#11 - Remixing Squarepusher

Started the preliminary work on the Squarepusher remix today...
Listened to the original mix 4 times in a row and just thought "wow".

...where do I start?  ..So many possibilities.  ^_^

#9 - Yamaha RM1x

To save myself needless repetition and until I have an actual reason to go in to this device in more detail ...check out this ^_^

What now?

So the blog is up... What do you think I should blog about?  What can I review?  Does anyone need any sampling/production/sunthesis advice?

Let me know!

#6 Patchbays - Why Bother?

This is a bit random but I have noticed an absence of people talking about them in general and a lack of appreciation of them in the home recording area, so I thought I'd say a bit.

...If you own a mixer and you find yourself plugging and unplugging gear get a patchbay, once you've done that read the manual on how to set it up for your needs.

A patchbay does what it suggests. It allows to to route the audio from your devices out puts to the mixers channels of inserts quickly (and neatly). It can also be configured so that things are automatically routed somewhere when not patched.
Another bonus with using patchbays is that your connection ports don't get worn down or damaged through wear & tear - so if you buy a piece of gear and patch its I/Os remain undamaged and there is less chance of damage to the rest of the machine because the machine is not being moved around.

Oh and patchbays cost virtually nothing and assuming you actually need to route audio frequently there isn't a better way.  -  all the channels permanently available for patching, labeled, and ready to go.
Patch cables also look a lot nicer than a room full or TRS and XLR cables too.

Patchbays come in different forms 1/4" TRS jack fronted and Bantam jack fronted, the later dating back to the days of telephone exchanges makes Bantam a rare find in the studio..

#4 EMU ESI-4000 Turbo

http://www.vintagesynth.com/emu/esi4000.php  pretty much lays out what this beast does, or at least what it is technically capable of.

I'm note sure where it sits in the hierarchy of Emu rack samplers (being that this is the only EMU I own), and I have no way of comparing the sound of a 4000 to that of the rest of the EMUs all I can do is compare to the sound of Akais... (which is difficult as I will explain)

The thing about samplers is they each have a distinctive sound to them, this is because of the AD/DA hardware and the associated processes.  Another thing that adds to a samplers characteristics is its limitations and abilities.
The 4000, coming with a load of onboard fx etc, doesnt have that many limitation just a load of chararcter,

Before I got the EMU I had also heard of a list of producers that preffered the EMU samplers over Akais and that helped sway me in the direction of an EMU.

The fact this particular model (without the Turbo extension) already comes with some FX and processes makes it quite powerful to start with, when we throw in the Turbo options it opens so many more possibilities.

Editing

Editing samples directly through the sampler isn't as bad as it seems (although visual editing is always preffered), it can be a bit tedious at times but considering the fact a sample only needs to be trimmed once the time pays off.  Editing is done via the buttons and dial on front unless you have the ability to edit and save in the correct format on to disk or scsi drive.

Loading and Saving

It is also worth noting that it is ompatible with Akai S-1000/1100 and E-mu EIIIx, ESI-32, and EmaxII libraries via SCSI, and its own format can be loaded on other samplers (depends on the sampler) in the same way. 

For me that means I can load samples and loops saved in S1k for,at from my S5000 disks, but little more.

Creative Use

How it is used is down to the individual (and I certainly aint giving any secrets away) but with

• Stereo phase-locked time compression/expansion
• Audio scrub
• Auto normalize
• Compressor 
• Auto truncate
• Crossfade looping 
• Doppler/Pan
• Exciter 
• Pitch change
• Parametric EQ 
• Sample rate conversion
• Transform/Multiply

- A lot can be done, not forgetting it has 64 digital 6-pole filters *18 different kinds*, its got 8 outs (4 on standard 4000) and for what its worth the stereo fx are 24 bit.
Its also 64-voice polyphonic which is double any Akai sampler of the era with the exception of the Akai S5000 and S6000 (which have 64 as standard and are expandable to 128).

Being a rack sampler it requires an external sequencer and thats pretty much where the creative side comes in to play... A good sequencer (on top of letting you edit and trigger notes) will allow access to the machines SYSEX control signals and unleash its potential.

 

**Unfinished**

# 3 - Akai MPC 5000

I cant say enough good things about akai...

When I got her (^_^) I already had a few samplers that were serving their purpose (and I basically didn't need another addition) but I was looking for a synthesizer...
I was also tiring of the time it takes to set up a midi session and the process of loading samples in to multiple machines only to get side tracked by some thing on the sequencer side. (not to mention the electricity bills associated).
...I obviously did some reading up about the machine, specs and reviews etc.

The claims were correct the MPC 5k is pretty much a studio in a box, and when I say studio I mean studio...
Studio quality multitracking, internal mixing, processing and fx, and editing.
And then there is the synthesizer - which I wont go in to here.
Last of all there is the actual MPC sampling seuqencer at the heart of the machine which is the main reason people get this machine but in my case an additional bonus.

Some how before the MPC5000 come along I had never actualy used an MPC, my only experience coming from either my S20 and Korg/Yamaha grooveboxes, or rack samplers and so had no appreciation for the whole MPC style production.  I envisaged using it as the mother of all sampling, synthesizing, multitracking sound modues as part of my studio, or maybe using it as the heart of my Live Techno set up ...and of couse recording beats.
It wasn't long before I realised it was making a lot of other equipment redunadant.

To be honest I struggle to find flaws with this machine and when I push myself I can only find one...
There is a change to the workflow that happens when using an MPC, the limitations are that of the sounds and the way sequences are put together (which always changes with new arrangements and sounds.) these limits are lifted as soon as you connect the MPC to an external software sequencer though.

Sample Transfer

The USB transfer of samples etc makes all the difference. Tracks or sounds created elsewhere can be transeffer to it and likewise recordings can be lifted off the 5000 and dropped in to an editor or sequencer to be worked on.
Backing up & transferring sample libraries makes perfect sense too, and when your talking about 80Gb or more of data USB wins over floppy/SDcard/ZIP or MIDI DUMP lol

The Sequencer

I think its safe to say that ever since Akai released the first MPC everyone else has emulated that, and so having used things like Korg Electribes, Yamaha Grooveboxes and even the S20 I wasn't expecting to notice anything in the actual feel of the sequencer - after all they are just arranging totes right?
Well I did notice the difference and its all about swing..
I guess having a big ass display and a button to quickly switch between auto quantising helps, but there is also the way the phrases can be strung together very quickly and the fluid way that differing tempo phrases can be put together,  ...and that is just when in Step Mode!

I wont say anymore about the sequencer only that you simply have to experience it..

***unfinished**

#2 - Akai S20

The Akai S20 has been with me for a while now, quite a while in fact...
I bought it around 2006 when I was working a lot more with my s5000 and Cubase.
Now the question that always comes up is WHY?  ...Why when I have something like a S5000 would I bother with something like an S20?  Well the answer comes in two parts.

First off the Akai S5000 is undoubtedly a beast of a sampler, and due to its size and the fact it was part of the studio for me gave it a portability factor of zero.
The second thing is that an S20 was small so able to be taken around for sampling and loading in to the 5k at some later point if needed. (something that is still relevant today). **and the MPC500 had not been released

The S20 is a pretty limited sampler compared to others of the Akai range (like the S3000), it is basically an S01 in a different box.  ...But who said there was anything wrong with the S01?

The fact is if I want a particular sound I can either attempt to recreate that sound or I can simply create that sound in the first place... so if I want an old skool sampler style sample or loop taken all I need to do is sample using a sampler that will capture the right kind of sound.  ...So the S20 remains ^_^

Things the S20 has going for it (as far as I'm concerned) are :

• Size - portability
• Standalone - pads/buttons ..nothing else required.
• Storage - Floppies are readable by all akai samplers (inc my S5000)
• AD/DA - The Akai sound = the Akai AD/DA
• Midi - Ability to trigger etc and so use as a midi sampling drum module. (8 voice).
• Bitcrushing! & Resampling
• Pads for triggering sounds etc - unlike the rack samplers (though they do have a play button)
• Expandable - Memory only
• Midi Dump - not that it will ever be used
• Akai Legacy compatibility
• Built in (though limited) sequencer  - 4 track sequencer with 30k notes
• Looping & reversing - it loops, it reverses.

The downsides

• No LFO
• No internal FX, filter
• No Scsi - So no loading of samples off Zip/hd
• Basic numeric display - no visual sample editing. (the trimming is VERY precise though).
• Portable but not battery powered
• Limited Sequencer - But the sequencer makes perfect sense for the use the S20 was designed for.
• Stereo Out only.
• Looping - If you intend to transpose a track (with loops) be sure you trim like a god.

In use

The S20 becomes a little more than a DJ's tool once you connect it to your sequencer. - For me it becomes a sound module.
I have read about people experiencing problems with triggering multiple samples for some unexplained reason.
I myself have on occasion experienced sample trigger failure but on closer inspection of the sequence always found it has been because I have exceeded the polyphonic range of the device.

You can do a few more things when connected to a sequencer than you can do in normal (DJ) use,
When triggering from a sequencer you can control the note velocity of each hit (like you would expect from a rack sequencer).Also because you are not relying on the internal sequencer the 4 sample limit is lifted givingyou access to the whole sound set for playback in your mix/track/project.

Vs Akai S01

Originally this beast was sold at between £400-500 (without memory) and what you basically got for your money was an akai S01 and a akai SR16 ...or as I see it an upgraded, compacted, S01.
I love rack samplers but the biggest problem I have with the S01 is it's memory - coming with 1mb standard and having an upper limit of 2mb.
This 17MB vs 2MB actually balances its self out when we bring storage back in to the equation as if were only taking about 'loaded samples' ...how much does a floppy hold?  its far more likely that even though 17mb is present its going to be a 1mb vs 1.7mb (floppy hd capacity) fight - and in that case the S20 wins at a more fair 2:1 rather than the less fair 17:2  ^_^

To compare the S20 to an MPC would be a joke, the same would go for the  many grooveboxes that come in the decade after its release, this isnt due to 'sound quality' its all down to the limitations of the internal sampler and its reliance on floppy disk.  *I should probably point out it is possible to MIDI DUMP samples if required.

Creative Use

Okay so most people with think there is nothing creative to be done with this device... and they would be wrong.

Synth pads can be sampled and then retriggered at new pitches giving that oldskool jungle pad sound - in fact all bright instruments like pianos etc aquire a warm sound (without annoying upper frequency wierdness).
Bitcrushing sounds takes a second, and using the sequencers levels as a kind of internal mixer low crunch midi backing tracks or loops can created for recording (for later use in tracks).
Granular sysnthesis - yes I said it. - it requires tweaking though.
Additive Synthesis.  -  its quite obvious but if you can get the tones in and looped correctly in corresponding pads and then pitch together (using midi for VCA) you will achieve basic additive.
Mpc style jamming - It wasn't designed to be an MPC but there is nothing stopping you recording a jam using external recorders... (with help from a midi sequencer if needed).
Custom drum machine - Combined with collection of floppies (or Zip/HD and a S20 compatible sampler *that can save in the correct format to floppy*) it is just another 16 track drum machine *only one that is limited to playing 8 notes at a time.