Ableton Forum

Fuzz+ is free, easy, and doesn't require you to get up out of your chair (because that's really a pretty big factor in our decisions, isn't it? )

"Just concentrate on not making the lazy move."

I've gotten "dirt" via Fuzz+, VST vinyl simulators, overdriving a boom box, tiny old computer speakers, a tag sale stereo receiver, or earbud headphones. Just run it through something crappy too loud and record the results. You won't even need to warp it =)

my favorite tool for "dirt"

I've heard those are great

*heads off to e-bay*

There's a large difference between dirt and colour. Engineers and artists spend millions of dollars adding the right colour to tracks, via expensive synths, great desks, great pre's, great mic's, and tons of amazing outboard gear. One of the reasons many don't like digital is that it doesn't add any colour to a mix. It says it like it is. Hence the new breed of great analogue summing busses on the market.

Dirt on the other hand, is degrading a signal in a pleasing way. i.e. adding distortion, clipping, reducing bits, adding noise, doing whatever it is that the MPC does to drums (he, he) etc. There are huge industries committed to making gear and software for both. So yes, a cheap synth with a clean signal can be made as dirty as anything that costs 20 times more. It just won't have the colour, which is ultimately what the big bucks is spent on. So get buying those cheap synths, buy an expensive outboard pre to add some hot colour, and hey, presto, shit hot sound! Then destroy it with a cheap fuzzbox, it's amazing how good it feels!

Depends what your source is, hard or soft.
With soft i have to work a lot harder then with hardware.
But get some cheap opamps preamps.... example: get a cheap phonic dj mixer from the 90's and run your stuff trough it with max gain
That helps.

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