AAA - Ask Autechre Anything - Sean and Rob on WATMM!

[Sean Ae]

When you record jams are they multi-track/channel or 2 track? Curious if the editing is splicing or cutting individual tracks when an element got out of control or sounded bad.

nah it's almost always 2 track

if an element sounds bad then i try to learn what i did wrong and not do it again, bin the track (trust me you do that enough times you start to learn)

How do you guys keep from developing chronic wrist/arm/shoulder/back issues from spending so much time dialing into the world of digital audio?

 

Do you use a trackball? An arm rest? A particular sort of chair or particular arrangement of your physical interface?

 

I ask because I have been producing as many hours and as I can and as many days as possible for years and this lifestyle seems to necessitate frequent stretching breaks and the like... I have sooo many knots from clicking on things all day.

 

Was wondering if you had any suggestions for avoiding carpal tunnel and repetitive strain injuries as a producer.

 

Thanks guys. Your work has had a huge impact on me over the years!

 

i use a trackpad cos multitouch and being able to vary the angle works for me, I'm always changing the way i sit

best way to avoid strain is don't extend too far and don't hold the same position for ages, keep moving round

[Guest grey]

 

do some of your tracks have a hidden meaning? like, the track tells a story? (rather: audio output of a event) if i am wrong this might be funny for you, but i thought about this many times when listening to exai.

 

yeah some of it's autobiographical i'm sure but not in a conscious way

but you can't help it, if you're doing what you want it's bound to happen

(sorry, came to this late, I got through half the posts so far and then skimmed, afraid I'd miss out)

 

Do you use custom controllers for your software? Any of it over midi, or osc, or something else ? Do you keep it mostly around knobs and buttons when you use controllers, or other kinds of interface?

atm the only input device i'm using is a kenton killamix mini, but only cos it goes in my bag, and it integrates perfectly with my setup

mine has knobs that click and i need that to run my stuff cos all the input is discrete vals

 

Thanks!

[Sean Ae]

Last question i swær

 

what is the sample from IO?

secret, sorry

[awepittance]

is Xylin Room the only mutant samba track you guys will make?

[Guest WNS000]

 

Guys,

 

I was listening to Tilapia recently when walking through super-quiet evening streets to a grocery store (countryside) and realized one thing about the mix of the track.

 

It is almost absolutely perfectly balanced volume-wise. I mean, you know when you listen to some great mix really carefully you suddenly start hearing how were things done or start hearing nuances like:

 

- this instrument is slightly more forward sounding and disconnected from the rest

- the snare peaks are too sharp/too dull

- or a sound that is supposed to be in the back sometimes manage to go little bit forward and break the balance of the mix because one of it's bands wasn't compressed/EQed efficiently

 

but even with those flaw the mix still sounds great and you have to be really carefully listening in order to hear it.

 

But with Tilapia, there are no such things to be heard.

 

It's one of the most solid mixes I have ever heard. As I already discussed with Sean it has amazing space and depth for a "dry" track but this super-perfect loudness and peak balance is really stunning for me. I mean...I am speechless, really.

 

I am not going to ask how was it done, but was it difficult or do you remember spending remarkable time mixing this track or choosing sounds for this track? Or is it just a few-times-in-lifetime coincidence of elements that sounds in perfect loudness-harmony together?

 

I am really serious, this is one of the best ever mixes I have heard in my life. Tilapia may sound like a little shy track in the context of others you did but when you realize it's qualities it's a thing to wonder about. Seriously serious.

thanks, well it was mixed as it was made so like, prob didn't take that long tbh

we kind of do stuff as we go, there's no point at which we start mixing, we do it all the way thru

just comes from having made loads of stuff in realtime before we had that kind of full song sequencing available, there's never been a 'mixing stage' as such

 

 

Yeah, you mentioned it somewhere in this thread already. Well, this is a one incredibly lucky track mix-wise then. I mean even in the context of your whole discography, this is the one that is the most stunning mix-wise for me. And you have constantly great mixes so it means something. Big up for this one.

[Rob Ae]

When you record jams are they multi-track/channel or 2 track? Curious if the editing is splicing or cutting individual tracks when an element got out of control or sounded bad.

happy to cut stereo file tbh, with editors as fast Wave Editor and so on.. i did some jams 8 track a few times cos of the mpc and nords being happy w 4 each, but just to be able to s/chain if needed on a whim. like the idea of 2ch = more of a craft

[plastic]

Not sure if you guys caught this one...

Hi guys!

 

Thank you for answering so many of these questions. In particular, I've really liked the advice for people making music which basically seems to be, "Do what feels right." It's something that I've thought numerous times before, but after a time tend to forget until I get reminded or think of it again. It's been especially difficult to remember this recently, since I've been trying to insert myself into the electronic scene here in Portland, OR where it seems that venues only want a certain type of music and I feel like I need to sound a certain way to get "in" with the people that make booking decisions. So thanks for reminding me, yet again. :)

 

My question is: Do you have any advice on how to get into playing shows in an environment that seems mostly closed off (even almost allergic to it, it seems) from anything that's the least bit experimental? Like, I've given my material to bookers/promoters, and they dig it, but don't want it played at their venues. It's quite a bit frustrating. I think you mentioned something about this weird-sameness going on in Europe right now, too.

 

I actually have another question, but maybe a little selfish. Will you listen to a few of my tracks and tell me what you think? I can PM some links.

 

Thanks again for inspiration, and awesome music!

[casual helipad]

a few random bits:

 

- favourite character/moment in Lost (if you watched the series?)

 

- favourite Yoda scene in any SW movie?

 

- C. Nolan's or T. Burton's Batman?

 

- Brave New World or 1984?

 

- Favourite type of beer (ale, lager, stout, etc)?

 

- Could you recommend a dessert featuring banana and chocolate?

[Guest Pennywise]

Is it possible to dance to the crazier Autechre tracks and look cool?

[Sean Ae]

 

 

Guys,

 

I was listening to Tilapia recently when walking through super-quiet evening streets to a grocery store (countryside) and realized one thing about the mix of the track.

 

It is almost absolutely perfectly balanced volume-wise. I mean, you know when you listen to some great mix really carefully you suddenly start hearing how were things done or start hearing nuances like:

 

- this instrument is slightly more forward sounding and disconnected from the rest

- the snare peaks are too sharp/too dull

- or a sound that is supposed to be in the back sometimes manage to go little bit forward and break the balance of the mix because one of it's bands wasn't compressed/EQed efficiently

 

but even with those flaw the mix still sounds great and you have to be really carefully listening in order to hear it.

 

But with Tilapia, there are no such things to be heard.

 

It's one of the most solid mixes I have ever heard. As I already discussed with Sean it has amazing space and depth for a "dry" track but this super-perfect loudness and peak balance is really stunning for me. I mean...I am speechless, really.

 

I am not going to ask how was it done, but was it difficult or do you remember spending remarkable time mixing this track or choosing sounds for this track? Or is it just a few-times-in-lifetime coincidence of elements that sounds in perfect loudness-harmony together?

 

I am really serious, this is one of the best ever mixes I have heard in my life. Tilapia may sound like a little shy track in the context of others you did but when you realize it's qualities it's a thing to wonder about. Seriously serious.

thanks, well it was mixed as it was made so like, prob didn't take that long tbh

we kind of do stuff as we go, there's no point at which we start mixing, we do it all the way thru

just comes from having made loads of stuff in realtime before we had that kind of full song sequencing available, there's never been a 'mixing stage' as such

 

 

Yeah, you mentioned it somewhere in this thread already. Well, this is a one incredibly lucky track mix-wise then. I mean even in the context of your whole discography, this is the one that is the most stunning mix-wise for me. And you have constantly great mixes so it means something. Big up for this one.

 

thanks

i'll consider what u said, i never thought of that track in that way before

[Guest WNS000]

 

 

 

So, Lars von Trier approaches you and asks you to redo some existing tracks (I'm thinking Five Obstructions here). What in your opinion would be the five rules that'd make you go "Aw for fuck's sake man!"? :D

 

Actually let's say, one of the obstructions is to (re)do a track on a player piano only. Maybe two - one normal player piano and one prepared.

 

Liking all the Ae music and thanking you once again for this opportunity, max respect.

 

nah i'd just tell him to fuck off and stop making shit films

 

 

I would not. I have heard he is psychically/mentally ill. I have understanding for his imaginations and needs that he realize in his films. I mean I don't enjoy what he does (I am not into films too much) but I respect his problems.

 

oh right so no one can tell him how shit his films are

explains a lot

 

 

No, that wasn't what I meant. I mean, I would tell him politely that it's not my cup of tea. I mean, I can fuck off somebody that makes shitty films just for money and is motivated only by fame and greed (although you can argue those can be defined as psychical problems too). You know what I mean.

[Guest Pennywise]

What's your favourite joke? I think that's it for me, my questions suck so hard

[Soloman Tump]

 

Fuuu, finally caught up with this thread again.

 

Given that Quaristice Special Edition was limited to 1000 copies, do you guys get peeved that pretty much everyone has a ripped digital copy?

 

 

 

BTW, this thread should be watmm's most IDM 2014. Jus' sayin

 

nah obv we knew that was gonna happen, but only 1000 people get the nice metalwork and hopefully they'll look after them

 

 

obv.

 

I was gonna buy one from ebay last year, but just couldn't find the funds. I was working out on a building site the day they went for sale on blerp and I never got to buy one

 

I would look after a copy if you have any spare lying around?

 

Really appreciate your efforts on this thread btw, definite watmm legend status. And it has inspired me to start making music again.

[Rob Ae]

 

Not sure if you guys caught this one...

Hi guys!

 

Thank you for answering so many of these questions. In particular, I've really liked the advice for people making music which basically seems to be, "Do what feels right." It's something that I've thought numerous times before, but after a time tend to forget until I get reminded or think of it again. It's been especially difficult to remember this recently, since I've been trying to insert myself into the electronic scene here in Portland, OR where it seems that venues only want a certain type of music and I feel like I need to sound a certain way to get "in" with the people that make booking decisions. So thanks for reminding me, yet again. :)

 

My question is: Do you have any advice on how to get into playing shows in an environment that seems mostly closed off (even almost allergic to it, it seems) from anything that's the least bit experimental? Like, I've given my material to bookers/promoters, and they dig it, but don't want it played at their venues. It's quite a bit frustrating. I think you mentioned something about this weird-sameness going on in Europe right now, too.

 

I actually have another question, but maybe a little selfish. Will you listen to a few of my tracks and tell me what you think? I can PM some links.

 

Thanks again for inspiration, and awesome music!

 

dunno if were much use in getting u in any scenes in the US. they'd run a mile if u told them u even asked us.

 

just post yr links up here, no need to pm

[Guest Captain Kittens]

No question honestly. I have greatly enjoyed reading this whole thread and anything I can think of asking has already been asked and answered. However....for fun....I have a blue M-Audio Oxygen 49....may I get a name for it please? And actually....6ie.Cr, one of my all-time favorite tracks, can you shed any insight on to how it was created? Roughly? I love that fact that it sounds like really quick snare rolls at different pitches rapping back and forth.

[Sean Ae]

 

Not sure if you guys caught this one...

Hi guys!

 

Thank you for answering so many of these questions. In particular, I've really liked the advice for people making music which basically seems to be, "Do what feels right." It's something that I've thought numerous times before, but after a time tend to forget until I get reminded or think of it again. It's been especially difficult to remember this recently, since I've been trying to insert myself into the electronic scene here in Portland, OR where it seems that venues only want a certain type of music and I feel like I need to sound a certain way to get "in" with the people that make booking decisions. So thanks for reminding me, yet again. :)

 

My question is: Do you have any advice on how to get into playing shows in an environment that seems mostly closed off (even almost allergic to it, it seems) from anything that's the least bit experimental? Like, I've given my material to bookers/promoters, and they dig it, but don't want it played at their venues. It's quite a bit frustrating. I think you mentioned something about this weird-sameness going on in Europe right now, too.

 

I actually have another question, but maybe a little selfish. Will you listen to a few of my tracks and tell me what you think? I can PM some links.

 

Thanks again for inspiration, and awesome music!

 

ah yeah

i mean it's tricky man i don't wanna fuck up your whole career by saying make weird tracks, but if that's what comes naturally then i'm inclined to say do that

 

all depends on what you're trying to achieve

 

i dunno how much time i can give to listening to demos tho soz, i don't wanna open the floodgates

[Guest Nimhbus]

Hi Sean & Rob,

 

Paul Morley has an interesting theory that some band names are so great that they shape the music of the act ; that the band live up to their name, their name somehow gives them their sound, their aura. He was, of course, referring to Joy Division - suggesting that after they changed from Warsaw to JD, the name lifted them, they couldn't not live up to it.

 

Is Autechre one of these names? Certainly it's the most incredible label for your music, but when you found it , did you think it made sense of what you were doing, in some way?

 

Excuse me if that's bollocks, that's what you get for reading Morley.

[Guest WNS000]

 

 

 

Guys,

 

I was listening to Tilapia recently when walking through super-quiet evening streets to a grocery store (countryside) and realized one thing about the mix of the track.

 

It is almost absolutely perfectly balanced volume-wise. I mean, you know when you listen to some great mix really carefully you suddenly start hearing how were things done or start hearing nuances like:

 

- this instrument is slightly more forward sounding and disconnected from the rest

- the snare peaks are too sharp/too dull

- or a sound that is supposed to be in the back sometimes manage to go little bit forward and break the balance of the mix because one of it's bands wasn't compressed/EQed efficiently

 

but even with those flaw the mix still sounds great and you have to be really carefully listening in order to hear it.

 

But with Tilapia, there are no such things to be heard.

 

It's one of the most solid mixes I have ever heard. As I already discussed with Sean it has amazing space and depth for a "dry" track but this super-perfect loudness and peak balance is really stunning for me. I mean...I am speechless, really.

 

I am not going to ask how was it done, but was it difficult or do you remember spending remarkable time mixing this track or choosing sounds for this track? Or is it just a few-times-in-lifetime coincidence of elements that sounds in perfect loudness-harmony together?

 

I am really serious, this is one of the best ever mixes I have heard in my life. Tilapia may sound like a little shy track in the context of others you did but when you realize it's qualities it's a thing to wonder about. Seriously serious.

thanks, well it was mixed as it was made so like, prob didn't take that long tbh

we kind of do stuff as we go, there's no point at which we start mixing, we do it all the way thru

just comes from having made loads of stuff in realtime before we had that kind of full song sequencing available, there's never been a 'mixing stage' as such

 

 

Yeah, you mentioned it somewhere in this thread already. Well, this is a one incredibly lucky track mix-wise then. I mean even in the context of your whole discography, this is the one that is the most stunning mix-wise for me. And you have constantly great mixes so it means something. Big up for this one.

 

thanks

i'll consider what u said, i never thought of that track in that way before

 

 

I hope this is not going to be considered in a way of taking twice as much time between individual releases in order to achieve "the peak of Tilapia".

[Guest Retosik]

i forgot...

 

on my copy of exai, on back, the L in FLeure is uppercase. meanwhile on bleep it's lowercase, "Fleure". Have you changed the L on bleep because the name sounded too much like it made in FLstudio? (lol) i'm asking because your track names were always easy to catalog and tag until this.

[Sean Ae]

No question honestly. I have greatly enjoyed reading this whole thread and anything I can think of asking has already been asked and answered. However....for fun....I have a blue M-Audio Oxygen 49....may I get a name for it please? And actually....6ie.Cr, one of my all-time favorite tracks, can you shed any insight on to how it was created? Roughly? I love that fact that it sounds like really quick snare rolls at different pitches rapping back and forth.

 

yeah it's a cr-8000 being fed thru an rsd10 with the nord controlling the pitch of the rsd10

the second half is the same thing but brutally gated and layered weirdly, can't rem exactly what we did

i forgot...

 

on my copy of exai, on back, the L in FLeure is uppercase. meanwhile on bleep it's lowercase, "Fleure". Have you changed the L on bleep because the name sounded too much like it made in FLstudio? (lol) i'm asking because your track names were always easy to catalog and tag until this.

nah looks like they fucked up

cheers

 

btw i know i'm showing scant disregard for capitalisation ITT

i'm just a lazy punctuator, u prob got that already

 

 

 

 

Guys,

 

I was listening to Tilapia recently when walking through super-quiet evening streets to a grocery store (countryside) and realized one thing about the mix of the track.

 

It is almost absolutely perfectly balanced volume-wise. I mean, you know when you listen to some great mix really carefully you suddenly start hearing how were things done or start hearing nuances like:

 

- this instrument is slightly more forward sounding and disconnected from the rest

- the snare peaks are too sharp/too dull

- or a sound that is supposed to be in the back sometimes manage to go little bit forward and break the balance of the mix because one of it's bands wasn't compressed/EQed efficiently

 

but even with those flaw the mix still sounds great and you have to be really carefully listening in order to hear it.

 

But with Tilapia, there are no such things to be heard.

 

It's one of the most solid mixes I have ever heard. As I already discussed with Sean it has amazing space and depth for a "dry" track but this super-perfect loudness and peak balance is really stunning for me. I mean...I am speechless, really.

 

I am not going to ask how was it done, but was it difficult or do you remember spending remarkable time mixing this track or choosing sounds for this track? Or is it just a few-times-in-lifetime coincidence of elements that sounds in perfect loudness-harmony together?

 

I am really serious, this is one of the best ever mixes I have heard in my life. Tilapia may sound like a little shy track in the context of others you did but when you realize it's qualities it's a thing to wonder about. Seriously serious.

thanks, well it was mixed as it was made so like, prob didn't take that long tbh

we kind of do stuff as we go, there's no point at which we start mixing, we do it all the way thru

just comes from having made loads of stuff in realtime before we had that kind of full song sequencing available, there's never been a 'mixing stage' as such

 

 

Yeah, you mentioned it somewhere in this thread already. Well, this is a one incredibly lucky track mix-wise then. I mean even in the context of your whole discography, this is the one that is the most stunning mix-wise for me. And you have constantly great mixes so it means something. Big up for this one.

 

thanks

i'll consider what u said, i never thought of that track in that way before

 

 

I hope this is not going to be considered in a way of taking twice as much time between individual releases in order to achieve "the peak of Tilapia".

 

yeah, all your fault :D

[Sean Ae]

Hi Sean & Rob,

 

Paul Morley has an interesting theory that some band names are so great that they shape the music of the act ; that the band live up to their name, their name somehow gives them their sound, their aura. He was, of course, referring to Joy Division - suggesting that after they changed from Warsaw to JD, the name lifted them, they couldn't not live up to it.

 

Is Autechre one of these names? Certainly it's the most incredible label for your music, but when you found it , did you think it made sense of what you were doing, in some way?

 

Excuse me if that's bollocks, that's what you get for reading Morley.

 

nah i like it, he knows the power of words

partly his fault i got into all this shit to begin with

 

but yeah we had that title for ages (it was a lego feet track) and it just really stood out as a potent word, it was at least a year before we started using it as a name so we kind of knew by then that it was good

[Rob Ae]

Hi Sean & Rob,

 

Paul Morley has an interesting theory that some band names are so great that they shape the music of the act ; that the band live up to their name, their name somehow gives them their sound, their aura. He was, of course, referring to Joy Division - suggesting that after they changed from Warsaw to JD, the name lifted them, they couldn't not live up to it.

 

Is Autechre one of these names? Certainly it's the most incredible label for your music, but when you found it , did you think it made sense of what you were doing, in some way?

 

Excuse me if that's bollocks, that's what you get for reading Morley.

well as it was unique, that nailed it for a start. it was ours. i like the way it looked as we got to sit with it around for ages - it was initially a track name. Morleys alright!

[Ivan Ooze]

are your fans/and people that enjoy your music the 4th member of autechre

[Chris Toffer]

Yo. you (sean) mentioned having used renoise in the past. Did you use it for a long time or was it just for a short period of time? Have u used any other trackers like openMPT? Could u please name some tracks that you've released that were made in trackers (if any)?

 

and rob, have u used renoise at all also?

 

thanks!!

[Guest jasondonervan]

Is the commonly-referred-to-as 'LP5' album officially named either:

 

- LP5

- Autechre

- Album

 

?