Cats of Ulthar (when a Digitone hijacked an atmospheric black metal project)

Elektronauts Our Music
#1

update 01/23:
You know you don’t change a winning team. I think I could just release an infinite amount of music with that trio: OT, DN and wavestate. I also used the M:C and Liven 8bit Warps. That last one I found really fun to mix with effect pedals (Guardian of the Wurm and Mainframe in particular - both of which have a blend knob).

So, here’s yet another one of my synth heresies:

update 08/22:
I haven’t changed much my set-up on this one. I reintroduced electric guitar - that’s a change - and used the wavestate on a couple tracks… which might motivate me to create another project, we’ll see.

So, here’s my very latestest synth heresy:

update 02/22:
Still mainly the digitone as a sound source and the OT as a production box (with some splicing, sampling and sequencing). Found out splicing is a fun way to come up with new melodies. And I still don’t really know what I’m doing. I’m still using the dungeon and horror synth tags as my main influences remain soundtracks, weird fictions (any medium) and tabletop RPGs.

So, here’s my latestest synth heresy:

original post:
After a bit of an inner conflict, I decided to do some self promotion on the only platform I’m somewhat present on. Bear with me!

This might be a good occasion for a short introduction: I’m a metalhead who wanted to had some flavour to his poorly produced - Twin Peaks inspired - black metal and decided to delve into synths. After some meandering, I got my hands on a Digitone and it changed everything.

Genre-wise, I don’t know what I’m doing (and surely I don’t know what I’m doing at all levels). I hide below the wide electronica’s umbrella, and I think/hope my nostalgia for late-80’s/early 90’s video game music shows.

So here’s my latest synth heresy:

27 Likes
Dungeon Synth on Digitone (or M:C)
#2

Without even listening to the track yet you got me with The Lovecraft reference, so here we go…
giving it a listen now.

It sure does, doesnt it?
good stuff!
Boss fight against the Hound of Tindalos!

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#3

Phantom of the operators…!

Edit: copyright coining that phrase…

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#4

rightly so…

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#5

Its pretty wicked, you should be proud…loving the bit reduced sounding melody on the second track…!!

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#6

I like it a lot.

I especially like track 3, very John Carpenter.

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#7

Thank you, I cannot express how heart warming your responses are!
The Digitone is still my main synth, since day one it’s my black magic box…
(@Fin25 Thanks a lot for the support <3 )

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#8

I agree about track 3 too!

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#9

Thanks for the listen! I took those feedbacks at heart, slowed the tempo and tried (and am still trying to be honest) to work the atmospheric part on the following or upcoming releases.

Edit: and thank you for this too generous support, @johnl - tough I like the number :wink:

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#10

If you’d like a little more feedback: I found the drums a bit too busy / clicky in an FM way.

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#11

You had me at “Twin Peaks inspired black metal” :slight_smile:

Some interesting stuff on here, especially how metal themes and riffs are reinterpreted as FM. There are a lot of users on here that have explored the heavier side of the DT that you might seek out for future inspiration, some getting super heavy with it…

Also check out the @Ess and @blushresponse demos for the M:C, more examples of heavy FM. And another Naut did a black metal album on the A4 a while back, quite impressive.

4 Likes
#12

Thank you both for your inputs, it is really valuable!

I always considered my use of percussive sounds as one my big weaknesses, it confirms it. On both the most recent releases I already tried to work that out - mostly by using them in a more discreet manner. I think I’ll focus on high energy tracks later again, but with another project ^^

To be honest, if I had to redo that EP, I would trash (or at least redo the first part of) the last track.

@Ess releases on bandcamp has been a huge mind opener to me. Especially his use of DN master overdrive which is a constant source of filthy and gritty marvel!

I’ll be sure to check attentively @blushresponse and @CZERN (I guess it is the “automated predation” album you were refering to?) work tomorrow!

1 Like
#13

Figured I’ll update here instead of creating a new tread ; I hope it’s ok.
I just released a new album on BC:

(I’ll update the OP with a short description.)
And thank you for the lightning fast support, @Fin25 :slight_smile:

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#14

What’re the synths on this one, @Octave?

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#15

Thanks for noticing, @johnl !
It was pretty much the usuals: the OT as a production box/mixer/drum machine/sampler/…, the digitone as the main sound source, the liven 8bit warps as support… With exception to Shadowbanned Gods and Soft Apocalypse: those were mainly the wavestate and the digitone only as support.

2 Likes
#16

That’s really far out there! I don’t think a lot of people are doing what you’re doing with the DN. Very cool. And I always have a +1 for a good Lovecraft reference

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#17

Thank you so much, your comment does a lot to renew my motivation :slight_smile:

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#18

And I released another one. Let’s call this a long EP:

Along with a music video made with gamemaker:

(I’ll update the OP with more informations.)

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#19

Is that one Digitone?

And what about the new one?

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#20

I had to grab my notes…

So for the last one:
“The City” is mostly DN. The OT served only as arranger and sampler (for stuff that the elektron sequencer can’t handle well and for timestretching).
“The Magician” is DN + M:C. The OT served mainly as arranger/mixer and to add a layer to the drums.
“The Sea Anemone” is DN (thru an octave reverb) + M:C (drums) + hydra (for the moaning pad). OT as arranger/mixer/FX box.
“The Company” is DN + hydra (pad/drone). OT served as arranger/mixer/FXbox/drummachine. Note that the piano-like sound is the DN (using a wet track).
“The Soaring Bear” is DN (for the soft part) + MegaFM (for the roaring part) + M:C (for added drums). OT as arranger/mixer/drummachine.
“The Moss” is DN + hydra. OT as arranger/mixer/FXbox/sampler(field recordings), its cue outs go back to the DN ins (had completely forgotten that part).
“The Bat-faced Man” is DN + liven8bit + M:C. OT as arranger/mixer/FXbox.
“The Blue Fox” is DN + MegaFM. OT as arranger/mixer/FXbox/sampler and drums that were buried in the mix.

As for the Animated Spite EP my notes are bad… “Animated Spite” was liven8bit + DN + M:C + OT. “Sercret Burial” was DN thru a reverb and OT to add some sparkles during chorus. “What Remains” was (I quote) “LIVEN8 > ehx mainframe > DN > OT”. I don’t have any notes for the other tracks :frowning:

2 Likes