Multiple Outputs in Logic

When I started making music as Neal Beard and his Machines my idea was to not use any software instruments at all; all the sounds were made outside of the the computer, and Logic was to be used solely to sequence MIDI (for my external machines), and then record the music made by the machines (and me) back in.

My interest in using lo-fi samplers; kids toys, my c64 and latterly my Doepfer A112, has caused me to become interested in the idea of using higher spec samplers and loopers to mimic the way tape was used in early electronic music. Ideally I'd like to get something like an EHX2880 or a Sp404sx but samplers that run at 16bit 44mhz are expensive!

Which has led me back to Logic and it's EXS24 plug in. I have experimented with it in the past, but felt it's sounds trapped inside the computer, so rendering them soulesss and un-sculptable, and not part of the Neal Beard sound.

Random Sampler Experiment 1

Then I got the idea of outputting the EXS24 audio into into my matrices of lo-fi gear to shape and fuck it up, before returning it to Logic for recording.

To do this and avoid creating unwanted feedback loops you really need to have multiple outs. Unfortunately I only have 2 ins and two outs linked to my mixer. My first idea was to use the Mac's internal outs in as two extra outputs.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec07/articles/logictech_1207.htm

http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/production/quick-tip-use-multiple-audio-interfaces-on-mac-os-x/www

Soft Freaked Beat - EXS24 internal soft mix.
Hard Freaked Beat - EXS24 external harware mix.

As you can hear it's not great! The audio out is too weak a signal, and for some reason there is a very high pitched loud hum, possibly a ground loop in there too. With lots of EQ and compression I started to work with it to make a track, which is ok as an experiment, but not ideal for everything!

Bugger it!

The Bells - Music in progess

A new track in progress called The Bells.

It's starting point was to explore metallic sounds in any way I could; through frequency modulation, ring modulation, delays, piezo mikes and drivers, spring reverbs etc.

This idea then became merged with my work as an illustrator on Charles Dickens short story, 'The Chimes'.

Here are the first two mixes. The beat was made by tapping a high hat with fingers and a brush. In the second mix I beefed the bass beat by making a low pass duplicate track and mixing it in, whilst also using it as a side chain of a noise gate on a oscillator making a bass tone.

The Bells - mix 1
The Bells - mix 2

Friend Giskard

Friend Giskard - a new track!

Made using a Doepfer A112 8 bit sampler, various other Doepfer modules, LSDJ midi synced with a LSDJMC2,  a home made matrix mixer with feedback loops, and home made spring reverb. All the panning and envelope manipulation was done with two VCA's and an VCLFO (with a voltage inverter).

I edited the samples using a Mac running Audacity and dumped them to the A112 using a script called MAKEDOEPFER written by a member of the Doepfer forum, which converted my Wav's into sysex files. Thanks to Zoe for this!

The track was inspired by Asimov's character R. Giskard Relentov and the sample was taken from his final speech. You can listen to the whole speech here...

Friend Giskard - The Final Mix?

On a train journey I managed to mix down Friend Giskard to a state I think I'm happy with, or as happy as I'll ever be. The whole thing was done on small headphones with train noise, so I'll sit with it for a bit and play it on a few different stereos. It's possible I might have punched the kick through a bit much, but we'll see!

It ended up being a piece in two movements. The first having abstract atmospheric noises, and even a small melody structured around the four-time kick, and the second having the noises cross into a backdrop of silence building to ambient noise (with a spring reverb fade out.)

Anyhow it's got all the elements I wanted, and I think for me at least it evokes Asimov's writing.

You can listen to it here - Friend Giskard.

Is it finished? I hope so!

Salmper Version 2 - Friend Giskard

During another early morning pre-breakfast session I had the great idea of re-naming the track 'Friend Giskard' in honour of Asimov's robotic literary creation, and so added some manipulated 'The Galaxy' samples from Giskard's final speech, beat mapped my previous audio that was LFO clocked, added the booming bass drum from my ER 1, and a crappy hissy noisy, thus muddying the mix into sludgy mess which you can listen to here...

Things to do:

1.Sort out the mix!

2. Add Star Trek Theremin type Choral Sci-Fi noises.

3. Keep the track emptying into silence, I kind of like that.

4. Possibly add some LSDJ type computer jibber jabber, in sync.

5. Try and focus a feeling of robot thought processes and conversations in sci-fi-deep-space.

6. Finish the damn thing...