What's the sequencing theory in IDM?

The Lounge
#61

Also try an arpeggiator into a sampler. Set the play sequence to “as played”. Play chords that include the drumsounds and play with the rate. 1/8, 1/8t, 1/16, etc

You will get random outcomes but you have much more control. Record those. Chop them into 8th or quarter notes, stick the chops into another sampler and start sequencing those tiny drumbeats.

Also instead of using ratchets, copy a few drumsounds to a different zone and set very short looppoints. Perhaps on a different midi channel. And get those short loops in tune as they will have a pitch. I think this is how Squarepusher did it with S950 and later with S6000. Because before his Yamaha, he was using a very simple Boss DR drumcomputer-sequencer. But I think both had “song mode”. Lol. But his early stuff was all tiny bits as the 950 only has so much RAM. So resampling bits of sequenced drums I don’t think was an option. He had very minimal equipment until before the writing of Go Plastic

2 Likes
#62

This EP is a masterclass on sequencing IDM on hardware or without a tracker. (on Elektron’s Label)

My understanding it was made using just a Analog RYTM mk1 and a SH-101.

EDIT: (that seems to be the case! Plaid - Attack Magazine)

  1. Repetition legitimizes.
  2. Repetition legitimizes.
  3. Repetition legitimizes.
  4. Repetition legitimizes.
17 Likes
#63

I imagine you would find it very instructive to transcribe a few of your favorite IDM songs. Take the time to transcribe each part it detail, the chords, a bassline, the melody, the drums, etc. Also take the time to transcribe the arrangements - how are the songs put together over time?

Once you’ve done a couple transcriptions, you should be well on your way. Take it a step further by paying attention to what parts of these songs you transcribed feel best to you. Can you connect those good feelings to the parts that you transcribed? Does the drum beat do something cool at those good moments? Maybe there’s a cool interaction between the melody and bassline?

This kind of transcription study is super common in the jazz world, and I think it can take you very far if you really take the time to do it seriously. Best of luck!

2 Likes
#64

Lol.

#65

You can build your own swing or groove buy adjusting the start point in your samples by adding a tiny bit of silence at the start.

1 Like
#66

Oh gosh, are there any bangin interviews from Plaid on rhythmic programming?

1 Like
#67

By the way, in this video for Polyend Play Benn Jordan says from 2:28 minute on, that this device feels as if the Polyend developers listened to tons of „IDM“ and reverse engineered those beat-making principles in the algorithms of the Polyend Play.

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#68

draw a smiley face in the midi sequencer

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#69

god, I wish.
there is this though…

7 Likes
#70

It’s funny I just saw that Roland JX 305 video recently… I think this is it: https://youtu.be/kgGO8cxFB6g

I personally think a lot of techniques from IDM cross over from drum n bass: the tempo, the contrast of rhythm and melody, the breakbeat choppage. Many times when I work on drum n bass tracks I get a little out there with weird, esoteric sounds, glitches and stutters, bizarre polyrhythms/meters, etc and later when I listen to the music I often think it doesn’t fall perfectly into the genre of dnb and maybe leans more towards “IDM”.

I don’t really care too much about genres, so if I think I’m making dnb, but land on “accidental IDM” and I like it, I’m still generally happy.

I think it’s probably more important to make the music we feel. If it comes out as IDM, cool. If it comes out as techno, cool. I don’t think great IDM artists were “trying to make IDM”, I think they’re just making music and then IDM is what happened.

My most rewarding sessions are when I start with a sound and just go wherever that sound takes me, not when I’m trying to make a specific genre. Although, I do understand why it’s interesting to study other people’s music and dissect it to learn new techniques and methodologies. The other day I was listening to 90s dnb and really thinking really hard about how they pulled it off with the tech at the time, and I think something clicked for me (it happened to be about modern vs. old time stretching, but that’s not the point).

All this to say that I think it makes sense to study music in the genre we’re interested in making, but also to really just make what’s in our heart/brain without trying too hard to make it a specific genre, because otherwise it can sound really derivative.

7 Likes
#71

Oh yeah totally. Again I bring up Squarepusher. Check “I wish you could talk” on Go plastic. It starts with the most basic dnb pattern and doesnt change all that much. If you’d program in a bit of pull n push, fast ratchets and overall weirdness, you’ll get a “drill n bass / idm” beat.
These beats are very much originated from jungle / dnb indeed

2 Likes
#72

I think it’s probably more important to make the music we feel. If it comes out as IDM, cool. If it comes out as techno, cool. I don’t think great IDM artists were “trying to make IDM”, I think they’re just making music and then IDM is what happened.

This is so important. At times I enjoy dissecting things like you say, but more often than not my best work is the stuff I make when I just go where the music takes me.

1 Like
#73

@lowph I’d argue that its Funk, Soul and hiphop. Not DnB and jungle. Theres plenty of IDM/Braindance thats not at 160bpm. and when you come at it from the DnB/jungle angle, you really begin to venture into the more Breakcore area of the genre.

These are the rhythms you are looking for.
https://rhythm-lab.com/breakbeats/

These are the artists that lifted said rhythms.

AFX -> https://www.whosampled.com/Aphex-Twin/samples/
Plaid -> https://www.whosampled.com/Plaid/samples/
Squarepusher -> https://www.whosampled.com/Squarepusher/samples/
BoC -> https://www.whosampled.com/Boards-of-Canada/samples/
Autechre -> https://www.whosampled.com/Autechre/samples/

Note: Squarepusher fucking loves the Amen break which is why it’s so hard to divorce what he makes from DnB, but he also incorporates a lot of old school jazz into his stuff as well.

5 Likes
#74

Oh yeah, I know those breaks. I wrote a short script to download every file years ago, because the site makes you download them one by one. I think there are like 800 breaks in there. I love chopping those up in a tracker and/or the Octatrack. Good stuff! There’s material there to work on music for years :slight_smile:

That’s totally true. I just said that techniques cross over between dnb and IDM, but I didn’t mean exclusively. You’re right to point out that a lot of IDM doesn’t use amen breaks or sound like jungle. My point was mostly about the “accidental IDM” while making jungle, which I got into in more detail later in my comment. I hope it didn’t sound like I was saying “IDM is just dnb”, because that would be super reductive and inaccurate.

1 Like
#75

oh me too! lol

There’s like 1600 now…

For the uninitiated:

(it’s crap JS, I know. it works though :slight_smile:

paste and run code.

function downloadURI(uri, name) {
  let link = document.createElement("a");
  link.download = name;
  link.href = uri;
  document.body.appendChild(link);
  link.click();
  document.body.removeChild(link);
  delete link;
}
$(".blog_files").find("div.blog_files_item").each((id, file) => downloadURI(file.children[1].href, file.children[1].innerHTML))
18 Likes
#76

Right on. I think I did it with a few lines of python, but this is cooler cause everyone has a browser and not everyone is set up with python. I’ll have to go get the rest of these, apparently I’m missing another 800 breaks :slight_smile: although, it’s pretty funny how I’ve barely put a dent in the 800 I already have.

Hey, do you have any favorites out of the bunch? The last one I enjoyed slicing up was BW Souls Marvin’s Groove

1 Like
#77

<3 Rusty Bryant - Fire Eater (part6).wav

The Tuss.

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#78

This is an extremely high quality post. A1, bud!

The script sadly didn’t work for me, but it did prompt me to install one of those “mass downloader” extensions and grab the breaks from that. Now I am set for life! Well, after I go through at least some of the list to find ones I like vs ones I don’t…

2 Likes
#79

You’re joking, right?

#80

Not at all! It’s too bad about the script, there’s probably something wrong on my end. I am sure others will have better luck!