is it true Go Plastic by Squarepusher featured no computer wizardry?

[PhylumZunami]

I read on the wiki that the album was done without a computer. in my opinion, that seems so unrealistic that i've been listening to it all morning trying to figure out what the hell is going on. certain sections are obviously performed and recorded, but other sections are so meticulous and drawn out/lacking repetitiveness, that it doesn't really seem to be plausible.

 

I'm not sure of what technology was available back in 2001, but i can't imagine that album being arranged, sliced and chopped with no computer interference. Any of you guys/girls have any mind-blowing info on the subject?

 

Is it actually not that big of a deal?

[MisterE]

well considering that any kind of digital doohickey is a computer, if he used a digital sequencer, then no. its not the case.

[Bechuga]

All I remember is a (slightly sycophantic) phone interview between Hrvatski and Squarepusher, where Hrvatski asked about the computer software he used to make Go Plastic, to which Tom replied he used no computers at all and only began using them in earnest afterwards.

 

As to what your definition of a computer in this case is, I'll leave that to other pedantic souls to conclude.

[PhylumZunami]

I'm talking about using a DAW. On a personal computer. What else would i be referring to?

[Bechuga]

I was referring to another post in this thread, not you :P

 

But no, from what he said in that chat, no DAW. Just hardware stuff pushed to the very edges of what it could do. You might be able to find the audio of it if you look around the internet highway.

[PhylumZunami]

I was referring to another post in this thread, not you :P

 

But no, from what he said in that chat, no DAW. Just hardware stuff pushed to the very edges of what it could do. You might be able to find the audio of it if you look around the internet highway.

Insanity. Complete insanity! Its legitimately been blowing my mind all morning. I saw the TechTalk interview or whatever on youtube where he's all "i want it to be digital and brutal" in his best british accent, and he was using what looked to be an early form of reaktor to shape some sounds.

 

Could have been unrelated footage, but either way, the man goes out of his way to be a badass motherfucker.

 

If anyone has any insight on specific processes he used for glitching with hardware, i'd love to know more. Really fascinating stuff.

[AAAAh]

He uses a qy700, that's a seriously powerful digital midi sequencer, but not a daw. It would be possible i suppose with something like that.

[PhylumZunami]

i didn't know something like this existed... shows how much i know!

not gonna lie, from the pics I've seen of this, shit looks like a real bitch and a half to program. its like a draconian maschine studio.

[hello spiral]

The most interesting thing about Go Plastic imo (besides how fucking awesome it is) is how it's thematically twinned with Music Is Rotted One Note.

[Icct]

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may11/articles/sqpshr.htm

 

very good read if you enjoy his work... here's a picture of it in his studio

 

Edited July 12, 2014 by Icct

[KovalainenFanBoy]

 

 

Despite this, Squarepusher claims that the album was not produced using a computer but rather by utilizing a range of hardware including the Eventide DSP4000 and Orville digital effects processors, BOSS DR-660 and Yamaha QY700 sequencers, Yamaha TX81Z and FS1R synthesizers, and an Akai S6000 sampler.

 

The source seems to be a "Rockin' On Magazine" 2004 issue interview, but the wiki link redirects to Squarepusher.net

[joshuatxuk]

He was using a mixer and reel to reel back in 1996, so claim of no DAW or beat-slicer for Go Plastic doesn't shock me.

[Bechuga]

The most surprising thing was the Pitchfork review of the album, which states it is a boring album with Jenkinson "on automatic", giving it a 5.0. That's like listening to a Slayer album and asking where the metal riffs are.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Bechuga

[phudoshin]

Go plastic is amazing for its total brilliant coherency in a blizzard of utter fucked up timeshifts, off-kilter melodies, brutal noisebursts and sheer chaoticness.

 

 

"My fucking sound" says it all quite literally, literally....

[Hugh Mughnus]

Go plastic is amazing for its total brilliant coherency in a blizzard of utter fucked up timeshifts, off-kilter melodies, brutal noisebursts and sheer chaoticness.

 

 

"My fucking sound" says it all quite literally, literally....

 

That grandfather clock bass

 

drools*

[pcock]

best album

[Zephyr_Nova]

Damn, I was not aware. I just heard he used Reaktor for go plastic and figured that was for both sound design and sequencing. Crazy.

[bossman]

yea qy700

 

he is a madman

[awepittance]

there is a video someone found of Squarepusher using cooledit pro 2.0 during the era of Go Plastic, which is pretty much exactly what I predicted he used to do a lot of the hyper editing and effects on Go Plastic. A lot of people claim he did all the effects entirely on an Eventide effects processor, which could also be true but he'd still have to stitch them all together to get those quick editing sounds (like a long reverb tail on one snare being abruptly cut off), hence a DAW wave editor. The sequencing and composition could have been done on hardware I guess. .

Edited July 12, 2014 by John Ehrlichman

[awepittance]

 

Despite this, Squarepusher claims that the album was not produced using a computer but rather by utilizing a range of hardware including the Eventide DSP4000 and Orville digital effects processors, BOSS DR-660 and Yamaha QY700 sequencers, Yamaha TX81Z and FS1R synthesizers, and an Akai S6000 sampler.

 

The source seems to be a "Rockin' On Magazine" 2004 issue interview, but the wiki link redirects to Squarepusher.net

 

that's all very plausible, but you can't stitch together tons of mini effects passes with an Akai S6000 unless you wanted to drive yourself completely mad, a computer DAW editing setup would speed up this process 10 fold. Imo the Daw/Cooledit or whatever wave editor he used is the entire crux of what makes go Plastic sound so goddam good. He could have also just used protools or something more typically found in a studio than Cooledit, but again there are videos of him using Cooledit pro 2.0. He also did a lot of DAW micro editing on Music for the Rotted One Note using what sound like similar methods

Edited July 12, 2014 by John Ehrlichman

[PhylumZunami]

there is a video someone found of Squarepusher using cooledit pro 2.0 during the era of Go Plastic, which is pretty much exactly what I predicted he used to do a lot of the hyper editing and effects on Go Plastic. A lot of people claim he did all the effects entirely on an Eventide effects processor, which could also be true but he'd still have to stitch them all together to get those quick editing sounds (like a long reverb tail on one snare being abruptly cut off), hence a DAW wave editor. The sequencing and composition could have been done on hardware I guess. .

exactly my gripe. it almost seems impossible to be "stitched" together without the use of a DAW. lots of it sounds like it was composed in a tracker of some sort too.

[MadameChaos]

It was made with a computer and Tom is a certified wizard... so no.

[zlemflolia]

well considering that any kind of digital doohickey is a computer, if he used a digital sequencer, then no. its not the case.

Not all digital doohickeys are computers

[fenton]

a qy700 is unmistakably a computer, and a daw, just not traditionally.

[PhylumZunami]

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may11/articles/sqpshr.htm

 

very good read if you enjoy his work... here's a picture of it in his studio

 

interesting read for sure.