Aphex Twin Failure Is an Option: Why Music Students Are Jealous of Aphex Twin

[Berk]

they are pretend synths though innit

 

 

not that there's anything wrong with them as long as you make good tunes with them

[ZoeB]

they are pretend synths though innit

 

not that there's anything wrong with them as long as you make good tunes with them

 

It depends how you want to look at them. They are pretend synths, just as an 808 is pretend drums, but rather than being poor imitations (or, in addition to being poor imitations, depending on how much you value realism), they have their own unique advantages. Which I think is what Masonic Boom was already getting at.

 

Not That There's Anything Wrong With That

[Guest Masonic Boom]

they are pretend synths though innit

 

 

not that there's anything wrong with them as long as you make good tunes with them

 

By this logic, doing accounting on a spreadsheet package instead of in a paper ledger is "pretend" accounting.

[ZoeB]

By this logic, doing accounting on a spreadsheet package instead of in a paper ledger is "pretend" accounting.

 

Maybe they're both pale immitations of the platonic idealism of True Accounting? :D

[TwiddleBot]

i dunno, either you are synthesizing sounds by putting them together or you aren't.

 

the only pretend synth i can think of off the top of my head is my old yamaha xg that i sold a few years ago. it used samples instead of synthesizing sounds. that qualifies as a pretend synth i guess.. maybe

[Berk]

point taken

 

[Guest Masonic Boom]

By this logic, doing accounting on a spreadsheet package instead of in a paper ledger is "pretend" accounting.

 

Maybe they're both pale immitations of the platonic idealism of True Accounting? :D

 

...and all of us posters talking bout analords are merely simulacra within the Platonic cave of Richard's head

 

point taken

 

 

OM NOM NOM NOM NOMNNOOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOMOM.vst

[TwiddleBot]

that does it. i'm going to make a pretend synth out of molded chocolate

[Guest Masonic Boom]

that does it. i'm going to make a pretend synth out of molded chocolate

 

yup and I'll make mine own Richard out of gingerbread om nom nom nom

[ZoeB]

 

WANT! :D

[marf]

so tell me about the scales Rich uses. I know he likes microtonal synths too. I can't hear scales very well. Does he basically act like he has had no formal training? His tunes are very simple and jingle like, His bass melodies are also very catchy but down to feel and instinct. Id like to hear more on this

[soundwave]

so tell me about the scales Rich uses. I know he likes microtonal synths too. I can't hear scales very well. Does he basically act like he has had no formal training? His tunes are very simple and jingle like, His bass melodies are also very catchy but down to feel and instinct. Id like to hear more on this

maybe because there's a little feature u get on some hardware loop sequencers called 'force to scale' ?

 

take out notes, fill them in, transpose up/down, shuffle back and forth all on the fly capeesh?

[TwiddleBot]

i think a lot of synths have an option to allow you to adjust the tuning as well if you want to do microtonal stuff. even my old soundblaster awe 32 had that.. ah the glory days of soundfonts (rip)

[Guest hahathhat]

the red sh101 gets all the beauty shots.... can't deny i'd like to have one, though.

[logboy]

i suppose that's always the difference between a good artistic education and a bad one : the focus needs to be on developing the confidence and ability to find original ideas and express them, however imperfectly.

 

can remember someone once saying that if you want to do something creative well, either learn everything you possibly can, or don't learn anything about it at all. either way, the point is that you have to either get to a place where you know you're not doing something that's been done before, or you have to have no preconceptions about what's right and wrong. guessing that, as RDJ started so young, and in such relative isolation in the west country, that it was the latter, and that he simply had too little information telling him what he should make his music like.

 

also, it's important to execute good ideas effectively over and above expressing bad ideas perfectly.

[Guest iamabe]

the quality of discussion in this thread is great. i don't really care that it's gone off topic. ive never met a girl who had more than 3 tracks of anything labeled Aphex Twins so this kind of intense discussion between two uber afx chicks is pretty cool in my opinion.

 

I wouldn't put it past richard to know a shitload about theory. but he probably still composes most of his tracks intuitively, just my uninformed "only"-been-listening-to-afx-for-5-years guess, so please no "you are seriously misinformed so please mail me your synths you noob" retorts, thanks. There is just too much pleasure in his tracks... not to suggest that composers who rely on theory to write don't produce pleasureful music, but in my opinion the dense, rich nuggets of genius in cock v10 are the product of a massive childish fascination with the qualities of music above all else, even though maybe synthesthesia has an impression on him too. I bet richard just invents this shit out of thin air, while walking down the street in an "i have no problems that can't be solved because i fucking love music" mood, beat-boxing and making squishy tongue-clicking sounds all day and coming home (or waking up from a lucid dream) and putting his ideas into whatever sequencers he feels like (i love speculating about this shit and i think this thread is a fine place for it). Maybe he is also a really patient dude who noodles with one hand on the keys and one on the knobs occasionally discovering some gems which he then saves as sketches and compiles later, but I feel like his genius is something completely autonomous that comes from a total confidence in his ideas. He just hears what he wants to make and makes it.

 

Fuck it - I am a massive fanboy and I have strong doubts that anyone will come along in a really long-ass time, no matter how knowledgeable, talented or passionate who will write the kind orgasmic polyrhythms and "macro" constructed tracks of the tuss (whoever said that - props, well said). Others will come in the picture and master whatever, clark will keep creating squishy crunchy shit that i love that is totally unique to him, BOC will keep making, wait, scratch BOC, wisp will keep cranking out overwrought but catchy melodic epics that are unique to him, but No One is going to come in and emulate RDJ's process/product because his flavor of invention is 100% him.

 

/end afx boner for time being

[Guest Masonic Boom]

but in my opinion the dense, rich nuggets of genius in cock v10 are the product of a massive childish fascination with the qualities of music above all else

 

 

J'aime faire des croquettes au Riche

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So sorry. I'm feeling particularly childish this morning. Great post, really.

[TwiddleBot]

imo the whole point of learning theory should be to open up your ears a bit, rather than constrict them.

 

back in the day (like 15 years ago) I used to really be into video game music and I remember going to websites where fanboys would transcribe their favorite tunes into midi or other stuff. the funny thing is, a lot of mid 90's japanese video game tunes have a huge fusion/krautrock influence and the transcribers would frequently miss all the cool rhythmic stuff and extended chords.. because they weren't aware of such things, and therefore weren't even hearing them in the music

 

sort of like walking around town and hearing very amateur buskers play 'take 5' in 4/4.

[AfterEight]

I agree completely, I actually feel worse off being in an environment of music learning, everyone is majorly confused as to what music is.