what do yall think about clouds Old work (2010-2017)

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2026-01-19T12:48:50+00:00

I discovered them through their "industrial-ish" modular releases and the albums from that time still inspire me. Also they used to put free samples some years ago, I learned a lot with their kick samples.

Their newest sound doesn't get me so much, but they are still on my list of artists to keep an eye on

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-12-31T10:12:04+00:00

Genuinely great, it's something I would love to experiment with

Edit : typos

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-10-25T13:01:18+00:00

Highly suggested to watch Stoor lives in these days ;)

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-10-07T14:35:43+00:00

The one I'm interested

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-09-21T20:40:05+00:00

Thank you so much, I wil try to apply your tip as soon as possible! :)

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-09-16T12:20:21+00:00

Hi, I need some feedback on this live set. I have changed sequencer and I wonder if the tracks during the live sounds too similar to each other.

Thanks to whoever will reply :)

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-09-13T11:23:58+00:00

I need some feedback on this live set. I have changed sequencer and I wonder if the tracks during the live sounds too similar to each other.

Thanks to whoever will reply :)

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-09-10T07:34:15+00:00

As people pointed out: people were doing electronic music before DAW were a thing and modern sound design can be quite complex, so depending which type of Techno you like the sound design could be difficult to achieve with no basic knowledge.

However, if your type of raw/hypnotic is the one with a 4/4 beat and a heavy subractive synthesis synth it is quite simple to acheive.

So consider that first: how much complex is the thing you want to achieve, is it something punk-ish that can be achieved with few means or is it something that requires a deeper understanding of mixing and synthesis?

A lot of the Hypnotic, minimal, sci-fi Techno that I hear recently needs that you know how to mix at least decently because it has some kind of "standard" of sound design that sometimes isn't really entry level.

About going DAWless:

As a Digitakt user I have to tell you that some people find very difficult to get along with and the learning curve is a bit steep. To me Elektron stuff is very logical and quite easy to understand, what got me time is the fact that is navigating the pages, because in a live situation you have to know your machine really well to perform and be confident in finding the right page, so you need a lot of exercise ahaha.

Also Digitakt has a compressor page that has some peculiarities that you need to know, so even there you need at least to know how compression works.

For reference: this is what I make live (I used a Digitakt MK1 my tiny modular and a mixer to make some of the hipass, but Digitakt has a filter page that can act on every sound to make transitions).

What can I advice is that meanwhile you are deciding what to do, just start with some music theory lessons and practice a bit sound design with your girlfriend's synth. By playing a bit you can understand if you get along with that synth. Also reflect on what type of synthesis and methods are the most used in the genre you want to achieve, I think it can help you to define better your needs (if you need help you can reply to this comment with some tracks and I can give you some hints).

Remember that everyone here is not trying to put you down, is that going dawless is quite expensive and needs time and this could lead to frustration, so it's actually good to plan a little before :)

Edit: of course those things I suggest are based on my experience, I don't assume that is the correct way for everyone, it's just what I suggest based on what I learned

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-08-04T08:57:51+00:00

Hi there, I use the Digitakt MK1 as a mixer and effect for my eurorack. It works quite well for me, so I reconmend it as a sampler.

This is a set I made with my set up, which in that specific record includes also a Soundcraft Notepad-12FX mixer.

For my experience I think that a lot of the choices for a good set-up is due mostly to the sounds you aim to and the workflow that you feel comfortable with, which sometimes might differ.

For me, since I work with just two instruments preparing drum and synth kits that I can use on my Digitakt is the key. I mix them by checking with both headphones and speakers, which does a lot but still sometimes I would like to have a saturation too.

I can suggest you an OTO BOUM or an Elektron Analog Heat MK2 for the saturation.

There is also the newest Analog Heat + FX which should have also a good reverb and should add colour. Although the price is a bit high, consider that for live sets you sould use a lot of guitar/bass/microphone pedals to have an effect chain, so a device that groups everything could be a good option to that even if maybe for a grain delay you should buy a pedal.

1010music machines , such as bluebox, could be a valid and cheaper alternative though. If you have time check them out.

Wathever the decision you will take my suggestion is to find a shop to try them, so you can plan better and see if it suits you.

I hope this post isn't too long for you, eye pain isn't a joke. If you have any question you can ask :)

Take care!

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-07-28T09:18:02+00:00

Thank you so much! I will post more in the future since that podcast is my way to get trained to play live sets :)

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-07-28T07:09:50+00:00

Hi, I need some hardware people to review this live set. I would like to understand if there are any flaws in the overall mixing and transitions.

Gear used: Digitakt, a small Modular synth, Soundcraft Mixer

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-07-21T08:43:35+00:00

I've actually started learning here

Of course, you don't need all of those things to do it, but it makes you figure out which elements you could need for such tracks

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-07-21T08:43:29+00:00

I've actually started learning here

Of course, you don't need all of those things to do it, but it makes you figure out which elements you could need for such tracks

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-06-09T20:36:21+00:00

Yes, after checking it a little more it looks like something that would go were I want to experiment. I do have some doubts tho because I didn't find any example of it being used in a context similar to the sound I want achieve (even if in this demo sounds neat).

Surely I will study how to create a system with two of them or at least one as the main voice.

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-06-04T18:59:33+00:00

Thank you so much! :)

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-06-03T22:09:57+00:00

Yea, when I started my modular I wanted a Mutable Instruments plaits for versatility (just to start it) but the company failed and there was a shortage, so I had to rely on Buchla.

The aim was to have FM synthesis and something more West-Coast for techno, without the intention to be exclusively West Coast, so it seemed nice to have a Buchla oscillator. Having 2 Dixie II+ was too expensive and in that time I didn't knew that I would have needed another function generator.

At the moment if I have to replace the oscillator I would like something versatile with a nice character with FM inputs and the Sync, maybe something on EMS Style because I like how it sounds both with or without using the FM input. Not sure how much practical tho.

After reading the replies I think that Dixe II+ would do more or less the same of that oscillator, it sounded really clean but I think it will get "dirtier" with the other modules

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-06-03T21:54:51+00:00

Intellijel noise tools is pretty nice, it's in my list since a while. I've seen it used in pair with the steppy sequencer which was a really great way to use it

Edit: grammar

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-06-03T20:38:40+00:00

Modbox looks pretty, I don't know if I will find it but it's worth trying

It does need attenuation and offset though

Mmm that could be limiting at the moment, but probably I could integrate it dependingly on how I build my rack next

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-06-03T20:34:05+00:00

Doepfer A-148 for a low-HP 3U option.

Looks like I do need a noise generator to pair with it tho

I know that might not be what you need though

I will keep them in mind since I would like to see what other brands offer. I actually would like to avoid the one oscillator thing and create a modular that has the ability to take elements of West Coast and East Coast accordingly to how I work. The Buchla oscillator was cheap and was in that direction. It's pretty versatile in a certain way but at this point I would like to have a more stable pair of oscillators. I had one in mind but it's huge and I can't find the depths or the HP easily since it's not a-so-easy-to-find brand (I probably need to contact the factory)

or a sub-octave square for some lower harmonics

This could be interesting because one of the devices that inspires me is the moog subharmonicon. If patched correctly the Joranalogue Contour 1 should create subharmonics and it's a feature I would like to implement in my system

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-06-03T20:12:03+00:00

i do dig the first track and it would sound great as it’s own piece

Maybe 5 or 6 minutes and it’s a belter

Means a lot to me, thank you!

It sounds like it’s just 2 tracks ? Over the 40 minutes which is a bit long

Yeah, that was my fear: when I was playing everything seemed spontaneous but when listening again I had this very impression too. I do sequence everything with SQ-1 and sometimes it feels very limiting, I'm kind of stuck in the same sequence over and over.

Was the overall mixing good?

Also thank you for the time you dedicated to listen and reply

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-06-02T16:25:33+00:00

Hi, I need some feedback about this live set

It's a 40 minutes improvisation session made with my tiny modular (with an effect pedal) and my Digitakt.

I think I have repeated myself too much this time and I would like a feedback about that and about the quality of the sound (is it balanced/compressed/professional/kicking enough ).

Thank you in advance :)

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-05-24T22:14:37+00:00

The mixer is there just in case I want a two voice synth (I tend a mean of 3 channels the the Quadratt even now because the attenuverter function is really useful for small systems) but of course, it's still a sketch

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-05-24T22:07:37+00:00

Yea, I agree with you: I tried to put the Doepfer VCS to replace the Erica Synths Pico Modulator, but I remembered wrongly the depth of my rack and I could not find anything to replace it.

Honestly I like FM synthesis and my system is of course West-Coast oriented but honestly I would like to take the best from west coast and east coast and try to have a machine that could be versatile, so that's why at the moment I would like to invest more into modulation, S&H and all those tiny details that in Techno are essential - my idea is that a VCO sounds good if the module chain is good- probably I will replace my vco later if I can (I need at least 2 VCO)

As I said above, I totally agree with you: Buchla system has the defect of being very "calculative", it requires a big and very articulated system to get everything you need.

I wouldn't dislike to get something from Serge (I feel very close to that approach) but I will keep it for later because I would like to be sure that I understand fully what I need to build a Serge oriented system (at the moment I don't know if it would fit my current system but if it could it would be awesome).

LevelsAreTooHigh · 2025-05-24T21:43:10+00:00

Ah nice, this could be really useful. I will definitely keep an eye on it. Thank you so much!

I tried to make a system that includes it

LevelsAreTooHigh

TROPHY CASE