The Shoegaze/Noise/Drone Thread

[St.Norman]

Thanks archlilim. It's been a long time collecting and defending my tasteful selections. Recently I've been listening to alot of Tom Waits, an Albert Ayler tribute album put together by Marc Ribot (craftily titled Spiritual Unity) Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman, YES the Mars Volta, If you'd seen them Live you'd like them too And jesus the size of his... Pedal board. Pentemple alot and King Crimson who I was lucky enough to have just seen live in Chicago. I checked out some of your stuff I likes very much. Not to offend in any way But the mix is a little clustered. Maybe more mics I thought I saw you guys only used one mic. But like I said just my opinion. Sorry I don't have anything to be judged on but I am not quit there in terms of playing and in the midwest it's almost impossible to find folks to work with.

[archlilim]

Thanks archlilim. It's been a long time collecting and defending my tasteful selections. Recently I've been listening to alot of Tom Waits, an Albert Ayler tribute album put together by Marc Ribot (craftily titled Spiritual Unity) Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman, YES the Mars Volta, If you'd seen them Live you'd like them too And jesus the size of his... Pedal board. Pentemple alot and King Crimson who I was lucky enough to have just seen live in Chicago. I checked out some of your stuff I likes very much. Not to offend in any way But the mix is a little clustered. Maybe more mics I thought I saw you guys only used one mic. But like I said just my opinion. Sorry I don't have anything to be judged on but I am not quit there in terms of playing and in the midwest it's almost impossible to find folks to work with.

Thanks man, yeah it's all either one or two mic recordings, very cluttered (we even used a mac built-in mic on a couple songs ). And you might have also we love echo. In some sense it's meant to be that way though--lo-fi junkie and all that , hopefully we will be able to get into the lab sometime this year, or purchase something we can use for better live recordings. Yeah, I'm lucky, my home town (the smallest city in the US--very small) has an abundance of musicians for some reason and everyone I'm working with I've been friends with for a while, and my brother plays trumpet, so can't beat that.

Yeah Ornette Coleman is a big influence on our stuff, Free Jazz is a great album. I haven't had the chance to check Mark Ribot's tribute, but I love the original Ayler record. Ornette actually played at our jazz festival this summer.

[Drohnwerks]

bugbrand synths

a heads up on a new batch: http://www.bugbrand.co.uk/pages/shop.htm

Tom hasn't mailed out about these yet (the last batches sold out within hours)

Alas, I have spent up this month so can't get another weevil (or one of those crushers...)

[Disco Ditto]

don't mind me, wats a weevil do?

[archlilim]

Not to ride the thread to much, but can someone recommend me some ambient types synths? Really need more ambiant pedals and shite.

[Disco Ditto]

check out the site Drohn linked--I didn't know until last night either. Its sort of a synth/ring mod/wsg type noise generator w/ some really cool and unique features.

I like the baby bug crusher. Is he still making it?

[Drohnwerks]

I think he probably will be making it, or a variation on the theme - his designs tend to change year on year (my weevil 06 has 5 knobs and no switches for instance).

If tom doesn't plan on making any more then the squarewave parade (another really pleasant person to deal with) may be making something similar - from memory they either worked on the design together or tom bugs licensed it..?

The full sized crusher (as well as an audioweevil '08) are on my to buy list, wouldn't mind a straight weevil 08 too, though i guess that is overkill

Re ambient synths, I would consider a MFOS WSG, or a bleep labs thingmabob (DIY, but cheap!) you should be able to find find a Wierd sound generator for well under $200 ready built on eBay, in fact a lot of handmade synth come up on ebay - try searching for "circuit bent"

For effects, I would recommend a ring mod (either a moogerfooger, if you are flush, or a passive 2 in 1 out if you are not), and a cheap reverb (like the ratshack reverb) hooked up to a EoG/feedback looper.

If you are on a really tight budget there are some diy ideas on thesquarewaveparade.com and the electronic peasant sites, you could also look into hacking broken equipment into something interesting: walkmans can be used as distortions, or hack the motor for different playback speeds (use tape loops for a smoother effect).
You could also look for broken mixers - they can be hacked into a no-input mixer easily lovely feedback:)))

I need to spend more time with the soldering iron

[glitch]

actually speaking of filters can anybody recommend a really good one? moog is is the obvious choice but ive been looking at the jomox, metasonix, and eowave... i think the eowave is winning the fight right now but this is really just based on soundclips

Where's your focus for this one? I mean, it's great if a filter will do both, but are you more interested in a wooly thick 24db slope -- like the classic Moog -- or a nice squelchy Korg or Roland style 12db. Also, just LowPass, or BandPass & HighPass too. What about Band Reject? Built-in LFO's? Stereo?

A few generic recommends based on my experience: I'm still using an old Electrix Filter Queen for some of my stompbox setups. Not as thick-sounding as some, but it's size and interface seems to mesh quite nicely with a pedal setup (i.e. sort of small tabletop size, with an expression pedal control).

I'd add Studio Electronics' ModMax series to the list of things to look at. I hear good things about them, and while I don't have one of their filters, I do have one of their ring-mod pedals and a Wolftone Chaos distortion. Both are amongst the most organic-sounding pedals I've played.

As a sleeper, I know several people who absolutely swear by the Akai MFC-42 filter box. It was discontinued a few years ago (I almost picked one up on blowout, but ran out of cash). But if you can find one second-hand, you'll probably be able to get a great filter at a really good price.

I'm a little suspicious of the Eowave stuff. I've got an Eowave Space Bug and it's never been, er, quite right. I'm thinking that it actually needs more voltage than the 1amp they rate it for, because on longer delay settings it "grains out" as if it's being power-starved. I've not dedicated a lot of time to figuring it out, but I personally won't be getting any more Eowave products until I manage to work out the puzzling glitches in the stuff I've got.

-- glitch.@#$%!

[cosmonaut]

What I'm primarily looking for is a very musical low-pass filter, I'm no expert in this field so for all the deeper details I'm sorta flying blind. I suppose if I can get the low-pass sweep sound I'm looking for plus a lot more tweakability to dig into that would be great but I really don't know what direction to go in yet. I'll definitely take a look at the ones you mentioned. Thanks!!!

you should keep your MuRF, get a CP-251 & MF-101 LPF, imho.

[cosmonaut]

ok--dumb question but humor me if you will--what exactly does the CP-251 do? I don't think I've really been able to find a clear description of it for those of us who are new to the whole world of analog/moog/modular gear.

It transforms whatever CV devices you own into a modular analog system rather than mere individual "effects".
If you must read about it.. go to harmony central reviews. Read the Moog Music Forums. Read the user manual http://www.moogmusic.com/manuals/cp-251.pdf.

Now take your MuRF out of your fire sale!! You can use whatever you make towards a CP.
Consider this an intervention.
i'm looking out for you.

Come on.. you can do it! (spoken with a Bella Karolyi accent)
you can DO it!!
trust in cosmo.

[cosmonaut]

a soul has been saved!

[Drohnwerks]

actually speaking of filters can anybody recommend a really good one?

The ms20 clone from Frosdtwave looks good, although I think frostwave are having some problems with production at the moment :(

I fancy a filtered coffee, or (if the bank heist goes well) a sherman filterbank, both of which would integrate wonderfully into a modular system :)

Getting back to the drone box topic, I think [u=tonewrecker] would be the best guy to ask - he has generally bought stuff months before I have even heard of it (The squarewaveparade, and a whole host of others :))

[smile_man]

Could anybody recommend me some good shoegaze bands? Some along the line of MBV.

[Disco Ditto]

Ringo Deathstarr,
Skwave,
Fleeting Joys etc.

[jrmy]

If you're still looking for more shoegaze bands, I'm a big fan of The Brother Kite. Not so MBV-ish as much as stacking Beach Boys harmonies atop walls of overdriven guitars all drenched in waves of of reverb. I swear, they found a way to put reverb on their reverb on that last album ("Waiting for the Time to be Right").

Also, I like what I've heard from The Lionheart Brothers. Also, while I'm not sure if it's exactly shoegaze, "They Spent Their Wild Youthful Days in the Glittering World of the Salons" by the Swirlies will break your head apart and put it back together again four ways from Sunday.

Pia Fraus and Seely are awfully purty as well.