I'm new to Midi and I've read the Native Instruments interview about Reaktor and Guitar Rig. Trent kinda lost me there. How exactly do you achieve this kind of setup? Say you have Guitar Rig and Reaktor and of course, some type of audio interface to connect the guitar to the computer. Can you bypass the guitar amp and keep it all software based? How about using other software synth as a guitar pedal such as Massive and the like? Just looking at the possibilities.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/20/2009 07:53PM by ninlog.

Got ya, thanks for the info!

votiVe posted:

NIN uses "the French Connection" for that pitch-changing amazing sound in the end of "Sunspots" on the With Teeth album. It's a Ondes Martenot, a type of pitch modulator synth made in the 1920's.

It's more of an OldTools thing. Sorry couldn't resist.

In the multitrack files for "Me, I'm Not", the end of the song noises are called "French Connect Outro".



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2009 03:05AM by OafHamper.

I see that there is a Gibson Banjitar for sale on the NIN eBay page - anyone know what song(s) (if any) that instrument was used

thanks

Love_Revenge posted:

Probably ghost 28.

yep, I think you are correct - I knew I'd heard it in the Ghosts but couldn't remember which one - thanks for the letting me know

^^I believe he's using a Lemur.

I've been following NIN's changing gear lists for years.

The core of the NIN synth sound is the Oberheim Xpander, the Sequential Circuits Prophet VS, and the MiniMoog. Those really clangy synths on PHM are the Prophet VS (sometimes layered), and he loves both the Oberheim and the Moog for bass sounds. NIN has also used (for a long time) the ARP Odyssey and the Arp 2600, as well as some other Oberheims. In the mid-90s, they added some Waldorf and Nord pieces, as well as the Access VirusC. I seem to remember seeing a PolyEvolver in a photo of the New Orleans studio, too. More recently, they've added synths from Reaktor and Absynth (by Native Instruments). In the 2000s, they also started getting into crazy modular stuff that is highly expensive (Doepfer, old Moogs and EMSs, that custom thing that someone linked to above).

For samplers: Originally, he used the E-max II, but then switched to Akai rackmounts (sometimes also using the Kurzweil K2000 series to modify their sounds), then to E-mu Emulator 4 series samplers in the late 90s, and then finally to Native Instruments Battery (for most things) in the 2000s. I'm not sure what phrase-sampler he's been using lately. I think that that Ross guy is really into just laying shit on the timeline in ProTools, so maybe that's how it works. He once praised the sampler that comes with Apple Logic.

Live, he used the E-mu Emax II as a controller (for a while), then the Yamaha DX-7 for the 90s, then lately some M-Audio controllers. He seems to prefer the Roland RD-700 as a piano controller. There are lots of other things on stage, too.

For sequencers, they started out with MOTU Performer (for PHM), then moved to Opcode Studio Vision (for Broken and TDS), then Apple Logic for the later records (always also using ProTools for the audio parts).

I think that's most of the really key pieces of gear.

Check out this interview. He goes into a lot of detail about software used. (Logic for Midi and Pro Tools for everything else.) This is 2002 I believe so a few years ago.

[www.audiohead.net]

just take a look here in this interview [www.youtube.com]

Keep an eye on eBay!

[www.youtube.com]

was watching some random pro tools videos..and trent made an appearance.

i got excited and had to post it

I think the clangy PHM sounds are DX7, not Prophet VS. As for drum machines, you can see a Machinedrum in the auidohead photos, but I think most of the electronic drums are just sampled from his modular.

plague666 posted:

I think the clangy PHM sounds are DX7, not Prophet VS. As for drum machines, you can see a Machinedrum in the auidohead photos, but I think most of the electronic drums are just sampled from his modular.

www.vintagesynthexplorer.com <- Great site for info on synths and other modules.

PHM -
Alot of the sounds are most definitely a Prophet VS, but not exclusive. A DX7 was most definitely used as well, especially on evolving FM 'distortion' or 'detuning'. Modern day reintroduction of these sounds happen to be found on the Evolver line, (mono and poly). If you want that sound with authenticity without tracking down a working Prophet VS, then get a Poly Evolver. It pulls FM off with an analog touch (much better than FM8 imo). You can get similar sounds from a Virus C or TI/Snow.
The Lo-Fi sounds that have the low punch and grit are from the Emax II sampler; some of the gear he had access to may have been sampled into the Emax as well (I'm assuming), as some of these synths were extremely expensive to purchase new at the time (exception the DX7). (circa 1983-1986), and the Emax offered features that say, the DX7 lacked (a filter for starters)

An Alesis SR16 primarily was used in the 90's prior to The Fragile (on top of other 80's machines and sampling). You can hear it definitely in 'Happiness in Slavery' and a lot of TDS tracks ('big man with a gun' for example). It was basically a cheap lo-fi drum 'module' that you can still purchase new for 150$. It had/has a natural grit distortion to its sound quality. An example of sampling drums or creating drums from a trivial sample would be Mr Self Destruct.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2010 05:24AM by relicz.

relicz posted:

Alot of the sounds are most definitely a Prophet VS, but not exclusive. A DX7 was most definitely used as well, especially on evolving FM 'distortion' or 'detuning'.

On second thought, some sounds do sound more like a VS, but the really clangy mettalic ones are dx7. And probably most everything on PHM was Emaxed. Evolver FM is totally different from a dx7, and the Evovler has all of the VS waveforms.

In the Gave Up video you can see a Linn Drum, so that might have been used live in the Broken era for drum/percussion sequencing.

Not a complete list, but off the top of my head:

Access Virus - Several models
Akai S1100 samplers - 2 of these, fully expanded, were used to record TDS
Akai MPD32 controller - used on NINJA and WG tours
Alesis Andromeda A6 - popped up in studio pics during WT recordings
Analogue Systems - modules and French Connection controller, used from WT onwards
Buchla 200e series modular - owned by A.Cortini, used on Ghosts I-IV
Casio SK-1, circuitbent - WT recording onwards
Clavia Nord Lead family and Nord Modular - TF recordings onwards
Clavia Nord Micro Modular - used for vocoder effects live during Fragility Tour
DSI Evolver Keyboard - used on NINJA and WG tours
Doepfer ribbon controller - vocal effects on WT tour
Doepfer MAQ 16/3 sequencer - WT recordings onward
Doepfer Shaltwerk sequencer - WT recordings onward
E-mu Emax samplers - used during TDS tours
E-mu Emulator Sampler - PHM
E-mu E4 Samplers - 2 of these used on Fragility tour
FutureRetro 777 - this may have been Charlie Clouser's
JoMox XBase 09 - TF recordings
Korg KAOSS Pad - KP2 used by Peter Murphy during radioshow performance
Korg MS-20 - mentioned by Mariqueen in a fairly recent tweet
Kurzweil keyboard - used for pianos during TDS recording
early Linn Electronics drum machine - not sure which one, purchased from Chris Vrenna. This is how they met.
midiman 25key controller - used on Fragility Tour
M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 key controller, custom black - used by A.Cortini during WT/Performance/LITS tours
Metasonix - everything this company makes. WT recordings onward
Moog Minimoog Model D - PHM onward, retired upon purchase of Moog Odyssey
Moog Odyssey w/maple sides - WT recordings onward
Moog Etherwave Theremin - used live during Fragility tour
Moog Litty Phatty - used on NINJA and WG tours
Native Instruments Reaktor - WT onwards
Native Instruments Battery - YZ onwards
Native Instruments Rig Kontrol - used by A.Cortini on LITS tour
Novation SuperNova - TF recordings? Probably WT
Novation Bass Station Rack - TF recordings
Novation 25sl mkII - used on LITS, NINJA, and WG tours
Oberheim OB-Mx - sampled and featured on The Becoming
Oberheim Xpander - TDS? TF onwards for sure
Propellerhead Reason
Propellerhead ReBirth - the bassline and drum loop in The Wretched
Some piece of Quasimidi kit, I forget which. Owned by C.Clouser during TF recordings.
Roland JP-8080 - filter used by K.Hildebrandt on those big bass hits during The Great Below
Roland SU10 pocket sampler
Sequential Circuits Prophet VS - PHM onward
Studio Logic 49 key controller - used by C.Clouser on Fragility tours
Vermona DRM-1 drum synth
Waldorf Microwave family of synths - TDS? TF for sure

That's enough for now I think. I know more, so I'll post again soon.