Cosmosis's Equipment
Last updated 4/98 by Mark_H, HTML by Seth
Trainspotter's Corner
(King's Cross/St. Pancras)
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This month from King's Cross station, London, Bill answers (in a John Major sounding voice) a couple of E-mailed questions about Cosmosis/Laughing Buddha's music...... Q. How did you get that 303ish sound that comes in halfway through "Alien Disco", just after the sample that says "Let's speak about the unspeakable"? Bill. The machine producing that sound is called a Novation Basstation. You've probably heard of it. It's a little two oscillator analogue synth. To get that sound, first it was edited to produce the basic sound. Then it was fed through a guitar pre-amp. (a fancy name for a fuzz box) and E.Q'd quite radically. Then the sequence was played with the midi output of the Basstation going into the sequencer. Several passes of the track were made in record mode, each time with some tweakage of cut-off, resonance, and envelope depth parameters and possibly (filter) envelope decay, I can't quite remember (due no doubt to the herbal inspiration) but certainly the first three parameters. And then finally topped off with a smattering of multi tap or pan delay in the final mix. Q. What is making that crackling noise that occurs in the beginning of "Reality Check" on Transient 5? Bill. That sound was created using a rare, early eighties Moogland 3000. which is a six oscillator analogue synth. Four of the oscillators were set to the same triangle waveform and set to play in unison, held exactly in phase by the fifth oscillator in the special Fazelok (t.m.) mode. A very low note was then played, and the sixth oscillator, tuned around middle C with a random waveform (sometimes called "sample and hold") was fed into the fifth oscillator. (Remember, this was the oscillator performing the special fazelok (t.m.) duty.) The sixth oscillator interrupts the fazelok (t.m.) by introducing tiny delays of less than 1 microsecond between the original four oscillators, resulting in heavy phase cancellation and the resulting waveform, produced by the sums and differences of the original four oscillators, is further emphasised by pushing the output level so as to introduce heavy clipping........Well it was either that, or it was me screwing up a packet of "Handy-Andy" hankerchiefs in front of a stereo microphone. :) Q. Do you think the K2000 is the best "bang-for-the-buck" i.e. would we maybe be better off getting a Juno + other gear instead, since the k2000 is the biggest piece of equipment? What is the best thing to get first? Bill. K2000 has almost infinite possibilities but you will have to go through a steep learning curve with learning the manual. It's a trade off between the two approaches you mention. On the one hand you get many more bang for bucks with the K2000 (16 part multi-timbral which means it can play 16 parts simultaneously including drums). With the analogue machines (Juno etc) you get total hands on control and instant gratification. (Instant gratification is not to be underestimated). It depends whether you are technically minded and do not mind getting any results while you are reading the long but well written K2000 manual. If it was me, I would buy the K2000 and add satelite analogue machines later. (Clapham Junction) This week, live from Clapham Junction, Bill dons a bright orange kagoul (with velcro fastened front map pocket) and writes down pedantic details about mixing desks in his small spiral bound notebook... Behringer BX 8000 Eurodesk This is the desk that we use. It's quiet, (unless you've got noisy sources, in which case so is any desk) it's clean, it's got loads of inputs and features and it is cheap. In fact, incredibly cheap for what you get, especially now as you can pick one up for about £1500 new if you shop around. It's not as well built as the Mackie or the Soundcraft Ghost Le, doesn't come in a 32 channel format, but costs half as much, and as I've always found it easier to make music with all of my limbs, that's a result. In terms of features it loses out on some, but scores on others compared to the other desks mentioned. For example the E.Q. on the Mackie offers one fully parametric mid (boost/cut, frequency, and variable Q) and one semi parametric mid (boost/cut, and frequency) plus shelving top and bottom, fixed at 12khz and 80 hz. respectively and in use, does sounds great. (I don't think that you can beat that Mackie treble control). Similar kind of deal on the Ghost, except you get two fully parametric mids and shelving top and bottom fixed at 12khz and 60hz respectively. The two fully parametric mids do give you an incredible amount of control over the mids, I know, I spent the best part of an afternoon in tweaksville with this E.Q., It really is great to have that much control but it possibly comes at the expense of adding a whole new area of option anxiety to your productions. Also I think that having the shelving bass control at 60hz is a bit naff, I definitely prefer it at 80hz. Horses for courses perhaps. While I'm on the subject of the Ghost, Soundcraft say in their brochure that the Ghost features a "4 way fully parametric E.Q." which is clearly good old fashioned bullshit, because it isn't. It's two way fully parametric with shelving hi and lo. There really is no need for that kind of old flannel, because the effect that it has on me is that the product goes down in my estimation, as opposed to up. (sorry, that was a bit of a rant). On both of these desks, if you want to use the E.Q. on both the main inputs and monitor inputs, as is sometimes the case when running lots of midi gear, then the E.Q is shared between the main and monitor inputs, which can be a drag, if for example you want to tweak that kick by adding a little high mid for punch, then adding some top for some slap so that you can hear the front edge of the attack, before getting to work on the bottom end. This is one area where the Behringer scores because you get shelving top and bottom controls on the monitor inputs as well as on the main inputs. On the other hand you don't get a variable Q on the either of the two mid controls. i.e. they're semi parametric (boost/cut, and frequency) but they do offer a huge range from 50hz up to 20khz (yes, that's the mid controls) with the added advantage of not quite so much option anxiety. I say not quite so much because given that the full E.Q is always available, one tends to end up exploring the combined effect of shelving controls plus the 'mid' controls that reach into the range of those shelving controls, if you see what I mean. Personally, I'm a bit of a sucker for more options, but I make more music if I'm not side-tracked by too much tweakola. Another important area for comparison is the aux. sends and returns, which is an important area to consider if you're into psychedelic, electronic dance music. (As you probably are if you're reading this.) As effects are an integral part of this music. I think that the Mackie and Behringer are the same in this respect, in that they each offer six sends and six stereo returns. The Soundcraft Ghost scores over the others in that it boasts six mono sends, and two stereo sends. Which can be configured as another four mono sends, bringing the maximum possible total of mono sends to ten, which is pretty impressive. Upon closer examination the number of stereo aux. returns appears to be four. Two pairs less than either of the other two desks. Assuming that your effects are stereo, and assuming that you wanted to use ten effects processors, then you would have to tie up twelve of your input channels for use as stereo returns, and that's after you'd used your four aux. returns. Which in use, would probably be the monitor inputs. Nevertheless something to consider. I suppose that the point that I'm making is that all of these desks perform similarly in the spec. department yet there is a vast difference in price, and if you are looking to upgrade from that Spirit folio or that Mackie 1604 to a 'proper' desk*, that is going to impress all of your mates when they come around to your studio, then my advice is that you should definitely consider one of these and put the difference towards a wicked sampler, or something that makes sounds, after all a desk (if it's any good) doesn't make any sounds, and this one doesn't.
* Half the tunes on Cosmology (including "Cannabanoid", "Gift of the Gods" and "Key to the Innerverse") were recorded using a Mackie 1202 12 channel mixer. (2 aux. sends, 2 stereo effects returns, 4 mono plus 4 stereo channels. Treble and bass controls for E.Q. Dimensions: 12"x12"x 2". I kid you not. Tune In, Tweak On and Turn Out (those tunes), Love, Bill P.S. After 18 months of solid use, the separate power supply that comes with the BX8000 failed. I 'phoned 'Way out West' where I bought the desk, who immediately 'phoned Behringer. Despite the fact that my documentation (the manual) said in black and white that I had a one year guarantee, 'Way out West' insisted that I had a five year guarantee and Behringer authorised an immediate replacement from them. 'Way out West' told me that they have sold truckloads of these desks and never had a problem with the power supply before, as indeed Behringer never had. That's what I call service. Techobabble On Electronic Studio Equipment
Great sampler - advantages - Loads of outputs (10) great, simple to use multimode (allows tweaking of envelopes etc. on the fly). Not bad synth section. Standard 12dB/oct filters welcome and useful, not bad, but not really happening. NB the 4 buss FX board is an essential purchase. Conclusion Great sampler but don't expect much of a synth. Buy the FX board. A monster machine - superb synth with close to ridiculous sound mangling possibilities. Eight outputs (cannot use all 10 at once which is a shame). Loads of different filters and sound shaping algorithms plus the ability to run samples through the internal synth (only with the sampling option). Onboard multi FX options good, but only one buss. Conclusion The only bad thing about this synth is the fact that there isn't an 8 output expander available to take up to 16 outs which only goes to show how good this machine is. Sound sampling quality is better (to our ears) than the Akai. Perhaps could use a 3rd LFO. Highly recommended. Great 4 oscillator analogue synth high quality pots for fine control. Oscillator sync sounds wicked. Also cross modulation useful. Conclusion Great sound, dirty if needed. Always a bummer not having full midi control. Great sounding low pass filter with self oscillation. Three oscillator analogue (plus pink noise) monosynth with absolutely every (yes every) parameter recordable over midi. Beautiful low pass filter with self oscillation. Stereo out. Capable of almost every analogue low pass sound including dirty (internally overdriven) sounds. Excellent modulation possibilities. Conclusion A mother of an analogue synth but you will need a sampler because you will want to create lots of parts with it. Our present flavour of the month. Bill/Jez :-) For further information on these synths, check out these links: Cosmosis HomeSpace © 1998 Cosmosis & Innerverse | |||||||||