Dronal Isolated DronesSUP004LP: Live Studio Performance

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Description

The Isolated Drones series was envisaged as a series of slow-building ambient/drone performances by Dronal, each one recorded in one take while isolated at home during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Each piece was improvised after a short amount of time spent preparing some elements upon which Dronal built the performance.

Isolated Drones I

(4th April 2020)

Gear Used:

• Elektron Octatrack
• Elektron Analog 4
• Elektron Digitone
• Elektron Analog Rytm
• Soma Lyra 8
• Soma Ether
• KOMA Elektronik Anglerfish
• FM Radio
• Rhode NT2-A
• RME Fireface UFX II

The two Soma devices and the Anglerfish are routed into the Octatrack for additional effect processing. The FM Radio and microphone are routed through the RME Fireface with some delay/reverb and sent from there into the Lyra-8 input, thus allowing me to use my voice or other props as a form of instrument. There are also a few tracks on the Octatrack given over to some field recordings made in an around Berlin and processed through delays and reverbs.

Isolated Drones II

(20th April 2020)

Gear Used:

• Elektron: Octatrack, Analog 4, Digitone, Analog Rytm
• Soma: Pulsar-23, Lyra 8
• KOMA Elektronik Anglerfish
• Rhode NT2-A
• RME Fireface UFX II

The two Soma devices and the Anglerfish are routed into the Octatrack for additional effect processing. The microphone is routed through the RME Fireface with long delay/reverb and sent from there into the Pulsar-23 - so at the start when you see him rubbing two pieces of paper together - that high-pitched sound is the result, later on he uses his voice to create some long choral like sounds in the background. The Octatrack also plays some field recordings made in the extremely reverberant entrance hall of the James Simon gallery in Berlin.

Isolated Drones III

(16th May 2020)

Gear Used:

• Elektron: Octatrack, Analog 4, Digitone, Analog Rytm
• Soma: Pulsar-23, Lyra 8
• KOMA Elektronik Anglerfish
• Rhode NT2-A
• JRF C-Series Contact Mic
• Softube Console 1
• RME Fireface UFX II

Dronal experiments a bit more with extra sound sources using things found around the house. The contact microphone is sitting under the large glass bowl picking up resonances from both the bowl but also from the wine glasses (through the glass tabletop). The large microphone is turned up to be very sensitive and picks up lots of small sounds. Both microphones are routed through various effects (delay, reverb, filters, and more) to elongate the presence of what are essentially short sounds. This way he can make a small scraping sound but have it fill out the audio spectrum for many seconds whilst adjusting other sounds from the synthesizers.

The Octatrack is only processing the main microphone, with all other synthesizers being recorded directly through the Fireface. This provides more mixdown flexibility. The contact mic is being recorded and effected directly in his computer. The Softube Console 1 is just being used as a simple level controller for the contact mic levels.

Isolated Drones IV

(9th July 2020)

Gear Used:

• Elektron: Octatrack, Analog 4, Digitone, Analog Rytm
• Soma: Pulsar-23, Lyra 8
• KOMA Elektronik Anglerfish
• FM Radio
• Softube Console 1
• RME Fireface UFX II

For this piece I really wanted to have some cello, but lacking a cello made use of a cello recording of Bach's cello suites. Little glimpses of the cello are sent into the Octatrack from my computer (controlled by the Softube Console 1) and pass through a series of modulated effects and delays.

The FM Radio is tuned to a classical station here in Germany and is again sent through another batch of effects on the Octatrack. The Analog Rytm provides both a deep low slowly modulating drone sound, and some sweeping noise, whilst the digitone is used for a single chord that, at times almost sounds violin-like.

The Lyra 8 is mainly used to play a slow repeating melody. The Pulsar 23 provided some additional textures, and finally the Analog 4 plays a somewhat dark repeating bass sound.