Curious about modular synthesis, electronic music, and sound design, but unsure how to get started? I have something for you! Join my FREE "Intro to Synthesis" mini course here: www.soundandsynthesis.com/firstpatch2022 PS: You don't need any special gear to do this-just a computer with VCV Rack (which is free to download).
I got to spend some time with the originator of 'No Input Mixing Board', Toshimaru Nakamura at a festival we both played a few years back. I was surprised that in 20+ years of performing and touring with the instrument he only recently was on his second Mackie. They are really built to last even when abused so heavily. His two performances for the festival were beautiful and subtle.
I had no idea this was a thing! I really want to try this out. Thanks for the great tutorial, I will definitely watch this video again when I get my hands on a mixer.
This is the very first time, that i come to an awareness that there is such a thing as no input mixing.. I was looking for some regular review on a mixer. And it hits me, with all the fun and the beauty of it.. And so many questions, that occured instantly were answered by you in such a comprehensable and enjoyable manner. Thank you !! You have put a smile on my face today :) And you are a beauty yourself ;]
Inspiring.. It really is.. It will take me some time, to hear and see all that crazyamazing stuff you do.. But meanwhile, I have brought back my old Yamaha MD4 from its R. I. P. in the basement, since the TOC read died.. AND it is perfect for that purpose.. (lots of channel-switches)... I had an amazing time with my very first No-input-mix... Just two connections, with aux return L into channel 1, and aux send into channel 2.. Remembered to turn down the headphone volume, aaaaand.. Nothing happened.. It took me some time to explore and find the sound.. But when I got it, oh boy that was a fun trip .. Well, sorry to bore you out on my tiny little step into your galaxy.. But I'm very happy and thankful for the unexpected journey, so I wanted you to know, how inspirational your work is!! Lots of love.. Kazik
I have the VLZ4. Always have had fun playing around with it like this. I would also say that doing so can teach one how to achieve cleaner analog mixes as well. By learning what will create feedback tones on a mixer, you can learn to avoid those when do don't want those sounds to intrude on your mix.
I seen you Sarah, I caught you. You were dancing Sarah, you were dancing to that music haha 😄 Love it. I'm being silly ofcourse, so expertly done and explained- you make that Mackie sound really nice/good. I wonder if the quality of the mixer effects the results or if its just down to feature set.
Very cool video. I would be concerned a little with cooking internal components over time, specifically input transformers and accompanying components as I have witnessed feedback loops killing vintage mixer circuits in a Tascam M-308 for example... but maybe that wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe a Mackie 1604 could be a good option as there is a lot of routing options as it can accommodate a multitrack tape set up i.e. in-line or rudimentary in-line... but has direct outs etc... and lots of aux returns and sends...
On vintage gear with high ratio step up transformer, possibly yes. But modetn analog mixers all use very low level audio level voltages with passive circuits. Only when things get amplified is when it could get out of hand. The headphone(amplfied) out back into a line level circuit...maybe? Chances are low.
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for this amazing tutorial! I am wondering how would you connect a limiter/compressor (dbx 1066) and a digital echo (Alesis Quadraverb 2) to the mixer and before two monito speakers (Yamaha HS7)?
The first time I saw someone do this was when I saw the metal band Chimera open for Fear Factory. To be honest, at the time, I didn't get it. I don't know if it was getting lost in the mix/context of the band. After seeing a few of these videos, now, I'm starting to see some potential in the realm of sound design, and breaking into modular synthesis.
Is your work recorded always as a live improvisation or do you ever find one interesting sound, record it to your DAw, and then assemble different sound clips into a finished composition? Interesting video! A lot of the sounds you produced would be great to sample and turn into instruments in their own right.
Hey Sarah, I know you’ve answered this question in the past. This vid is a couple of years old, and I’m wondering if since you made it you’ve heard any anecdotal evidence that a mixer could get fried doing no input. I bought a new 802VLZ4 this week, used it for three days and it just went poof, died on me. I loved the sounds I was getting out of it, would like to get another one. But this experience is making me a little gun shy. Thanks for any info. Watching your vids inspired me to get into this stuff. I wanna keep doing it. 🙂
Hey, I’m sorry to hear this happened - and no, I haven’t heard or experienced anything like this personally. I’m still using this same mackie 1202VLZ3 mixer from years ago and it’s going strong.
Great video. Brand new viewer and subscriber. Great to see you into this! Looking forward to digging into your other videos to see what else is in store for me.
I played a show once with a true no input mixer. No patch cords or anything. Just ran the headphones jack to the P.A. and it was great! Sounded like being out in a snowy windy landscape))))
Can you tell me how to do that choppy-sounding stuff? Scroll up to 3:07. And bear in mind that I'm not knowledgeable about electronics. ua-cam.com/video/vS7X5nuvjHo/v-deo.html
A consortium of hardware and software makers, the music manufacturer’s guild, and the audio engineers and musicians unions, have teamed up with the US justice department, and the intelligence and finance community, to make this illegal ‘on safety grounds.’ It’s probably only a matter of time till videos like this will be banned ‘to protect the public.’
This damages the mixer. Especially if it's digital with a usb. I don't exactly know why. I fried an Alesis Multi Mix 8 - tried using it the next day and everything I played through it sounded distorted and randomly cut out until it completely broke. Still turned on but no sound.
it can definitely damage a mixer but its rare. the guy who coined the term no input mixing and first came to prominence for utilizing the technique used the same Mackie mixer for 20 years doing this multiple times a week.
What a unique way to waste Good equipment. I’m not really sure what this is supposed demonstrate except how to make a Feedback which is good if you do in the soundtrack for a 1950s sci-fi movie but not much more unless you’re intrigued by the Mundane….!
Hey Sarah, lovely tutorial! I also perform with no-input mixer. One little trick that I had been exploring lately is to only put in the patch cable in the input about halfway, it opens up to a whole lot of different sounds! Another thing I had been doing is using a cable connected from output to my palm, the amount of contact to my palm would change the sound.
Very interesting video! This technique is used a lot by Japanese noise artists. I guess you can also includes effect pedals in the feedback loops and get even more crazy sounds.
certainly, also try adding just one randomly generated sound source into one channel, bringing it in and out of the mix through various routes to give the feeling of coehesion to a performance.
Shit, now I really want to let my drum machine rip through that patch to just disintegrate those drums. But there is no way im trying that on my Zed. You just helped someone sell their old mixer.
Sarah, you are an inspiration. I only know you from the virtual rack side but this is what I have been experimenting with, too. Can I ask you this? The level of the final output signal is so random, it wants smoothing out. Sometimes the squealing sound breaks through at a really high volume. How can I prevent this happening? Like some external hardware, or a pedal? How do you guarantee the safety of your listeners? Thank you so much. D
Hey I dont know if you can help me with this but I tried some no input mixing over the last months. Everything went fine but at a jam session I experienced something strange. Because I wanted to combine vcv rack 2 and send everything out to one stereo channel to a mixer (only one was left) I had to use an interface (focusrite 4i4 newest gen) to send both out. Unfortionatley the interface blowed up two times while playing with no input mixing. I tried this at home and also there problems occured (like the typical clicking of too litle CPU for a low block size). Have you ever experienced similar problems with no input mixing and a digital interface? I thougt, maybe the reason for this problem is that the frequency and amplitude of the no input mixing signal is too extreme for the digitial mixer (like there is no samplerate available that could display this signal because of its extremness and therefore errors appear).
Dam I just found out about this.. I have a little 6track mixer gonna try this ..always wanted to try modular synthesis so this is definitely cool if I come up with anything I'm going record it in the Tuscam and maybe add some stuff from the keyboard and sampler
I love this stuff. It reminds me of Bebe and Louis Barrons Forbidden Plant soundtrack. I’ve always wanted to try it, but I’m scared of damaging my mixer. I might see if I can track don’t an old second hand VLZ or something for cheap.
Funky sounds! I never would have thought this was possible. As a guitarist I only ever used a sound mixer to control volume and prevent noise, so this technique seems straight out of bizarro-land…but you make it seem fun. ❤ 🇨🇦❤️
An obervation regarding the patching: Connecting the (unsymmetrical) stereo headphone out to the (symmetrical) mono input of channel two feeds two unsymmetrical signals into the symmetrisation... 🤔
No Input Mixing is amazing. I just started making videos of my own stuff. I have a small Phonic mixer, and the sounds generated by the mixer feedback are superb.
Really interesting video and so well explained! As a guitarist you can do something similar using a pedal with mono input and stereo outputs. Sending one of the outputs to the input and using the other output as your monitoring. Things get crazy when you put more pedals in the feedback loop.
This is like discovering a beautiful uncrowded beach with clear blue water and one cool bar selling great beer very cheaply. Hmm.. I need to work on my similes. THANKS SARAH!
This is so cool! Never in a million years would I have guessed that you could do this with a mixer. This sounds like some trippy old school sci-fi movie sound effects.
Sarah, thanks for doing this walk-through! I've only just recently started experimenting with no input mixing, so having someone walk me through the basics is immensely helpful and encouraging. I'd love to see more patch walkthrough demonstrations in the future! One thing I wanted to add in regard to the inherent danger of damaging your monitors due to the extremely hot output of your mixer: I've found that running the signal through a compressor before it reaches the audio interface is a great way to ensure that your levels don't exceed what be you're comfortable listening to or feeding to your monitors. I use an Alesis Nanocompressor, and it's perfectly effective at maintaining a safe volume level. It's an older unit, and can be found used for $30-$40.
thanks!! I have never broken a mixer doing no input mixing. Just be mindful of final output levels to protect your speakers (and ears) as they can be unpredictable
Thank you so much for this tutorial! I cannot believe I waited all these years to try this practice! I cannot believe how little one has to do with the mixer to generate such astonishing sounds -- where the hell are they really coming from?
Ok this is totally cool, I have experiences with Mackie boards from my video production days many years ago. I love how you're explaining and showing all of this. What's funny is that what your doing in terms of creating a feedback loop (patching) is what I was absolutely avoiding with my prior audio and video production experience....little did I know then what world existed at my finger tips...total fields of diamonds. Totally worth watching this video, I hope to be one of your future students.
Haha, totally! These techniques definitely go against what you're "supposed" to do with these tools. I remember the first time I got some accidental mic feedback onstage during a sound check and realized I could control the pitch of the feedback by changing the position of my valves on my trumpet... the sound engineer was pretty reluctant to "let me keep the feedback" but in the end it turned into something beautiful!
Not a stupid question at all! I'd say it's somewhere in the middle... part of the beauty (in my opinion) of no input mixing is that it is inherently unpredictable and chaotic, but at the same time if you spend enough time with things you can get a feel for how your input will change or guide things. And you can certainly recreate patches, but again, even subtle differences in knob positions will absolutely have a big impact on how things unfold!
Great video! I wanted to ask you or anyone here that might know this, can i record my no imput noises into Ableton (or other DAW) as an audio track? 'cause i cannot seem to make it work (i'm using a behringer qx1002 mixer connected to the computer via USB)
Ok I know this is gonna sound like a bit, but I swear to god this is the honest truth: NIMB was one of my most cherished albums when I was a teenager. I remember dreaming of having my own set-up one day. A moment of nostalgia came up on me today and I wondered if anyone was doing something like this. Thanks for making such a good intro video, this is really helpful.
Wow, what a wild idea! I'm incredibly new to making music, and this concept gives me all kinds of ideas, and makes me very excited to get started experimenting. Thank you for sharing with us!
Also, here's a double tap self reply for the algo-engage-metric gods. This just made me realise I can make a chaos engine instrument with gear I already had. What a wonderful discovery!
This was a nice surprise coming from a random search. I've seen a few videos pop up on using guitar pedals as video effects, have you ever went down that rabbit hole?
Bizzare. I've never seen a mixer used like that. I might set up my Mackie and have a go. Maybe even sample a few bits in logic to create a piece of music with no instruments.
@sarahbellereid. I have a question about what outputs do you use for going to the speakers if the outputs are being used for the loops? Are you using a splitter?
Sounds like a good way to make custom ring tones (like on 16:20) and "forget" to silence your phone during boring meetings, to really annoy your boss! 😂🤣
I have a destructor patch box it runs into a PCM slot on certain Roland products...I have mine hooked to my Roland u220 modular synth...once I start patching it can get crazy loud...I love how this works and will be trying.... So cool to see a woman doing this... Haven't found any interested in any experimental music .. keep it up...
Generally you can check the mixer's manual for whether an input/output is balanced or unbalanced. Though since we're playing with "mis-use," if you use the wrong cable it won't damage the equipment, but might change the character of the sound. Using balanced in an unbalanced connection for example will have the effect of dropping the levels of that signal by about 6dB.
Curious about modular synthesis, electronic music, and sound design, but unsure how to get started?
I have something for you! Join my FREE "Intro to Synthesis" mini course here: www.soundandsynthesis.com/firstpatch2022
PS: You don't need any special gear to do this-just a computer with VCV Rack (which is free to download).
ha! this is beginner's stuff, I do No Output music instead. How does it sound? who knows :(
I used to be a prolific Non-Producer, but then I became totally immersed in No Output Music and really could not be happier!
shut up😂
I got to spend some time with the originator of 'No Input Mixing Board', Toshimaru Nakamura at a festival we both played a few years back. I was surprised that in 20+ years of performing and touring with the instrument he only recently was on his second Mackie. They are really built to last even when abused so heavily. His two performances for the festival were beautiful and subtle.
He isnt even in the first 1000 to do it tho?
Sara, I really enjoyed this. I'm going to Japan in a bit and discovered a No Input Mixer artist in Japan, now I need to fire up my cheap mixers.
I had no idea this was a thing! I really want to try this out. Thanks for the great tutorial, I will definitely watch this video again when I get my hands on a mixer.
This is the very first time, that i come to an awareness that there is such a thing as no input mixing.. I was looking for some regular review on a mixer. And it hits me, with all the fun and the beauty of it.. And so many questions, that occured instantly were answered by you in such a comprehensable and enjoyable manner. Thank you !! You have put a smile on my face today :) And you are a beauty yourself ;]
Thank you!!!
Inspiring.. It really is.. It will take me some time, to hear and see all that crazyamazing stuff you do.. But meanwhile, I have brought back my old Yamaha MD4 from its R. I. P. in the basement, since the TOC read died..
AND it is perfect for that purpose.. (lots of channel-switches)... I had an amazing time with my very first No-input-mix... Just two connections, with aux return L into channel 1, and aux send into channel 2.. Remembered to turn down the headphone volume, aaaaand.. Nothing happened.. It took me some time to explore and find the sound.. But when I got it, oh boy that was a fun trip ..
Well, sorry to bore you out on my tiny little step into your galaxy.. But I'm very happy and thankful for the unexpected journey, so I wanted you to know, how inspirational your work is!! Lots of love.. Kazik
I have the VLZ4. Always have had fun playing around with it like this. I would also say that doing so can teach one how to achieve cleaner analog mixes as well. By learning what will create feedback tones on a mixer, you can learn to avoid those when do don't want those sounds to intrude on your mix.
I seen you Sarah, I caught you.
You were dancing Sarah, you were dancing to that music haha 😄 Love it.
I'm being silly ofcourse, so expertly done and explained- you make that Mackie sound really nice/good.
I wonder if the quality of the mixer effects the results or if its just down to feature set.
Very cool video. I would be concerned a little with cooking internal components over time, specifically input transformers and accompanying components as I have witnessed feedback loops killing vintage mixer circuits in a Tascam M-308 for example... but maybe that wouldn’t be a problem. Maybe a Mackie 1604 could be a good option as there is a lot of routing options as it can accommodate a multitrack tape set up i.e. in-line or rudimentary in-line... but has direct outs etc... and lots of aux returns and sends...
On vintage gear with high ratio step up transformer, possibly yes. But modetn analog mixers all use very low level audio level voltages with passive circuits. Only when things get amplified is when it could get out of hand. The headphone(amplfied) out back into a line level circuit...maybe? Chances are low.
love the marvin hanging in the background. great video!
thank you! and yes - love the marvin :)
Sample this for some dubstep madness!
Hi Sarah, thank you so much for this amazing tutorial! I am wondering how would you connect a limiter/compressor (dbx 1066) and a digital echo (Alesis Quadraverb 2) to the mixer and before two monito speakers (Yamaha HS7)?
This is an excellent demonstration! Thanks!
Thank You Sarah!
The first time I saw someone do this was when I saw the metal band Chimera open for Fear Factory. To be honest, at the time, I didn't get it. I don't know if it was getting lost in the mix/context of the band. After seeing a few of these videos, now, I'm starting to see some potential in the realm of sound design, and breaking into modular synthesis.
Awesome! I’ve got a 16ch Mackie with the Alt 3/4 outputs which I’ll have to try this out on!
how did your explorations go?
Does it work in DAWs like Reason Studios?
7:00 holymoly
Awesome! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Is your work recorded always as a live improvisation or do you ever find one interesting sound, record it to your DAw, and then assemble different sound clips into a finished composition? Interesting video! A lot of the sounds you produced would be great to sample and turn into instruments in their own right.
Hey Sarah, I know you’ve answered this question in the past. This vid is a couple of years old, and I’m wondering if since you made it you’ve heard any anecdotal evidence that a mixer could get fried doing no input. I bought a new 802VLZ4 this week, used it for three days and it just went poof, died on me. I loved the sounds I was getting out of it, would like to get another one. But this experience is making me a little gun shy. Thanks for any info. Watching your vids inspired me to get into this stuff. I wanna keep doing it. 🙂
Hey, I’m sorry to hear this happened - and no, I haven’t heard or experienced anything like this personally. I’m still using this same mackie 1202VLZ3 mixer from years ago and it’s going strong.
Great video. Brand new viewer and subscriber. Great to see you into this! Looking forward to digging into your other videos to see what else is in store for me.
someone get this UA-camr a tenure track position STAT or a TEDtalk or TikTok or whatever. the kids gotta know!!!!
Genius
4 years later I'm thinking this + Chladni plate
I played a show once with a true no input mixer. No patch cords or anything. Just ran the headphones jack to the P.A. and it was great! Sounded like being out in a snowy windy landscape))))
And I have a Bandcamp page with this name if yr interested in hearing some things~~~~~~~
I made an album 25 years with just a mixer. I don't call it No Input mixing, I called it Signal Loop Mixing or SLM.
like
Gnar sounds
Can you tell me how to do that choppy-sounding stuff? Scroll up to 3:07. And bear in mind that I'm not knowledgeable about electronics.
ua-cam.com/video/vS7X5nuvjHo/v-deo.html
Neutron 1.0
A consortium of hardware and software makers, the music manufacturer’s guild, and the audio engineers and musicians unions, have teamed up with the US justice department, and the intelligence and finance community, to make this illegal ‘on safety grounds.’
It’s probably only a matter of time till videos like this will be banned ‘to protect the public.’
This damages the mixer. Especially if it's digital with a usb. I don't exactly know why.
I fried an Alesis Multi Mix 8 - tried using it the next day and everything I played through it sounded distorted and randomly cut out until it completely broke. Still turned on but no sound.
it can definitely damage a mixer but its rare. the guy who coined the term no input mixing and first came to prominence for utilizing the technique used the same Mackie mixer for 20 years doing this multiple times a week.
New title: Using a mixer to create a feedback loop
What a unique way to waste Good equipment. I’m not really sure what this is supposed demonstrate except how to make a Feedback which is good if you do in the soundtrack for a 1950s sci-fi movie but not much more unless you’re intrigued by the Mundane….!
This sounds terrible, would use these sounds for nothing lol i would love to take you out on a date though and talk about OSC and LFOs
cringe
@@crnkmnky flowes
Weird I usually plug my Buchla into a mixer with the same results I think I have been burned
Made me chuckle
Thank you for the best no-input mixer tutorial video. I will share it with my students
My pleasure and thanks for sharing!
*Sees Title*
Oh I did that once
*Sees Demonstration*
I absolutely did not do this
Hey Sarah, lovely tutorial! I also perform with no-input mixer. One little trick that I had been exploring lately is to only put in the patch cable in the input about halfway, it opens up to a whole lot of different sounds! Another thing I had been doing is using a cable connected from output to my palm, the amount of contact to my palm would change the sound.
I would guess that the frequency response is different when using balance and unbalanced connection patching.
Very interesting video! This technique is used a lot by Japanese noise artists. I guess you can also includes effect pedals in the feedback loops and get even more crazy sounds.
certainly, also try adding just one randomly generated sound source into one channel, bringing it in and out of the mix through various routes to give the feeling of coehesion to a performance.
Most important tip: wear earplugs.
A broken mixer is a great success.
Shit, now I really want to let my drum machine rip through that patch to just disintegrate those drums. But there is no way im trying that on my Zed.
You just helped someone sell their old mixer.
what part of "no input" do you not understand lol /s
I didn't know about that method, but I once played around with my mixer and I happened to get a near-sine wave. I was shocked.
Sarah, you are an inspiration. I only know you from the virtual rack side but this is what I have been experimenting with, too. Can I ask you this? The level of the final output signal is so random, it wants smoothing out. Sometimes the squealing sound breaks through at a really high volume. How can I prevent this happening? Like some external hardware, or a pedal? How do you guarantee the safety of your listeners? Thank you so much. D
Toshimaru Nakamura brought me here. Thank you so much for explaining this!
I went from here back to Toshimaru (we're in a loop)
Hey I dont know if you can help me with this but I tried some no input mixing over the last months. Everything went fine but at a jam session I experienced something strange. Because I wanted to combine vcv rack 2 and send everything out to one stereo channel to a mixer (only one was left) I had to use an interface (focusrite 4i4 newest gen) to send both out. Unfortionatley the interface blowed up two times while playing with no input mixing. I tried this at home and also there problems occured (like the typical clicking of too litle CPU for a low block size). Have you ever experienced similar problems with no input mixing and a digital interface? I thougt, maybe the reason for this problem is that the frequency and amplitude of the no input mixing signal is too extreme for the digitial mixer (like there is no samplerate available that could display this signal because of its extremness and therefore errors appear).
Proper
Excellent, like this.... I need to sacrifice an old mixer for this.
It’s basically the sound characteristics of electricity when hooked up to a speaker. Controlled by FM
Dam I just found out about this.. I have a little 6track mixer gonna try this ..always wanted to try modular synthesis so this is definitely cool if I come up with anything I'm going record it in the Tuscam and maybe add some stuff from the keyboard and sampler
Here is an honest question. Will this method eventually damage certain audio equipment? The mixer itself, the speaker system?
Sarah you known Arcane Device (David Lee Myers) and his "feedback machine"?
Perfect for noise music. Great vid👍
Can this damage the mixer? It seems some of my channels are not working anymore. I have a Mackie Pro FX.
I love this stuff. It reminds me of Bebe and Louis Barrons Forbidden Plant soundtrack. I’ve always wanted to try it, but I’m scared of damaging my mixer. I might see if I can track don’t an old second hand VLZ or something for cheap.
The meme thumbnail. Great sense of humour :D Awesome video!
Funky sounds! I never would have thought this was possible. As a guitarist I only ever used a sound mixer to control volume and prevent noise, so this technique seems straight out of bizarro-land…but you make it seem fun. ❤ 🇨🇦❤️
An obervation regarding the patching: Connecting the (unsymmetrical) stereo headphone out to the (symmetrical) mono input of channel two feeds two unsymmetrical signals into the symmetrisation... 🤔
No Input Mixing is amazing. I just started making videos of my own stuff. I have a small Phonic mixer, and the sounds generated by the mixer feedback are superb.
I bet adding a couple synced footpedals to a couple off those channels would be plenty fun.
I feel like a more accurate term would be feedback synthesis, other than that it's a neat idea. :)
This is the best tutorial that I have ever seen on this subject.
Thank you.
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching.
Really interesting video and so well explained! As a guitarist you can do something similar using a pedal with mono input and stereo outputs. Sending one of the outputs to the input and using the other output as your monitoring. Things get crazy when you put more pedals in the feedback loop.
This is like discovering a beautiful uncrowded beach with clear blue water and one cool bar selling great beer very cheaply.
Hmm.. I need to work on my similes.
THANKS SARAH!
Do you have a live performance posted anywhere? Interesting!!
Hi Sarah, this was a very well-explained and demonstrated video. Thank you!
Thanks! Happy you found it helpful!
This is so cool! Never in a million years would I have guessed that you could do this with a mixer. This sounds like some trippy old school sci-fi movie sound effects.
Sarah, thanks for doing this walk-through! I've only just recently started experimenting with no input mixing, so having someone walk me through the basics is immensely helpful and encouraging. I'd love to see more patch walkthrough demonstrations in the future! One thing I wanted to add in regard to the inherent danger of damaging your monitors due to the extremely hot output of your mixer: I've found that running the signal through a compressor before it reaches the audio interface is a great way to ensure that your levels don't exceed what be you're comfortable listening to or feeding to your monitors. I use an Alesis Nanocompressor, and it's perfectly effective at maintaining a safe volume level. It's an older unit, and can be found used for $30-$40.
thanks for watching! happy to hear the video has been helpful for you :) and thanks for the great suggestion!
I prefer mixers that use faders instead of knobs for main volume. Does fader-or-knob effect tone generation in any way?
No, but it can change how you interact with the parameters, fine vs course movements, etc.
excellent tutorial! Looking forward to sharing this with students.
You could even give tutorials "how to make good tutorials".... 😄
🙌
Amazing work!!!! Can your mixer broke in doing this?
thanks!! I have never broken a mixer doing no input mixing. Just be mindful of final output levels to protect your speakers (and ears) as they can be unpredictable
Thank you so much for this tutorial! I cannot believe I waited all these years to try this practice! I cannot believe how little one has to do with the mixer to generate such astonishing sounds -- where the hell are they really coming from?
I tried this and no sound came out of my bass amp
Ok this is totally cool, I have experiences with Mackie boards from my video production days many years ago. I love how you're explaining and showing all of this. What's funny is that what your doing in terms of creating a feedback loop (patching) is what I was absolutely avoiding with my prior audio and video production experience....little did I know then what world existed at my finger tips...total fields of diamonds. Totally worth watching this video, I hope to be one of your future students.
Haha, totally! These techniques definitely go against what you're "supposed" to do with these tools. I remember the first time I got some accidental mic feedback onstage during a sound check and realized I could control the pitch of the feedback by changing the position of my valves on my trumpet... the sound engineer was pretty reluctant to "let me keep the feedback" but in the end it turned into something beautiful!
I didn't know this existed. It's fascinating!
Thanks for sharing
Stupid question but is it completely random each time or can you recreate a piece ?
Not a stupid question at all! I'd say it's somewhere in the middle... part of the beauty (in my opinion) of no input mixing is that it is inherently unpredictable and chaotic, but at the same time if you spend enough time with things you can get a feel for how your input will change or guide things. And you can certainly recreate patches, but again, even subtle differences in knob positions will absolutely have a big impact on how things unfold!
Love this!... brings me back to the 80s in the studio... would do this with a simple tape loop as input. Gotta try Zero! 😎
Tried it on my Behringer UB1204 PRO... awesome! but a little scary... think I need a limiter?
I love doing this! I 1st did this with a rotten old peavey board in 1999 at noise show in Cleveland. but I had a delay or 2 the patch.
Great video!
I wanted to ask you or anyone here that might know this, can i record my no imput noises into Ableton (or other DAW) as an audio track? 'cause i cannot seem to make it work (i'm using a behringer qx1002 mixer connected to the computer via USB)
Ok I know this is gonna sound like a bit, but I swear to god this is the honest truth: NIMB was one of my most cherished albums when I was a teenager. I remember dreaming of having my own set-up one day. A moment of nostalgia came up on me today and I wondered if anyone was doing something like this. Thanks for making such a good intro video, this is really helpful.
What's the difference between balanced and unbalanced patch cables?
Wow, what a wild idea! I'm incredibly new to making music, and this concept gives me all kinds of ideas, and makes me very excited to get started experimenting. Thank you for sharing with us!
Also, here's a double tap self reply for the algo-engage-metric gods. This just made me realise I can make a chaos engine instrument with gear I already had. What a wonderful discovery!
This was a nice surprise coming from a random search. I've seen a few videos pop up on using guitar pedals as video effects, have you ever went down that rabbit hole?
I was just about to get rid of my Mackie CR1604 but this has given me a renewed appreciation!
You maniac!! (in a nice way!)
Bizzare. I've never seen a mixer used like that. I might set up my Mackie and have a go. Maybe even sample a few bits in logic to create a piece of music with no instruments.
listen to toshimaru nakamura
I didn't even know this was a thing. Amazing! After some thought it makes perfect sense but that's insanely cool.
Just out of interest, does this work with digital desks?
tres cool !
nice setup trans?
@sarahbellereid. I have a question about what outputs do you use for going to the speakers if the outputs are being used for the loops? Are you using a splitter?
The main outs are going to my audio interface and into my computer for recording. See 11:02
@sarahbellereid ok. I understand. And you use the main outputs for the loops and auxiliary for your speakers
Wonderful video, would be useful if I use the Mackie 1402 VLZ4?
Yes you totally should be able to use that mixer! Even more channels to play with :)
Sounds like a good way to make custom ring tones (like on 16:20) and "forget" to silence your phone during boring meetings, to really annoy your boss! 😂🤣
So, practically speaking, what you get is a VCO modulated by an LFO.
Thanks for that! Used to have a 16 channel Mackie, but now just a little Behringer 4 track. Curious though, and I'll give it a try!
I have a destructor patch box it runs into a PCM slot on certain Roland products...I have mine hooked to my Roland u220 modular synth...once I start patching it can get crazy loud...I love how this works and will be trying.... So cool to see a woman doing this... Haven't found any interested in any experimental music .. keep it up...
How do you determine when and where to patch with the TS or TRS cables?
Generally you can check the mixer's manual for whether an input/output is balanced or unbalanced. Though since we're playing with "mis-use," if you use the wrong cable it won't damage the equipment, but might change the character of the sound. Using balanced in an unbalanced connection for example will have the effect of dropping the levels of that signal by about 6dB.
Cool. Thank you.@@sarahbellereid