Ableton Forum

Yeah I know it's outdated stuff, but I'm a dedicated fan of Steve Hillage bubbly echoey trancy noises.

Question is: Can you do this kind of stuff with Ableton, or would you get a specific VST?

I assume Operator would be the weapon of choice with automated filters and echos maybe? I haven't really the faintest idea where to start to get the root sound, do you use oscillators to create the pings and pops or is it down to how you sequence? I haven't used Operator apart from presets. Yeah well I'm a guitar dude, soft sound construction is a black art to me.

I know there's a bunch of sample libraries out there, but a) they are 90% sounds I would never use and b) well I would love to know how it's done.

Any tips/tricks gratefully received!

S

Got any examples of his sounds you're looking for?

I'd think you could probably put together some guitar-generated trippy noises using Guitar Rig. Filters+delays would be a place to start, and possibly the microsynth.

I have to get home, bored at the office right now =) Will make a wishlist!

S

Most hippy guitarists I know use a bong to make bubbly noises...

Indeed =) Maybe that is the sample

In the spirit of work avoidance, YouTube to the rescue:

The bubbling up sounds can be found in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG3IA_J3s6Q
In the intro and another good example at 2:31. Not the finger bowed echo'd guitar, that I can do =)

Or
http://soundcloud.com/mizimo/visualize
at about 1:55 and 3:00, I know she uses a sample, but I'm sure Ableton could do this fo'realz

S

Operator can do it. Use the LFO and Pitch env, LFO gives the pitch wobble and env gives the pitch rise or fall. Assign the env to lfo speed so that the wobble gets faster as the pitch rises (or vice versa).

Yep, operator can do that w/ some LFO's and filters. Also, play around w/ the built in arp and you can get some pretty cool bubbly like sounds

I used to use a TC fireworx for that kind of thing (ie play the guitar through it). Can easily do the same with a bunch of in-the-box fx chained into a rack.

You also get a nice looper in Live.

When you said bubbly noises I immediately thought of 13th Floor Elevators. Not quite what you had in mind though. I use to rock the GONG back in the day.

twisted-space already posted a solution.

I would also try Analog in Live, with an arpeggiator, smidgen of reverb or delay, and similar settings to what twisted-space it referring too.

AutoPan with the right settings could produce that deep and slow tremolo effect on the guitar chords.