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BREAKING TO REBUILD - Part 1: Unconventional audio processing with Jennifer Walton
🕑 Added 2022-02-23 18:38:06 +0000 UTC
BREAKING TO REBUILD
Part 1: Unconventional audio processing with Jennifer Walton
In this Lux Cache tutorial, we invite experimental club & pop producer Jennifer Walton to explore the unconventional production techniques behind her ‘Flash On’ EP - giving in depth information on feedback pitching, Massive’s versatile comb filters and resampling-based melody generation.
We ask you kindly to not share Lux Cache content outside of the Patreon, our contributors rely on your donations. All preview sounds/clips mentioned in this tutorial can be found in this accompanying Google Drive folder.
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CONTENTS :
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER 1 - RUBBER VOX (FLASH ON)
- CHAPTER 2 - COMB RISER SYNTH (FLASH ON)
- CHAPTER 3 - FEEDBACK PITCHING
- CHAPTER 4 - SPLICED RESAMPLING
INTRODUCTION
Hey and welcome to my first guide for Lux Cache 🧚. I’m very happy to be among some real geniuses sharing their esoteric production secrets. In this guide I’ll be breaking down some of the more individual production techniques across the Flash On EP that I released with All Centre in 2020. I wanted to focus on techniques and processes that are super similar technically, but have so much depth to them in terms of what they can be used to create.
RUBBER VOX (CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE)
The Max For Live Flanger, used across the whole of the EP, was a huge awakening for me and is now a completely fundamental part of my sonic toolkit. I originally found it when BFTT sent over the project file for Flash On. His use of it was super inspirational due to how refined his approach was, it brought so many elements to life giving them that 3D glossy quality.
The module itself is built straight into Ableton’s Max For Live, and can be found in the “Max Audio Effect” Folder in the “Max For Live" Category.
The main advantage of this patch, is how far the parameters can be pushed beyond what is possible on most conventional devices, allowing for some wild sound design flourishes from completely sound destroying to giving that subtle shimmer, present in a lot of “hYpeR pOp” sound design.
The flanger is super volatile and all parameters are linked in what can seem like paradoxical ways, I really recommend a -12db utility device placed after it, just to keep it at bay, then easing the gain back in when you're happy with the results.
As an example I’ve used the raw vocal sample from “Crisis Of Confidence” to demonstrate the device's flexibility.
The four parameters of the device are Centre, Width, Rate, and Regen
- Centre : Similar to the delay time of a standard flanger. The rate at which the delayed signal is offset against the original. It creates phasing and feedback effects and can make comb filter-y feedback loops when Regen is set to full
- Width : The frequency range that the delayed signal will modulate within, a lower width creates a more conventional Flanger effect, however anywhere past 12 0’clock on the dial, will get super volatile. It’s also heavily affected by the Regen knob
- Rate : the speed at which the secondary signal modulates, The higher the value the more ‘wobbly’ the pitch of the modulation is. It also has a gain like effect due to the phasing that occurs between the original sound source and the modulated source
TIP : Anything under about 40 ms is perceived by the listener as part of the original sound source, and anything after can be distinguished as a repeat or an echo. It is helpful to keep this in mind especially when playing with the rate, to understand why the modulated file can be so volatile.
- Regen : similar to ‘Feedback’ on a typical echo or flanger. It is the strength of the flanger's positive and negative phase feedback. It can create an infinite loop which can be super fun to play with alongside the Centre Knob
To demonstrate the effect, I've processed the raw vocals from Crisis Of Confidence with all values of the flanger automated upwards. I’ve applied the exact same automation to a drum track to further illustrate the effect.
My best advice in utilising the patch, is to try it on EVERYTHING. From subtle little flourishes to all out noise walls.
COMB RISER SYNTH (FLASH ON)
Another super simple yet versatile tool is using a Comb Filter to create a Riser or Synth.
A comb filter is similar in design to a flanger, however can be accessed in most filter sections of popular soft synths.
For this effect I opt for the original version of Massive from Native Instruments due to its super digital timbre, however it can be achieved with any synth with an inbuilt comb filter. It can also be created by using a soft synth and a separate VST comb filter (I recommend KHS Comb Filter) I just find that the harsh ultra digital-ness of Massive, along with its in built reverb, adds a lot of character to the sound.
For this guide I’ll be referring to Massive but each step is applicable to any synth.
- Start by resetting the synth to a blank slate, making sure to set the global envelopes decay level to full, with release to taste
- Turn the amp of OSC 1 to 0
- Set Filter One to Comb
- Set Noise OSC to bright, with Amp at full and Colour to around 3’0clock
- Set Noise OSC filter mix to fully F1
NOTE: The massive noise osc is more of a sampler, simply playing looped samples of noise, so changing the colour just changes the speed at which the loop plays. Setting it at 3 o’clock, simply allows the loop to play at it’s unaltered pitch.
At this point we can start to have fun with the parameters of the Comb Filter 😈
In Massive, the parameters we will find for the comb filter are Pitch, Damping and Feedback.
- Pitch - determines the tuning of the filter, due to the frequency of the various peaks.
- Damping - attenuates high frequencies of the feedback circuit
- Feedback - enhances the amplitude of the peaks and dips, which will result in a more metallic sound, you can think about it as similar to a Resonance Control on a conventional filter.
I usually add the ‘Small Reverb’ effect built into Massive to the patch just to give it a bit of digital spatialisation. I find that this helps it sit really well, but experiment as you desire, I really rate all of the inbuilt Massive effects.
For the Flash On Lead, both the damping and feedback are set to full, meaning we’re getting all of the lovely feedback and artefacts that the Comb Filter creates. The main parameter you’ll be engaging with is simply Pitch.
- For a standard riser, you can automate the volume and pitch to gradually increase towards a drop which massively builds tension.
- For Flash On, we played in a rhythm sequence then automated the pitch knob itself to create the fluid lead synth melody.
Further fun can be had by playing with what “Pitch” is modulated by, for example :
- using the key tracking option within Massive to be able to play warped chords through the filter
- creating a complex LFO pattern and assigning it to the pitch and damping for a more percussive effect
For a super simple effect, it’s been an unbelievably versatile tool for me.
FEEDBACK PITCHING
A key part of both my production and live sets is manipulating feedback. Feedback has such a complex sonic character that instantly adds a layer of realism and grit to what can often end up being a super clinical space within a DAW.
A trick I use a lot is to simply manipulate feedback in real time. Through real time manipulation of effects, different mic and speaker setups and changing mic positioning we can get completely different timbres of feedback.
My Main process is to use Frequency Shifter in real time to control the pitch of the feedback. By changing the pitch subtly we can cause the feedback to be shifted up or down and completely change its timbre and pitch.
While this can be done using a standard mic and speaker setup, I really enjoy the texture that using a mac’s inbuilt speakers and mic can create. However using a mic and speakers independently, can allow a far greater control over the sound, which i’ll elaborate on below.
(MAJOR WARNING : when using your laptops speakers play with the volume carefully, I blew out my macs speakers in two months by constantly doing this for an art exhibition 🙃)
For this effect we’ll mainly just be using Overdrive and Frequency Shifter.
- Place an Overdrive and a Frequency Shifter onto an audio input channel. (You don’t need to go overboard on the overdrive it’s just to encourage the mic to feedback more frequently.)The frequency that feeds back can be controlled by the tone options of the overdrive
While recording we’ll be using the positioning of the mic to control the dynamics, volume and tone. The Frequency Shifter is used to create a dynamic pitch feedback, forcing the frequency of the feedback into different ranges.
- Before recording be ready to adjust the volume or mute things quickly as feedback can get super loud.
- Use your mic to aim and wrestle with the feedback, controlling the intensity by the distance between the mic and speaker cone. When played like an instrument some really interesting dynamics can emerge from the “performance” of moving the mic in real time. Aiming at the Tweeter or the standard cone can drastically change the tone of the feedback.
- Modulate the Frequency control of the Frequency Shifter, to create a complex tumbling sound. This can work amazingly as a riser, or is amazing when re-sampled.
🔊 FEEDBACK FREQ SHIFT - (VOLUME WARNING)
SAMPLING AND RESAMPLING AND RESAMPLING AND RESAMPLING …
(melody and chord generation)
Finally I wanted to talk about how I’ve made a tonne of my melodies and something I always turn to when in a writing block. My music theory knowledge has never been the strongest and I’ve always had a tonne of fun finding ways around this by experimenting.
This approach turns anything into potential melodic content, a midi file or a splice loop or an entire pop song.
The format has 3 main stages; Original Sound Sourcing, Warping & Splicing.
The original sound source can be ANYTHING… Anything with melodic content is great to experiment with. For this example I’ve used a portion of the melody line of “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” (lol). Classical songs are great to play with due to the wealth of midi versions online and them being in the creative commons.
We can then begin listening through to find any sections that jump out to you. I began by removing all the notes bar the top line in the chorus.
Next we can begin processing it in any way that strikes you! Anything that can change the timbre or melodic content.
We are trying to play with the transients, which will affect the splice points when we import it into Simpler in the next step
🔊 MELODY - original 8bit melody
For this example I :
- Applied Reverb
- Froze and reversed the sample
- Pitched it down 4 st, without warp
However i often also use
- Paul Stretching
- Abletons various warp settings
- Beat Repeat / glitch programs
- Fractal Effects (I recommend all of Michael Norris’ free effects suite)
Now we have our processed file !
Import this into Simpler and enter splice mode.
Splice mode allows you to play different parts of the file, split by transient points.
This allows us to find new notes and textures within the processed file. Due to all of the notes being in the same key, we can just play around till we find something interesting.
I really recommend playing with the sensitivity option in Simpler, which changes how loud a transient needs to be for it to be a split point; this can allow us to focus on different elements of the sample.
From here we can either write something around this new original melody, convert this new audio clip to MIDI, or reprocess it and begin the process again. Using this method can create infinite melodies and can work super well for chord progressions too.
Thanks so much for reading, I hope this gives you some new angles to approach your compositions! Thanks to Lux Cache for having me.
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Jennifer Walton is a producer, performer & sound artist based in the UK. You can find her recent releases and upcoming shows on her link-tree.
You can follow her on Twitter @jnnfrwltn and on Instagram @jenniferwalton.co.uk
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