Eat Static, Production Techniques?

[MFXxx]

Acustica audio have a plugin called Zero which is effectively akai DAc from early years. So worth considering for your chain if no access to akai or emu samples.

Nord leads 2.a.must have will check out the bass synth sounds interesting.

Eat Static is the typical 90's techno/trance project.
That "Implant" track is basically Roland 909 + samples + heavily processed 303 + any analogue or VA synth.

For 2025 I would recommend d16 Drumazon 2 (909), d16 Phoscyon 2 (303), TAL Pha (Alpha Juno) and TAL Sampler.
Pro-800 hardware from Barbinger and Waldorf Wave (vst).
ODC 2800 for that fat bass.
I would also recommend NL2 (not X) synth or desktop. It is the main psy/goa powerhouse for many cult bands.

BTW Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross do the same stuff: old school drums (808 or 909) + modular synths.

Bear in mind "THAT" sound is heavily affected by the Akai/EMU samplers. That samplers adds grit and removes harshness.
To get ther you can use d16 Decimort or RX950.

Another (and more "canonical") way is to use NAM Universal + special libraries.
You can check my video, audio examples are there + links to the libs in the description:


Gear list:
SYNTHESIZERS:

ARP Axxe
Casio CZ1000
Korg Poly Six
Korg Prophecy
PPG Wave 2.3
Quasimidi Quasar
Roland SH5
Roland TB303
Roland SH101
Roland JD800
Roland JV80
Sequential Prophet 600
Waldorf Wave
SAMPLING:

Akai 3200XL (32Mb RAM & 540Mb internal hard disk)
Akai 3200 (32Mb RAM & 540Mb internal hard disk)
Roland S330
Roland W30
PERCUSSION:

Alesis HR16
Alesis SR16
Emu Procussion
Roland CR78 CompuRhythm
Roland TR808
Roland TR909
Roland TR707
Yamaha Resonator drum kit
COMPUTERS/SEQUENCING:

75MHz Pentium PC (16Mb RAM & two internal hard disks) running Steinberg Cubase Audio
Atari 1040ST (2Mb RAM) running Steinberg Cubase
RECORDING:

Mackie 32:8:2 desk & 24‑channel expander
Tascam DA38 8‑track
Tascam DA30 MkII DAT
PROCESSING:

BBE362 Sonic Maximiser
Boss SE70
Frankenstein stereo enhancer
Joe Meek compressor
LA Audio compressor
LA Audio noise gates
Lexicon Vortex
Lexicon Alex reverb
Roland DEP3
Roland SDE330 dimensional delay
Roland SRV330 dimensional reverb
Symetrix 511A noise reduction
Yamaha EMP700
MONITORING:

Alesis Monitor Two (main)
Yamaha NS10 (nearfield)
AMPLIFICATION:

Alesis Matica 500 power amplifier
MICROPHONES:

AKG C3000
Shure SM57 microphone
Tandy PZM microphone (x2)

Official samples:
https://www.bigfishaudio.com/Eat-Static ... -Loops-and

[ghostwhistler]

From a workflow point of view - get your source material together before you even think about arranging the track. Get a beat going, record a LOT of arps / step sequencer parts etc... twiddle knobs, make cool noises. Record it ALL as audio. Then cut out the bits you like and throw them into your arrangement.

Well sure, but would that have been how they worked back in the day, in the pre DAWn of time?

https://www.soundonsound.com/people/eat ... rt-success

"I find that although a lot of our sounds may start on a synth, I just find the sampler a really good scratch pad for getting ideas together. For example, I'll get Joie to come over one night and I'll record two DATs full of SH5, then I'll go through it, using ReCycle and cutting it all up using the samplers. It's usually a really good way of starting tracks, and often gives me a lot of percussive as well as musical results."

Well that's told me!

Thanks.... I guess if you grew up with samplers this sort of appraoch is second nature

[ghostwhistler]

just seems weird to me to record synth part into samples insofar as that removes the possibility for modulation, or at least more dynamic modulation.

[andivax]

Their synths sounds very processed AND has that sampler character.
(Eat) Static sounding and still pleasing to ears.
It's like sampling fat analogue synths into sampler and then tweaking and playing with them.

BTW we can have that NL2 in DAW using DSP56300 emulation.
I've used NL2 and Virus TI (DSP56300 versions) and it's great.
I just lack that gritty character of the real NL2 with it's converters. That color is special!

I can ask Simon Posford about Merv's contacts and may be it will be possible to bring him HERE.

[Gamma-UT]

just seems weird to me to record synth part into samples insofar as that removes the possibility for modulation, or at least more dynamic modulation.

This is hilarious. There is practically a textbook use of Akai timestretch at 2:45 on the first track of Implant. And the samplers had filters! And envelopes! And other stuff!

[andymcbain]

just seems weird to me to record synth part into samples insofar as that removes the possibility for modulation, or at least more dynamic modulation.

Limitations are good for workflow though there are/were plenty ways to mangle a sound in a sampler of course.

[ghostwhistler]

just seems weird to me to record synth part into samples insofar as that removes the possibility for modulation, or at least more dynamic modulation.

This is hilarious. There is practically a textbook use of Akai timestretch at 2:45 on the first track of Implant. And the samplers had filters! And envelopes! And other stuff!

Why is that hilarious? I am not familiar with these techniques.

[ghostwhistler]

Their synths sounds very processed AND has that sampler character.
(Eat) Static sounding and still pleasing to ears.
It's like sampling fat analogue synths into sampler and then tweaking and playing with them.

BTW we can have that NL2 in DAW using DSP56300 emulation.
I've used NL2 and Virus TI (DSP56300 versions) and it's great.
I just lack that gritty character of the real NL2 with it's converters. That color is special!

I can ask Simon Posford about Merv's contacts and may be it will be possible to bring him HERE.

Having listened to Shpongle and The Infinity project, Im curious about his workflow. He certainly uses tons of samples as well as, i assume, session musicians playing stuff to chop up. Vocals, guitars etc

[andivax]

Their synths sounds very processed AND has that sampler character.
(Eat) Static sounding and still pleasing to ears.
It's like sampling fat analogue synths into sampler and then tweaking and playing with them.

BTW we can have that NL2 in DAW using DSP56300 emulation.
I've used NL2 and Virus TI (DSP56300 versions) and it's great.
I just lack that gritty character of the real NL2 with it's converters. That color is special!

I can ask Simon Posford about Merv's contacts and may be it will be possible to bring him HERE.

Having listened to Shpongle and The Infinity project, Im curious about his workflow. He certainly uses tons of samples as well as, i assume, session musicians playing stuff to chop up. Vocals, guitars etc

yup. samplers, v-synth, tons of analogue synths (sh-101 and ms-20 are favourites).

[ghostwhistler]

Know him, do you?

[Gamma-UT]

just seems weird to me to record synth part into samples insofar as that removes the possibility for modulation, or at least more dynamic modulation.

This is hilarious. There is practically a textbook use of Akai timestretch at 2:45 on the first track of Implant. And the samplers had filters! And envelopes! And other stuff!

Why is that hilarious? I am not familiar with these techniques.

You really want an explanation?

OK.

Multiple people in this thread have outlined the broad techniques Eat Static used (around that time at least). Vurt explained about the modulation possibilities with hardware samplers available at the time. You get fed an interview that also lays a lot of it out.

What happens? You reply with the music production equivalent of “but why male models?”

That isn’t funny?

[ghostwhistler]

You really want an explanation?

Not really

[ghostwhistler]

Eat Static is the typical 90's techno/trance project.
That "Implant" track is basically Roland 909 + samples + heavily processed 303 + any analogue or VA synth.

For 2025 I would recommend d16 Drumazon 2 (909)

Thanks. I checked it out. It only does 909?

Sounds nice, but not sure I want to pay a hundred quid for just a 909 vst.

[andivax]

Eat Static is the typical 90's techno/trance project.
That "Implant" track is basically Roland 909 + samples + heavily processed 303 + any analogue or VA synth.

For 2025 I would recommend d16 Drumazon 2 (909)

Thanks. I checked it out. It only does 909?

Sounds nice, but not sure I want to pay a hundred quid for just a 909 vst.

I have just finished the TV/Broadcast project with that d16 909. In comparison with sample libraries, d16 offers flexibility and tons of effects and presets.
It's amazing sounding timesaver.

[Gamma-UT]

You really want an explanation?

Not really

Don’t ask for one then.