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Challenge: Make a tune without any reverb or delay

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:08 pm
by gremino
Here are the rules:

1. No reverb or delay.
2. Samples can contain some reverb or delay, but they musn't be essential part of the sample's character. If you make your own samples, don't add any reverb or delay. Use common sense and be honest please!
3. The tune must be dance music.

It doesn't need to be necessarily 5-6 minutes long - 1-2min will also do fine.

This is not a competition, just a challenge. Upload the results (in Mediafire, Yousendit, Myspace, Virb etc...) and post them in this thread.

The idea for this came from Pitchfork's 'The Month In: Techno' (july) column, where the writer asked people to write manifestos mainly for djs and producers. One of the rules was: "Producers must make half of their tracks without reverb or delay...now we're talkin'!"

This "rule" made me thinking, can you really fill the space with true content: melodies, riffs, chords, rhythms - composition in general. Or can you really make that good and excting sound that it can stand on it's own without any reverb or delay?

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:39 pm
by fiziks
not possible.


:D

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:51 pm
by junglist
Blasphemy!

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 1:59 pm
by FSTZ1
EASY!

but why bother

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:13 pm
by Disco Nutter
FSTZ wrote:EASY!
That's what I think. Reverb and Delay are not THAT importat for a tune imo. You can make a crowdmover without those effects.

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:31 pm
by FSTZ1
yeah I agree

I love the tune fights and challenges

just don't see that as THAT big of a deal

try making a tune without a snare or something like that

little bit harder, but not impossible

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:49 pm
by gremino
I'd rather see your contributions than typing "Blasphemy!" or similar.

Btw, gonna add more text to the first post.

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:13 pm
by lojik
FSTZ wrote:yeah I agree

I love the tune fights and challenges

just don't see that as THAT big of a deal

try making a tune without a snare or something like that

little bit harder, but not impossible
I've made trance without a snare before. Sounded pretty cool!

i can get the sound i want out of delay

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:46 pm
by the good doctor
so here is my first offering to the challenge

Re: i can get the sound i want out of delay

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:21 pm
by gremino
the good doctor wrote:so here is my first offering to the challenge
You forgot to put the link! :)

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:41 pm
by FSTZ1
his myspace link is in his sig

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 5:49 pm
by abstractsound
just use acoustic drum samples and room sound

and record your beat from down the hall into another microphone and then mix that in

reverb and delay without plugins or effects... uh oh!?!?!?!

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:05 pm
by black lotus
lol you know you can program delays without using any delay effects. :P
also, does granular delay count if it doesn't "sound" like delay?

oh man there are so many potential loopholes to this. not too difficult though..

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:16 pm
by abZ
black lotus wrote:lol you know you can program delays without using any delay effects. :P
also, does granular delay count if it doesn't "sound" like delay?

oh man there are so many potential loopholes to this. not too difficult though..
Yeah I do that quite often. I kinda had to when I used Reason especially the earlier versions. But technically it is still an echo effect even of you aren't using an actual echo plug in. Room sounds are still reverb too. I think there is too much grey area to make a contest work but if it's just for fun who gives a shit?

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:22 pm
by FSTZ1
abZ wrote:who gives a shit?

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:33 pm
by gremino
Abstractsound and Black Lotus, There was written in rule number two: Use common sense.

At the end of the day, you can find pigoen holes from quite much everywhere by purposely pigoen holing them.

Yes, it is true that these things are also a matter of how you interpret them. Like if you have snare playing two times in a very short time, the latter snare being more quiet, you could interpret it as a delay, or then just as a part of the rhythm. But if you just could do the tunes first, then we could do the actual thinking about how to interpret them. It's no use to think too much these kind of things beforehand when this isn't a competition, because then there would be just too much creativity blocking rules.

And this is not a contest, I just want to hear what people can do without these effects. I started to make a tune in this fashion, and I enjoyed it, and felt that I even learnt something. I suggest that you would do the same.

You guys have still A LOT to learn...

Re: Challenge: Make a tune without any reverb or delay

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:40 pm
by konrad
gremino wrote: melodies, riffs, chords, rhythms - composition in general. Or can you really make that good and excting sound that it can stand on it's own without any reverb or delay?
woah ease up!!
Composition, Melodies, riffs, chords and rhythms! In dubstep?!!

:lol:

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:58 pm
by black lotus
gremino wrote: You guys have still A LOT to learn...
Wow, that's not insulting! I'm going to let this slide because you don't really know me at all, speaking of having a lot to learn.

I wasn't saying anything about the validity of your little experiment. What I am saying is this is wholly uncomplicated. Nothing more. I'm not really sure how you interpreted my words, but I'm pretty sure you did it wrong. Never once did I imply that it was a competition.

Additionally, having limitations creates a circumstance where you are forced to adapt. Your idea here isn't necessarily opening anything up to more freedom of creativity, in fact you are purposefully limiting in order to get different results.

You suggest we do the same? Why because you learned something from a simple exercise, therefor everyone else should too?

You need to learn some manners. Cheers anyway man..

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:33 pm
by feasible_weasel

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:37 pm
by FSTZ1
gremino wrote:You guys have still A LOT to learn...
production is a neverending quest