Feed1's kicks

[Sam 17]

I suppose it could be anyone's guess - but wtf is going with those kicks in Feed1?

 

Are they generative patterns with wild swing, kinda shuffling between a quarter note and triplet feel? They're so far behind (or in front?) of the beat at times it's ridiculous. 

 

 

 

 

 

[hello spiral 1745]

No idea but god I love this track.

Feels like the one that has the most 'mileage' on elseq. ie you'll be realising and clicking with things in this you hadn't noticed until now for years to come.

[amad 37]

drum kicks in ae have always been something i was really attentive of.

 

i can see this same kind of kick syncopation in tracks like Tilapia, Tewe, and Confield and Oversteps Live Sets (like all the time), and more synthetic versions in the track around 1h mark in onesix (and many moments in AE_LIVE).

From what I tried to count they normally divide the 4/4 time in 10,5 equal beats and then just silence or double some of those beats to give interest. it's rather simple but absolutely ingenious. 

[Amen Lare 355]

Ain't it your typical idm kick beat, a fashion probably initialized by ae themselves in mid-to-late 90s?

 

Super juicy and made to be center of attention on this particular track, true

[IOS 440]

My theory:

 

4/4 at about 168bpm

 

First bass drum heard in the piece falls on the first beat.

 

Bass drum 'core' pattern is two bars long, in eighth notes, like this

|1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . |1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . |
|B . . B . . B . |. B . . B . . . | 

A Max patch then decides based on some probability/rule, which of those 5 bass drum triggers to retrigger. If it chooses to retrigger a BD, it does so after 3 sixteenths. So you can have the following variations

|1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . |1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . |
|B .B. B . . B . |. B . . B . . . | 

|B . . B .B. B . |. B . . B . . . | 

|B . . B . . B .B|. B . . B . . . | 

|B . . B . . B . |. B .B. B . . . | 

|B . . B . . B . |. B . . B .B. . | 

and of course any combination of two or more.

[Sam 17]

My theory:

 

4/4 at about 168bpm

 

First bass drum heard in the piece falls on the first beat.

 

Bass drum 'core' pattern is two bars long, in eighth notes, like this

|1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . |1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . |
|B . . B . . B . |. B . . B . . . | 

A Max patch then decides based on some probability/rule, which of those 5 bass drum triggers to retrigger. If it chooses to retrigger a BD, it does so after 3 sixteenths. So you can have the following variations

|1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . |1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . |
|B .B. B . . B . |. B . . B . . . | 

|B . . B .B. B . |. B . . B . . . | 

|B . . B . . B .B|. B . . B . . . | 

|B . . B . . B . |. B .B. B . . . | 

|B . . B . . B . |. B . . B .B. . | 

and of course any combination of two or more.

Fucking awesome post man! Impressive dissection :)

 

Good bit of food for production thought there. Hats off!

[noairbag 0]

Nice theory IOS...there's a higher pitched sound that seems like its driving the kick to me but hitting after using midi delay

[IOS 440]

Fucking awesome post man! Impressive dissection :)

 

Freaking awesome topic if you ask me, op

 

I had a more careful listen to the track and what do you know, there's more stuff happening in the logic behind the bass drum pattern.

 

 

Nice theory IOS...there's a higher pitched sound that seems like its driving the kick to me but hitting after using midi delay

 

I know which one you mean. The squelchy synth that causes ripples in the spectrum. It doesn't seem to be related to the bass drum by some midi delay, more like a similar process is used in those two elements and the resulting patterns share common characteristics, so inadvertently there's an interesting dialogue happening between the two.

 

Fun fact: when they first broadcast this track on BBC radio, this sound was missing from the sonogram (because of broadcasting filtering chopping off high frequencies etc).

[Salvatorin 292]

hadn't seen this before:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4k2RR9tcgQ

[Amen Lare 355]

Damn enough with this epileptic shit, it's cliche as fuck and kills everything, otherwise nice shapes and colors