Damogen Furies creative process, DAW, software system?

In an interview that im reading right now about the new album (http://thequietus.com/articles/17497-squarepusher-interview) tom talks about a self made software system. I don't know how much of it is self made, or in what sense.
In the past he used a hardware sequencer, now he made a setup to play it live, tweaking the sequencer live. Im intrigued, something to do with Ableton Live!? some reaktor mega ensemble?
what do you think? hi tom, are you here?

Edited March 24, 2015 by capitan mission

Probably Reaktor:

 

http://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/synths/reaktor-5/

I haven't looked into Reaktor in years; is it really powerful enough that you could create your 'own software system' within it? To me, he semantics of what Jenkinson said suggested he built something from scratch (C++, or whatever) or in an environment like Max. I didn't think Reaktor's ground-up-creation capability rivaled something like Max.

I mentioned Ableton because is an obvious way of doing it, but from toms perspective its maybe the thing he wants to fight, the standardized way of doing it.
To build something useful from scratch with a classical programming language you need lots of time and knowledge, I dont know Tom, but i doubt this is the case, and it seems a waste of time.
something like Max or reaktor or anything like that seems more plausible, or a scripting thing controlling a established music software.
max is very open, and for the kind of music that tom makes reaktor is a more ready to go thing. but theres tons of software out there that i dont know about...

there are images of Reaktor patches in the visuals of this new show, so I'm gonna guess some of it is Reaktor, at least. he's talked alot about Reaktor in the past too.

  On 3/24/2015 at 5:51 PM, pizza said:

there are images of Reaktor patches in the visuals of this new show, so I'm gonna guess some of it is Reaktor, at least. he's talked alot about Reaktor in the past too.

Yep, was gonna say the same thing - I possibly even saw the exact Reaktor setup that made the track but is was so quickly flashed up I could just take in a whole load of moduler wired to one another !

  On 3/24/2015 at 7:37 PM, mcbpete said:

 

  On 3/24/2015 at 5:51 PM, pizza said:

there are images of Reaktor patches in the visuals of this new show, so I'm gonna guess some of it is Reaktor, at least. he's talked alot about Reaktor in the past too.

Yep, was gonna say the same thing - I possibly even saw the exact Reaktor setup that made the track but is was so quickly flashed up I could just take in a whole load of moduler wired to one another !

 

 

cool now i can make my own Damogen Furies thx Tom

The Ufabulum stuff had software controlled visuals which he built himself (the current live visuals are handled by another guy). I haven't looked into Reaktor in depth since v2 or something, so not sure if has much in the way of graphics processing, so it's possible he's been using something more general purpose like Max/MSP as well. It would be interesting to know how much is down to the sequences and how much to the live edits as well, and are the edits just fx, or midi processing as well?

Edited March 24, 2015 by caze

im talking about music, not visuals.
after reading about recent gigs im inclined to think that is a reaktor system.
interesting, reaktor is a beast, and no matter what DAW you use, reaktor could do all the job. Im interested in the sequencing and arrangement, not about synthesis here. surely he use these hardware fm syths that he loves, and the eventides.

  On 3/24/2015 at 11:57 PM, capitan mission said:

im talking about music, not visuals.

after reading about recent gigs im inclined to think that is a reaktor system.

interesting, reaktor is a beast, and no matter what DAW you use, reaktor could do all the job. Im interested in the sequencing and arrangement, not about synthesis here. surely he use these hardware fm syths that he loves, and the eventides.

 

I know you were, I was just pointing out he might have knowledge of Max/MSP for other reasons, therefore might be using it in his current setup for musicial purposes as well.

 

The sequencing and arrangement is mostly all before hand I'd have thought, maybe some live tweaking, but it could be none and just limited to fx. He talked in the recent Quietus interview about editing the sequencing between gigs back in the hotel, and that he expected the album to evolve as the tour progresses, will be interesting to see what it ends up sounding like by October. He also talked in that interview about cutting down the weight of his live rig, so I'm guessing he's taking fewer of his rack synths with him now, maybe even the bulk or all of the synthesis is being done in Reaktor, maybe a lot of the previously eventided DSP too.

Yo. Reaktor is in there, as for what I'm not sure but I'm guessing for taking care of the audio. I saw the loadin of the Reaktor ensembles between songs at the Barbican. For visuals Im pretty sure it's Pure Data. Some of the visuals looked very maxmsp but I know he is a PD user and it's very similar and lends nicely to realtime graphics. The thing is. Is he using an Xbox kinect?

I like the fact that watmm are trying to figure out what gear was used on an album that isn't even out yet

  On 3/25/2015 at 4:51 PM, winky said:

The thing is. Is he using an Xbox kinect?

 

There seems to be a projection that fits the shape and position of his body happening here and there, possibly the kinect is for that?

Yeah during the gig I couldn't work out if it was some sort of motion capture thing, or just there was a bright light on the desk so it just projected a shadow on the screen

If it is a Kinect it's probably being used by the other guy who's controlling the visuals now, doesn't look like a midified controller from the video, unless it's used on some of the other tracks.

  On 3/25/2015 at 5:05 PM, Gocab said:

I like the fact that watmm are trying to figure out what gear was used on an album that isn't even out yet

 

heh

 

we've got to fill our time with something until it comes out.

There's seemed to be something fun going on with the silhouette, leaving a kind of echo shadow. I'm wondering if the Kinect is coming into play there?

 

So I'm guessing people here were at the Barbican show? I actually found it marginally whelming. Some of the tracks had cool visuals, some of them looked like dial up Internet. I couldn't work out whether it was intended but it seemed like the frame rate kept dropping out really badly for most of it.

  On 3/25/2015 at 6:12 PM, winky said:

I couldn't work out whether it was intended but it seemed like the frame rate kept dropping out really badly for most of it.

Aye, mentioned that in my messy 'review' - http://forum.watmm.com/topic/85779-new-squarepusher-show-with-new-material-in-march/page-5?p=2306231&do=findComment&comment=2306231

  On 3/25/2015 at 6:41 PM, mcbpete said:

 

  On 3/25/2015 at 6:12 PM, winky said:

I couldn't work out whether it was intended but it seemed like the frame rate kept dropping out really badly for most of it.

Aye, mentioned that in my messy 'review' - http://forum.watmm.com/topic/85779-new-squarepusher-show-with-new-material-in-march/page-5?p=2306231&do=findComment&comment=2306231

 

Nice review. Yeah, the loading of the Reaktor patches with the accompanying drone was something of a highlight for me, a nice touch. Its as if that he compensated for the boredom of loading patches between songs by providing their own soundtrack, making them an audio visual piece unto themselves. I dig.

Yeah I thought the 'loading' thing really kept the set together with a nice cohesive touch.

  Quote

What other gear did you use on Damogen Furies?

All of the basic process of generating the source sounds, shaping them, processing them — all of that was happening in my own software setup. The additional bits of hardware were as minimal as I could make it. For sequencing, I was using an old Yamaha QY 700 hardware sequencer, but that comes with me on the road, and I’m using that one onstage. Other than that, it was a MIDI interface, an RME MADIFace XT audio interface, and then, to do the mixdown, I was using the RME, and just split the channels up and put them out for analog outputs. And that was it, really.

from http://www.digitaltrends.com/music/squarepusher-interview-the-software-behind-damogen-furies/

 

It's strange he doesn't mention that his "custom software" is a Reaktor patch. Not to downplay his efforts because it obviously was a ton of work, but the interviews/liner notes make it sound like he was coding something from scratch... unless I'm missing something.

Edited April 23, 2015 by weakmassive

  On 4/23/2015 at 12:07 AM, weakmassive said:

 

  Quote

What other gear did you use on Damogen Furies?

All of the basic process of generating the source sounds, shaping them, processing them — all of that was happening in my own software setup. The additional bits of hardware were as minimal as I could make it. For sequencing, I was using an old Yamaha QY 700 hardware sequencer, but that comes with me on the road, and I’m using that one onstage. Other than that, it was a MIDI interface, an RME MADIFace XT audio interface, and then, to do the mixdown, I was using the RME, and just split the channels up and put them out for analog outputs. And that was it, really.

from http://www.digitaltrends.com/music/squarepusher-interview-the-software-behind-damogen-furies/

 

It's strange he doesn't mention that his "custom software" is a Reaktor patch. Not to downplay his efforts because it obviously was a ton of work, but the interviews/liner notes make it sound like he was coding something from scratch... unless I'm missing something.

 

 

Thanks for the interview link!

 

Some of the stuff you can do in Reaktor core is quite close to programming actual DSP algorithms in code, just executed in a patching style interface. But I agree that it's strange to talk vaguely about "custom software" instead of just coming out to say "I made a badass Reaktor patch". I mean, assuming that's the case.

 

Who else has made bad-ass self-made music system patches? I can think of Tim Exile, Cylob, and KFW. Anyone else?

  On 4/23/2015 at 5:10 PM, Ascdi said:

 

Thanks for the interview link!

 

Some of the stuff you can do in Reaktor core is quite close to programming actual DSP algorithms in code, just executed in a patching style interface. But I agree that it's strange to talk vaguely about "custom software" instead of just coming out to say "I made a badass Reaktor patch". I mean, assuming that's the case.

 

Who else has made bad-ass self-made music system patches? I can think of Tim Exile, Cylob, and KFW. Anyone else?

 

A lot of people, maybe not "IDM big names", but a lot of people that you will find in Reaktor/max/etc forums makes music with awesome self made patches.

 

to me the album sounds like it could be equal parts Reaktor and equal parts Eventide orville. Eventide Orville has a Reaktor style DSP under the hood software editor that looks like this



I'm pretty sure he's still doing the bass guitar---> synth conversions with a powerful eventide box, maybe an h8000

it makes sense that he'd be using Reaktor instead of max/msp, as cool as Max is and stuff like max4live are Reaktor tends to have more high quality instruments built by people to gut, and has arguably a higher quality sound to it in general with it's synths and effects.

  On 4/23/2015 at 7:49 PM, capitan mission said:

 

  On 4/23/2015 at 5:10 PM, Ascdi said:

 

Thanks for the interview link!

 

Some of the stuff you can do in Reaktor core is quite close to programming actual DSP algorithms in code, just executed in a patching style interface. But I agree that it's strange to talk vaguely about "custom software" instead of just coming out to say "I made a badass Reaktor patch". I mean, assuming that's the case.

 

Who else has made bad-ass self-made music system patches? I can think of Tim Exile, Cylob, and KFW. Anyone else?

 

A lot of people, maybe not "IDM big names", but a lot of people that you will find in Reaktor/max/etc forums makes music with awesome self made patches.

 

Dalglish, Twerk, Oval, Autechre, Farmers Manual and a lot more i'm missing right now

  On 4/23/2015 at 8:42 PM, John Ehrlichman said:

to me the album sounds like it could be equal parts Reaktor and equal parts Eventide orville. Eventide Orville has a Reaktor style DSP under the hood software editor that looks like this

 

He's been pretty clear through several interviews now that pretty much everything is running through the laptop (aside from his QY700 a MIDI box and a RME audio box). Unless you think he's telling porkies?