dimanche 4 juin 2023

Kitchen Notes : CSIBD on Infected EP

Récemment signé chez Aliens Production, CSIDB est le project de NickZoll, chercheur de sons qui détient le super-pouvoir de maîtriser le système de séquenceur des machines Elektron, cela explique probablement la finesse de ses compositions et la complexité des parties ryhtmiques de son dernier EP Infected. Il revient sur les outils utilisés dans le cadre de sa dernière production.

Recently signed on Aliens Production, CSIBD is Nickoll's project, a sound researcher who acquired the superpower of mastering Elektron sequencer system, and that probably explains the subtlety of his arrnagements and the complexity of the ryhtm parts on this last EP Infected. He comes back on the tools he used for this last production.

 






 

 

Gears and software

What gears/softwares did you use for Infected EP ?

Generally speaking, I am a big fan of hardware, so all sound design and composing is done out of “the box”. I use a PC mostly for mixing and mastering.
Talking about hardware, in the current release I used several units of my favorite Swedish brand Elektron,  namely Analog 4, Analog Rytm, Octatrack, Digitone and Analog Drive. Besides that, I rely heavily on my old buddy Moog Sub37, the track Marginal is mostly done on this synth, even percussions, I made them on Sub37 and sampled it to Octatrack for sequencing. As the main polysynth I use the Korg Prologue 16 voices version. Dave Smith Mopho keyboard version boosted with Tetra pops up here and there, Mopho is my oldest synth. I also used a couple of boxes from Sound Objects. Modulation effects are usually the ones that come with the synths, they are particularly good in Elektron devices, I also use a couple of fx racks, TC m-one xl is worth mentioning, I love this box for huge dirty reverbs.
In terms of software, I can’t say much here since I use it just a tiny bit. I am a long term Ableton Live user. I love sound toys plugins, especially radiator and decapitator when I need to saturate something. For mixing and mastering I heavily rely on izotope nectar and ozone. Besides that, I use reverbs from Eventide and Valhalla, and some built-in Ableton utility plugins.

Your favorite gear(s)/software(s) ?

I believe industrial as a genre heavily relies on sampling, analog synths and old fashioned FM. I use Octatrack and Analog Rytm for sample manipulation, Analog 4, Moog Sub 37 and Korg Prologue for warm and overdriven analog tones, Digitone and Korg Prologue to create cold dystopian FM sounds.
I love Elektron devices for their fancy sequencers and inspiring workflow. Moog is my favorite synth for tweakability, awesome gain/saturation abilities, and its bass of course.
Besides that, Korg Prologue is a sound designer's dream synth.

Any evolution in your setup ?

Over the last 14 years I have used a lot of different gears, currently I am very happy with my setup. All sequencers are synchronized to Octatrack, just press play button and dive into inspiration. My composing process is completely dawless which is a lot of joy. Nowadays I heavily rely on Elektron’s sequencers with their famous p-lock, that’s a great way to achieve live, always changing and pretty experimental I would say production.

 

Sound Design

Do you use/tweak presets  ?

I don’t really use presets, I don’t even use the patches I have previously created myself. Every time I start a new track, I like to start from scratch and tweak each sound to match the others.
Besides that I do quite a bit of field recording, Zoom H6 is always with me, it provides a portion of the percussive madness that you may have noticed in my tracks.

Do you design you own sound  ? On which synth/plugin in particular ? 

I do design my own sounds. In fact I spend more time tweaking the knobs rather than composing and producing actual tracks. I pay a lot of attention to percussions, some of them are field recorded sounds that are mangled in Octatrack, the others are synthesized by one of the synths that I have.

Any personal synth story ?

Back in the day my first analog synth was DSI Mopho. When I heard it the very first time I was so impressed. After years of using digital synths and grooveboxes it was so different, so nostalgic. Through all these years Mopho has stayed with me. I love its silly yellow look, its imperfect sound, and its small form factor. Of course, I have much more advanced synths in terms of analog sound, but every time I feel sad, frustrated, I just go back to my old Mopho. I even bought Tetra to expand Mopho’s voices.
Besides that, I have a long history with Korgs. My first ever hardware synth was Korg Z1, later I used R3, Radias, Electribes EMX1 and E2, I even had a couple of Volcas. Korg’s Prologue is my current favorite analog poly. I think this synth is very underappreciated, it sounds great, has a bunch of nuances, but you have to learn how to use it properly, sweetspots are rather narrow.


Writing/composing method

What would be your main writing/composing method ? Do you start classical rythm/bassline then arrange around it ? Do you already have structure in mind ? Do you improvise, record sessions then select ? ...

Whatever comes first, it may be some percussive pattern, or a bass groove, or anything else. I do not have a specific recipe. Sometimes I have a clear idea in my head, very often I don’t and I just interact with my hardware looking for inspiration. Isn’t it interesting? Composing as an act of merging between man and machine.

Producing/mixing method

Do you produce/mix in the box or do you use mainly external gears (effect/comp/eq...)

I do mix and master in the box. I wish I could do it differently, but it would cost a fortune to get a proper analog console with all bells and whistles.  
To work with eq-ing and dynamics I rely on izotope, it is pretty good for the task. For fx it is both, mod effects are mostly hardware, saturation is hardware and software, final work with room is mostly software.


What is your most painful / enjoyable step in track production ? Sound design, arrangement, mixing, mastering ?

The answer is pretty straightforward. I love interacting with hardware, I hate sitting in front of the screen and clicking the mouse. I enjoy sound design and imposing steps, I enjoy much less mixing and mastering, but my general belief is nobody would do it better for me than myself.


NickZoll's Tips

Spend less time trying to replicate someone’s work, focus on finding your own sound and shape, we all will benefit from that. It is very depressing to hear the same presets and samples, the same forms and patterns copied and pasted over and over again straight from the 80s.

Contact info

https://aliensproduction.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063508629670
https://www.instagram.com/nick_zoll/
https://csibd.bandcamp.com/

mercredi 31 mai 2023

Playlist Electraumatisme du 31/05/2022 - Mon WGT 2023 - Partie 1

Première partie du compte-rendu de cette riche édition du Wave-Gotik Treffen 2023. Il a fallu faire de durs choix du fait de programmateurs peut-être un peu aux fraises mais on a enfin vu Chrome Corpse, Minuit Machine, on s'est mangé de la darkwave à toutes les sauces, on a célébré un bel anniversaire avec Haujobb et Statiqbloom, on s'est pris une claque avec Gewalt et Wulfband encore.


Confrontational - Cut
Maduro - Far Away
Ton:Fehler - Tempus fugit
Transhuman Rebirth - Synthetic Drugs
Skemer - Rhoeas (live)
Chrome Corpse - The Feeling Is Mutual (It's Nothing Personal Mix)
Consequence - Psyrulent
The Mao Tse Tung Experience - Irregular Times
Wulfband - Attentat
General Dynamics - Weaponize Your Dreams
Milliken Chamber - Bodies
Minuit Machine - To Control
Zynic - Neon Oblivion
Gewalt - Es funktioniert
Blac Kolor - Nano Creator
Haujobb - Unseeing
Statiqbloom - Black walks eternal
Oberer Totpunkt - Langfristig Gesehen Sind Wir Alle Tot
Left for pleasure - Angeldust
Ghosting - Lion King

Release of the week:


 











mardi 23 mai 2023

Electraumatisme du 23/05/2023

Avant de partir en vacances à la campagne Dark/goth/wave/gruftie, je vous laisse une petite salve classique d'Electraumatisme.

 

Hex Me - Theme From This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Fujiyama + Hope - Bird growls
Machine Kaputt - Ganz aus Eisen
Degenerated Sequences - Divine Redemption
Yeht Mae - Amplified bible
Zanias - Chrysalis
2nd Face - 1 of the Others
CSIBD - Precautious (O11 Rmx)
Linea Aspera - Event Horizon
Die Selektion - Der Himmel Explodiert (feat. Drangsal)
Harry - You have gone wrong
Cryo - Does it hurt
Container 90 - Don't give a fuck

Release of the week:


 







Download : http://electraumatisme.info/broadcast/20230523.mp3

mercredi 17 mai 2023

Playlist Electraumatisme du 17/05/2023 - Authentik Dark Electro

Cette semaine une seconde partie de podcast consacrée au genre de prédilection d'Electraumatisme à savoir la bonne vieille authentik Dark-Electro, à quelques légères divergences près.

Zanias - Departure
2nd Face - Momentum
CSIBD - Marginal
Noronsoff Intestate - Learnage
INVA//ID - Worm
Headscan – Tomorrow Square
Jihad - Retrospekt
Run Level Zero – Deny Me
Kant Kino - Stille
Individual Totem – In Memorial (Gridlock Remix)
Systema – Words Of Ignorance
kFactor - Parallel
KittyKosmonaut - Ku-Zah
Clock DVA - Eternity (live)

Releases of the week:


 







2nd Face - utOpium


 







CSIBD - Infected EP


 







Download : http://electraumatisme.info/broadcast/20230517.mp3


dimanche 14 mai 2023

Kitchen Notes : Degenerated Sequences on Schism

La découverte du nouvel album de Degenerated Sequences a été une sacrée surprise car Yannis Chatzakis a prouvé qu'il était encore possible de mixer des bases Electro-Indus/EBM avec des élements très trance en restant efficace sans sombrer dans la partie tarte à la crême de l'exercice. La présence des synthés VA Virus TI et Waldorf Micro Q dans son setup n'est pas une surprise mais il nous donne un peu plus de détails sur ses méthodes de production.

Discovering latest Degenerated Sequences has been a big surprise because Yannis has proven it was still possible de mix Electro-Indus/EBM fundations with very trance elements without falling in the slapstick trap of the exercise. Seing Virus TI and Waldorf MicroQ in his setup is not surprising but he provides additional details on his production methods here.


Gears and software

What gears/softwares did you use for Schism ?

The core of my rig is Access Virus TI synthesizer. I mainly use it for bass, pads, arps, etc. Beside it I use other gear like Elekron Digitakt to built rhythms and sounds, Waldorf micro Q, Moog minitaur and also have an Arturial Keystep 37 MIDI keyboard. I record and mix my music on Logic pro X using its plugins but also using 3rd party plugins.

Your favorite gear(s)/software(s) ?

My favourite hardware gear is for sure the Access Virus synth. If I had to choose a software plugin I would probably choose the Fabfilter plugins which I use a lot when mixing.

Any evolution in your setup ?

I always sell and buy second hand gear like synths and pedals. Recently I’ve bought a Dreadbox Typhon synth and two pedals, one delay and one distortion. Haven't played a lot with them due to my strict everyday programme, but I look forward to use them for improvisation in a full hardware setup which I enjoy.

 

Sound Design

Do you use/tweak presets  ?

I almost always tweak sounds. It happens almost instinctively and this is the most enjoyable and creative part when producing music. However I have created my preset sounds through the years which I use a lot.

Do you design you own sound  ? On which synth/plugin in particular ? 

Yes I design my own sounds mainly on Virus TI synth. I also use Elektron Digitakt and Logic’s Ultrabeat to build drums sequences and tweak drums sounds and samples


Writing/composing method

What would be your main writing/composing method ? Do you start classical rythm/bassline then arrange around it ? Do you already have structure in mind ? Do you improvise, record sessions then select ? ...

There is no certain method. Most of the times I start with rhythm/bassline and built upon it, but there are also many times that a certain sound like a synth pad gives me inspiration.

Producing/mixing method

Do you produce/mix in the box or do you use mainly external gears (effect/comp/eq...)

Typically I mainly mix and master in the box. However I give much emphasis on the quality of the sound on its origin and the matching of sounds the time I tweak them. With this I mean that I design and tweak a sound in order to mix and match it with the rest. So most of the mixing is done simultaneously with the songwriting process.


What is your most painful / enjoyable step in track production ? Sound design, arrangement, mixing, mastering ?

I enjoy all of them. Maybe sound design is the most painful but on the other hand it gives you the most satisfaction.


DSeq's Tips

Not a tip rather an advice, try to be as satisfied as possible with your sounds before final mixing. A good source of sound is crucial and makes mixing a lot easier an effective.

Contact info

You can check for Degenerated sequences news on fb: https://www.facebook.com/degeneratedsequences/
And my music on bandcamp: https://degeneratedsequences.bandcamp.com/album/schism

I would really like to thank you for your interest in my music and this interview. Also would like to thank all those who support Degenerated Sequences and the dark electro scene.
There is a lot of interesting music stuff out there not just this that labels and media promote!


lundi 8 mai 2023

Kitchen Notes : Final Selection on Siren's Call

Les kitchen Notes reviennent avec Final Selection qui nous ont livré un album electro-pop de toute première classe, amoureux des sons et de mélodies efficaces. Quelques éléments de réponses techniques évoquant un aller/retour du matériel vers le logiciel pour finalement trouver le bon équilibre.


Kitchen Notes are back with Final Selection who delivered a first class electro-pop album, the band being lovers of sounds and effective melodies. A few technical answers evoking a back and forth between hardware and software until they found what seems to be the right balance.

 


Gears and software

What gears/softwares did you use for Siren's Call ?

So many years we worked on the Siren´s Call, so many Synths hard and soft we used. Here is a list of the most important:

Spectrasonics Omnisphere, Trillian and Stylus RMX, Arturia V Collection and Pigments, Korg Odyssey VST, U-He Repro 1/5, Korg Monologue XD, Novation Summit, Behringer Poly D, Neutron, Cat, Pro1, Waldorf Quantum


Your favorite gear(s)/software(s) ?

Novation Summit in hardware, Spectrasonics Omnisphere in software

Any evolution in your setup ?

Hofa IQ Series Reverb V2 was an epiphany.

 

Sound Design

Do you use/tweak presets  ?

Yes. Sometimes. Love and hate.

Do you design you own sound  ? On which synth/plugin in particular ? 

Yes. I love to program sounds on Novation Summit and in Omnisphere.

Personal synth story

Years ago I used synths like Waldorf Microwave 1, Microwave XT, micro q, Vermona DRM, M.A.R.S., Kurzweil K2000, Roland JX3P...And then the day came, when I thought I want to use Software only and I have sold everything. That could make things so much easier. Maybe this is right, but I missed to touch a synth. So I bought a good synth like controller keyboard by Native Instruments. But this has nothing to do with the feeling to use a real synthesizer. And then Behringer startet to create his clones. Bought a Pro 1 and was infected again. :-)

Writing/composing method

What would be your main writing/composing method ? Do you start classical rythm/bassline then arrange around it ? Do you already have structure in mind ? Do you improvise, record sessions then select ? ...

An Arpeggio or a Pad is often the starting point. Followed by a simple rhythm. Than should be come the vocal lines and the song structure.
The rest is like painting.

Producing/mixing method

Do you produce/mix in the box or do you use mainly external gears (effect/comp/eq...)

In the box.


What is your most painful / enjoyable step in track production ? Sound design, arrangement, mixing, mastering ?

Most painful: mixing. Most enjoyable: mixing. :-D


Riccardo's Tips

Never mix in the night. Trust your monitors, but do not listen too loud.

Contact info

www.final-selection.de

 

mercredi 3 mai 2023

Electraumatisme du 03/05/2023

Le mélange électro-indus accessible et techno-trance pas trop putassière peut encore réserver de belles surprises. La preuve dans la première partie de cette édition régulière d'Electraumatisme.
Prochain podcast le 17 Mai

Degenerated Sequences - City Of Decay
Final Selection - Empty Ways
Nadragea - Ember Az Erotlen
KlocK101 - Stimuli (Telepathic Dominance)
Yeht Mae - Syn victim
Sloppy Wrenchbody - Cut Me Down (Freedom Remix)
Randolph's Grin - Burn the Bridge
Informatik - Watching You Watching Me
Ondska - Storm
Axonal Warfare - Numbers
Xenobyte - Fur Dich Leiden

Release of the week:


 







Download : http://electraumatisme.info/broadcast/20230503.mp3

mercredi 26 avril 2023

Playlist Electraumatisme du 26/04/2023 - Chez les fromages qui puent

Cette semaine, on la joue à fond baguette/k-Beret dans Electraumatisme avec une seconde partie consacrée à la production Française. Pas mal d'extraits de la compilation ...In This Terrific Cold Room #1 et quelques membres du club des K.


KlocK101 - Isolate
Aesthetische - Dopamine Hyperdrive
ELM - For L...
De Marbre - Digitale Pourpre
Cyanhide – Dancefloor
Null Split - I shook you split (feat. Inva/id)
Thee Hyphen – Air Conditioned (Breathe Edit By EDW Of Digital Blood)
Mariann Käfer - Vidéococcinelle II
K-Bereit – S Kontrol
KALT - I'm Leaving
In Memoria – Barcode
Karbu38 - Repeat & Perform
K-Bereit - Fist of fire
Mlada Fronta – Year 6

Release of the week: