What is MLR's opinion on presets?

[Vivix]

The line between your own sound, and bad, is hard. Because sometimes things that sound like crap are freaking amazing. Trust your ears, nothing else.

As for presets? I don't use them because nothing I own has that option, other than software, and I've only used software drums in recent time- and that preset is homemade.

[Icky]

Preferably make your own sounds, but if you can take a shortcut by messing with a preset that's okay.

Using presets right: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzYkFcRv0pQ&t=5m34s
1 Reaktor preset and 2 Nexus presets, all EQ'd, stereo seperated, etc.

But please don't make full songs with just VEC and Nexus, that's really just playing dress up with music.

[Matthew N.]

But please don't make full songs with just VEC and Nexus, that's really just playing dress up with music.

I mainly use Sytrus now that I have learned FM Synthesis, together with Massive, Harmor, Harmless and Vanguard.

[Matthew N.]

i've heard good things about vanguard.
Is it working well for you?

For very long years, yes. Very simple to use with not too many functions, but it's just perfect for arp synths.

[Flinckie]

I've definitely noticed that I'm moving gradually towards sound engineering. Admittedly, I almost never open a plugin and tweak it from it's default setting, because I really have no idea what half those knobs and sliders actually do.

But yeah, I more or less always tweak a preset before using it. I've noticed that I sometimes tweak them so much that they don't sound remotely like they did when I opened them, so I suppose that's sound engineering to a degree.