Drill'n'Bass/IDM Beat Programming

re: []pusher from remix mag, talking about Go Plastic

Squarepusher's composing methods are just as rugged. “I go into a trance state when I am programming,” he says. “I don't use [Emagic] Logic Audio Platinum. I hate computer editing, and I hate computer sequencing. The music I am into comes from using multitrack tape recorders and dubbing for composition. Once you've edited on tape, computer editing is a piece of shit. It is so much more of a vibe to cut up tape and line things up using your ears, not your eyes. Now I make the composition from start to finish instead of making a track and editing it afterwards.”

Jenkinson relies on some primitive sequencing, as well. “I do all step-time writing,” he says. “I have a Yamaha sequencer, and you can edit the music in tracklists and put it all in numbers. The whole day my head is juggling numbers — it is this strange numerical mission. It's like being a psychic or a mathematician. It is not just about knowing about equipment and mathematics; it is knowing how to intuit things, to see the way things should go.”

Good man!

Use Renoise... If anything, it's possibly quicker and more flexible than the Yamaha QY700 h/w sequencer... Very similar to use though... Also, fully integrated sampling.

I agree with y'all about Renoise. It's so cool you have maximum control :heart: :heart: :heart:

Fuck fucking cubase and all that rubbish, do it by hand!

I play the beats on my master keyboard live into SONAR, then drag and drop any "off" hits onto the beat.

I'll do two passes if the complexity I'm after exceeds my number of fingers.

Pick the passages I like and loop them (or not).

  2780 said:

oh yea ... i forgot :D ... HITPOINTS then DIVIDE AUDIO at HITPONTS

cause i dont like them either... but you can use them to slice up your audio

the hitpoints in cubase are very inaccurate, i usually just zoom in and really quickly pass through a waveform making my own hitpoints by manually chopping where i see a zero crossing right before a drum hit. The hit point system is just too unreliable for me to use.

  Paulie Walnuts said:

re: []pusher from remix mag, talking about Go Plastic

 

Squarepusher's composing methods are just as rugged. “I go into a trance state when I am programming,” he says. “I don't use [Emagic] Logic Audio Platinum. I hate computer editing, and I hate computer sequencing. The music I am into comes from using multitrack tape recorders and dubbing for composition. Once you've edited on tape, computer editing is a piece of shit. It is so much more of a vibe to cut up tape and line things up using your ears, not your eyes. Now I make the composition from start to finish instead of making a track and editing it afterwards.”

 

Jenkinson relies on some primitive sequencing, as well. “I do all step-time writing,” he says. “I have a Yamaha sequencer, and you can edit the music in tracklists and put it all in numbers. The whole day my head is juggling numbers — it is this strange numerical mission. It's like being a psychic or a mathematician. It is not just about knowing about equipment and mathematics; it is knowing how to intuit things, to see the way things should go.”

 

 

Good man!

 

Use Renoise... If anything, it's possibly quicker and more flexible than the Yamaha QY700 h/w sequencer... Very similar to use though... Also, fully integrated sampling.

im sorry but that quote from him talking about editing/cutting tape sounds like a complete lie to me. Do you really believe tom jenkinson doesnt do computer audio editing? To me that album sounds like it was made entirely on a computer.

  edge said:

I agree with y'all about Renoise. It's so cool you have maximum control :heart: :heart: :heart:

 

Fuck fucking cubase and all that rubbish, do it by hand!

Fuck fucking Renoise and all that fucking vertical dos looking bullshit, do it by hand!

Use Reaktor

intakt.

edit: "i go into a trance state.."

what a fucking prick

  loganfive said:

intakt.

speaking of Intakt, what other VST beat slicers are out there? I can only think of Phatmatik pro and Reaktor slicer (which doesnt really count) and Fruitslicer (not exactly a vst but can be used as one)

  awepittance said:

  loganfive said:

intakt.

 

speaking of Intakt, what other VST beat slicers are out there? I can only think of Phatmatik pro and Reaktor slicer (which doesnt really count) and Fruitslicer (not exactly a vst but can be used as one)

recycle is the only one i can think of that's any good..

and despite your anti renoise stance, it's antii aliasing is unsurpassed in a pc based slicer.

yea i think that shit about squarepusher editing everything by slicing up tape is bullshit, it sounds nice, but it's bullshit. if you did that many edits on tape it would take you 10 fucking years to finish an album and the edits would be audible as fuck.

  loganfive said:

recycle is the only one i can think of that's any good..

 

and despite your anti renoise stance, it's antii aliasing is unsurpassed in a pc based slicer.

i was kidding,but i do find renoise's gui to be extremely confusing. Id love to use it, ive heard many people rave about it. \

yes but how does aphex do it?

i'm guessing by hand, drawing notes in a sequencer

who cares, that old fart needs to retire already

step sequencing.

I use everything from handslicing (that sounds odd) in an audio editor to step sequencing or fruity slicer in FL. Lately I've been fucking around with PSP Rhythm, which is a drum machine proggy for the Sony PSP. Only problem with it is that the analog-stick controlled stuff is WAAAAYYYY to fucking sensitive.

i do it using a device i made myself that generates midi when i pick my nose. its the only way to do it man.

  Quote

yea i think that shit about squarepusher editing everything by slicing up tape is bullshit, it sounds nice, but it's bullshit. if you did that many edits on tape it would take you 10 fucking years to finish an album and the edits would be audible as fuck.

Before Go Plastic it was an Akai S950, triggered mostly by a Boss drum machine...

No-one's on about doing microedits and drills with analogue tape... Just on about creative editing in general... Cutting up bass parts, drum loops, etc...

Go Plastic was the first album where he used a PC, running Logic - Everything sequenced with a Yamaha QY700, and processed with 2x Eventides - Logic used as a recording medium...

Step sequencing's how all that lot do it... Practically everyone you talk to uses either trackers, home-made Max/Super-Collider step sequencers, or hardware step sequencers...

I think doing that kind of programming in a piano roll is a hopeless waste of time, and usually yields very contrived results...

You couldn't do what []pusher, Snares, RJ, etc... do in Logic/Cubase, unless you already had their music to work from as some kind of template! Even then, it'd take you the best part of a month to get 5 minutes of drum programming done...

Trackers and h/w sequencers usually have roll functions, allowing you to do instant drill, only having to type in a few letters on the keyboard... Even if you do manage that in Logic, it never sounds as good because you have to microedit every wave start and end point to ensure perfect zero-crossings... Insane way to work!

ohhh yeah go go gadget 0E02

Damn straight!

and trying to mimmik that on a piano roll is like trying to hand build a cow from carbon and vitamin pills, every time you want a glass of milk...

dude the easiest, most efficient way. get like 10 mics, a sick as audio card, a drumset, and learn to play the drums.

homemade drummachine - in reaktor

wisp or anybody else who actually draw there drum notes in a step sequencer

if you would like to write a mini tutorial w/ pictures

that would be great

that is all

There's a good 4-page Renoise break programming tutorial coming on in the Covert Ops' forum http://cov-ops.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3305

http://cov-ops.co.uk/forum/

need to register - half the ppl who post there seem to be well-known dnb/electronic music producers, so lots of good advice about for anyone interested...

and you bash notes into a step sequencer - never draw... drawing uses up too much energy

Now that everyone here talks about step sequencing and this stuff... is there a good software (PC) for a total newbie? I always worked with Cubase and Piano Roll but I agree that it does not really feel "natural" to do this sort of music with it.

I'd be really interested in trying out something new, a new approach to composing and editing... is there a software that combines step-sequencing and sampling/beatslicing?

EDIT: Just looked at the Renoise Homepage - looks pretty cool, maybe that's what I need! I guess I'll try the demo when I'm back home.

Well done. You've taken your first step into a larger world.

  Paulie Walnuts said:

There's a good 4-page Renoise break programming tutorial coming on in the Covert Ops' forum http://cov-ops.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3305

 

http://cov-ops.co.uk/forum/

 

need to register - half the ppl who post there seem to be well-known dnb/electronic music producers, so lots of good advice about for anyone interested...

 

and you bash notes into a step sequencer - never draw... drawing uses up too much energy

there appears to be no way to register on that forum at the moment.