thomashollett

[thomashollett]

Last week of recording using the slim phatty to create some arpeggiator sequences and loops for my track. Really liked using this and got some good sounds out of it.

[thomashollett]

Project Evaluation

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed this unit and using hardware more as a producer. I find that I’m mostly using software in my personal work so this has been a big change and has been really interesting learning new techniques and production processes. I’ve also been able to work as a team which I have enjoyed too. I’ve learnt so much more about modular systems and esoteric techniques which have been really exciting to learn about, I feel more comfortable using modular synths and patching up modules. I believe that with a bit more time, my projects could have been higher quality and I would have been able to include more sounds and recordings to widen and thicken the songs even more, creating a better quality overall result but am happy with how they have turned out. I think a few more effects could have been explored in Ableton and to improve I would definitely use more hardware techniques like tapehead saturation and using feedback to create sounds. I would have liked to use the modular synths more in my projects and would like to get a bit more experience in that area. On the other hand, I have enjoyed working with hardware and using it in my projects. This will definitely be an area I will be coming back to in the future.

[thomashollett]

Week 10 pictures: Using Korg devices/synths for recording into Live.

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Week 11 - 02/12/19, Week 12 - 09/12/19

From this week on, I did my final bits of recording and did the final touches to my two tracks. I worked on this up until the deadline and also finished typing up my blogs and added some extra points I’d forgotten along the way. I used the grasso rooms to capture any extra sounds but mostly worked on my projects from home.

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Week 10 - 25/11/19

This week was project development week. I went straight into the studio today and did some recording and capturing of sounds for my songs. I used the Korg Volca set up today including the Volca FM, Keys, Bass and Beats. I had a lot of fun using these and having a jam with them and got some good quality and useful bits of audio for use in my projects. I was able to create some powerful basslines and beat patterns which I have used in my work. I connected them from the headphone ports into the inputs on the Allen and Heath mixer and daisy-chained them together so that they were in sync. This was really fun and I will definitely be using them in the future. The only downside was the amount of time I had. If given longer, I would have captured more clips and loops for my productions.

[thomashollett]

Week 9 - 18/11/19

This week we had a recap on the unit brief and submission details. We went through what exactly had to be submitted and the format in which it should be uploaded and organised. We also looked at how screenshots should be presented and the best way to link external sources and sites. I came up with a plan for the rest of the course and worked out what I was going to do each week until the deadline. This week I also booked out a studio to carry out some more recordings of synths and hardware. I used the bass station and the sub phatty and captured some interesting sounds and recordings which I have implemented into my track. I use the two synths connected to the Allen and Heath Zed 10FX mixer which is connected via usb to the laptop and by XLR to each speaker. I used both synths with midi via usb and I liked using this mixer as it allowed me to control the gain levels going into Live giving an accurate and balanced recording of each sound.

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Week 8 additional studio time pictures. Recording into Live via the external instrument tool and using midi to send a pattern to the hardware synth. I also use FX from the mixer to add atmosphere.

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Week 8 - 11/11/19

This week we learnt about CV sync and the CV tools available in Ableton Live. This is a way in which you can sync your modular devices to Live with the tempo. For example, I learnt that CV clock sends information from Live to the modular device so that it can synchronise with it. CV Instrument is really interesting as it allows you to control modular with midi from Live. I never knew these tools existed so this was very interesting for me and definitely something I would take use of in future modular experiments. I also booked out a studio to record some sounds for my track. I used a bass station to record some bass patterns into Live and used midi via usb to send midi data from Live to the bass station. I used Live’s external instrument plugin to record the sounds into Live. Using the Allen and Heath Z10FX as my audio interface I was able to control the audio going into Live and apply effects throughout the recording. This additional session was really useful and I got some good quality material for my track. I am planning to do the same next week with a few other synths. I have also made big progress in my first track this week

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Week 7 pictures - Modular synth set up

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Week 7 - 4/11/19

This week we focused on modular racks and CV.  CV means “control voltage”. this can be used to control parameters on a modular system. We used modular grid to design a patch for one of the dBs music modular racks. This allowed me to experiment and learn ways in which the system could be connected and used. This really helped me to start understanding how and where cables were connected to the different modules as this is something I really struggled to understand. We then went in groups and connected up the rack with patch cables and were able to start producing some sound. This was recorded into Logic so we now have more material to use and sample in our projects. This lesson has made me more comfortable with modular synths and CV and has also gave me a better understanding of signal flow when patching up modular systems. The lesson was very successful and efficient as we now have lots of recorded audio from modular synths that I will use in my tracks for submission. I also really enjoyed this lesson as I was able to work as part of a team, share ideas and discover new techniques.

[thomashollett]

Week 6 - 28/10/19

This week we had a lecture about Esoteric gear set-ups. The circuit sniffer is a device that captures and plays out electromagnetic sounds and signal. When given a demonstration of this device, I noticed that it could be good at producing bass and low frequency sounds but can also create quite resonant sounds similar to the noise of a shaver, for example. We also looked at circuit bending techniques which meant we could change up the circuits and signal flow of battery powered devices such as synths or small musical devices. We were shown this in the lecture where crocodile clips were used to change the wiring in a keyboard. We looked at changing the feedback and random glitch controls which was really exciting and definitely something I want to look at in the future. What I like about these techniques is that you can go wild with them and create lots of different ideas that you never knew you could, producing sounds that were unintentional. We also looked at tapehead saturation which required the use of an old tape machine. By overdriving the tape, we were able to create some unusual sounds and record them into a DAW. All of these techniques for generating audio are really effective and unique and I will definitely be sampling some of the recordings for my final productions.

[thomashollett]

Short video from the modular guest lecture

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Week 5 photos... Eurorack systems in use and in sync with different modules connected together with patch cables to direct signal flow. 

A very influential and practical lesson.

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Week 5 - 21/10/19

This week we had a guest lecture and session with Ben Chilton from Elevator Sound in Bristol. Ben works at Elevator Sound and has had a lot of experience with modular systems and hardware. He demonstrated many different techniques and ideas of modular synthesis, giving us a good insight and demonstration of ideas we can use for our projects. For example, Ben showed us how he connects a drum machine to a modular system and used different processes and features on the eurorack system like using randomization to create unusual but effective sounds. I found this workshop really interesting and it has opened up my knowledge and realization of the modular world. I feel like this is something I’d like to experiment with and have a go at and it has made me realize how technical and advanced you can get with hardware systems. I really feel like this was a worthwhile and influential part of the unit.

[thomashollett]

Week 4 - 14/10/19

This week we experimented and put our skills to the test by having a jam/mix with a large group of hardware devices and equipment (e.g. eurorack modules, modular synthesis) . This allowed us to experiment with sounds and gave me ideas of what can be used in my projects. I found this really useful as it gave me the chance to get hands on with the equipment rather than just observing and watching others use it. This was really fun and we worked as a group to come up with some interesting and unique sounds. I have also got more comfortable with how to set the devices up and use patch cables to connect different features and parts together. I really enjoy experimenting with equipment as it generates ideas, gets everyone involved and teaches you different techniques that you may not have learnt before. Overall, this was a worthwhile and essential lesson to my learning.

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Photos from week 3

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Week 3 - 07/10/19

During this week’s session, we learnt about synchronous and asynchronous production. When you are working in a synchronous way, you are collaborating as a team with other people in time. For example, I could be using a synthesizer to create sounds and melody, whilst someone else is using a drum machine in sync with me. We have been using this already each week as a group using MIDI/MIDI clock and I have found it to work really well. I took part in a class activity which involved the use of synchronous production. We all used the link function in Ableton Live to connect iMac’s together on the same network. This allowed us to sync projects together and work on a project as a whole team. I found this method quite good in terms of being able to quickly collaborate with other people but found that now and then, there were slight delays with the connection. This method also does not allow you to work on one individual project. Each project is independent to each person so I believe this would only work well when using Ableton for a live performance and not for producing a song.  A-synchronous still means you are working in sync but in a different way. For example, using cloud-based project sharing with applications and websites like Splice. I am yet to experience this method of production but will be trying it out in the future when I collaborate with another producer.