The curse of unlimited choice: music technology

I’ve never been a fan of the Steve Jobs, Elon Musks and Peter Thiels of this world.

But, the German music tech entrepreneur (sound engineer, musician, coder and artist) Robert Hencke, is different. He’s fascinating.

Imagine being the co-founder of a genre defining $18 million music software company and then decrying what your incredible piece of technology has done!

That’s what Hencke, co-founder of Ableton, does in this excellent presentation, which is essentially a treatise about the tyranny of choice that comes with technological abundance.

I've been obsessed with music production down the years and finally bought my first copy of Ableton about 10 years ago. The software combines incredible power and versatility with a bewildering capacity to stifle creativity. I have had a love-hate relationship with the programme  ever since I bought it. My feelings towards it are  well expressed by Robert in this talk.

That said, I constantly go back to Ableton, knowing that the urge to get another synthesiser or plug-in, learning or even building a fully modular synth, is almost certainly unnecessary and will get me no closer to the type of music or art I want to produce. Certainly no closer than the universe of synthesis, composition and emulation that exists in Ableton.

Others disagree, having basically rinsed Ableton as part of their studio and liver performances for years already. 
There is something intensely creative about limiting your choices of technology, mastering a piece of equipment, pushing it beyond its absolute capability and creating something entirely new as a by-product.

Ultimately, this is what I think Hencke is urging us all to do.

It is a great talk by someone who’s clearly still in touch with his fundamental creative drives and needs, he even comes tantalisingly close to saying Ableton should be scrapped altogether!

Well work a watch.