SAW2's sound

  On 7/7/2009 at 6:00 PM, WWBJD said:

the crudely drawn finger really makes this image.

its afx's finger duh. this was circa '93

  On 10/11/2006 at 8:23 AM, marf said:

Saw2 was done with a certain analog sampler from the 80's and probably a standard reverb box like a quadraverb.(You can see him using a quadraverb at a live show he did in 92) I think the reverb sounds a bit grainy in parts. Maybe its analog like a plate. Who knows. Maybe he used an analogue delay. Who knows, but I would bet its all sampler with analogue components --> quadraverb. Maybe compression, Maybe he miced an amp, Maybe he sent the sampler through a synths filter input, but there are stock sounds on a specific sampler from the past that are in key tracks in Saw2. There you go.

Bull or not? Now I'm trying to find examples of presets on all akai samplers I can find on youtube, though barely any are up.

  On 7/9/2009 at 6:08 AM, Bramsworth said:

  On 10/11/2006 at 8:23 AM, marf said:

Saw2 was done with a certain analog sampler from the 80's and probably a standard reverb box like a quadraverb.(You can see him using a quadraverb at a live show he did in 92) I think the reverb sounds a bit grainy in parts. Maybe its analog like a plate. Who knows. Maybe he used an analogue delay. Who knows, but I would bet its all sampler with analogue components --> quadraverb. Maybe compression, Maybe he miced an amp, Maybe he sent the sampler through a synths filter input, but there are stock sounds on a specific sampler from the past that are in key tracks in Saw2. There you go.

 

Bull or not? Now I'm trying to find examples of presets on all akai samplers I can find on youtube, though barely any are up.

sweet baby lol

Damn, I really wrote that? analog sampler? Im a fucking idiot

Why do you want to know so bad? Do you plan on making saw 3?

When I wrote that in 2006 I truly had no idea.

I'm just very curious is all. It's interesting to know what gear he sued to get such amazing sounds.

Mind whatever anyone else is thinking, I'm not looking to make copies of his songs or just e completely unoriginal. And no, no SAW III :P Stone in Focus was the very first Aphex song I heard and really means a lot to me, so I just am very curious how it came to be. That's essentially it :)

Speaking of stone in focus, anyone got any pointers on what the base sound is? I'm still very new to synths hear and am still training to pick stuff up just by listening, so I can't tell what waveform/s and modulation effects sound like are being used to achieve that unique sound. Besides the heavy reverb and all.

  On 7/5/2009 at 6:47 PM, hahathhat said:

  On 7/5/2009 at 8:26 AM, Bramsworth said:

Indeed. If people are going to just say "presets", they can just as easily state which synth and which presets if that's really the case, unless they;re just pretending to know and pulling this out of their ass. How many times do I see this when it comes to questioning people gear? :/

 

The general "sound" of the album(that is, the effects and such) is something I think is fair to take a stab at the dark at guessing with, but as far as statements like "it's presets" and all that crap, I don't how anyone even dares say that stuff without any proof at all. Unless they're just messing with us :x

 

Casio SK-1 presets

that Flute preset is serious, don't even play

the main growling riff in 'tree' is a trumpet lowered about 6 octaves in pitch

a lot of his sounds seem like mixtures of instruments. Stone in Focus could be something like a cello subtly mixed with strings and modulated somehow to seem stretched out. K2000s are good samplers for that kind of layering (still are even today) and were hugely popular around then.. might be one of the synths he used.

  On 7/9/2009 at 3:43 PM, mafted said:

a lot of his sounds seem like mixtures of instruments. Stone in Focus could be something like a cello subtly mixed with strings and modulated somehow to seem stretched out. K2000s are good samplers for that kind of layering (still are even today) and were hugely popular around then.. might be one of the synths he used.

I can tell the underlying sound most definitely is a bass that's been lowered, but I can't figure out the main sound, or at least what I consider the main sound. It sounds almost glass-like with a hint of being a wind instrument, i.e an organ. Probably also a sample of an instrument that's been modified, but I can't figure out what it could be. It would seem like it'd have to be something that's naturally in the lower registers..

  On 7/10/2009 at 3:52 AM, Bramsworth said:

  On 7/9/2009 at 3:43 PM, mafted said:

a lot of his sounds seem like mixtures of instruments. Stone in Focus could be something like a cello subtly mixed with strings and modulated somehow to seem stretched out. K2000s are good samplers for that kind of layering (still are even today) and were hugely popular around then.. might be one of the synths he used.

 

I can tell the underlying sound most definitely is a bass that's been lowered, but I can't figure out the main sound, or at least what I consider the main sound. It sounds almost glass-like with a hint of being a wind instrument, i.e an organ. Probably also a sample of an instrument that's been modified, but I can't figure out what it could be. It would seem like it'd have to be something that's naturally in the lower registers..

I meant to say cello(where the hell did the edit button go? :/)

After messing around with the sound file of the song I almost think it could be a bell that's being played backwards and is very heavily modulated to get it to sound more harmonic than it usually would. Either that or strings like others say.

Probably way off though

Ive made a string sound like that by using a small loop of a sound. Like a very small section of a sound to where it just a blip, loop that, add some reverb and delay.

you probably made the loop so short that it's a basic waveform - i.e. you made an oscillator

I'm still trying to figure out sampling. Playing Stone in Focus at a much higher pitch you can definitely hear what sounds like a cello playing in an empty concert hall. I just have no idea how to do any of the required tricks to turn it into what Richard made :(

At least though I think for sure that must be the main source of the sound, strings.

  On 7/11/2009 at 3:10 AM, analogue wings said:

you probably made the loop so short that it's a basic waveform - i.e. you made an oscillator

Exactly. Also distorting it and LPF'ing then adding the effects helps

seeing as basic waveform plus filter = subtractive synthesiser, you've basically proven it's NOT a sample

lol brilliant expert opinions

'it might have been made with an oscillator filter and some fx'

fuck people

I know the CASIO FZ1 or FZ10M were used , all that filtering in the girls voices, and the drums are FZ1 crunch. all of LFOs self titled was FZ1 too :-)

EMS VCS3 was used for the electrical ambient sounding track

Yamaha CS5 on synths

ALso lots of sampling of pan pipes slowed down

  On 7/12/2009 at 12:09 AM, amni said:

I know the CASIO FZ1 or FZ10M were used , all that filtering in the girls voices, and the drums are FZ1 crunch. all of LFOs self titled was FZ1 too :-)

EMS VCS3 was used for the electrical ambient sounding track

Yamaha CS5 on synths

ALso lots of sampling of pan pipes slowed down

I already said FZ1. ;) He also uses the FZ1 in the 28 mix of 'On' and the first St. Etienne remix, he may be using it in the second remix as well.

  On 7/12/2009 at 12:09 AM, amni said:

I know the CASIO FZ1 or FZ10M were used , all that filtering in the girls voices, and the drums are FZ1 crunch. all of LFOs self titled was FZ1 too :-)

EMS VCS3 was used for the electrical ambient sounding track

Yamaha CS5 on synths

ALso lots of sampling of pan pipes slowed down

Nice observation. Listening to Rhubarb I guess I can see where these "flutes" get their unique sound now.Damned if I could replicate it though.