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neil (spatialize)

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Posts posted by neil (spatialize)


  1. if we're moving into the software versus hardware question, in terms of sound....I'm not too convinced that analogue is that much better.  For a start I think you need decent cables and a decent desk with nice preamps to make the most of it.  Maybe then..  I seem to remember that on baby robot Ott did one track completely analogue and one completely digital.  I haven;t heard it and i don;t know which is which so it might be interesting to see if it is possible to pick the difference.

     

    However, In terms of fun and tweakability I think every producer should have at least one external synth in their studio (i;ve got 4).  I like to set up a midi part up on an external synth, set the computer to record, and then tweak the hell out of the synth.  Then I'll go back and nip out the best bits into audio chunks.  You can often get sounds that you were'nt even looking for; strange rhythmic chops when you moved from one filter type to another or you might tweak the portamento in just the right spot.  The best thing about it though is that it;s fun and it keeps the cpu levels on the computer low.  Plus having your synth part as audio allows a lot a audio pitching / granulation possibilites.  

     

    I find that if you just use software and a controller, things can get a little static and, because the software isn;t often enormously accessible and tweakable, you end up trying to be too clever and start setting lfo's and envelope modulations all over the place to induce that movement.  While this is a good thing to do, sometimes it;s more human...and quicker to just sweep that filter yourself and record it as audio, rather than setting up lfos or envelope to do it for you.  And if you tweak and rcord the automation, well that's good, but editing midi parts that contain lots of automation can get a bit fiddly.


  2. I started off with things like this, electribes and stuff, worked my way up through various levels of hardware, generally i found it a waste of money and feel i should have just saved up and got a top of the range item

     

    VST plugins can match or outperform these small grooveboxes and synths, you are having all the added faff of working with hardware, but not getting a great deal out of it, IMO you'd be better off just getting a really good MIDI controller for ableton/bitwig and wiring it up to anything you want.

     

    If you are a gear junkie and just want to jump around on stage with lots of knobs, wires, and flashing lights, grab them and fill your boots :)  But i think you will out grow them quickly if you are serious about production.

     

    i agree.  you might get a few cool samples out of them but it's not much that you couldn;t do with software. it will most like end up in the corner of a room after the initial interest wears off.

     

    if you want a bit of external hardware I would recommend going for one decent analogue synth.  I just bought a novation bass station 2 and that is absolutely ideal for psy-chill.  i love it!


  3. This is exactly what I've been thinking with this. I'm not too much of a gear junkie so I've been thinking if it would be better idea just save more and go with more pro gear. For example Elektron Octatrack is something I've been drooling a lot... Maybe I'll try to borrow one or two of these Volcas from my friends before I decide if to purchase it.

     

    i hear that the octatracks are quite complicated bits of gear to get used to.  

     

    The only real advantage I can see to it, over a laptop plus ableton controller, is that it is one piece of hardware.  Probably really decent for gigging but for studio use I think I would prefer a computer.  Maybe they are handy for lying on the sofa and writing a tune but they are expensive too.


  4. True that.

     

     

     

     

    You should do this yourself.

     

    all you really need is a website with bandcamp links and ask that the artists contribute a little towards the running of the site.  also a facebook page and give admin rights to all the involved artists to post on the facebook page.

     

    you could have a bandcamp page but then you run into the admin task of splitting revenues up between artists.

     

    of course you need a logo and a name.  that's it really.


  5. plus labels are dying really.  Time was you could print 500 cd's and sell out easily. 

     

    Now it's hard to sell up to 500 cd's for niche labels, and 500 is the minimum order size that begins to produce any economies of scale.  For a while downloads have been holding out the last vestiges but with streaming washing over us I doubt we will see very many labels like aleph zero again, unless they are run purely for pleasure and the owners have plenty of time. 

     

    the only problem left for the modern musician is how to gain exposure in a world where everyman and his donkey is writing a tune on a computer and putting it online and people are listening to mixcloud, you tube etc.  Getting people to tune in and listen is a bit like raising up your hand out the water in the middle of the pacific.  At least labels formed some sort of island where certain artists could become visible, like an island in the pacific.

     

    I have suggested co-operatives labels before where artists can gain exposure through belonging to a certain grouping of artists, like affiliated artists....though each artists remains in control of their output and money...but just shares a label name.  But I have always been told that it won't work.

     

    Bakshish records was something along those lines (I did a couple of things with them) but I'm not sure what happened there.  I have a hunch that shanti planti is also something along those lines but I don't know much about them. 


  6. the reason they sounded different to other labels out there Mikkel was that they had rigorously high quality levels and knew what they wanted.  

     

    those high standards coupled with being signed next to artists such as bluetech/Shulman/hibernation (who are all wonderful artists) encouraged me to work harder and to take things up a notch.  that sort of scrutiny really helped me develop actually and  it marked a shift from making music for fun to seeing if I could take it one step further.


  7. yeah that's right timeisart.  I changed the name.  Elusive Symmetry actually pretty much became Radial.........and On the Edge of Forever was mostly the album for Beats and Pieces who, yes, were a spinoff (for psychill as aleph were moving towards electronica)

     

    I still have half an album worth of stuff from that period. :o

     

    I hope aleph comes back in some way someday.  Although it didn;t work out, they are great guys.

     

    I do like selling on Bandcamp though and it's nice to be in control of your own music, somehow it does feel nice.  However a release with those guys would have put my name on the european festival chill listings much better than I can do myself, which is not very well at all. :lol:


  8. I've got a fast track pro too.  suffers from slight digital noise.

     

    I did an A/B test between my fast track pro and the standards outputs from an imac.  I couldn;t tell the difference.

     

    Schofield: the fast track pro does have balanced outputs too which may help but I would rather not use a soundcard with balanced outs for live use.  With the predominant set-up being to plug into a standard mixer or dj mixer, using a balanced cable does raise some possible issues.  Unbalanced leads, as long as they aren;t too long, offer the least chance of a fuck up (according to a live sound engineer I know).


  9. Yaniv has gone to Australia and is not making music for health reasons and has mostly left shahar to run aleph zero on his own, but it has unfortunately ground to a halt right now. I know this because I was signed to release with Aleph Zero during this time.   But due to their sheer inactivity I built up loads of material and just had to so something with it in the end, hence my dual album release of 2015.  I think lots of artists were in the same boat and had to look elsewhere for their releases.  bluetech / hibernation etc

     

    It's a great pity because they are lovely guys and they did release very special music.  It's a pity for me too because a release on Aleph would have been a very decent profile raiser. 

     

    I really hope they don't mind me telling me people their situation but I think there are quite a few people in the chill out community who have wondered about this, borne out of love for the label.


  10. Actually I'm very much getting the vibe that people like a bit of variety and diversity on their albums. I do too.  For me it gives the album more longevity.

     

    I guess techno/dub/psychill/electronica fall more or less under the electronic music banner and a collection of tracks in that style are going to sit together relatively well. 

     

    As long as it's not a Nose bleed Techno track followed by relaxing whale songs it should work ok.....probably.


  11. ah no Yuri what I meant was, if I released everything I have right now as EP's and then started off for a new album from scratch, then it would take a good 2-3 years/.  As it stands I have a good half an album worth of material ready and also some nice tracks in development (so a few EP's is an option right now...but this thread has convinced me that it's probably best to hang on and wait to release an album). 

     

    But I'm not pushing it at all.  Just making music when the muse is there and enjoying it along the way.  Having said that I am toying with the idea of a techno EP as I've been writing a bit of upbeat recently and I'm not sure that they would fit into an album, might be too diverse. 


  12. Janco promo FTW!!!!!!

     

    I loved my set at Dreaming Awakening in Kiev in 2015.  Yev Janco is a really lovely, decent guy who looked after us all really well and put together a wonderful event. 

     

    What a great night - Unusual Cosmic Process / Reasonandu / Spatialize / Stereo Mantra in a forest outside of Kiev. :D


  13. In answer to the original question..

     

    Imac in lounge with I tunes library usually with 320kbps mp3.

     

    I have a pure i20 which acts as a dac for the ipod.

     

    However I think I am a bit fed up with having to be so organised with maintaining a music collection and am giving spotify a blast.

     

    If I like it I will get an old iPhone to sit on the pure i20 which can stream spotify.

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