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neil (spatialize)

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Everything posted by neil (spatialize)

  1. from left to right in my Cornwall UK Studio Novation X Station Artutia Minibrute Roland Gaia SH01 Mac Laptop 2.4 Ghz 8GB RAM 500 GD SSD Software picks Logic X - 10.2 Favourite plug ins Arturia Prophet V Spectrasonics Stylus / Trilogy Various sample libraries Tal Juno / SH101 ABL2 Reaktor Wolfram fx plug ERS Dimensioner Roland Sound Canvas Waldorf Blofeld Desktop Synth Novation SL37 Controller keyboard - intergrates really well with Logic X Mackie 1202 VLZ Mixer KRK Rokit 5 speakers Midiverb 1 effects for adding reverb on the desk M-audio Fast Track Pro soundcard Big Speaker stands! Beyerdynamic DT990 Open backed Headphones - Really nice Quite a lot of these outboard synths are relatively new and haven;t been used much on my recordings so far. The laptop is new too and has a few new software additions too. Synths run into the desk and I use the mute function on the Mackie Mixer that also sends the otuput to an Alternative output which runs into the audio interface. I just unassign the audio output on audio track when recording. I think I've just about got the right balance between software and hardware now. Definitely a bit more fun with a bit of hardware to tinkle on.
  2. I second the Valhalla reverbs. Very nice and well priced. Don't hesitate to buy them. Sits just beautifully and easily in a mix. If you have reverb software that loads reverb convolutions then you can load in impulses from classic hardware reverb units. Mr Ishq sells impulses that he has sampled off in his Eventide HD3000. If you have Logic then Space Designer can load them. For another big reverb, if you have Reaktor then Space Master is really nice.
  3. RE: darker music Around the time of writing On the Edge of Forever and Radial I was also developing the more ambient / soundscape Experiments in Silence project. As I was working towards refining this more minimal sound, there was a period of crossover where I would start an atmosphere but would, out of habit, end up overlaying it with synth sequences and electronica beats. Eventually, with some help from Matt Hillier, I landed deeper into the still and minimal soundscape way of working and released the debut Experiments in Silence album Hidden Harmonic, a well received slice of deep, abstract and beautiful atmospheres. However, during this learning phase I was unwittingly developing something of a hybrid sound that drew on my love of early brooding electronica like Biosphere, Higher Intelligence Agency, Boards of Canada and Autechre. Seeking a home for them I later remixed some into deeper ambient Experiments tracks and some developed into more upbeat Spatialize tracks. But that left behind not only some cool original electronica versions but also some completely new electronica with sound design contributions from Matt Hillier, and an Ishq remix. With some other unreleased Spatialize material kicking around I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it all. After noodling with a few ideas, including adding a selection towards a darker, more minimal Spatialize album , the penny finally dropped. I realised this was in fact one album, a marker in time and space, and should be released under the Experiments in Silence moniker. And so “Encrypted Transmissions†was born, the title drawn from my favourite track on the album. So, although this release veers more towards the darker, electronica sound I think people who enjoy the Spatialize sound may find something in it. The album is being mastered at the moment and will be available from the Experiments in Silence bandcamp site at some point soon...ish www.experimentsinsilence.bandcamp.com
  4. I would like to see a more active forum really but I don't know how or if this achieveable because most people are hooked into facebook. On the psymusic.co.uk forum there is a media production section that manages to keep going through a hardcore of interested folk. Perhaps a Psybient members compilation bandcamp release? Maybe of unreleased or new producers?
  5. Ahhhh, thanks for the kind words. :-) It seems that people are slowly discovering the sounds which is lovely and that is gratifying. Classical folk sounds ...I'll get on it! :-D
  6. Yes, listen to the synths on live herald. Ozrics built on that but added more midi instrumentation. Psybient uses more samples for drums etc though.
  7. £700 for a venue. That sounds steep? Is that more of a London price?
  8. Ozrics. That's the stem. Their stem was Steve hillage and seventies prog.
  9. I haven't heard the record yet but there's some interesting points.. You can spend two months polishing a track and if it hasn't got the groove it hasn't got the groove. I've done this.. You can make a track in a couple of days and it can be rough but if it's got the groove it's got the groove. The problem is this.... When you start a new track there's always a flush of love for it. Like a new partner.. What I try to do is do a little development and then put it away for a good couple of months. When you come back to it with a completely fresh palette you know instantly whether it's a good one or not. You just know. It's a matter of carefully choosing which track you are going to sink your valuable time into. I often have a development period where I just jam out a while load of ideas, like a band jamming out ideas in the rehearsal studio and then deciding which are the strongest tracks to record.
  10. Cheers Shpongle. Glad you're enjoying the tunes, that's great.
  11. Sounds ideal. I would recommend having a keyboard early on if you think that you may not stick with it. You can get very cheap controller keyboards and I think a keyboard just makes it so much more enjoyable in the first place. It's a bit of a phaff constantly adding notes with the midi editor and a keyboard gets your body more involved.
  12. In the interest of sharing a bit more info about the project, here is a link to an interview that I did recently with Morpheus Music. http://www.electronicmusicmall.com/Html/interviewspatialize.htm
  13. probably because I havent released anything in a while and also because I have also been pretty bad at self promotion ; trying to put that right a bit now. thanks for the kind words
  14. re what essential vsts to use etc, i would say that at least one good analogue synth emulation VST is essential. Doesnt matter toooo much which one, as long as you have access to some decent synth goodness. personally i have Arturia prophet V but i think the Mini moog VST could possibly be the best all round choice if you have to choose ONE.
  15. Welcome to the late night electronic floating world where synths and samplers play themselves and music arises effortlessly....... This is the debut album from Experiments in Silence, the soundscape and experimental ambient project of Neil Butler from Spatialize, featuring 2 tracks co-written with Matt Hillier of Ishq. Also features an Experiments in Silence remix of a Cloudcycle track which became 'A Ghost of Stars'. Limited CD edition Sold out at www.txtrecordings.co.uk creditsreleased 15 May 2014 Synths, spaces, paths & networks, grains & mastering by Neil Butler All tracks written on western UK coastal fringes by Neil Butler except: A Ghost of Stars (Butler / Hunter / Liguori / Antognini) As Gentle Rain Falls (Butler / Hillier) Duskforms (Butler / Hillier) Cover photography by Scott Howse www.experimentsinsilence.bandcamp.com www.facebook.com/experimentsinsilence www.soundcloud.com/experimentsinsilence
  16. good idea. making sure that your overall volume output is close to hand is very valuable. i route everything out through a Mackie 1202 VLZ which has a handy monitor volume knob. also making sure you dont produce too loudly too. if it sounds good at a low volume it will sound great at a high volume. producing too loud gives you a false confidence about how good the track actually is sometimes.
  17. Radial is a brooding slice of darker space electronica from UK based ambient producer Neil Butler and is the sister release to 2014's On The Edge of Forever. Taking in a range of tasteful beats, rooted bass lines, morphing synths, glitchy electronica and special fx, the album floats from one downtempo groove to another with finesse. Unveiling a darker, more contemporary electronic sound than previous releases, this is a quality return to the chill-out scene from an accomplished act. A bonus for ambient heads, Radial contains a track featuring contributions from fellow UK ambient producer, Matt Hillier of Ishq. credits released 03 December 2014 Invisible Synths, Treatments and Production - Neil Butler Matt Hillier (Ishq) - Samples and Synths on Elusive Symmetry Keeku - Vocal Samples on Elusive Symmetry Mastered by Hermetech Mastering, Paris November 2014
  18. It's time to step out of the norm and go on a magic carpet ride through the exotic world of global, psychedelic electronica. Effortlessly navigating it's way through a variety of downtempo styles and featuring a track co-written with Simon Heath from Krusseldorf, the trademark Spatialize multi-layered space synths and high quality production carves out a unique, high-vibe sonic space that is at once earthy and cosmic. The sister release to 2014's 'Radial', this album is sure to go down a treat in the chill-out rooms of clubs and festivals around the globe and is a high quality return to the scene from an accomplished UK artist. creditsreleased 03 December 2014 Sequencing, Electrickery and Machines That Go Ping - Neil Butler Simon Heath - Synths, Synth Bass, Electronics on Great Prayer Jon Maybey - Guitar on Hancock Entity Janine Louise - Vocal samples on Cracked Mastered by Hermetech Mastering, Paris November 2014
  19. thanks gargarin. i edited the post to show the bandcamp link. very helpful for sure mate
  20. I think that with the current price of logic it is the best all round place to start for production. reaper is good but imo has a lot of strange quirks when playing VSTs. ableton is great for inspiration and for playing live but the automation and general workflow in logic, and fantastic built in effects and synths, makes it the top of the tree for me. if youre on PC though you cant use logic so in that case i would go for either ableton or cubase. i would choose cubase.. i dont think it matters if youre a beginner or not but it may depend on what your aim is. if you want to make really high quality intricate stuff then logic or cubase is the place. if you just want to enjoy a bit of a mess around with no thoughts of taking it too far then ableton might be the best place as you can whip up good stuff quite easily. remember there will be quite a learning curve with any of those softwares and whatever you start off with you ,ay well end up using in the future so do your research and choose wisely
  21. that matt hillier. he never stops. love the ishq
  22. Introducing my project Spatialize is a space-groove / electronica / global chill project by Neil Butler from the South West UK. Initially inspired to make music by the psychedelic sounds of Ozric Tentacles and Banco De Gaia, Neil has been experimenting sonically since 1998, getting early reviews in Future Music (1998) and Sound on Sound magazine (TopTape 2000) and performing early live sets at the psy-chill rooms of Sheffield. 2004 saw the debut release of the synth electronica album “Dryad’s Bubble†on Third Stone Records, an album described by Ott as “A Classic. Instant feel Good Factorâ€. UK gigs followed ranging from the chill-out rooms at ID Spiral, Barakasphere, Tribe of Frog etc to support slots in Exeter for trance legends such as Eat Static, System 7, Astralasia and more. The follow up to Dryad’s Bubble emerged in 2006 called “In the Midst of Myriadsâ€, a well received slice of more upbeat global chill which featured “an energetic luxuriance and crystal clear production†(Morpheus Music). A musical hiatus ensued but by 2010 a new cycle of production was in full swing and by 2013 three albums worth of material were recorded. This will result in the December 2014 album release of two albums “On the Edge of Forever†and “Radialâ€. Next year will see the release of a darker, ambient electronica album “Encrypted Transmissions†and also a Bandcamp only release of early, unreleased material, provisionally titled Halcyon Daze. With everything back on course, Spatialize is again in the position to offer another live act to the UK and European festival chill-out circuit, featuring an upbeat 2 hour set centred around a synth / laptop set-up. Bookings at www.spatialize.net/contact Here are bandcamp links to themost recent releases Spatialize - On The Edge of Forever Spatialize - Radial Cheers Neil www.spatialize.bandcamp.com www.spatialize.net https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spatialize/265749973441524 www.ello.co/spatialize
  23. i wouldnt do that if i were you. you could in effect be limiting a track twice. where this may not be a problem if youre just feathering the peak of the audio with one db limiting with already sympathetically mastered material, the modern trend for overly limited mastering might create one or two really nasty sounding tracks if you limit again. just work around the lowest volume track in your list. if this track is way lower than the rest and if you look at the waveform and its not squashed by li,iting at all then you could normalise this track and work around it.
  24. waves has a good one and you can use it in MS mode which means that you can mono the lower end if required.
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