Random Jam #29 [lockdown blues w/ Aeros Loop Studio, Keystep 37, Digitakt & Glou-Glou Pralines] 

There are so many edits in this one that I feel like I have to mention it, lol, my rhythm is awful and I bit off more than I could chew. Also thank you Arturia for sending that lovely Keystep 37! More info here : www.arturia.co... (Patch note below)
The Digitakt provides most of the sounds : the drums, the bass, the flute and the electric piano (made with a sample I recorded from the Wurlitzer-V plug-in from Arturia). In the intro I’m playing the Wurlitzer and the flute parts at the same time. Normally the Keystep 37 can only send notes to one MIDI channel at a time. To simultaneously control different tracks on the Digitakt, I had to process the MIDI notes with the ZOIA. Basically, the ZOIA receives all the note on one channel and reroute them to two different channels : everything over a specific note goes to a channel which controls the Wurlitzer tracks, everything under that note goes to another channel and controls the flute. (I actually split the keyboard into three parts, the third one controls the bass sound.)
Arturia sent me this Keystep 37 which is an improved version of the old Keystep I was using so far. You get 5 mores keys, some new modes and THOSE FOUR BEAUTIFUL KNOBS. Each knob can send MIDI CC data to a different channel, so you could control 4 machines at the same time. You can even specify the range of CC value you send with each knob. I didn’t use it that much in that jam but there is so much potential here : I could control some FX on the ZOIA, multiple parameters on the Digitakt and the Volca FM volume just from that little panel. In that jam I use two knobs to control the pitch of the drum (at 2:22) and the LFO depth of the bass track (which create that rhythm variation in the outro).
The guitar routing is a bit messy : first the signal goes into the DOD G7 preamp/FX rack. It provides a bit of compression and the harmonizer effect at 1:27 (it’s doubling the signal with a 5th). Then it goes through the Glou-Glou Pralines which provides the ring modulation (kind of), the envelope filter and the fuzz effects. Then it goes into the ZOIA which simply acts as an A/B switch. One of the path goes through one side of the looper and then straight into my audio interface. The other path goes through the other side of the looper, then through the Empress Effects Reverb which adds that subtle shimmering at 1:55 and finally into the audio interface as well. Splitting the guitar signal like this allows me to separate the parts a little more when mixing. The looper is the Aeros Loop Studio and it’s synced with the Digitakt through MIDI. I also record my loops on different layers, which allows me to mute/unmute some of them independently (at 2:23 for example).
Almost everything was recorded separately then mixed in Logic Pro X where I also added some reverb/delay. I mastered the result with Kramer MPX, Izotope Ozone and L3 Ultramaximizer.
Thank you all so much for watching, this one is a bit weird and unusual, I’m not really sure if I like it or not but hey, it’s here now!
Aldo
Download the track here : drive.google.c...
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Special thanks to the Patreon gang who makes this whole thing possible : Tom Tytgat, a.mopey, Andrew Bernosky, Cory Kiser, Vince Mancuso, Tilman, Boris Potschubay, André Faust, i’m waiting, Chanse Macabre, H, Dustin Williams, Roy, Yosuke Sato, Steve Bragg, Jeremiah Douglas, Joao Paulo, Maya Acharya, James Ross-Smith, WasabiNoise, Markus Burri, Spencer, Daniel Babai, Chris Landon, el.cab_drake.jar, Reita Shimada, Patrick Wilson, miles, Alex César, Zach Davis, Daniel Baptista, Callum, Andrew Nicholls, Philipp Kitterer, Jason Amador, Victor, Greg Vogtaria, Sander Koning, burr, Paul Ewasuik, charles, Isaac, Mike Lynch, Gene Byrne, Jardeson Augusto Vieira da Rocha, Nikola, katsu, Rednecksamurai, Cameron C Wylie, Dryp Dry, Longfox, Adnan Sevin, Will Sammons, Mindful Peace Journey, Serezha Rogozha, Greg Beaudry, Nick Tuche, Michael, Niko Bussel, Joshua Dowell, Ben Cerezo, Júlio Macedo, Hugo Grimmet, Eric, David Panseri, Molly Diane Armstrong, Michael Doucet, Kristian Dolberg, Vege_Brnmr & Смирнов Михаил
Here is a list of the gear I used for this video :
- Elektron Digitakt [bit.ly/3t0R3ss]
- Singular Sound Aeros Loop Studio
- Arturia Keystep 37 [bit.ly/3uvjEXu]
- Empress Effects ZOIA [bit.ly/3mtZMkK]
- Empress Effects Reverb [bit.ly/2PxTiVX]
- Glou-Glou Pralines [bit.ly/3unObWW]
- DOD G7
- Fender Stratocaster Classic Player 60 w/ Kinman AVn-69 pick-ups
- Fancy cables by Loaded For Bear
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 [bit.ly/2Q4CRjO]
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Any enquiries : aldo.watergun@gmail.com
#livelooping