Scream & Writhe Forum

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:18 am

pumpensumpf wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:11 am Whenever I read that someone uses tape loops I wonder what is in these loops?

Whatever you record in them?

Exactly. I also love loops on which the tape is so ruined the sound source just blends with the tape to create a texture.

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:18 am

pumpensumpf wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:11 am Whenever I read that someone uses tape loops I wonder what is in these loops?

Whatever you record in them?

This. I use blank tape loops and record junk instruments / drones / feedback / whatever on it. It's really an instrument in itself for me.

audacity has the "import raw data" function which is cool

chryptusrecords wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 10:01 am audacity has the "import raw data" function which is cool

One of my first forays into making noise was through this function, a really great sound source imho.

Zalhietzli wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 9:22 am

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:18 am

pumpensumpf wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:11 am Whenever I read that someone uses tape loops I wonder what is in these loops?

Whatever you record in them?

This. I use blank tape loops and record junk instruments / drones / feedback / whatever on it. It's really an instrument in itself for me.

Do you tend to create material specifically to be used as tape loops?
And are the recordings relatively dry or already processed/distorted a lot?

pumpensumpf wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 12:06 pm

Zalhietzli wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 9:22 am

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:18 am

Whatever you record in them?

This. I use blank tape loops and record junk instruments / drones / feedback / whatever on it. It's really an instrument in itself for me.

Do you tend to create material specifically to be used as tape loops?
And are the recordings relatively dry or already processed/distorted a lot?

Well, I don't prepare material beforehand with the intent of dubbing them to tape loops. I start the tape blank and and gradually record sound onto them using contact mics, feedback, noise synth etc. I use tape players with the erase head disabled, so that allows me to overdub sound several times on the same track without erasing the sound from before. I record over the four tracks, play with the volume, erase some tracks to start fresh, all during the same track/improv. That is how I did for my last Zalhietzli tape.
The sounds are usually pretty dry but the conversion to tape (especially when it's pretty worn-out) gives a lot of grit in itself.

For years its just been from the mixer directly into Ableton.

i spend a lot of time just jamming until i come to a certain sound that im feeling and then start to “write” around that. cut ups and stutters are planned-improv if that makes sense. i usually do everything to a timer on my phone and have segments of this or that. once i have a solid outline for a track/set ill go from my mixer into a focusrite scarlett 2i4 (if i remember correctly) into adobe audition. almost everything ive done for the past year has a decent amount of compression and mastering that are on board with my DAW. i dont understand a lot of post production i just stick to some basic stuff i know how to play around with until its loud and full-sounding enough.

i switched from tracktion to adobe audition thanks to a computer-savvy friend maybe a year ago and wow what a major difference in sound quality and functionality. pretty easy to pick up on too, not nearly as complicated as ableton or protools imo. would recommend if youre looking for a daw that isnt audacity and know your way around a torrent.

I approach recording as a deliberate choice and part of the whole noise/music making. Depending on what I wanna achieve, I choose the medium and the circumstances.
The basic recording setup goes through a Zoom H8 (expensive but a great investment!), which is also used for field and live recordings as well as an audio interface. Everything is recorded "live" and then edited (if needed), mixed and mastered into a DAW. Having basic skills with a DAW is mandatory, especially if you need to provide the tracks to someone else for pressing.
I also still use a 4-track Portastudio, both for recording and playing tape loops. I especially enjoy cranking up the EQ and make use of the send-return paths. In that case, if tape is the target medium, I usually mix down the finished track on a "master" tape. Sometimes I also send the digital mix from the DAW into the Portastudio for colouring and beefing up the sound and rerecord it into the DAW.
When I need something less dead and cold, I use guitar amps and mic the cabinets, sometimes in addition to ambient mics placed around the room or even in the hallway, the bathroom, etc. Sometimes, the process gains equal importance to the sound generation.

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:18 am

pumpensumpf wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:11 am Whenever I read that someone uses tape loops I wonder what is in these loops?

Whatever you record in them?

i've made mine from recycled tapes with some forgotten schlager, religious hymns or other light pop music on them and a few have been left as-is because i've accidentally managed to cut an interesting texture or rhythm etc into the loop. but i've also recorded my own stuff on them. whatever works really.

I'm kinda a baby noise artist, so I haven't been at it for a while. So far, I've taken a very "conventional recording" approach because I'm also interested in recording bands and I already have the equipment on hand. I usually use a desktop that is normally in my room to record bands, but it's a pain in the ass to move it to the basement for a short recording that I make in between homework assignments. I use Audacity on my school laptop (a MacBook Air) to record the tracks. It's far from ideal, but it's quick and it works. When I feel that I'm ready to make a proper recording, I'll probably do it on my desktop which is running Studio One.

Again, since I already have the gear, I use it. It's probably overkill, ha ha. I run the balanced outputs (left and right) of my Mackie 1202-VLZ (which I use as an instrument and a mixer) into my Behringer UMC1820. I use the power amplifier in my guitar amplifier head to amplify the unbalanced signal from my mixer into my 1x12 speaker cabinet. I'm experimenting with using different microphones and microphone patterns/methods to capture the speaker and the room, but I'm not yet quite satisfied with the results I've produced.

I could really use some tips on mixing. I have no idea how I should go about creatively arranging the sounds in the stereo field.

thatonekidatshows wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:02 am I could really use some tips on mixing. I have no idea how I should go about creatively arranging the sounds in the stereo field.

I'm partial to always having something moving in the mix, so every element doesn't just sit in one place. We'll usually identify a few sounds and try panning them around, either manually, or by setting automation in the DAW, or using an auto-pan plugin.

housepig wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 12:43 pm

thatonekidatshows wrote: ↑Mon Feb 14, 2022 11:02 am I could really use some tips on mixing. I have no idea how I should go about creatively arranging the sounds in the stereo field.

I'm partial to always having something moving in the mix, so every element doesn't just sit in one place. We'll usually identify a few sounds and try panning them around, either manually, or by setting automation in the DAW, or using an auto-pan plugin.

I'll chime in with some boilerplate shit I suppose:

-Dont be afraid to experiment (everybody will tell you this); "if it sounds good, it is good" is generally sound advice, keeping in mind you might want other people to think it sounds good too. Scale technique accordingly. Learn some basic theory of acoustics etc; the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook is dated, but easily available and I always found it to be a good balance between plain-speaking and technical approach. Obviously there is tons of stuff on Youtube to help you learn. "Do whatever sounds good" will tend to become more true and applicable once you know how to not shoot yourself in the foot acoustically-speaking.

-Turn things down before you turn things up. Learn about Fletcher-Munson curves and what creates the perception of loudness.

-Multiband compressor is a good friend to have.

ADDENDUM: If people are looking for literature re: acoustics, sound etc. I might know a guy with an extensive collection of relevant material available in .pdf format. Inquire within.

Mix with your ears, not your eyes, and if possible with monitors, not headphones.

william bennet recommended recording vocals in the car. good isolation & who doesn't feel a little more at ease screaming in a car?

When I got my focusrite I was able to get pro tools lite or ableton live lite, definitely a decent way to get a foot wet with these daws. one day i might splurge to get MAX for live but I settle with a cheap Ozone plugin pack and puredata patches.

Interfaces def matter tho and while focusrite is fine to me, some people I know think MOTU is much better.

When I had a Mac it was always 2000s era Garageband and I would turn the compressor on but not mess with it.

Mixer into Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 into Ableton. I have the Ozone plugin for mastering that I mess around with, and some minor effects here and there depending on the project. For noise I tend to just record it and slap the Ozone mastering on. Other genres I do a little more with reverb/delay/etc. For an upcoming release (dark ambient interludes for a friends album) I did synths into mixer directly into my four track Tascam. Ripped the audio onto Ableton with a bit of compression. It sounds absolutely great, and was well received. Will probably issue it independently when the other album comes out.

MOTU interfaces are better when they work. They're a freaking pain in the neck to setup and use in my humble opinion. My teachers at school (you'd believe people who can use Ableton and MaxMSP with their eyes closed would know how to use a MOTU interface) would lose their mind because of how unpredictable the one we had was, I had one as well and couldn't make it work, etc. And whatever setup software MOTU use was insufferable as well. Now I have a Focusrite Clarett interface. This stuff is plug and play. Once I had an issue with it because my computer did something weird that cause like a driver issue or something. I got online and the Focusrite website has a super awesome and fast online assistance chat. Real people reply to your requests in real time and it was actually pretty easy to solve with their help, and they were really nice. I most certainly recommend Focusrite

I have used (and still use) Focusrite interfaces as well. They sometimes get a bad rep online for being unstable and for having latency problems, but this seems to be limited to WIN systems. I always used them on Macs and it has been plug and play, they were super stable and had no latency problems (and I recorded regular "band-stuff" with them, were too much latency would have been a problem).

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:49 am trim files

I'm trying to decide if I should laugh out loud or just fucking kill myself. Either/or.

Tinnitustimulus wrote: ↑Sun Feb 20, 2022 3:31 pm When I had a Mac it was always 2000s era Garageband and I would turn the compressor on but not mess with it.

That's like the old 1176 technique. Just by turning it on, even without compressing anything, shit sounds better.

Joie de la Blumpy wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 10:17 am

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:49 am trim files

I'm trying to decide if I should laugh out loud or just fucking kill myself. Either/or.

I don't understand why, so can't really recommend either.

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 12:04 pm

Joie de la Blumpy wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 10:17 am

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 8:49 am trim files

I'm trying to decide if I should laugh out loud or just fucking kill myself. Either/or.

I don't understand why, so can't really recommend either.

Yeah apologies, was in a bit of an altered state when I posted that. I think it's interesting that the lexicon has developed to the point where music is no longer music but a collection of files.

Time to walk away?

Joie de la Blumpy wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 1:15 am

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 12:04 pm

Joie de la Blumpy wrote: ↑Mon Feb 21, 2022 10:17 am

I'm trying to decide if I should laugh out loud or just fucking kill myself. Either/or.

I don't understand why, so can't really recommend either.

Yeah apologies, was in a bit of an altered state when I posted that. I think it's interesting that the lexicon has developed to the point where music is no longer music but a collection of files.

Time to walk away?

Maybe stop posting on drugs

Residual / RT wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 5:48 am

Joie de la Blumpy wrote: ↑Wed Feb 23, 2022 1:15 am I think it's interesting that the lexicon has developed to the point where music is no longer music but a collection of files.

Time to walk away?

Maybe stop posting on drugs

That is certainly one response. If, on the other hand, the above is to represent the best we've got going, it is quite possible that more drugs are needed!