Im a student at univrsity and am currently writing an essay on techno. As part of this, im analysing 808 States, Let yourself go. I'd be grateful if anyone could let me know what instruments they're using in this track.
Thanks,
Peter
Let Yourself Go
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I happy for getting a question like that as it makes me bring down the 12" from the shelf.
Well back in those days it was more or less the grand Roland bank of instruments sync'ed up to an Atari ST1024 running Cubase. 101/303/808/909/Juno 106/D50.
The versions titles '303' and 'D50' directly refers to the instrument running the bassline. The drums are mostly the 909 as far as I can hear.
The samples:
"Let Yourself Gooooo": Sinnamon - I Need You Now
Strings: Love Unlimited Orchestra - Love Story
and then of course The Carpenters.
Well back in those days it was more or less the grand Roland bank of instruments sync'ed up to an Atari ST1024 running Cubase. 101/303/808/909/Juno 106/D50.
The versions titles '303' and 'D50' directly refers to the instrument running the bassline. The drums are mostly the 909 as far as I can hear.
The samples:
"Let Yourself Gooooo": Sinnamon - I Need You Now
Strings: Love Unlimited Orchestra - Love Story
and then of course The Carpenters.
Yes thats more or less correct,on 303 mix ..303 bassline machine,909 drum machine, a korg percussion machine fed through an spx 90 fx box on a pitch changer setting. the pitzicato strings are from the roland D50 synth.
also sounds like there is an old akai sampler in there (pre s900) but the main samples are coming from a casio fz1. on the D50 Mix the bassline is replaced by a combination of D50 and juno 106 hich I think is sequenced from the on board sequencer of the 909. the spx is on some extreme fast flange setting
wobbling the percusion box.
The session was recorded at spirit studios which had a 16 track one inch tape recorder ,giving it a fatter sound .the recording desk was a tac scorpian
also quite a fat sounding thing the final mix was to two track analogue 1/4 inch.(Dat machine arrived just after these sessions.)
Though there is an atari 1040 computer used on this session its hardly in evidence as a sequencer on this track most things are fired of the 909 in swing mode. we used a programme called Hybrid Arts Smpte track. with this a code track was recorded on one track of the 16 track machine, which was then used to keep any midi or roland clock machines in time with each other whilst we fillled up the multi track tape with possable ideas.We had a machine called a km 50 (think thats right ) that syncronised non midi stuff like trhe 303 and korg percussion to midi. The 303 was internally sequenced (not from the computer) the 909 drums were internally sequenced and the korg pecussion
this left an element of performance when mixing including punching tape tracks in and out(no automation)and riding effects and volume levels,which was also sometimes
altered with further tape editing...sorry ive gone into anorak mode...
The point Im making is its quitedifferent these days as all these elements are controlled from the computer , as you look at different periods in computer software,its limitations create pockets of style. Is it possable to spot
things such as C.Lab music or early cubase style ,pro 24 sequncing style etc
MPC drum machine sequencing was popular(in hip hop especially) and had a particular tightness and swing.Let yourself go to me has the tightness of 909 on board sequencing that we used at that time because we didnt have a computer of our own ,so used to write with in the limitations of what we did have, early orbital stuff was on alesis sequencers,not computers,early black dog was on an obscure BBC computer software, k klass and adamski both had some keyboard sampler with a sequencer in (was it a kawai?)im shure these diferences
will dictate some style outcomes. these days some of the cheaper programmes like fruity loops and
reason have there own identity.
we used hybrid arts smpte track upto and including ex el ,may be switch ing to cubase when doing gorgeous effected the music?
also sounds like there is an old akai sampler in there (pre s900) but the main samples are coming from a casio fz1. on the D50 Mix the bassline is replaced by a combination of D50 and juno 106 hich I think is sequenced from the on board sequencer of the 909. the spx is on some extreme fast flange setting
wobbling the percusion box.
The session was recorded at spirit studios which had a 16 track one inch tape recorder ,giving it a fatter sound .the recording desk was a tac scorpian
also quite a fat sounding thing the final mix was to two track analogue 1/4 inch.(Dat machine arrived just after these sessions.)
Though there is an atari 1040 computer used on this session its hardly in evidence as a sequencer on this track most things are fired of the 909 in swing mode. we used a programme called Hybrid Arts Smpte track. with this a code track was recorded on one track of the 16 track machine, which was then used to keep any midi or roland clock machines in time with each other whilst we fillled up the multi track tape with possable ideas.We had a machine called a km 50 (think thats right ) that syncronised non midi stuff like trhe 303 and korg percussion to midi. The 303 was internally sequenced (not from the computer) the 909 drums were internally sequenced and the korg pecussion
this left an element of performance when mixing including punching tape tracks in and out(no automation)and riding effects and volume levels,which was also sometimes
altered with further tape editing...sorry ive gone into anorak mode...
The point Im making is its quitedifferent these days as all these elements are controlled from the computer , as you look at different periods in computer software,its limitations create pockets of style. Is it possable to spot
things such as C.Lab music or early cubase style ,pro 24 sequncing style etc
MPC drum machine sequencing was popular(in hip hop especially) and had a particular tightness and swing.Let yourself go to me has the tightness of 909 on board sequencing that we used at that time because we didnt have a computer of our own ,so used to write with in the limitations of what we did have, early orbital stuff was on alesis sequencers,not computers,early black dog was on an obscure BBC computer software, k klass and adamski both had some keyboard sampler with a sequencer in (was it a kawai?)im shure these diferences
will dictate some style outcomes. these days some of the cheaper programmes like fruity loops and
reason have there own identity.
we used hybrid arts smpte track upto and including ex el ,may be switch ing to cubase when doing gorgeous effected the music?
Thanks very much Graham and Solarex, thats really helpful.
The essay im writting specifically concerns Autechre and how they have progressed from the sound of late eighties techno.
What do think of what they've done with electronica. Its certainly very different to the eighties techno scene- but then so are 808 State now... Do you think they can still be described as techno. I've heard them described as 'armchair techno', suggesting that you can't dance to it- something I personally disagree with...
The essay im writting specifically concerns Autechre and how they have progressed from the sound of late eighties techno.
What do think of what they've done with electronica. Its certainly very different to the eighties techno scene- but then so are 808 State now... Do you think they can still be described as techno. I've heard them described as 'armchair techno', suggesting that you can't dance to it- something I personally disagree with...