Both location and setup look really awesome!
Definitely like the outcome of your improvisation as well.
1 Like
I had a really fun time last night with the TR-8s, Norand Mono, and Octa as mixer / effects / looper / live remixer. I played for about an hour without changing patterns, just clearing and rebuilding drums / synth sequence, while Octa kept the remnants of the last one going. It was without a doubt, the most fun I’ve ever had making music. I feel like something clicked and I was able to just play the instruments and shape things on the fly.
In the past I’ve tended to take time slowly creating a pattern and then performing it separately. It was liberating coming up with everything on the go, and not having to keep track of what pattern was where an ex which ones would fit together.
6 Likes
Did another one with the setup mentioned before:
Just like synthtastic I got carried away after a while. At around 13:00 into it I completely lost track of how I got there and wouldn‘t have the slightest idea how to recreate anything after that…
1 Like
Recording of the main output of my bluebox
3 Likes
Did you actually find your way through my crude patch? Any outcome of that? Or did you adopt it to your needs?
Would be very interested what you made out of it.
I downloaded it, Got it up and running, and thought “this will be great fun to mess around with during the three weeks my wife is away on a work trip”…. Well all my spare time went making sure the kids got their school stuff in order and being dead tired watching (albeit music related) series
… so yeah she will be back in an hour. Hopefully I will find time during the coming week to figure out the patch and actually make some music on it.
Thanks again for sharing, and apologies for not using it yet
I‘m a father myself, so you can be sure I understand very well. Hope you get what you wish for…
Anybody using an MPC for improvised techno? I’m working on trying to use my MPC live, mostly for drums and the odd sample, alongside a couple of synths. Struggling with my workflow a bit at the minute (this is my first MPC). My current approach is to have 1 massive drum program and use a single sequence. I then use pad mutes to build the set, programming some patterns on the fly whilst having others already set up. I can’t help but think there is a better way though (seriously considering a Force as this would probably be an easier workflow).
Just saying hi as this thread is very interesting. I know that currently I’m not purely improvisational. My live setup is two Rytms, with an Octatrack for mixing and FX, simple, consistent, powerful. My main goal is always to produce energetic, joyful techno noise for dancers, not to build my own synths, or to do technically difficult things for the sake of it.
I always arrange live and improvisationally. I do have rough ideas of phases a pattern might move through or the phases of a transition, but the actual changes and arrangement happen on the spot. OT scenes, mutes and param changes contribute to this process, no DJ mixer or conventional mixer of any type. Then I also play the params of individual tracks which is more about the sound of the pattern than anything though it contributes to arrangement and sometimes quite powerfully to transition. This can be very involved, with constant changes to several tracks.
I also jam tracks live and record this. This is basically just playing the pattern but thinking of the output like a track rather than part of a mix. Arrangement and param changes on the fly contribute most.
With all this I think I can consider myself to be doing quite a lot of improvising. There’s certainly a lot of points where the next minute or two is very vaguely plotted out. Where it definitely isn’t improvised live is the patterns which are all pre-created.
So, I’m looking forward to having a proper read through.
One thing I can say in response to the person who said ‘know the circle of fifths’: also, know the chord progressions of major and minor (and minor variations) and unless you’re good on the keys, have the chords prepared as samples. I also like things like augmented fifths for that slightly dischordent techno feeling.
1 Like
I’ve been playing the piano for 20 years now, been playing the drums for pretty much 20 years aswell and imho rhythm (and sound design!) is much more influential. Techno (for me) is not about harmony, techno is about the opposite of harmony. Dirtyness, roughness, atonality, whatever.
I don’t really care about the circle of fifths when making techno, I’m not thinking about minor or major.
Techno for me really is about “well made ostinato”. You come up with something you like, you repeat it until people take it just the way it is. It might me minor, it might be major, augmented or even major7 jazzy stuff. It might be something totally different. Just sound design it well, repeat and slightly change it over time until immersion kicks.
Don’t get me wrong, music theory is important and a great tool…but:
You can do techno without knowing any of that stuff. If it feels right, it’s great!
Just encouraging people to be brave about what they’re doing, even if they know sh*t about the circle of fifths, scales or whatever :>
Anyway, my techno stuff is still on the more or less melodic side of things…it just happens. 
11 Likes
Here is my last podcast played on analog rytm + modular 
This is my last time with this set-up my next one will involve the Akai force and the Xone in combination of my modular to play more in DJ style
1 Like
I agree, I look on it as a useful tool, but I wouldn’t want to suggest that someone that doesn’t know that isn’t going to make good music.
Before someone starts practicing the circle of fifth: I am a classically trained trombonist, and it took me years to overcome classic or jazz harmonics and notice how good a minor second can sound over a major one combined with a fourth or sixth…
I would totally support that techno is not so much about harmonics as it is about sound design, experimentation, effects and just being a straight punk.
Still struggling with that
5 Likes
I agree in general, but when there’s a killer chord change in techno, it makes the track timeless.
3 Likes
I don’t know anything about music. All this circle of fifths crap might as well be in Spanish, genuinely no idea what it means.
I love making techno.
4 Likes
You. Are. The. Punk. I try to be…
2 Likes
And just like all the punks, my music is mostly shit.
Just like the most of those who are not punks…
1 Like
I’m surprised at you people. None of you arrange your empty bottles in a circle?
a circle of fifths
2 Likes
I guess for me, beeing a punk or not; it’s all about getting into this timeless state of mind. This trancendental flow where your brain is buissy interpreting these sounds and your body wants to move along to the wibrating soundscape. Kindof😊
1 Like