Tutorial: ableton audio feedback part 1 - create a dub delay

[Angstrom]

Hey people,
I thought I'd create a tutorial covering that interesting area audio feedback

http://angstromnoises.com/tutorial-able ... ck-part-1/

This one covers the basics of feedback paths in Ableton return channels and uses it to create a "Dub Delay",
I'm going to do part #2 of this series on "Additive resynthesis using looping"
Part #3 with be on "Feedback Matrices or no-input mixers"

Suggestions and criticisms are welcome as I've only just kicked this new site design into vague shape so if you spot an unusual lumpy area then let me know, it's possible that I don't know about it.

[tedlogan]

Excellent, will follow this tutorial tonight. I've been thinking about delving into this aspect of sound for a while but haven't bothered so far. This seems like a great place to start.

[TomViolenz]

Great post

How would you control the dub delay in a live situation? Would you just turn up the send on your track or also the one on the return channel. How safe (or unsafe ) is it to unsuspectingly turn up either?
I noticed you didn't use a limiter, isn't that a little dangerous?

[tedlogan]

Right, I've finally dived into the world of feedbackloops - and I find to be a fantastic new world!

Thanks a lot for the tutorial, I'm looking forward to the follow-ups, and will check out the Generative music one later. So far I quite like sending the Dub Delay Return to a medium-sized short convolution reverb with percussive material (with Corpus as an insert), sometimes approaching Kaivo-esqueness, which is another synth I adore.

Now I have a reason to turn on the APC40 again, having previously used it as a dummy clip envelope matrix. Combined with feedback loop mapping I could possibly end up never going out again. Fuck work.

Cross-modulating Returns is a bit overwhelming option-wise at the moment. Some of the sounds emerging are so rich and organic. Superb.

The "No-input mixer", the third example in this tutorial's page, may I ask what the source material is? I love the end result - incredibly rich.

Lastly, which controller do you recommend for operating this setup? I guess a BCR2000?

[Angstrom]

Thanks for the responses guys, unfortunately I had to jump on a plane to Ireland and am now posting this from up a tree to get a signal!
So I'll just answer quick questions : controlling dub delays in performance can usually be handled by the send of each track, and the volume of the return, although that may seem counterintuitive it also controls feedback . Once you have the macros mapped on the dub delay the parameters become more available for tweaking.

As for the question about the no input mixer, the source is actually just noise! In this case it's the vinyl noise Device inside the feedback path! I know that seems crazy but I guess you'll have to wait for part 3

Well hopefully I'll be back in civilisation soon and can get on with parts 2 and 3.
The closest technology to me here is a cow.

[tedlogan]

As for the question about the no input mixer, the source is actually just noise! In this case it's the vinyl noise Device inside the feedback path! I know that seems crazy but I guess you'll have to wait for part 3

hehe - no, no it does not sound crazy - I expected something simple like that to be the answer.

I really am very happy with this new world, and it's been under my nose all these years. It's just the best thing to me in the realm of sound since Bazille.

cheers

EDIT:

... I've now been playing around with 3 drumloop clips (tight Bazille kick and snare hits sampled into drumracks going through a tubed Corpus with quick decay as an insert ) and a feedback matrix for the last 5 hours or so. It's super addictive. How'm I meant to go to sleep to get up for work????

[TomViolenz]

Ok, I played around with this and have found a few nice easy things to play with and to affect with only the send encoder I use on Push and two more toggle buttons that sat still unused on my Maschine (in fact, the last two I still had available).

At first, using this with the dub returns feedback send set to -12dB, was a little dissapointing. Interesting but not quite awesome. Then I assigned one button to the dub returns send dial to itself to switch between the -12dB setting I chose as the default and -3dB. (I also assigned this button to the send on that return channel that goes to my reverb return toggling that from -inf to 0dB)
The other button I assigned to the Feedback knob of the SimpleDelay in the dub return and set it to toggle between 0% and 45%. (this button I also assigned to the dub returns send to my second reverb, also from -inf to 0dB).

Now killing the input, by either muting or turning down its send and then quickly toggling the first mentioned button on/off (careful with this one!) and toggling the second button on/off, lets me sustain that feedback for as long as I like, then let it die down, then at the last second boost it again with the first button, sustain it longer with button two.... ad infinitum

Just thought, I'd share

[yur2die4]

I am definitely going to pick out the tidbits that this tutorial reveals! I've always been a big fan of feedback. I get annoyed if a mixer does not have a send channel haha (usually I'll use the Send and plug it into a regular Channel input instead of back into the return input so I can do feedback, EQ, and volume controls. Is this common practice?) EDIT: ooooops. I just saw that part in your article haha. So I guess it is

This is a thing I played with one time using feedback and LFO. I only really like the part around 2:09 (skip ahead!)
https://www.facebook.com/daniel.socha.1 ... 177310277/
---------

And this, at 2:40 is a good spot, leading into 3:10 where I try to use the tone as an organ sound haha. It's Almost in key but not quite. That's what you get from wrangling delay I suppose hah
https://www.facebook.com/daniel.socha.1 ... 065575277/

I still haven't spent much time messing with Looper as the delay mechanism instead of the regular delay options. But I feel like it has a lot of unique potential!

And lastly. For harmonic feedback, you can use Grain Delay at specific intervals. Or a minuscule interval (less than one semitone) for big long pitch bends..

[tedlogan]

Hmm the vinyl distortion is a great sound source indeed, right after the Freq Shifter.

Frequency Shifter: between -2k and +2k, Shift mode, 50% wet, LFO at around 150hz slow rate

Vinyl Dist: Crackle turned off, Density at max, drive and the frequencies to taste. getting some gnarly rich deep controllable robotic buzzing with the main Simple Delay set to around 25ms.

Dub delay channel sent to a nice convolution reverb. Lots of multitap/freq delay Returns interacting with this and the resonator's dry wet. Send amounts to taste.

THe crackle of Vinyl Distortion could be shaped into some nice eletric rain soundscape on planet fuckhead. M4L LFO gentling easing this in and out with slight jitter etc...really need LFO native now, it's a bit silly - the amount of CPU it eats.

I love this stuff...

and so on.

and so on

and so on

and so on

and now the waves of crackle on its own sound exactly like moderately strong wind blowing through the leaves of trees...so pleasant...with the odd bolt falling from the sky

This is a thing I played with one time using feedback and LFO. I only really like the part around 2:09 (skip ahead!)
https://www.facebook.com/daniel.socha.1 ... 177310277/
---------

And this, at 2:40 is a good spot, leading into 3:10 where I try to use the tone as an organ sound haha. It's Almost in key but not quite. That's what you get from wrangling delay I suppose hah
https://www.facebook.com/daniel.socha.1 ... 065575277/

I wanted to have a listen but there's no sound for me atm...on any videos online.

[Tarekith]

Awesome tutorial Steve.

[Valiumdupeuple]

The closest technology to me here is a cow.

Which btw is an amazing piece of cowde !

[mmorgan]

Thanks so much for this. I had seen the technique used previously but never tried it out...

Your excellent tutorial provided an impetus to proceed. Thanks much, learned a lot.

[Angstrom]

The other button I assigned to the Feedback knob of the SimpleDelay in the dub return and set it to toggle between 0% and 45%. (this button I also assigned to the dub returns send to my second reverb, also from -inf to 0dB).

you'll find it all works better if you ignore the feedback dial of the device because what you are doing there is bypassing the feedback chain we have set up. Pretend that dial does not exist - the new Feedback dial is the Send of the Return track. If you have a basic feedback track (Delay -> Eq8 ->Saturator) and you turn the Return track's Send (to itself)up to 100% the effect will sustain indefinitely. To do the trick where the sound decays to almost nothing and then you bring it back I find that the saturator drive dial is a good "boost". This way you can see the Send at 70% as a decaying signal, the Send at 100% as infinite sustain, and the Saturator boost at +10db as "boost from nothing"

In the tutorial I describe a setup where the Send is at 70% and Saturator at +10db. Really this is so that the effect delays a little but is waveshaped a bit.