For your ears only...

https://soundcloud.com/pure-sythesis/all-sigs-full-beats

- I've uploaded the above track ('All Sigs' -  Beats Instrumental) to sound cloud.
It is a work in progress, the idea was this:
I wanted to see what it would sound like If I based a beat on a combination of time signatures...
I got a bit carried away in production and ended up with this.  -  each rhythm part is (mostly) running at its own time signature. 11/8 is the dominant one though.

The track as a whole might sound a bit erratic at first, but after a few listens you'll see/hear whats going on....
the hats are derived from a 5/2 pattern...
The kick is derived from a 7/8 pattern
The rides are combinations of 7/3, 5 and 7/5
Percussion segments (like shakes etc, ticks) are derived from larger numbers like 7,,11,13...18
Snares start off in a regular signature and then become poly rhythmic

As for the breaks?  Lots of little things going on there...
Some of the samples are detuning independently of each other. (cant explain why I wanted to do that, or how)
The break sounds are following different time signatures at times, but after a while it gives the illusion of a set time signature.

There was a second synth bass pattern in there but all that remains of it are two notes repeated twice at the very end and the end of the previous section (4bars back).  ...Originally I had thought about having a 303 style bass running throughout the track and had built a sh101-style patch to suit but it didnt quite fit
...that bass turned in to a bland sawtooth style thing and was eventually stripped back to the two notes heard.  The other bass that remains was a sound I was playing around with when the 303-sound idea went titz up :D    -  seems to work well enough for now though.

Ear dis...

Listen to Analogue Fate 2c by The_Beat_Scientist #np on #SoundCloud http://soundcloud.com/the_beat_scientist/analogue-fate-2c

Electribes (ER-1)

Its been a long time since last I sat down and wrote something for this blog, so I thought I'd write a little something about one of the machines I've last been playing around with.. The Korg ER1.



The Korg Electribe range of groove boxes still has a ot of creative potential despite the decade or so since they first hit the shelves... Yes they do.
I picked up my first (an ER1) one during 2001 at the princely sum of £325, which considering I'm still finding uses for it 13yrs later seems money well spent.

Out Of The Box Use :
 What attracted me to it (and at the time there was also a choice between EA1 or an AN1X) was the sequencer layout and the soundset which features 808-esque kick. The ability to gate-in external audio sources was a handy bonus.
 ...I currently have two ER1s at my disposal, and an ES (second version), which can open up a small but interesting world of possibilities.
Its not typical for Electribe users to own duplicate machines, the tendency is to expand the pellet of sounds by adding new machines with their own character... But I REALLY like those hats and kick! And being able to layer hats on the fly (with their own swing settings) is great.

As a standalone unit I'll mostly use it to create a rhythm to sample, but I've also used it as a sound module when I really need that particular sound.
Unfortunately it's effects are universally-applied across all sound so render themselves useless in most situation. ..Unless using it as a fx unit.


On occasions where I've had a channel free I've found they can be used to create some really interesting sounds when making use of its audio in/out capabilities. - Audio Thru does what it implies where as there is also the option of gating-in sounds.
If you own one of these, and it hasn't already occurred to you, I suggest try using it as a midi-synced capable delay/ecco as part of your DAW. 
It's good for achieving anything from live-teekable dub style echo, to bpm-synced delay with stutter. And if using it exclusively as an effects box there is the option of using it as a stereo effect OR employing pan and using the machine as a two source effect. - ring modulation can also be applied.


Other Creative Uses :
If happen to have a sound module with no built-in sequencer an Electribe (or something similar) works well entirely as a standalone sequencer, there are clear limitations to using it like this but there are workarounds...  for example each of the machine's sounds can be assigned their own key (within the scale your working in).
In a 2+ groovebox situation ts also worthwhile playing around with the midinotes your machine is sending out to other devices as it often leads to amusing or interesting results  ^_^

The rest of the Electribe range :
I'm not sure if my opinions run against the grain here or with the consensus of the Electribe community at large but here they are all the same..
From what little I can remember about the last time I layed hands on an EA1 the sound was okay, and from what I've seen of the later models they looked pretty exciting, but wasn't for me.
The improved effects of the later models are appetizing but the whole 'valve' thing is too gimmicky

As for the sampler range (ES_), They do the job... I've found them useful to create backing sequences, jam with, and act as a dedicated sound module (with fx) as part of a midi setup. Their native capabilities are limited but there is potential to create some usique sounds with them if your patient.
Saying that compared to newer samplers, apart from it's sequencer and the samples you put in them, Electribe samplers dont offer much.

...on PLAY.

https://play.google.com/store/music/artist?id=Actgzsczwbbk7zo3cto3mstdcuy

#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**