Making psytrance with it....possible?

[Fleuw]

Hi! Im what u would call a real noob in music production. I have many years experience of djing suomisaundi/psytrance as a label dj and want to get into making my own music now. Here is the question: Is this the machine for me? I want hands-on workflow and use computer at an minimum. So is it possible to make a proper bass,kick pattern for psy music around 140-150 bpm with this machine?

Cheerio

[jdn]

yes.

[Fleuw]

Thanks for the answer

[jdn]

you might need to throw in some samples for the hi-hats etc. if you get sick of the analog sound generators eventually, but the standard psytrance “reso-drop” kick should totally rip on the AR.

-jdn

[Anigbrowl]

I think it sounds very trance-friendly indeed, plus it’ll be good for a big variety of sound effects by abusing the sttings. And of course you have a nice delay and Reverb, very important for psytrance.

Purusha on this forum has one already (I don’t) and he is into Psytrance in a big way, or at least he used to be, I don’t know if it still his preferred style. I do have an Octatrack that I’ve been doing drums in a lot of the time and I find that machine very trance friendly. Being able to have patterns of different lengths and interact with the sequencer a lot is very good for hypnotic/psychedelic vibes.

[analogback]

i have never tried the rytm played it or anything but i have heard some very trancy synth stuff coming from the tempest… it’s real tight too, timing wise. hehe just sayin’

although… having said that, you can’t load any sample sounds on the tempest. and the drum synths are kinda hard to work with, i mean just to get a short punchy kick is hard work

i think the rytm is much better for experimental stuff, and looks fast to get it banging and coupled with a synth like a virus, the trance would flow for sure… but then you need a midi sequencer… its a pity the rytm cant send midi arrangements but timing is the priority with a drum synth like that and rightly so

[ZenPunkHippy]

Psy + Goa trance is my bag too. From what I’ve heard of the Analog Rytm demos it is definitely capable of a nice psy kick.

For sequencing check out Sequentix Cirklon - it’s a techno / trance dream machine, brilliant for on the fly sequencing and arranging.

It’s going to be quite difficult to get a full, well produced modern psy sound without a computer because so many effects and other types of processing are used but if you like the “old skool” sound (90s) then yeah should be fine with hardware only.

Peace,
Andy.

[Anigbrowl]

True about the 90s sound…I while back I got an ensoniq DP/4 and plugged it into a Mackie CR16 and it sounds well tasty.

I have a Tempest as well and agree about the ups and downs - great synth, not so much fun as a drum machine. I mean, I can get great drum sounds out of it, same as with any well-specified synth (and the 2 additional sample oscillators really fill it out), but I bought a drum machine because I got tired to dedicating ynsth and sampler channels to drums. I could go on but I don’t want to bash it - it’s great for some people but the Elektron workflow suits me a lot better.

funnily enough I got the Analog Four to add some, well, analog to my setup a couple years back, but great as it is it doesn’t really hit the spot goa/psy purposes. I do find all sorts of wonderful sounds in it but it doesn’t have the instant joy the Octatrack yields, maybe I’m just too into the Japanese analog bass sound or something because I keep missing that sh-101 feel.

Indeed, I like the Tempest more for bass than I do for drums, which is pretty silly

[Purusha]

@""Anigbrowl""

Purusha on this forum has one already (I don’t) and he is into Psytrance in a big way, or at least he used to be, I don’t know if it still his preferred style.

Yeah, I’m best known as a psy-trance DJ via my residency at Cabbage (Leeds, UK), but I’ve been performing live sets (psychedelic techno/trance and chill-out) with my musical partner O.V.N.I. for almost as long as I’ve been DJing. More of a hobby than a day-job though.

Most of the live stuff I do with Pascal doesn’t slot directly into the psy genre, it’s closer to downtempo, melodic, kraut-rock influenced trance/techno.

I’ve also recently been playing synths and guitar with psychedelic/space-rock bands.

My thoughts on the subject of Rytm for psy:

Yes, Rytm does the kicks nicely, but I’d still like to have a bit more control over the curve of the downward sweeping pitch/res. Even using the LFO to further modulate the curve, I’m finding I’d like a bit more control. I get good results out of the Tempest if I also use EQ, but not with self-oscillating filter kicks since the controller isn’t really designed to make them consistent.

The other analogue kit pieces - especially hats, are something I think I’m going to have to use samples for, since getting a wide variety of different use-able sounds is not really possible with the analogue hats i.m.o.

I think what I’ll probably end up doing is - loading a varied set of samples and blending them with the analogue.

I’m starting to get reasonable psy results with a combination of Rytm, A4 and MonoMachine though. I’m managing to build up a track by un-muting parts on each device.

Although, I think I’m missing the cutting, hard digital, sync’d, cross-modulated sound of my Virus. I might either sample the Virus Ti on Octatrack or use the Octatrack’s sequencer to drive it.

Alternatively, I also have a Cirklon which I could use for sequencing duties.

Haven’t quite decided how that would fit though since If I use it to sequence notes, I miss out on P-locks. So, I could just use midi clock for the Elektron units and then use their on-board sequencers. …or I might use Cirklon to sequence everything and use note velocity to effectively achieve what I would have been doing with P-locks. I also ideally want to do everything live, so keeping core kit (which can be expanded depending on stage/booth limitations) to a minimum is an aim.

Too many options!

…and I have a solo live chill-out set in October to prepare for, with a potential house-move in the middle, so need concentrate on that and get cracking!

[Fleuw]

Big Thanks for the all great answers…feels like i need just to buy the AR and get down with it and see where i end up. Also nice to see there there is some fellow psyheads in here Tack så mycket

[Uturunku]

@""Fleuw""

…feels like i need just to buy the AR and get down with it and see where i end up…

This is the best way to understand does this machine is yours or not!

[t]

[quote=“” ZenPunkHippy""]
It’s going to be quite difficult to get a full, well produced modern psy sound without a computer because so many effects and other types of processing are used but if you like the “old skool” sound (90s) then yeah should be fine with hardware only.
[/quote]

Seems like a huge benefit to me. I’m really tired of the overproduced sound that results from the ability to stack an unlimited number of effects and exciters and wideners and saturizers and whatever on each and every channel in your DAW.

[Purusha]

ZPH is correct in that much of modern psy-trance is structurally complex and I’d sometimes say - arguably over-produced. I don’t have enough fingers to dynamically bring in all the kinds of elements used when using all hardware.

The highly produced sound is difficult without a DAW. Applying multiple layers of compressor and EQ on individual parts is not easy in the hardware domain (maybe with a digital mixer you can achieve some of it).

Using LFOs to randomly change parameters is one way of stopping a part being too static. Also, using unsynched longer LFO modulated parameters can give some useful unpredictable movement to a part.

I’d say that builds are especially difficult using the all-hardware route, although Cirklon does have a “fills” feature, which makes some of that possible. Not sure how I’d achieve it on the Rtym. On Tempest, I might have an alternate beat/pattern immediately below the current on which I could use for fills.

I’d also often run past the 16x4 event limit if I was working in Cubase or Ableton. Chaining is possible I guess, but that mechanism really doesn’t feel very intuitive to me.

There’s nothing to say that you have to go for the current psy-sound though. Something relatively new, possibly reaching back into the past for inspiration, is a good thing in my book.

People definitely still appreciate a proper live set which isn’t highly produced and DAW based.

[Purusha]

By the way, here’s a proggy track from our current live set, recording straight from the mixer, with no post-processing.

Everything is from an ESX1 and Virus Ti, with a TC M-One XL and a D-Two Delay for effects, all through a Mackie 1604 analogue desk, midi sequenced by Ableton. So it’s all hardware sound-sources, but currently laptop sequenced.

We then add live synths, drums and guitar on-top at gigs.

I could theoretically move the sequence data to the Cirklon, but it would be painful. Doing this on Elektron kit with no sequencing assistance would be difficult.

[Fleuw]

Well the sort of style of psy im djing and intrested in producing (suomisaundi/free-form psy) is not over produced…more “under” produced. Im my self are really tired of over produced music thats made just for audioohiles…i want straight up psy with minimum “glam”…it should be straight forward, dirty and gritty with a touch of humor in it…lets call it lo-fi psy

[Fleuw]

So i will get myself an AR …as soon as my bankaccount plays along with me

[abique]

I have a duo AR A4 and Avalon Bassline.
I’m also on the Goa psy road, let’s see where it leads.
The most difficult for me is to program the bass well on the a4, but now I got some kind of dirty wall of ground filed with roots in your face, I like it a lot
I think the missing piece in my setup is a digital synth. Would love to see a monomachine v2.

[wowzer]