General Soundboard – Page 3

What Makes Glitch?

According to Wikipedia, Glitch is a term used to describe a genre of experimental electronic music that emerged in the mid to late 1990s. The origins of the glitch aesthetic can be traced back to Luigi Russolo’s Futurist manifesto The Art of Noises. But what makes good Glitch?

As defined by Wikipedia:

Glitch is a term used to describe a genre of experimental electronic music that emerged in the mid to late 1990s. The origins of the glitch aesthetic can be traced back to Luigi Russolo’s Futurist manifesto The Art of Noises, the basis of noise music. In a Computer Music Journal article published in 2000, composer and writer Kim Cascone used the term post-digital to describe various experimentations associated with the glitch aesthetic. Glitch is characterized by a preoccupation with the sonic artifacts that can result from malfunctioning digital technology, such as those produced by bugs, crashes, system errors, hardware noise, CD skipping, and digital distortion. Cascone considers glitch to be a sub-genre of electronica.

Production Techniques: Glitch is often produced on computers using modern digital production software to splice together small “cuts” (samples) of music from previously recorded works. These cuts are then integrated with the signature of glitch music: beats made up of glitches, clicks, scratches, and otherwise “erroneously” produced or sounding noise. These glitches are often very short, and are typically used in place of traditional percussion or instrumentation. Skipping CDs, scratched vinyl records, circuit bending, and other noise-like distortions figure prominently into the creation of rhythm and feeling in glitch; it is from the use of these digital artifacts that the genre derives its name. However, not all artists of the genre are working with erroneously produced sounds or are even using digital sounds.

Popular software for creating glitch includes trackers, Reaktor, Ableton Live, Reason, AudioMulch, Bidule, Super Collider, Usine, FLStudio, MAX/MSP, Pure Data, and ChucK. Circuit bending — the intentional short-circuiting of low power electronic devices to create new musical devices—also plays a significant role on the hardware end of glitch music and its creation.

Great. But what makes good Glitch? I’ve often pondered this question and think I’ve come up with a few characteristics of the genre.

First, Glitch music has to have some balance of “randomness” or “chaos” and structure. It’s the tension between these two that give the song its listenable and deep quality. Something to be thought about, something difficult, and something that is not easily taken in by a single pass.
Second, I think good Glitch music explores sonic possibilities, or rather, sonic IMpossibilities. If you listen to the works of Autechre and Aphex Twin, some of their glitchiest of tunes are interesting sonically because they use sounds that are not created by traditional musical instruments, and they explore speeds at which no human can play, even if they were created from a human instrument. Or, they create layers of sounds that are so out there and other-worldly that people would question the notion of the sounds being musical at all.
Third, Glitch is not imitative. It does not try to mimic anything found in nature, but rather tries to break new ground by creating something completely new that you wouldn’t necessarily find in nature. I think this is why a lot of glitch artists turn to mechanic or machine sounds to create their music. It takes them further away from nature and more in the realm of the “man-made.” It’s not organic sound. It’s synthetic.
Fourth, good glitch makes you think. Period. Perhaps that’s why us Americans refer to it as “Intelligent” Dance Music (or IDM). And while I know my brethren in the U.K. cringe at this very notion of terming any kind of music “Intelligent” (the argument as I see it stems from the fact that by labelling any one music “Intelligent” you automatically relegate all other music into the “non-intelligent” dogpile — something which I doubt was ever intended), I still think that you have to use what’s between your ears to fully appreciate glitch. I’m not saying any other music is any less intelligent or intellectual. But Glitch is not pop either. It’s not for the masses, and it’s not for those that want to immediately glean everything from one listen. It’s not background music.
Finally, I think good Glitch uses the unexpected and surprising to capture or hold one’s attention. Whereas most music uses traditional hooks, such as filter openings, drum fills, or other crafty ways to keep a listener’s attention, I think Glitch tends to use more chance happenings and unexpected “free-for-alls” to keep you moving forward through the track. For example, a sudden switch from a wide-open reverb to a small space reverb, or a sudden jump in EQ. Or perhaps a major shift in tempo (as Autechre is fond of doing). All of these things seem to pay homage to the origins of the word Glitch: “erroneously” produced or sounding noise. The art of mistakes.

I would say if anyone has a further interest in the subject, they should definitely read up on the Art of Noises, a Futurist manifesto written by Luigi Russolo in 1913. A nice little summary can be found on Wikipedia. If Russolo were alive today, I think he’d be a fan of works by Autechre and Aphex Twin. I think he’d be supremely impressed at how we use computers as tools to create an infinite array of “noise-sounds” which we couldn’t create before. What I find very interesting is how so many sound designers work so hard to re-create sounds of traditional instruments. I think if Russolo were around he’d probably encourage them to forget about traditional instruments and instead focus on creating new experimental sounds that are unlike anything we’ve heard before. But perhaps that’s a thought for a future(ist) post.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

My Reason/Record Wishlist

Reason and Record together constitute one of the best all-in-one music creation and sequencing packages. I’ve tried out most all of the major DAWs out there, and I keep coming back to Reason and Record time and again. So here is my wishlist of items I’d like to see in future versions of the software; in no particular order.

Let’s just say Reason and Record together constitute one of the best all-in-one music creation and sequencing packages. I’ve tried out most all of the major DAWs out there, and I keep coming back to Reason and Record because of a few things: a) it’s easy and intuitive. This is the biggest draw for me. b) it allows me a wide latitude in sound creation. Sure some of the FX are a little lacking, but nowhere else can I create my own setups in such a simplistic way without having to know any programming or high level math. c) It’s instant and quick. Yes, I’m a little ADD, and I just love the fact that Reason and Record caters to me. I can jump in and add midi and audio tracks in a snap. I can go with an idea and get sidetracked into all kinds of wonderful tangents. It’s great. d) Finally, it’s stable and light-weight. My computer isn’t struggling unless I have an insane amount of Thors packed into a project. Sure I’d love access to VSTs but not at the expense of stability. Besides, I could spend a lifetime alone exploring the factory soundbank alone (not to mention all the great refill packages out there). So why go further.

All that being said, here is my wishlist of items I’d like to see in future versions of the software, in no particular order. I’m sure there are lots more that could be added, and this list is not meant to be exhaustive. It’s just a few of the major things I’d like to see in future versions.

For Record:

Automatic Routing of the Reason mixer channels to the Record Main Mixer. Right now you can bring Reason songs into Record, but there is no mixer routings set up. You have two options: delete the mixer in Reason and then open the song in Record so that all devices get their own channels, or you can manually reroute in Record once your song is brought in. A user preference or dialog which opens and allows you to select the mixer you want to automatically route to separate channels should be available so that bringing a completed Reason song into Record maps all the Reason channels to new channels on the Record main mixer. Maybe in the next version PLEEEEEEZE!
Comping for Midi as well. The new Comping Feature is great. Love it. However, it is reserved for Audio Lanes. If you want to do something similar in Note Lanes you have to use the New Dub / New Alt features. Overall, these two concepts are very similar. I’m wondering if there is a way to be more consistent with implementation. Why can’t we implement comps, for example, in note, and even in parameter automation lanes, and then do away with the new dub/new alt features altogether. This would make recording in loop mode in a Note Lane so much easier and workable. When you’ve laid down 4 or 5 takes in a note lane, you go into comp mode where you can have all the note lanes right there automatically waiting for you. The only real difference would be that in note lanes, you can have overlapping takes (audio and parameter automation can’t do this). But everything else would be pretty much identical for all types of track lanes. Seems a little clunky to have different methods which essentially do the same thing.
Split Performance Controller Data into Separate Lanes. Would be nice to have the ability to split performance controller/note data from each other into two different clips on two different lanes. Right now it’s a tedious process of copying clips, deleting notes out of one clip and then deleting performance automation out of the other.
Record Performance Controllers as automation. Would be nice if you can elect to record the “Performance Controllers” (Pitch Bend/Mod/etc) as automation instead of performance. Currently you have to record once for the notes, and once for the performance to get them on separate lanes OR you have to draw in the performance controller data. There is no way to click a button to record performance controllers as automation lanes (opposite to the “Automation as perf ctrl” button).
Tempo automation/changes on a per-track basis. In the documentation on Page 161, it says “Automating tempo is done much in the same way as with other parameter automation. You record the tempo changes by changing the Tempo value on the Transport Panel. When you later play back, audio clips will automatically be stretched to follow the tempo changes (unless you have disabled stretch for the clips – see “About disabling Stretch for audio clips”). Note clips and automation clips will always follow tempo changes.” It woud be nice if you could opt to leave note lanes at the current tempo, thereby being able to change some note lanes or clips to a different tempo, and leaving other note clips / lanes as they are. This would be a nice advance in both Reason and Record.
Display Masked Audio portion in the Audio Clip. In the documentation on page 169: Nice touch showing whether or not a clip has masked notes/areas! Nice improvement (Having this same feature added to audio clips would be nice as well). What would be even nicer is if masked areas were displayed the same way muted clips are displayed in the Arrange view, as there is really very little difference between the two. In fact, if you take this idea a step further, when you resize a clip (making it smaller) so that a masked area is created, it should automatically create the masked area as a new muted clip separate from the “active/visible” clip. When you resize back, it should automatically join the clips again. I think that would make sense, but I’m not sure if this would have undesired consequences in other places? But off the top of my head, it’s a suggestion. The benefit is that you would then be able to visualize how far the masked area goes in a given direction. Right now, there’s no visual indicator to show how far and wide the masked area is. It’s worthwhile to note that this is already pretty much implemented in the audio comp tracks. Now if we could bring that into the main arrange view, we’d be golden.
Synch Reason / Record Favorites. I wish there was a way to automatically import your reason favorites into the Record Favorites and synch them together. I don’t like having to recreate all my favorites over again. It’s one of those time-wasters.
Cut Note Events in the Clips. It might be nice to have the option when cutting clips, to cut the note events in the clip as well (if the note goes between split clips). This should be a toggle button on every track. Sometimes you DO want to split the notes, and it’s easier than going into edit mode for each clip and cutting them manually one by one (especially over several tracks). By doing this, you could select which tracks split notes and which don’t. Would be ideal if you are cutting several clips along multiple lanes, or inserting bars between locators.
Scale Transposition of Notes. This is imminently more useful than chromatic transposition of the notes. Having both in the software would be a wonderful addition.
Multiple Left and Right locators. When using Record to master a series of tracks, it would be nice if you could set things up with L/R locators and bounce all the tracks at once instead of bouncing them one at a time.
More Training/Tutorials and videos included in the user documentation. At 850+ pages, the manual is getting absurd. Time to start moving with the times. More creative and advanced documentation please!

For Reason:

Adding some new Effects, especially a glitch box such as “Glitch“
Having the ability to Randomize the entire Matrix or Redrum device with one click of a button. Currently you have to create random patterns in each and every slot in all the banks, and then (if you want), you need to randomize the Steps AND Resolution. Having a button, which when clicked, allows you to select what you want to randomize on the matrix or redrum (steps / resolution / how many patterns, notes, curves, both notes and curves) AND also providing the ability to randomize percentage-wise (for example, randomize 10% gives you less randomization than 90%). This would turn a very tedious process into a simple one. Same thing in the automation lanes. How about random automation? This would be a godsend for glitch music.
Combinator updates: In the Programmer, subdivide the right-click context menus into submenus (a la Thor modulation matrix menus). Also, adding an option for step increments for the Rotaries would be welcome. In cases where steps are needed, you could switch the Rotary to use steps. If you need the rotary as it is, you could switch it back. Also, give the user the ability to choose how many steps are required (up to 16 or 32 would be nice).
Integrate ReCycle into Reason (or Record). Yes, Reason and Record are not considered DAWs, but when most other DAWs have slicing capability built in, it makes for a good justification to integrate this capability into the software.
The ability to reverse midi and audio for backward playback. You can reverse a small sample in the NN-XT, but it would be nice if you could reverse the midi notes (and in record if you could reverse the audio) within the sequencer.
Tap Tempo. This is important on so many levels.
When in edit mode in the sequencer, providing the ability to move notes from one clip into another. Right now you need to combine the two clips, then move the notes around, then cut them up again. It’s very finicky to do this. Further to this, having the ability to see all the tracks while in edit mode is important if you’re trying to line up one set of notes or automation with another track. You can get around this somewhat by using the L/R markers, but it’s limiting.

Do you agree with these points? Is there anything in your wishlist that isn’t here? Anything else you want to see improved in Reason?

Top 10 Reason Pitfalls

This post is intended to answer some very common pitfalls that new Reason recruits have when it comes to using the software. Let’s face it, we were all new once, and we all had the same questions. So let’s get all of this out of the way right now so that we never lock our keys inside our cars again.

The Top Ten list below is an attempt to answer the most frequent questions that are heard time and time again, and to help you in the event you get caught up in the program and can’t untangle yourself. Use it as a checklist before posting on the Props forum or elsewhere for answers.

Coming in at number 1 is the Midi In/Out and Audio In/Out question. Reason is Midi In / Audio Out. Plain and simple. You can’t directly record audio into Reason (try using Audacity to do that – it’s a great free audio editor). And you can’t use Reason to output to Midi of any kind. It should be noted, however, that you can record something in Audacity or any other editor for that matter, and then bring the audio into Reason as a sample in one of the Sampler Devices in Reason (the NN-19, NN-XT, Dr. Rex, or Redrum). It should also be noted that if you want to bring audio into Reason, Propellerhead offers “Record” as a solution. As a third and final alternative, you can ReWire Reason as a slave to your favorite DAW, which essentially opens up the possibility of using Reason devices as VSTs within the DAW environment (though they are NOT VSTs per say, they just act like them). This also allows you to tempo synch Reason to other instruments in your DAW environment. You also can’t use Reason to control external midi instruments. It just doesn’t do it. Keep thinking Midi-In/Audio-Out and you’ll be safe in understanding the Reason workflow.
HELP! There’s nothing displayed in the Browser. I can’t see any samples or patches. Did I lose or erase them? Relax, grab a cup of coffee and listen carefully. You didn’t lose them and you didn’t erase them. Chances are that you opened the File Browser from a specific device (from the little folder icon on your device), and you started to navigate through the other folders in the Factory Sound Bank. When you do this, the Browser is only going to report back any samples or patches that can be loaded into the device in question. This is a feature, not a mistake, as it’s meant to keep the browser focussed on only the right areas. For example, let’s say you create an NN-XT and click the patch browser icon — little file icon — to open the Browser again. Then you navigate to the “Combinator Patches” folder. You won’t see anything, because there are no NN-XT patches for the Browser to report back to you. Here’s the fix. Look at the top right side of the File Browser where it says “Shows: NN-XT Sampler Patches.” Click the drop-down and select “All Instruments.” You’ll now see all the Combinator Patches, as well as any other instrument patches that are available. Furthermore, if you select a Combinator Patch after doing this, the NN-XT device you were working with changes to a Combinator automatically. Note that it’s usually a good idea to right-click in the rack and select Create > Instrument or Create > Effect when creating new devices. This way, when the Browser opens you’re not limited to a specific set of patches for a specific device. Note also that the File Browser does distinguish between an instrument and a device, and this is hard-coded into the software. So you can’t truly see all patches and samples at once. You can only see “All Instruments” or “All Effects.”
How come I can’t automate the parameters in an NN-XT or elsewhere, or rather, how do I know what I can and can’t automate? First off, you can automate any parameters that are in the main NN-XT device (Global and Performance controls at the top). You cannot automate any of the parameters you find within the Remote Editor. This is because automation would get out of control. Think about this: if you have 100 samples and each of them have separate parameters within the Remote Editor, that’s way more parameters than your computer could handle if you were to start automating them. So think of this as the price for power. You have complete control over all samples, but you just can’t automate them (note that you can adjust them in real-time and during performances). As for finding out what can and can’t be automated, there are 2 easy ways to figure it out. First, you can right-click on any parameter and look at the context menu. If you see “Edit Automation” and it is available, you can automate it. If you don’t see “Edit Automation” or it is grayed out, then you can’t automate it. Alternately, click on the device in question, then go to Options > Remote Override Edit Mode. You’ll see small blue downward arrows over all the controllable (ie: automatable) parameters. Anything you can control from a controller, you can automate in the sequencer. Once in edit mode, you can click any other device to see their automatable parameters as well.
Why can’t I record anything into “x” device? Why don’t I hear anything? Why is there no sequencer track? This is most likely because you are trying to record parts for a device that is inside a Combinator. By default, when you create a Combinator, the Combinator gets a sequencer track. But devices that are combined within the Combinator do not. If a device is created on it’s own (not part of a Combinator), it will automatically get its own track. To record parts into a device which is nested inside a Combinator, first select the device inside the Combinator (the device you want to record on a sequencer track). Right-click and select “Create track for ‘x'” which will create a sequencer track for the device in question. Then you can go into the sequencer, give the track focus (if you just created it, it will already have recording focus), and start recording parts for it. This goes for all instrument devices, FX devices, and mixers (basically everything except the spiders).
I’m recording via my controller, but nothing is recorded in the track on the sequencer. This could be due to the fact that you didn’t give the right track Recording focus (Enable Recording) on the track in question. First, look to the sequencer and see if anything was recorded. Do you see a clip on any of the tracks that was just generated. If so, that’s the track you’ve been focusing. To enable recording on a sequencer track, click the circle located next to the device thumbnail to the left on the sequencer track. Also, click the track itself to make sure it’s highlighted. Then click record in your transport and start recording. You should be all set.
I added an Arpeggiator and adjusted settings, but it’s not affecting the sound. This is another common pitfall. The Arp is much like the Matrix in that it doesn’t generate any sound, it is used to sequence another sound device, but your parts need to be located on the Arp track, not the sound device track. You probably have your clips on the sound device track in the sequencer. You’ll hear the sound device, but the arp won’t be affecting it. Just move the clips to the Arp track and you’re done. Once your parts are on the Arp track, you’ll hear the sounds. If you want to make the notes permanent, give your sound device track focus in the sequencer, then go to the rack and right-click on the Arp device, and select “Arpeggio Notes to Track.” Don’t forget to delete the clips on the Arp track or delete the Arp device and track entirely, otherwise you’ll be doubling up on the sound.
I can’t load samples or Patches in my NN-XT. The NN-XT is divided into two sections: 1. the top section is the Global Parameter section for the entire device. Here you can load patches, but not samples. 2. The Remote Editor. If you click the tiny drop-down arrow at the bottom left of the device, you’ll open the “Remote Editor” which is similar on the RV7000 Advanced Reverb. Basically, this opens up the sample editor. Here you can load your samples, but not patches. It’s important to note that the NN-XT and NN19 are the only devices where you can load both patches and samples, and it’s important to note the different areas where each can be loaded.
The Matrix doesn’t start or stop where I want it to start and stop. The Matrix can be thought of as a mini-sequencer. It’s monophonic so it will only play a single synth voice if you are connecting the notes via CV to another device. But another area that trips people up is the fact that it is synchronized to the timing and beats of the song tempo when playing in Real-time. It starts and stops based on the bar of your song. It cannot switch patterns between bars. It needs to follow through to the end of a bar before it can adjust to a new pattern. For this reason, it’s important to think through how you want your patterns to play. You can insert up to 32 patterns for each Matrix device, so if you need things to switch differently, it pays to have a plan and insert your patterns as you want them played for a full bar of your song (at least as much as a bar). The other alternative is to speed up the tempo of your song or track as fast as you can. Then the switching can be extremely quick between your patterns. It should be noted that you can have the Matrix start and stop as you wish if you add pattern clips on the Matrix Sequencer track. What I’m referring to here is Real-time use of the Matrix device.
I am not hearing anything from the Vocoder I just inserted. The BV512 Vocoder is a special FX device which requires two sounds: 1. a Source or Carrier and 2. a Modulator. The Carrier signal is Stereo and is used as the main sound source. The Modulator, on the other hand, is monophonic and requires only a single input. If you need to cable a stereo sound into the Modulator, you can do so by spidering the left and right outputs of the sound together in a spider audio merger, and then send the output into the Modulator input. The modulator is what affects the sound. It pays to have a Modulator signal that has a lot of harmonics, while the carrier can be any kind of sound. The best way to see for yourself is to set up a nice lead synth connected to the Mixer. Then record your parts onto the lead’s sequencer track. After this, cable the lead outputs into the Carrier inputs on the back of the Vocoder. Then add a Subtractor and cable the Subtractor’s output into the Modulator input on the Vocoder. Play with the settings on the Subtractor to hear how the Subtractor is affecting your lead. You can get some really nice sounds out of this type of setup, and the Subtractor is a good Modulator with a lot of options. Of course, don’t let that limit you. You can use any sound as a source and any sound as a modulator. So experiment until you find some useful setups. After a while, you’ll instinctively figure out what works best for the Vocoder according to your own tastes.
I lost the data on my hard drive / My hard drive is corrupt / My computer freaked out and I can’t find my songs. This isn’t a Reason pitfall, but it is most certainly important no matter what music you make or what software you use. So I’m adding it here. Make sure you first verify with someone who knows all there is to know about computers (your local IT guy, geek squad, brother-in-law super computer genius, or some other computer freak) that you did indeed lose the data on your hard drive. If that’s the case nothing can help you now. You’ve lost your data. You’ve lost your music and songs, and you’ll need to get a new hard drive or reinstall windows or something along those lines. Once you’re back in business with your computer, go get your backup drive, CD, or DVD media that has all your songs on it and transfer them back onto the computer. Oh wait. You don’t have a backup huh? Well then I think you’ve learned a very valuable lesson here right? ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR SONGS. Here’s my strategy. First I have a single folder called “Reason” and under this folder I have subfolders for songs, refills, output, misc, etc. Keep this folder outside the realm of the Reason folder (when you upgrade reason, you wipe out the reason folder, so you don’t want your files wiped out. This prevents that from happening). Back up the entire folder once a month on two different formats (I back it up onto a portable hard disk AND DVD media). The chances of both hard drives crashing and all my DVDs breaking at the same time are astronomically slim (incidentally I keep all the DVDs in a firebox just in case — call me paranoid. That’s ok with me ;-). I back this folder up in both places once each and every month. I even have a reminder setup in my email so I don’t forget. Every first of the month, it takes me about 1 hour. Call that hour an insurance policy against what could take me 5 years to remake all my songs, sounds, etc. and it’s doubtful I could remake it the exact same way twice. So it’s a good bargain if you ask me.

Do you have any pitfalls that weren’t covered here? Do you think there are other “common” ones that weren’t mentioned?