I think today’s musicians or artists who work in sound are facing many challenges – not necessarily more in volume than 20 years ago, but certainly not less. Among the many problems, one of the more confusing and time consuming is which DAW, synth, or plugin best reflects the composer’s originality.
This particular dilemma also raises a question. On one hand, computer music pioneers such as Max Mathews and Miller Puckette have spent numerous years designing generalised or surgical sound creating and processing tools. On the other hand, almost all the big name hardware manufacturers are putting out digital simulations of their older, physical lines of products monthly, claiming they have unique personalities - an early de-centralising practice that gradually and to some extent turns into an algorithmic marketing war.
Both are just different approaches. Could we build highly personalised sound from general tools aka »stock plugins« that almost all modern DAW already include, such as delay, reverb, chorus, ring modulator, etc, so that we can spend more time on creating rather than choosing? I think, just like we can pick up any pencil and make our own signature, the answer is yes. If we can consider any pencil as a general tool, and our signature as our personalised sound, then we already have the fundamental preparations for this workshop.