Which Elektronauts (or famous techno/electronic producers) don't use multitrack recording?

The Lounge General Discussion
#159

when I record tracks to release, I record the stereo output after gainstaging and balancing the levels of all of the tracks so everything sounds like it sits well together pre-ITB-Mixing (super super important)

I tend to track my grooveboxes through a hardware DBX comp, 1:8:1 ratio Slow att/rls with overeasy and SC filter on, threshhold low enough to cross over into maximum ratio with the main kick hits (less than 2db of compression, usually just some levelling)

I also will do my level balancing with the compressor on and set where I want it (setting up a VU meter in your DAW and having all of your gear match up to 0 VU is my trick to keep this consistent)

the reason for this kind of convoluted routine is because I want to be able to perform the track live and have it sound solidly mixed, and to have my live sets sound sonically consistent to some degree. I tend to like the sound of parallel compression as well, and I’ll often set this up with my mixer and keep everything analog so that recording into the DAW everything syncs up and I don’t have to deal with setting that up in the DAW

Also do this live, but i’m still working out the kinks with that. Lately I’ve been using a 3630 with the gate clipped and a 10 band EQ pedal sent to the internal sidechain, basically just cutting the lows and the high highs to make the parallel comp clamp down on the midrange more, usually 4:1 with 9 db of compression, fastest attack and 75-150ms release, hard knee, good times

4 Likes
#160

typewriter was the word processor of the day back then.
there’s no right way to write, ofc, and I still use my pen daily myself mate.

#161

first, the question came from a colleague who’s just starting out, right?
and I underlined just that in my reply: multitrack helps you more so when you begin.
secondly, multitracking is not necessarily about a hundred of separate lines. it’s about having one per instrument. and if you play live with other people (did underline that as well), you’re much better off having all their parts recorded separately. it’s mad to deny this

1 Like
#162

you might’ve been more attentive before going for f-words and making fun of my (presumed) ignorance. and it’s fucking lazy of you to take two great examples of already highly established professionals, who can also afford to outsource both mixing and mastering.
I did note in my answer that we talk about learning here, and one can hardly correct mistakes w/o multitracking a performance
on a side note, music of old days was not recorded at all. then it was recorded to one track, still played live. then multiple takes and multiple tracks become available (not to many still).
it’s called progress. it makes things easier. it allows you to produce your songs.

and what you do here is point to the examples of some of the best of our colleagues who can pull it all off in one take — but still, presumably, have only a couple of songs/eps recorded like that, am I wrong again?

#163

Most of Drexiya’s catalogue was recorded pretty much live as far as I know and Surgeon has been through various different recording setups, including recording live on the two buss, but these days he pretty much does about 4 to six tracks with as little post editing as he can get away with.

Try not to get so worked up, none of this matters.

2 Likes
#164
  1. about workflow: when this statement is used, the ‘workflow’ itself isn’t usually defined. there’s no ‘daw workflow’ per se, ie I use daw for recording but I don’t even look at it. all my instruments are h/w, and the daw is just a recording tape (and then a mixing desk at a later stage), I never even see it. so I’d argue that a daw is not a ‘workflow killer’ for everyone in terms stated by the topic starter: a multitracking machine
  2. daw sound —fully agree
  3. it’s not about constant reworking of the same composition, pal. it’s about constantly growing understanding of how you compose, produce, mix and master by having a chance to change things within at all: you edit it, then record another one, edit, and so on, with each month you need less of those edits to the new tracks (similar how performing skills grow as you play, but my argument here is that multitracking allows you to progress quicker while doing more complex things). and I do fully agree again that an overproduced track is often worse than its starting point.
    also, if we talk about performing live, alone with multiple instruments, or with other people, then mistakes are unavoidable, and it’s so much more liberating that you can just cut out a part of one instrument and let others close that gap — such a simple thing that can save you an entire unique performance, and it’s only possible with multitracking (overdubbing later works just as bad usually as the ‘overproduction’ that you mention)
#165

Fair enough - I did say if reworking is needed, rather than implying it as the sole reason :wink:

1 Like
#167

I still have the qu pac mixer, it has 8 outs, 18 in, and a matrix mixer, so anything can be send to anything.

I can route syntakt /digitone /a4 as mono tracks thro the qu pac to octatrack inputs. It has EQ per track. i can record with a press of a button, having sum of OT out + all inputs recorded.

My hw tracks suck still compared to my DAW tracks, i had reconfigured the hw setup too often, in my opinion one need fixed roles for all involved synths, and then good sound design skills, and practice is a huge part also.

The transitions part Is what i find hard, i need to get better with the Octatrack.

3 Likes
#168

my EP with Thomas P Heckmann was recorded entirely to two track with no computer and he mixed it live as we were doing them, all one take:

my track chiralium was done in one take with an E-MU XL-7:

on more recent stuff I have been getting away from multitracking and doing my best to use the mixing features of each machine well, just as a personal challenge. it doesn’t always work out! :slight_smile:

12 Likes
#169

all of my releases are one-shots too ! … some dicing in aucacity [lately ableton!] and it stays hot

1 Like
#170

Great! I think it’s the nature of techno, ambient and some close genres to be played live and to be recorded live, no matter with or without listeners in the hall or just in bedroom.

1 Like
#171

Cheers! :slight_smile:

I used to do hyper edited music that was more collage style assembled and meticulously overcooked in ableton. I got so tired of working that way that I changed my approach over the years and could never go back.

I much prefer the sort of intuitive / instinctual mind / body flow of recording tracks live. All my tracks since 2015 are done this way, though also with a lot of use of multitracking those live stems. I have 30 inputs on my interface so getting everything separate isn’t an issue

11 Likes
#172

This is probably also my dream way of doing it.

With less experience the hurdle is that I sometimes prep gainstaging and patches very well - but then don’t dare to touch things anymore after that lol, so the songs I record tend to end up quite static and stale.

I think I just need to keep up with raking up experience; to build up the confidence (or foster the instinct) to really improvise and experiment freely when recording.

PS funny how this subjective thinking out loud is in response to your comment - definitely an inspiration, you

2 Likes
#173

I don’t at all -> everything is always recorded in one go, to tape. ( this might change in the future )

Aphex Twin is guilty of this as well, especially on the stuff from Syro.

5 Likes
#174

In that order? OT => Heat => BH? Curious about how you setup the BH in this context. You’ve mentioned it a few times in posts in the past. There’s a used one at the local music shop I was eyeballing for this purpose.

#175
2 Likes
#176

OK I have a couple breaks/techno songs recorded each to a stereo wav file. Any tips on mastering/finishing them in Audacity?

On my old computer I had a macro to boost the volume of the track so it is good for Spotify/streaming but that computer is gone and I can’t find where I got the macro recipe from.

#177

I’m currently in the process of producing a digitakt only EP. My initial plan was to compose on the digitakt then multitrack via Overbridge into daw and finish it there. The more I play around with this process the more I tend to to do the whole mixdown (with a decent compressor settings on the master) and then record the stereo out into the daw to put a mastering chain on it and that’s it

It won’t be perfect but It will be good enough I think

1 Like
#178

i did it for a while, but when they asked me to make some adjustments during mastering process, and i couldn’t do it, i returned to multi tracking.

#179

You still are ! :heart_eyes: