One Synth, One loop, One FX suite: The Blamsoft Free App Challenge

Edward_Alexander

@NeuM said:

@Edward_Alexander said:
I’d be up for it, but I think it’d be a lot more interesting if the restrictions were a little tighter.

Being allowed external instruments and etc., leaves the door wide open doesn’t it?

Try building your project with no effects.

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@NeuM said:

@Edward_Alexander said:
I’d be up for it, but I think it’d be a lot more interesting if the restrictions were a little tighter.

Being allowed external instruments and etc., leaves the door wide open doesn’t it?

Try building your project with no effects.

Exactly what NeuM said Edward. Try it with no effects other than Blamsoft effects and report back if you can manage to avoid mud in the mix. 😅 (I meant the above in a lighthearted fashion.)

As I stated above, I am very persnickety about what I put out online for others to consume. If it sounds rubbish, it is rubbish. No amount of mastering can fix a muddy mix. As the old adage goes - "you can't polish a turd".

Ok?

What kind of effects do you guys need? She said we can use Blamsoft effects, reverb, chorus, bit crusher, F16 Filter and the overdrive right? All that and be able to use external instruments, and ect.?

And what are you talking about muddy mixes? I’d mix this like any other synth. Viking is quite capable.

jwmmakerofmusic

@Edward_Alexander said:

@NeuM said:

@Edward_Alexander said:
I’d be up for it, but I think it’d be a lot more interesting if the restrictions were a little tighter.

Being allowed external instruments and etc., leaves the door wide open doesn’t it?

Try building your project with no effects.

@jwmmakerofmusic said:

@NeuM said:

@Edward_Alexander said:
I’d be up for it, but I think it’d be a lot more interesting if the restrictions were a little tighter.

Being allowed external instruments and etc., leaves the door wide open doesn’t it?

Try building your project with no effects.

Exactly what NeuM said Edward. Try it with no effects other than Blamsoft effects and report back if you can manage to avoid mud in the mix. 😅 (I meant the above in a lighthearted fashion.)

As I stated above, I am very persnickety about what I put out online for others to consume. If it sounds rubbish, it is rubbish. No amount of mastering can fix a muddy mix. As the old adage goes - "you can't polish a turd".

Ok?

What kind of effects do you guys need? She said we can use Blamsoft effects, reverb, chorus, bit crusher, F16 Filter and the overdrive right? All that and be able to use external instruments, and ect.?

No external instruments afaik. But making use of on-board effects shouldn't be out of the question entirely.

And what are you talking about muddy mixes?

Without a proper EQ and a little sidechaining on the bass, my mixes would be muddy and not clear. As you can see on my example above, I added in EQing, sidechain compression, and I put a limiter on the master channel. To keep it somewhat "fair", the only effect other than Blamsoft's I used were the ones internal to NS2.

I’d mix this like any other synth. Viking is quite capable.

Yes it is, I agree. Viking is super versatile. And I mixed Viking as I would any other synth - with just a touch of EQ to make sure it sits in the mix proper.

dendy

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
Yes it is, I agree. Viking is super versatile. And I mixed Viking as I would any other synth - with just a touch of EQ to make sure it sits in the mix proper.

Naah you must challenge yourself harder, i used for equalisadion just multiple blamsoft filer instances 💪💪🤣😂

reasOne

@Blipsford_Baubie said:
Ooooo @dendy

Right at 2:32 resonated all the right brain frequencies. Pure Ecstasy. Sleep well.

Agreed

reasOne

…> @Svetlovska said:

These are the tools, all free and no subs required:

What do you mean by no subs required?? I’m not sure what a sub is…

You can use any amount of instances of the synth and fx, or none. Ditto the break. Play live or sequence. But if you use an external primary instrument, eg guitar, flute etcetera, it must go through at least one Blamsoft device.

Who’s up for it?

So….I am trying to make sure i am understanding the rules here 😎 I’m bad with rules but ima try 🤣 cuz this sounds fun and all the tracks so far have been sweet..

So you can use external instruments as long as they are processed thru the blam effects?

I was trying to understand.. if this is viking synth only.. or if its anything as long as thru the right effects

Svetlovska

@reasOne : subs = subscriptions. The whole point was to see what people could do with a limited palette, so a single, entirely free, set of stuff offers no barrier to entry for anyone reading this forum. External instruments: didn’t want to exclude guitarists, flautists etc if they wanted a go, but without access to their usual mega pedal board and whatnot, which would kind of defeat the purpose… but but the ‘purest’ spirit of the challenge is just you, your DAW, Blamsofts, the Amen break, and nothing else. If you use just whatever the hell you like, it isn’t really a challenge, is it? But hey, you do you. This is meant to be just a bit of fun, after all. I am not the app police.

Fruitbat1919

As @Svetlovska said “This is meant to be just a bit of fun, after all!”

The thing about Audiobus Forums, is that we have all manner of levels of musical ability here from complete make it up as you go along no idea (even though I’ve been doing it for an age) like myself to real talent like @jwmmakerofmusic. This makes life interesting.

So, imo it’s better to just have a go and not really worry much about the rules or if like myself you produce turds. After all we all make shit at times. As Mr Haq himself said something along the lines of….’just go finger your iPad and have fun doing it,’ or something pretty similar anyhoo…..

I know for a fact that many more people lurk here in AB Forums, because they feel too in awe of those really talented dude and dudettes that show their wares here….well I like the old punk ideals of just get up and do it!

Luxthor

@Svetlovska said:
but the ‘purest’ spirit of the challenge is just you, your DAW, Blamsofts, the Amen break, and nothing else.

That's why this thread is so interesting. To see how individuality breaks out no matter what limitation you need to deal with, and using the same tools and samples.

Of course, if you have a great idea while doing this challenge and need to expand your work, no one can stop you. But it would no longer be a challenge and is unsuitable for this kind of thread.

dendy

@reasOne said:

@Blipsford_Baubie said:
Ooooo @dendy

Right at 2:32 resonated all the right brain frequencies. Pure Ecstasy. Sleep well.

Agreed

😇 thanks

klownshed

The Bass Drum and Snare were made with Viking, added to Drum Machine Designer then resampled. I was intending to make more sounds for the Viking Drum kit but I just don't have the time. Drum Machine Designer is nothing more than a UI that makes it easy to build a kit from multiple instruments/samples/tracks. Each pad is its own channel strip. There's nothing fancy going on, you can do it all manually without DMD...

The Amen break was sliced with Logic's sampler and programmed in with the pattern editor. I brought the sample in, got the break in time, then sampled it and played it back pitched down almost an octave. I chopped up the pitched down loop which I'd got more or less in time with the project.

All the sounds and fx are 100% Blamsoft + Amen Break. Nothing else was added.

However, as others have used compressors, EQs and Limiters, etc. I used Logic's Mastering Assistant so as not to sound shit by comparison. :-/ The non-Mastered version just sounds quieter TBH. Out of protest, obviously ;-)

bygjohn

My humble submission:

This is actually my second attempt. The first one was much more complicated, with 3 Vikings, sequenced with Neon, and a mangled snippet of the Amen break, but it wasn’t particularly inspiring (may yet be salvageable, but not in such a short form, and needs extra tools), so I started again from scratch with this.

I’ve not really played with the Resampler before, and was delighted to find it can turn a droning single note into clicks (mostly), which I’ve used to ping the Filter, which pings nicely. Performed by mostly playing the filter cutoff. The result going through the Reverb whacked up to full.

I haven’t messed about with these tools for a long time, and they are pretty wonderful, considering Blamsoft are giving them away.

I’ve deliberately not listened to any other submissions till I’ve uploaded this, so I’ll have a listen now.

Edit: the thing on my output bus is just the Amazing Noises Limiter - I ain’t working without a limiter for anyone (hearing already messed up enough, TYVM!).

bygjohn

@Svetlovska said:
Yep, the Wikipedia clip is an .ogg file, unfortunately. You’ll need to convert it, or find a wav version online somewhere.

If you go to the page for the Ogg file, you can download it as WAV.

bygjohn

@Svetlovska said:
Ok. Here is my effort, ‘Replicator’:

All screen recorded live in AUM, just added my, ahem, ‘branding’ to the front in iMovie before upload to the YouTubes. Audio loops are just the Amen Break, edited in Wavebox (sliced only, no fx), then exported to AudioShare for input to AUM and run veeeeery sloooooowly. (Thanks to @BiancaNeve for the Wavebox tip - I didn’t know it could do that, worked like a charm.)

Sequencing: a couple of Neons, a ShiftBud and a Cykle. MIDILFOs modulating the F16 filter resonance.

As to the debate it is engaging in? Welp, it definitely sounds like me. This of course may not be a good thing…

Definitely sounds like you, and that’s a good thing! Am suitably creeped out :-)

bygjohn

@Fruitbat1919 said:
Even though I failed to strictly follow the app letter of the law, the hardest part of the ‘game’ for myself, is trying to make a 3 minute piece of music. I think most of my meanderings are about 8 minutes. The closest I get to 3 minutes are the hundreds of aborted idea pieces I make.

I’m similar, most of my stuff is 6 minutes plus. I tend to think of short pieces as kind of audio haikus or vignettes, which seems to help.

bygjohn

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
All done. 😎

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4gpej0m5qhbbe7y461l2a/jwm-blamsoft-challenge-051824.mov?rlkey=m3qex34vzixdfz8ex8siw8rrx&dl=0

Heh, couldn’t sound more like you! Nice work!

bygjohn

@kirmesteggno said:
Gave it a shot and made a hypnotic Techno thing: https://streamable.com/d01wdc

I've tried to create all the drums from the short amen break benginning, then I've used 2 instances of Viking synth for the bleeps and ambience. Took me about an hour or so.

Found it quite challenging to get by without a proper delay, because those in the reverb and chorus are tricky to dial in right. The techno kick and rumble sounds kinda weird like the drums in geenral without a proper drum machine 😵‍💫

Extra plugins used are knock clipper and EQ560 to carve out a kick from the amen sample, and nolimits and magic deatheye on the master, and neon to seuqnece the bleeps. I might try to record a better performance of 3 minutes, the first one was 4 minutes and too long because I wanted to show all the layers..

I’d really like to hear a longer version of this at some point. Nowt wrong with things sounding weird!

bygjohn

@Fruitbat1919 said:

OK I'm posting my work in progress as I make stuff so slowly that it will probably never get finished. I'm trying some lead lines and vocal bits that's why the track is so basic so far. I have a habit of getting bored and sidetracked with other stuff though, so hey....at least I attempted to start something

Sounds good to me, and not basic. Certainly, from the point of view of the discussion, proves the point that no two people will use the same tools the same way.

bygjohn

@Blipsford_Baubie said:
But I still think it’s broken. There are no sine waves. Or do I have to combine two shapes to make a sine? 😂 Triangle sounds closest.

I think it’s based on a Moog (Voyager?). Moog seem to use triangles rather than sines.

bygjohn

@dendy said:
my old school goa entry :-) spend with it just 2 hours but i am not willing to sacrifice more, it’s 00:54 and i have to wake up at 05:00 😬

• kick made using Viking, sampled and loaded to Slate.. boosted sub using blamsoft filter in HP mode
• rest of drums made from amen break (chopped to individual hits, a bit processed)
• all other sounds of course Viking
• all equalisation done only using blamsoft filter hp/lp :-)

Fun fact: 303 was tweaked in realtime by my fat finger, cause Viking automation is somehow broken in NS2 :-))

Cheated a bit, used few NS2 build in plugs:

• limiter, compressor, 1 instance of delay!! (it is simply impossible to make goa without delay :-))

You have just been responsible for an unseemly display of dad dancing! Luckily, in my kitchen, so no witnesses…

reasOne

@Svetlovska said:
@reasOne : subs = subscriptions. The whole point was to see what people could do with a limited palette, so a single, entirely free, set of stuff offers no barrier to entry for anyone reading this forum. External instruments: didn’t want to exclude guitarists, flautists etc if they wanted a go, but without access to their usual mega pedal board and whatnot, which would kind of defeat the purpose… but but the ‘purest’ spirit of the challenge is just you, your DAW, Blamsofts, the Amen break, and nothing else. If you use just whatever the hell you like, it isn’t really a challenge, is it? But hey, you do you. This is meant to be just a bit of fun, after all. I am not the app police.

Haha no i was just confused not calling you the police 😎 i want to out it as bare bones and in the spirit of the challenge !

bygjohn

@klownshed said:

The Bass Drum and Snare were made with Viking, added to Drum Machine Designer then resampled. I was intending to make more sounds for the Viking Drum kit but I just don't have the time. Drum Machine Designer is nothing more than a UI that makes it easy to build a kit from multiple instruments/samples/tracks. Each pad is its own channel strip. There's nothing fancy going on, you can do it all manually without DMD...

The Amen break was sliced with Logic's sampler and programmed in with the pattern editor. I brought the sample in, got the break in time, then sampled it and played it back pitched down almost an octave. I chopped up the pitched down loop which I'd got more or less in time with the project.

All the sounds and fx are 100% Blamsoft + Amen Break. Nothing else was added.

However, as others have used compressors, EQs and Limiters, etc. I used Logic's Mastering Assistant so as not to sound shit by comparison. :-/ The non-Mastered version just sounds quieter TBH. Out of protest, obviously ;-)

Love the ominous mood here.

Fruitbat1919

@bygjohn said:

Sounds good to me, and not basic. Certainly, from the point of view of the discussion, proves the point that no two people will use the same tools the same way.

On stage 2 now as I’ve transferred the audio from EG Nodes to Logic so I can add more over the outline now and like many here, tidy the mix up a tad with some EQ etc lol

Like all here, yours is totally different, so I definitely think this was a decent answer to the original thread.

Fruitbat1919

@klownshed said:

The Bass Drum and Snare were made with Viking, added to Drum Machine Designer then resampled. I was intending to make more sounds for the Viking Drum kit but I just don't have the time. Drum Machine Designer is nothing more than a UI that makes it easy to build a kit from multiple instruments/samples/tracks. Each pad is its own channel strip. There's nothing fancy going on, you can do it all manually without DMD...

The Amen break was sliced with Logic's sampler and programmed in with the pattern editor. I brought the sample in, got the break in time, then sampled it and played it back pitched down almost an octave. I chopped up the pitched down loop which I'd got more or less in time with the project.

All the sounds and fx are 100% Blamsoft + Amen Break. Nothing else was added.

However, as others have used compressors, EQs and Limiters, etc. I used Logic's Mastering Assistant so as not to sound shit by comparison. :-/ The non-Mastered version just sounds quieter TBH. Out of protest, obviously ;-)

Love what you’ve done here

klownshed

@Svetlovska said:
Ok. Here is my effort, ‘Replicator’:

All screen recorded live in AUM, just added my, ahem, ‘branding’ to the front in iMovie before upload to the YouTubes. Audio loops are just the Amen Break, edited in Wavebox (sliced only, no fx), then exported to AudioShare for input to AUM and run veeeeery sloooooowly. (Thanks to @BiancaNeve for the Wavebox tip - I didn’t know it could do that, worked like a charm.)

Sequencing: a couple of Neons, a ShiftBud and a Cykle. MIDILFOs modulating the F16 filter resonance.

As to the debate it is engaging in? Welp, it definitely sounds like me. This of course may not be a good thing…

Lots of cool textures and atmosphere. I wouldn't have guessed Viking played any part in that at all :-)

klownshed

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
All done. 😎

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4gpej0m5qhbbe7y461l2a/jwm-blamsoft-challenge-051824.mov?rlkey=m3qex34vzixdfz8ex8siw8rrx&dl=0

Sounds great. Did you compress the bass drum, it sounds huge!

klownshed

@kirmesteggno said:
Gave it a shot and made a hypnotic Techno thing: https://streamable.com/d01wdc

I've tried to create all the drums from the short amen break benginning, then I've used 2 instances of Viking synth for the bleeps and ambience. Took me about an hour or so.

Found it quite challenging to get by without a proper delay, because those in the reverb and chorus are tricky to dial in right. The techno kick and rumble sounds kinda weird like the drums in geenral without a proper drum machine 😵‍💫

Extra plugins used are knock clipper and EQ560 to carve out a kick from the amen sample, and nolimits and magic deatheye on the master, and neon to seuqnece the bleeps. I might try to record a better performance of 3 minutes, the first one was 4 minutes and too long because I wanted to show all the layers..

Very dark and ominous! The bleeps are like alarms... Good stuff. This feels like it needs to be much longer though...

klownshed

@dendy said:
my old school goa entry :-) spend with it just 2 hours but i am not willing to sacrifice more, it’s 00:54 and i have to wake up at 05:00 😬

• kick made using Viking, sampled and loaded to Slate.. boosted sub using blamsoft filter in HP mode
• rest of drums made from amen break (chopped to individual hits, a bit processed)
• all other sounds of course Viking
• all equalisation done only using blamsoft filter hp/lp :-)

Fun fact: 303 was tweaked in realtime by my fat finger, cause Viking automation is somehow broken in NS2 :-))

Cheated a bit, used few NS2 build in plugs:

• limiter, compressor, 1 instance of delay!! (it is simply impossible to make goa without delay :-))

Sounding good, although marks off for using delay! ;-) The Bass drum sounds great. The Amen samples sound nothing like the orginals, you've managed to coax very different sounds out of the loop. The 303 is great.

jwmmakerofmusic

@klownshed said:

@jwmmakerofmusic said:
All done. 😎

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/4gpej0m5qhbbe7y461l2a/jwm-blamsoft-challenge-051824.mov?rlkey=m3qex34vzixdfz8ex8siw8rrx&dl=0

Sounds great. Did you compress the bass drum, it sounds huge!

No compression on the bassdrum. Just a touch of EQ in Slate itself. 😉 And ducking the bass to the kick so the mix does not become muddy.

Blipsford_Baubie

@espiegel123 said:

@Blipsford_Baubie said:

@kirmesteggno said:

@Blipsford_Baubie said:
Viking seems broken. There are no presets.

Haven't seen any in Drambo either.

Yup. Drambo here too. At least state saving works.
But I still think it’s broken. There are no sine waves. Or do I have to combine two shapes to make a sine? 😂 Triangle sounds closest.

A lot of classic subtractive synths don’t have sine waves (as they aren’t terribly useful as audio sources in a substractive synth ). A triangle wave is pretty close and can be made closer with filtering.

A sine is only the fundamental frequency, with no additional harmonics. So, you can’t create a sine wave by combining other waveforms. (Mathematically, you could do it with the right waveforms with the right phase relationship but no one would do that except as a fun math exercise)

Ah cool, I honestly didn’t know that about classic subtractive synths. The only analog synth I’ve ever opened is Roland SH-101. But that’s probably not considered classic? It is mono like the Viking. But you did mention “a lot”.

rezidue

@dendy said:
my old school goa entry :-) spend with it just 2 hours but i am not willing to sacrifice more, it’s 00:54 and i have to wake up at 05:00 😬

• kick made using Viking, sampled and loaded to Slate.. boosted sub using blamsoft filter in HP mode
• rest of drums made from amen break (chopped to individual hits, a bit processed)
• all other sounds of course Viking
• all equalisation done only using blamsoft filter hp/lp :-)

Fun fact: 303 was tweaked in realtime by my fat finger, cause Viking automation is somehow broken in NS2 :-))

Cheated a bit, used few NS2 build in plugs:

• limiter, compressor, 1 instance of delay!! (it is simply impossible to make goa without delay :-))

I haven’t been around in a while but I had to log in and say how much I love this!