What is Botanica/Petalcore/Epic Collage Music?
Botanica and/or Petalcore is basically acoustic music and instrumentation that is processed by spectral processors.
A much older genre with large similarities is Epic Collage Music which leans more towards glitchy and electronic but also with heavy use of spectral processing.
Here are some examples.
You can also find some cool spectral processing from Aphex Twin.
Now as for why i created this topic.
This is mainly done in a DAW using samples, but how would we go about and do this in hardware?
What would you use?
How would you use it?
Torso S-4 is the first thing that comes to mind with its sample based workflow, granular and spectral filter effects. i wonder though if it would be easier to use it as an effects device rather then a sampler since it doesn’t do slices.
Chase Bliss Lossy is another device that comes to mind, it is in its essence a spectral processor, the problem would be that you probably would want to sequence it, which is possible but you need additional items for it to work with midi.
Hologram Microcosm also perfect for this genre, but I’m not sure it has any spectral processing.
TE OP-1 while it doesn’t have any spectral processing like the devices mentioned above, it will be fairly simple to create segmented variations by recording everything to tape. For the main sounds i would say that the OP-1 workflow would be perfect for this type of music.
Octratrack Everything is possible with OT!
Analog 4 *with Direct pattern jump you could probably do some really cool stuff with this device.
I hope this inspires! and if it does, please share!
Haha, I was wondering when popular culture will incorporate the techniques from electronic avantgarde of last 30-40 years and if there is already a new wicked style like webpunk or hyperpop. It’s already there, thanks for heads-up.
As for the hardware options, unfortunately there aren’t many. However, spectral and resonators are slowly becoming a trend and that’s awesome.
Chase Bliss Lossy - definitely, but you’ll need some extra effects to make it interesting and not repetitive. Torso S-4 - yes, quite capable for such music Octatrack - can do some granular/glitch stuff, but limited in algorithms and no spectral stuff per se. Theoretically, some sounds can be emulated via… dunno, extreme filtering and feedback. GR-Mega - spectral mode is already there Rossum Electro-Music Panharmonium - cool spectral processor, probably the most flexible one Make Noise - a lot of SoundHack goodness, but also complex
What else in modular world… Intellij Rainmaker (but it’s more an advanced delay than spectral processor)
I think like with many hyper-electronic styles, ITB options are miles ahead.
its also called FFT processing
" Fast Fourier Transform(FFT). This algorithm gets its name from the French mathematician Joseph Fourier (1768-1830), who theorized that any complex sound could be recreated using a sum of individual sine waves. The FFT algorithm separates the time and pitch domain aspects of an input signal. Once in this form, we can change the pitch data without affecting time, and vice versa."
I think for this type of music, the spectral effects is the cherry on top but the bulk of it is rapid changes with the source audio. so having a spectral processor takes you half way maybe.
100%
But we are being obtuse with dAwLeSs over here
Listened to these videos carefully, yeah, I think Torso S4 fits well.
One thing I noticed - that silky bubbly type of sound that can be both done by granular and spectral fxs, I think current hardware devices produce a bit harsher sound. Anyone with GR-MEGA here to accept the challenge?
I’m just here to say that the first video giving me real anxiety, seeing every single clip named and colored across 24 tracks is just making me move uncomfortably in the chair, feelsweirdman…
Some cool sounds here, especially in the second vid… sounds to me like the kind of resynthesis that Amon Tobin has been doing for a while now, using Kyma for spectral morphing and gestural controllers.
