they could be like "yeah i really like how this gets weird here, nobody else likes it, but you know I just happen to dig it. -Maybe try it on ..see if it fits."
techno friend Rob K./Groovemechanic lurks around here on the boards sometimes I have seen. He had some good advice for me, once. He said your style is what you like to do. I would go further in saying that I have learned that style is what you can't do. Your style is your mistakes, sometimes your inability or lack of desire to do something well or like other people do. I remember the dancer rerun (Freshest Kids documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxoWyGFSGuk ) talking about how he got his breakdancing style from this guy who tried like mad to do the funky chicken but absolutely could not do it and wound up doing something completely different.. and also there's whole swaths of music that have come from people who did something that seemed wrong according to the status quo. something as dissonant as purple haze is tame to us but it's a radical af statement in musical history.

The idea that YouTube vids are creating this status quo is good; it creates a baseline, a stereotype to develop from, but it would be a mistake to let people know that this is all there is. I believe stereotypes in music are good because it gives people a frame of reference.. but after that the rest is all up to you as an artist. nobody is teaching how to develop artistry. maybe its a topic too deep for YouTube and the internet.

[Amøbe]

The idea that YouTube vids are creating this status quo is good; it creates a baseline, a stereotype to develop from, but it would be a mistake to let people know that this is all there is. I believe stereotypes in music are good because it gives people a frame of reference.. but after that the rest is all up to you as an artist. nobody is teaching how to develop artistry. maybe its a topic too deep for YouTube and the internet.

Agree with what you are saying - I'd even phrase it (the highlighted part) as it is up to you to use this knowledge to become an artist