New Brain Acid, an Album for those with a 606/SH101 fetish, or acid funk proclivities

Elektronauts Our Music
#1

I am very happy to announce, an Album I have been working on for some time is available now, only on bandcamp.

I had way too much fun making it, and I hope it brings at least a smile to the listener. It represents many breakthroughs for me, musically, technically, and on a much deeper personal level. I am genuinely excited to be sharing it.

This album is dedicated to anyone living with mental illness.

gear nerd info- made using Elektron Digitone, Elektron Octatrack, Korg Microkorg, Moog Sub 37, Roland TR8-S, Roland SH101, Allen & Heath zed 10, zed 14 Mixer, Alesis Quadraverb, Tascam DR05, Elektron Analog Heat.

34 Likes
Bandcamp Fridays
#2

Brilliant! Excited to hear the final version. Lovely dedication.

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#3

I’ve only listened to track one so far, but this is excellent.
Aside from the obviously excellent musical content, the sound quality is really good, super clean but hasn’t sacrificed warmth and the drums have a really nice bite.

As good as anything Rephlex ever released.

Proper braindance.

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#4

Wow, That is high praise indeed! I’m very happy that you think so. I know you’re no bullshiter, so thank you very much for the compliment.

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#5

I’m into track 3 now, love that bassline.

Did you use any compression on the drums? They sound really tight (One in the eye for all 12 of those who still think ACB sounds like shit).

Also, how did you get the Quaraverb so quiet? Can’t hear it hissing at all.

3 Likes
#6

Yes, I use the compressor on the TR8-S master effect. It also has a soft clipper on the output and I think Im hitting it.

As for the quadraverb, Dunno mate, thats just the mix, to be honest Im surprised it didn’t get amplified by the analog heat

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#7

listening to it right now. Sounds very impressive.
Great tracks and I‘m really into the sounds. Very groovy overall

Should have kept the TR8s :upside_down_face:
The bass sounds are super nice in particular ( guess it‘s the SH101 most of the time… I need one)

Thanks for sharing

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#8

Immaculate. Very well done! (only on tk 4 so far).

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#9

@Unifono thank you! Yes, SH101 provided most of the basslines.

@Octagonist thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying it.

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#10

I’ve listened through twice now, can’t find anything that isn’t spot on.

The basslines and melodies sound great, they have a real nice swing to them, everything sounds played rather than programmed. There’s these little flourishes of virtuosity all over some of the tracks, nothing showy, but enough to keep my ears pricked up.

The end of Golgi Tender is excellent, just that few little notes at the end really add a touch of poignancy. Would have been a great track without it, but that one little musical choice elevates the whole thing and makes it much more emotionally whole and satisfying.

Drum programming is fantastic, real next level shit. It’s so easy with this kind of music to go overboard and make tracks cluttered and messy with too many drum hits, but you’ve absolutely nailed the core rhythm in every track, then added all the little extras in just the right places and just the right amount.

Mix is solid, nothing drowning anything else out, so transparent. Reverb used with the necessary (if unfashionable) level of restraint. I can’t think of a single thing you could have done better.

Best album I’ve heard all year. Seriously.

5 Likes
#11

Definitely. It reminds me of my Break Dance era (1982-85) and some of the Dessous Recordings vinyls that I bought in the early 2000’s.

Great Achievement. Bravo.
Great balance, great Mixes great Drums and great Melodies.

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#12

I agree with all the comments here. The mixing is excellent. The drums sound great. The little fills and flourishes are nice and in the right spot. Genre-wise, it’s not what I usually reach for, but it’s very enjoyable and a nice change of pace from the moody-ass stuff I normally listen to. hah.

edit to add update: After completing the album, I have to correct myself. This is frigging great. I really enjoyed it end to end!

May I ask @Microtribe – how long did it take you to create/produce the whole thing?

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#13

Outstanding. Super clear, crisp, and uncluttered mix. Great bounce and funky bass…it’s seriously good, but the music doesn’t take itself too seriously. So well done, and really inspiring!

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#14

10 seconds in on track 1 and I have to comment already. Dude, you’re funky! I’ll echo what many others have said, the mix is spot on. Everything has its place, no over the top compression and it even sounds likes '80s break dance music at times. Excellent job!

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#15

Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments!

@Fin25 the original idea was to make a set for live gigs, so parts are played into the sequencers, unquantised, and everything else after that is done live as a performance. After a while, I realised gigs are unlikely, so I recorded them. And hey presto- album. (Although, Ive got the whole album saved as sysex files, so if any gigs were to happen, Im good to go)

That means a lot, thank you so much.

Again thank you.

@Tchu, thank you for the kind comments and support.

@cold_fashioned thank you for the comments and support, Im glad you enjoyed it. Looking at my diary, I started the project august 2020. The recordings were finished august 2021. I didnt work on it full tilt, there were big gaps, and I had to take the SH101 apart a few times for repairs, early on There were other gear faff related things. So hard to say how long it took.

@davestasiuk thank you so much, your comments mean a lot to me. That is exactly what I was going for. Bounce, funk, and not take anything seriously at all. (Which is very serious business…)

@konputa thank you very much! Im pleased you think so, as mentioned, everything was recorded straight from the mixer in one go, no multi tracking or overdubs. Thank you for listening!

I’m humbled by all the love for my music, elektronauts I salute you. :pray:

6 Likes
#16

This is great material! As others said, good balance, composition and mixing.

Really cool to hear that it’s recorded live! Gives me inspiration to do the same, I have a similar setup. Tr8s, Atlantis (101), Moog, Digitone, Octatrack and some other stuff.

How did you process the stereo mix?

Thanks for sharing!

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#17

Thanks for listening:)

There’s not a lot of processing, very subtle use of:
analog heat, compression in the upper mids, then limiter (squashing about -1db ) on the end to catch any peaks over unity.

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#18

Very funky indeed. I really like the way the sounds all interact. The melodies are very rhythmic and intermingle really nicely with the drums. Lots going on, but never feels cluttered. Really enjoyed the interlude.

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#19

I’m on about my 10th replay. I love it.

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#20

Haha nice one :slight_smile: and thank you for your support!

1 Like