samedi 11 mai 2024

Kitchen Notes : Capsules of Energy on Chained Ghosts

Si l'on met de côté les morceaux très orientés Dance, Chained Ghosts, dernier album de Capsules of Energy tape dans le mille d'une EBM/Indus qui flatte nos oreilles à Electraumatisme. Matthew nous raconte rapidement quels moyens ont été mis en œuvre pour mettre ces 8 titres au monde.

If we put aside the very Dance oriented tracks, Chained Ghosts, last release from Capsules of Energy hit an EBM/Indus target that pleased our ears at Electraumatisme. Matthew describes us quickly the means he used to give birth to these 8 titles.

Gears and software

What gears/softwares did you use for Chained Ghosts ?

I used an MPC one and/or a DAW.

Hardware:

MPC One
Contact Mic (Field mic)
iRig w/iPhone (Field recording)
Mic: Shure SM58S
Mixer: Tascam Model 12
PC Laptop
Virus TI Snow
Arturia KeyStep 32-Key USB MIDI Controller
Yamaha RX17
Radio
Ouija Board
Black light bulbs

Software:

FL Studio
Hype
Fabric XL
Ozone
Nexus
Omnisphere
Etc.

Any evolution in your setup ?

I’ve put together a field kit for recording my own sounds and have been using them over the past two releases. The contact mic is a really interesting tool because it’s full of surprises. I’ve pruned some of my hardware (BS II, Microfreak) to acquire some higher end VSTs (Omnisphere, Nexus).

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

It really changes overtime. I picked up an EP-133 and am eager to start developing some tracks with it. At the moment, it’s all I think about. That and wine.

Sound Design

Do you use/tweak presets ?

Yes, I will start with presets, then develop them to work with other voices, combining them into melodies comprised of instruments and samples.

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

Sound is like a deck of cards; I’ll use the bottom half of one voice and the top of another.

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 ? ...

I’ll build up the core of a track to sound like something I had in mind. At that point, I'll record a few takes of improvised vocals and develop the track further. Often, I will produce different versions of the track to explore some ideas, to see which I prefer. I might circle back to record new vocals.