@benprunty

Ben Prunty

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Latest answers from Ben Prunty

Hi Ben! I'm looking to buy my first keyboard. Thanks to your blog I found out you use the novation launchkey 49. Would you still recommend that or would you buy a different one if in my shoes?

Hello! The Launchkey is a fine keyboard, but I've found that I don't use any of the extra bits (faders, knobs, drum pads, etc). I'll probably end up getting a different, simpler keyboard eventually, though I still don't know what model yet. Again though, there's nothing wrong with the Launchkey. It has great build quality and I can imagine it would take many years of abuse. :)

Hi Ben. You are a successful artist that works from home and seems to get a lot done. I know you use a bullet journal but do you have any tips for staying disciplined and getting work done/staying motivated?

I kind of answered this one a while back: https://ask.fm/benprunty/answers/138910725105
To this I would add: get a consistent sleep schedule! Forcing yourself into a routine isn't glamorous, but it can help you get a lot done. Don't believe the 'true artists never sleep/eat' bullshit. That mindset is an express train to failure and bitterness.
I'm also trying to add 'free' composing days to my schedule. Days where I just compose whatever I want, not attached to any particular project. I often get demotivated, especially if it's been a while since I've composed anything. Being able to just write what I want often leads to great things and quickly gets me back into the composing mindset. This leads to more productive days afterward, actually saving me time instead of costing me time.

hey ben how much would it cost to have your music in my project, we are a small studio and im a big fan of your work! just for some background about the project its like galaga.

Hi! The cost of my work varies depending on the project itself, the scope of the music needed, and how busy I am. Business inquiries should be sent to benprunty at gmail. Thank you!
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Hey Ben, just finished reading your post on “How useful is my degree? Should you go to college?” Do you think aspiring composers/sound designers who go through game development for two years are wasting their time and should instead focus on just write music and only music?

Francisco Ortiz
Do you mean a game development program at a university? Learning about game development is always useful for someone working in games. I was programming and designing games for a few years before I started making music, and that experience in development has been invaluable.
The point of the blog post was to compare crippling debt + degree versus self-teaching, not the advantages of learning different disciplines. Game development brings together a massive variety of disciplines, and the more you know, the better you can contribute to the projects you work on, regardless of what your actual job is. You'll simply make better decisions.
Learning new things always means you are sacrificing time that could be spent on other things. I think spending time on game development in general can be worth it, but yeah, then you are spending less time on music. This is going to come down to your own judgement and how much you think you can juggle in your life.

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Also starting out, is it enough to have headphones for mixing ( I got Sennheiser HD 280 Pro) or should I get monitors? Any recommendations? Thanks! :)

Headphones should be fine for now. Remember the most important aspect of mixing is listening to your work on multiple speaker setups. Make a quick mix down, listen to it in a car, on laptop speakers, a stereo system, anything you can find. You'll find lots of issues that way. Write them down and then fix them when you get back to work.
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Hey Ben, short question. I'm trying to get setup at my deskop with a keyboard. I'm using a picture of yours as a reference. Are you using a wireless computer keyboard infront of your piano-keyboard or is there a way to get the cable underneath or around the Nova Launchkey?

I use a wireless keyboard, just so I don't have to worry about where to put the cable. Thinking of getting a wireless mouse, too, for the same reason.
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Who or what inspired you to make music? Does that still influence you today and in the same way?

There was no single influence as far as I can remember. I spent much of my childhood neglecting schoolwork in order to play and design games of my own: first, single-player roguelike-esque card games, then programming in BASIC, programming for my TI-83, then eventually using Klik N Play.
When everyone else my age was listening to Green Day, I was listening to bands like Orbital and Daft Punk and Underworld, and recording game soundtracks directly onto tape so I could listen to them on the bus to school. Back then you couldn't buy game soundtracks like you can now.
I was already experimenting with building my own games and my own computers, drawing comics, and writing. Experimenting with music, for a while, was just another one of the things I enjoyed doing.
When the time came to consider where to go for college, I really wanted to get into game design. Unfortunately, only 2 colleges in the US offered game development programs, and they were both prohibitively expensive, and there was no way I was getting any kind of scholarship with my abysmal grades. So I went to a 2-year program for communications with a focus on audio engineering, thinking maybe I could one day do audio for games.
I learned more and more about music and music in games, and kept making my own tracks. I got better at it every time I finished a piece, developing a passion for it as I went.
To name some specific, musical inspirations though, these were the biggest ones: William Orbit, EarthBound, OCRemix, Jesper Kyd, and Star Salzman. OCRemix, in particular, helped me a lot later on, as 'getting good enough for OCRemix' turned out to be a very good quality goal to set for myself.

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Early on when you were self-teaching yourself, how did you split your time between practicing piano, learning music theory, and actually making music? I'm in a similar spot now but I have no idea how I should divide up my time.

Hey! Sorry for my late answer. I believe I spent the majority of my time actually making music. Practicing came second and learning theory was third. As you make more music, you're going to want to learn more theory and practice more, and as you practice and learn more, you'll want to apply the things you learn. So the whole process will cause a very productive feedback loop. Keep at it!

Hey Ben, I'm thinking about moving to Cubase! I know Cubase handles the midi stuff well, I just wanted to ask what the audio recording/editing side of Cubase is like.

I don't use it that much, but I know it's pretty robust and easy to use. Every time I've wanted it to have a particular feature, it had it. Again, I'm no expert on its audio features, but I think they'll serve you well.

Have you ever thought about sharing some of your recipes with the world? I hear you're quite the taco man.

Hell yeah, I've even thought about doing a cooking show integrated into my livestreams somehow. I have a lot of recipes, but none of them written down. I keep it all in my head, and sort of eyeball the ingredient amounts, which is weird because I don't do that kind of thing with ANYTHING else. At some point I'll write them down on my blog or something and share them with everyone. Just wait till you see Ben's Jamaican Summer Fever Dream Popcorn.

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