I would never have guessed that a Noise Gate could give such a similar pulsing/pumping sound to a Compressor in Ducking mode. I can foresee a whole string of tutorial videos coming soon. Keep them coming please.
Absolutely! I’ve got two more coming on the DS201. The next one is about using it as a key’s gate and although that sounds straightforward there are still some tricks. And of course it sounds *great* and somehow different to plugin gates. But the third video is where the fun really is because there are several tricks and unusual applications. Watch this space…
Oh I hope you love it! You’re a guitarist, right? It’s *fantastic* on guitars! There’s a record by an indie band on Rough Trade whose name I mention in the opening of my noise video. The iconic guitar opening of their most famous song the guitarist told everybody was tremolo from Fender twins that were hard to keep in time. He was fibbing - it was a guitar through a Drawmer DS201. Don’t say the name of the band or the track because I will be making a video about (a) that sound, and (b) the fact that soooo many producers and musicians in the 80s fibbed. Although if you don’t know what I’m talking about I’ll give you more clues ;) Seoadately to that, if you like Cocteau Twins check out the album Heaven or Las Vegas. All those synth sounds are actually guitar. For example, the opening to Pitch the Baby is guitar through a Drawmer DS201.
Thank you so much! Really appreciate that. It’s still less than 3 months old so early days. But everyone is being extremely encouraging :) Really appreciate you watching and commenting!
Love this. But could you reveal how the pulse is made for the kick drum signal. I am assuming it is a “gate” out from some type of drum machine..but I’m not sure.
Oh I’m so pleased! I’m in the middle of making a channel trailer which will explain what this channel is all about (because it’s less than 2 months old) but I will be covering some songwriting theory as well as cool things to do with guitars as well as keyboards. The emphasis will probably be on 80s style pop, but there will always be ‘real music’ as opposed to me hitting a key and saying ‘listen to that sound’! I’m also planning some live streaming where I accept challenges to create synthpop in real time according to parameters set by other people! Anyway, really appreciate you watching and your comment :)
Great video. I have just bought two Ds 201' off eBay. One working and one not. (I have repair Electronics knowledge so repair shouldn't be too difficult). Looking forward to patching them in and playing around with them.. good video very informative.
Oh I bet the ‘broken’ is easy to fix and ends up being fantastic value. I don’t know if you’ve opened them up yet but the build quality is very good. btw I think the front knobs come off with a grub screw. Although you don’t actually need to remove them just to clean the pots with Deoxit. I’d be fascinated to know how your repairs go.
@@DistortThePreamp The Broken was a simple cracked fuse holder internally. Couldnt get much simpler. now I have two DS201's and no idea how to use either properly yet, But sending a key signal does to either unit does make it react. 2 units for the price of one. Love a bargain don't you. I need to work out routing and signallng from Cubase>UAD apollo>Drawmer and back without feeding back on itselt and looping. How about a paid lesson from your good self to help me figure it all out (as you clearly have)?
Oh that's a fantastic piece of kit! It's amazing to think that Ivor Drawmer build an entire company and career on the relatively simple concept of adding a filter to the detection circuit of a gate. It seems so obvious now, but he was the first and really nobody has ever done it better. I've though about getting a 404 because, well, you can never have too many Drawmer products, right? Thanks so much for watching and for commenting :)
I'm loving this channel, I came after wathcing the hypnotic arps video (i have a Pro 1 that I love), do you have any tips for writing arps? I mean the actual notes, bc yours sound really musical Thanks in advance! Hope u continue with this great content
That’s so kind! I’m very behind on content at the moment, so sorry that I’m not producing videos fast enough. Your question is a very interesting one, and the answer is yes. I’m planning to make a whole video about this, but I’m still wondering how theoretical to make it. Essentially there are a few tricks: you have a simple chord progression in your mind, but the trick is that you let a chord establish and then add extra notes to create suspensions. It’s also great when you change the number of notes in an arpeggio - for example, going from 4 notes to 5 notes - because it means that the arpeggio cycle is no longer the same as the bar cycle. I promise you I’ll have a go at talking about this on camera, which means I’ll have to figure out exactly what I’m doing 🤣
@@DistortThePreamp thanks a lot! even just the change from 4 to 5 notes is something I could never have thought about, great idea I hope theres a video about this in the future! Cheers
This is awesome, great trick to blend like that I would have been pulling my hair out trying to use the decay to shorten the kick, as you say it can become a game of fiddling. Thanks very much great channel!!
So just to be clear on this, the short square wave pulse you mention is just another sequenced audio track of short square wave "stabs" played in time with the kick drum routed into the gate?
So yes and no. I’m using a RD-9 drum machine which is a 909 clone. As well as having the instrument outs it also has three trigger outs. It’s those trigger outs which are generating the short pulse. So in this respect you’re completely correct. The only thing I’m not doing is using a dedicated synth to generate the square pulse. Having said all of that, if I didn’t have the trigger outs then I probably would do exactly that. And that has other advantages because, unlike the trigger, you can then vary the lengths and get even more cool effects.
Haha, thank you! It’s actually not all that loud although it’s certainly loud enough to move the air. It’s actually 75dB which is quite loud but not too loud. The way I have my monitoring set up is that I have two volumes only - 75dB, and dimmed (which I’ve measure at -9.5dB below). Having these volumes more or less constant helps a lot, although I do most of my mixing on the quieter setting. And I *never* wear headphones unless there something very specific I want to check, usually in the low end. It’s so live to play instruments and hear the music in the air. Thank you so much for watching and commenting :)
ah yes a gate could be used that way, good point! :) I was using envelope follower with inverse automation on gain before and that was quite easy to control and worked rather well. still felt better than a compressor somehow
That’s an interesting technique! I think all ways are legitimate, but it’s so true that a traditional compressor doesn’t give you quite the control you’re looking for. An envelope follower is a very novel solution! Thanks for watching and commenting - very much appreciated!
Wow Great channel,renewed my love hardware. Any I just bought an Sd 201 on eBay and I’m looking for for some help with the set up particularly with a connection diagram. I’m looking to trigger it from the arp from a Nord but affect the pad on another synth. Any pointers would be really appreciated. Keep the stuff coming because I’m loving it.
Oh that’s my Arturia KeyStep Pro. It’s built well although I wish it had more octaves. I don’t use it for any sequencing though - that’s all done on the Pyramid Squarp.
Yes, all totally Dawless. At the moment I use the Squarp Pyramid. There is one caveat which is that once I’ve recorded into the DAW and it’s time to do overdubs then I still sequence from the Pyramid but I run clock from the DAW. This needs some tricks as I record off the grid but, essentially, I move the DAW grid *onto* my recording. This way I get all of the feel of my wonky midi but I can still sequence additional overdubs. I will definitely make a video about all of this because LITERALLY NOBODY has shown how to do this on UA-cam, but all my content is backed up at the moment because I’m changing my lights 🙄
@@DistortThePreamp considering buying one as I want a sequencer to write full song arrangements on rather than a 16 step loop device. Keystep Pro was fun but the limitations drove me insane. Obviously, keeping things DAWless...
Well, FWIW that was exactly my experience too. I do all of my electronic writing, arrangement, and production in the Pyramid. It took me a while to figure out a workflow though, and the way I work isn’t necessarily how everyone else does. I’m planning a mega video on this - it will probably be a series…
Here after after the hypnotic arp video!🎉
Thank you so much! Glad you’re liking the videos :)
Your videos are fantastically in-depth and I love that you are using actual amazing vintage hardware. Great channel!!!
Oh that’s a really fantastic comment! You could definitely substitute the word “cheap” for the word “vintage” 😂
Super helpful info and the track is chef's kiss! Thank you!
Thank you so much! Really glad you like the video :)
I would never have guessed that a Noise Gate could give such a similar pulsing/pumping sound to a Compressor in Ducking mode. I can foresee a whole string of tutorial videos coming soon. Keep them coming please.
Absolutely! I’ve got two more coming on the DS201. The next one is about using it as a key’s gate and although that sounds straightforward there are still some tricks. And of course it sounds *great* and somehow different to plugin gates. But the third video is where the fun really is because there are several tricks and unusual applications. Watch this space…
Thank you for all of the vids! New fave youtube channel.
Thank you so much! Means a lot…
I bought mine on eBay, and I’m picking it up tomorrow. I can’t wait to have a play.
Oh I hope you love it! You’re a guitarist, right? It’s *fantastic* on guitars! There’s a record by an indie band on Rough Trade whose name I mention in the opening of my noise video. The iconic guitar opening of their most famous song the guitarist told everybody was tremolo from Fender twins that were hard to keep in time. He was fibbing - it was a guitar through a Drawmer DS201. Don’t say the name of the band or the track because I will be making a video about (a) that sound, and (b) the fact that soooo many producers and musicians in the 80s fibbed. Although if you don’t know what I’m talking about I’ll give you more clues ;) Seoadately to that, if you like Cocteau Twins check out the album Heaven or Las Vegas. All those synth sounds are actually guitar. For example, the opening to Pitch the Baby is guitar through a Drawmer DS201.
@@DistortThePreamp I’m a classical guitarist. I’ll have to try putting my guitar through the Drawmer. Thank you for the suggestion.
Loving the new channel please keep it up.
Thank you so much! Really appreciate that. It’s still less than 3 months old so early days. But everyone is being extremely encouraging :) Really appreciate you watching and commenting!
@@DistortThePreamp I now have a DS201 in the post to me as my first piece of outboard gear.
Love this. But could you reveal how the pulse is made for the kick drum signal. I am assuming it is a “gate” out from some type of drum machine..but I’m not sure.
I’m new into making music and this has been very enlightening and helpful. Looking forward to more. Thank you.
Oh I’m so pleased! I’m in the middle of making a channel trailer which will explain what this channel is all about (because it’s less than 2 months old) but I will be covering some songwriting theory as well as cool things to do with guitars as well as keyboards. The emphasis will probably be on 80s style pop, but there will always be ‘real music’ as opposed to me hitting a key and saying ‘listen to that sound’! I’m also planning some live streaming where I accept challenges to create synthpop in real time according to parameters set by other people! Anyway, really appreciate you watching and your comment :)
very cool
🙏🙏🙏
Great video. I have just bought two Ds 201' off eBay. One working and one not. (I have repair Electronics knowledge so repair shouldn't be too difficult). Looking forward to patching them in and playing around with them.. good video very informative.
Oh I bet the ‘broken’ is easy to fix and ends up being fantastic value. I don’t know if you’ve opened them up yet but the build quality is very good. btw I think the front knobs come off with a grub screw. Although you don’t actually need to remove them just to clean the pots with Deoxit. I’d be fascinated to know how your repairs go.
@@DistortThePreamp The Broken was a simple cracked fuse holder internally. Couldnt get much simpler. now I have two DS201's and no idea how to use either properly yet, But sending a key signal does to either unit does make it react. 2 units for the price of one. Love a bargain don't you. I need to work out routing and signallng from Cubase>UAD apollo>Drawmer and back without feeding back on itselt and looping. How about a paid lesson from your good self to help me figure it all out (as you clearly have)?
It would be my pleasure! Drop me an email (in the description)
what a sound! Love the channel
Thank you so much! It’s such a wonderful effect to tune in…
Fantastic stuff mate! Love your new channel. Watching all the way over in sunny Canada. Subbed!
Awesome! So glad you like it!
Some good tips. Great content
Thank you!
Very cool i have a ds 404 great channel man
Oh that's a fantastic piece of kit! It's amazing to think that Ivor Drawmer build an entire company and career on the relatively simple concept of adding a filter to the detection circuit of a gate. It seems so obvious now, but he was the first and really nobody has ever done it better. I've though about getting a 404 because, well, you can never have too many Drawmer products, right? Thanks so much for watching and for commenting :)
I'm loving this channel, I came after wathcing the hypnotic arps video (i have a Pro 1 that I love), do you have any tips for writing arps? I mean the actual notes, bc yours sound really musical
Thanks in advance! Hope u continue with this great content
That’s so kind! I’m very behind on content at the moment, so sorry that I’m not producing videos fast enough. Your question is a very interesting one, and the answer is yes. I’m planning to make a whole video about this, but I’m still wondering how theoretical to make it. Essentially there are a few tricks: you have a simple chord progression in your mind, but the trick is that you let a chord establish and then add extra notes to create suspensions. It’s also great when you change the number of notes in an arpeggio - for example, going from 4 notes to 5 notes - because it means that the arpeggio cycle is no longer the same as the bar cycle. I promise you I’ll have a go at talking about this on camera, which means I’ll have to figure out exactly what I’m doing 🤣
@@DistortThePreamp thanks a lot! even just the change from 4 to 5 notes is something I could never have thought about, great idea
I hope theres a video about this in the future!
Cheers
This is awesome, great trick to blend like that I would have been pulling my hair out trying to use the decay to shorten the kick, as you say it can become a game of fiddling. Thanks very much great channel!!
Thank you! Really appreciate you watching and your very kind comment about the channel :)
Great stuff, just found your channel 👌🏼 great content 👍🏼
Oh fantastic! Thank you so much for watching!
@@DistortThePreamp you have a great way of presenting 👌🏼 watching what you have next 👍🏼👍🏼
Hopefully there will be a new video in the next few days… if I can get it together 🙄
So just to be clear on this, the short square wave pulse you mention is just another sequenced audio track of short square wave "stabs" played in time with the kick drum routed into the gate?
So yes and no. I’m using a RD-9 drum machine which is a 909 clone. As well as having the instrument outs it also has three trigger outs. It’s those trigger outs which are generating the short pulse. So in this respect you’re completely correct. The only thing I’m not doing is using a dedicated synth to generate the square pulse. Having said all of that, if I didn’t have the trigger outs then I probably would do exactly that. And that has other advantages because, unlike the trigger, you can then vary the lengths and get even more cool effects.
@@DistortThePreamp I greatly appreciate the reply and clarity. Thank you.
Lovely stuff. Sounds great.
Why do I get the feeling you're playing everything in your studio at about 120dB?
Haha, thank you! It’s actually not all that loud although it’s certainly loud enough to move the air. It’s actually 75dB which is quite loud but not too loud. The way I have my monitoring set up is that I have two volumes only - 75dB, and dimmed (which I’ve measure at -9.5dB below). Having these volumes more or less constant helps a lot, although I do most of my mixing on the quieter setting. And I *never* wear headphones unless there something very specific I want to check, usually in the low end. It’s so live to play instruments and hear the music in the air. Thank you so much for watching and commenting :)
ah yes a gate could be used that way, good point! :)
I was using envelope follower with inverse automation on gain before and that was quite easy to control and worked rather well. still felt better than a compressor somehow
That’s an interesting technique! I think all ways are legitimate, but it’s so true that a traditional compressor doesn’t give you quite the control you’re looking for. An envelope follower is a very novel solution! Thanks for watching and commenting - very much appreciated!
Wow
Great channel,renewed my love hardware.
Any I just bought an Sd 201 on eBay and I’m looking for for some help with the set up particularly with a connection diagram. I’m looking to trigger it from the arp from a Nord but affect the pad on another synth.
Any pointers would be really appreciated.
Keep the stuff coming because I’m loving it.
Which envelope shapers & followers with just hardware?
I'm using the Drawmer DS201 dual gate with a trigger :-) It's fantastic and I have three of them!
11:02 what's the mark of that white keyboard?
Oh that’s my Arturia KeyStep Pro. It’s built well although I wish it had more octaves. I don’t use it for any sequencing though - that’s all done on the Pyramid Squarp.
Yamaha tx81z, the famous lately bass
💯
I have 2 .$50 each WTF . great with EWI 4000s.
How are you sequencing this stuff? DAWless, right?
Yes, all totally Dawless. At the moment I use the Squarp Pyramid. There is one caveat which is that once I’ve recorded into the DAW and it’s time to do overdubs then I still sequence from the Pyramid but I run clock from the DAW. This needs some tricks as I record off the grid but, essentially, I move the DAW grid *onto* my recording. This way I get all of the feel of my wonky midi but I can still sequence additional overdubs. I will definitely make a video about all of this because LITERALLY NOBODY has shown how to do this on UA-cam, but all my content is backed up at the moment because I’m changing my lights 🙄
@@DistortThePreamp totally here for a deep dive into the Pyramid 🤩
Oh that’s good to know! Do you have one? Or just interested?
@@DistortThePreamp considering buying one as I want a sequencer to write full song arrangements on rather than a 16 step loop device. Keystep Pro was fun but the limitations drove me insane. Obviously, keeping things DAWless...
Well, FWIW that was exactly my experience too. I do all of my electronic writing, arrangement, and production in the Pyramid. It took me a while to figure out a workflow though, and the way I work isn’t necessarily how everyone else does. I’m planning a mega video on this - it will probably be a series…
Lately Bass TX81z
Good guess, but no :)
FB-01
Very good guess, and you got the brand right, but that’s not it ;)
@@DistortThePreamp DX27?
Getting close :) The clue is that I’ve been using the bass sound a lot Lately…
@@DistortThePreamp the Lately bass FM patch of TX81Z - just sample it properly & sell the synth. get a Yamaha FS1R in stead. (LOL) way more usefull.