Speculations on BOC's drum machines

DBN44 · Post by **DBN44** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:11 am

I did a search on this topic but I did not get any results.

I have always been interested in the percussion that BOC choose to incorporate in all their work. I don't have any desire to replicate "their sound". I am just intrigued to know what you all think regarding the types of drum machines that they use out there? It seems that after the "Old Tunes" era, they recycle their beats and add them into their later stuff (June 9th, Turqoise Hexagon Sun, etc..)
From what I am aware of it definitely can't be any of the roland "tr" series. Some roland drum machines don't have as much depth and thickness as, for example, the drums on the Old Tunes.
Of course, as we're all aware, it sounds like they tweak the hell out of them, but largely enough the Old Tunes don't seem to have been tweaked as much as their percussion on their later work.

Just a bit of speculation on my part -- I think most of their machines (including drum machines) are more than likely no later than from the 80's. I recall BOC maintaining a certain degree of interest with equipment that is from the early 80's and despise softsynths/digital synthesizers.

esselfortium · Post by **esselfortium** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:43 am

I kind of doubt that they're using much in the way of sounds from existing drum machines, unless they're sampling them and then processing them into something totally different, at which point they're no longer really referable to as being from that drum machine. More than likely they've just built up a library of drum sounds that they mess with, and record new stuff when they need to.

I guess. I suppose it's hard to say anything for sure when we don't really know.

Devonkron · Post by **Devonkron** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 6:55 am

I think most of the time they are making percussion through sampling recordings they have made themselves. If you listen closely you will notice that have a very unique sound. Some of the percussion on "An Eagle In Your Mind", for instance, was created by sampling recorded conversation. One thing I think I can spot on many of their beats are that specific sounds they trigger are backwards recordings, although the synths on that song will be going forward. Now I'm speaking of their work after Old Tunes and such, which they might have used drum machines on more frequently.

nick47 · Post by **nick47** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:12 pm

I thought they got "real" sounds most of the time, then distorted the fuck out of them

polar sky · Post by **polar sky** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:18 pm

I'd say judging from reading their interviews that most of the drums you hear on their albums are actually real drums that have been recorded by them and mangled into a digital sound. Also They use a lot of organic sounds too such as human speech.

GrangalanJr · Post by **GrangalanJr** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 1:43 pm

Some of their clap noises sound a lot like drum machine claps, with that noisy high end (as in "Oscar See Through Red Eye"). But I guess you could get noisy high end by using certain kinds of distortion on real claps, too.

Numerator · Post by **Numerator** » Mon Jul 26, 2010 3:23 pm

GrangalanJr wrote:Some of their clap noises sound a lot like drum machine claps, with that noisy high end (as in "Oscar See Through Red Eye"). But I guess you could get noisy high end by using certain kinds of distortion on real claps, too.

the ones on OSTRE sound like Oberheim DMX or perhaps SCI Drumtrax claps methinks

Pantheon · Post by **Pantheon** » Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:19 am

Loads of their older drum tracks (before geogaddi) use the hi-hats from the tr808. I think some of the deep kick sounds are also from the tr808.

I think it was around the Campfire Headphase time that they said they had recorded mostly real drum sounds.

Also on their older works, they have loads of synthisized drum sounds, much like the electribe ER-1. They could be just normal drum samples warped with a sampler with AM or FM techniques.

Thats about all my ears can find when it comes to their drum machines.

Its kind of obvious but almost all of their drum beats use at least one found sound or field recorded precisive sound.

As for their drum sequencing, it seems they like to start with a basic sequence, say 4-8 bars long. As the song progresses they seem to add like crazy, where as most people would rearange. This is most noticable on their more percisive tracks, like Orange Romeda, but is even present in songs like kid for today.

I cant figure out one of their drum styles though. Its used on Red Moss and some track from MHTRTC that i cant remember just now. It sounds like a train running over old tracks is the only way i can decribe it. Anyone have any ideas how they make that kind of sound?

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:12 pm

Pantheon wrote:Loads of their older drum tracks (before geogaddi) use the hi-hats from the tr808. I think some of the deep kick sounds are also from the tr808.

Nlogax uses a TR808 if I remember correctly, It's got that dodgy sounding "cowbell" that I absolutely love.

Other than that I'm not sure. I don't know why, but this strikes me as the type of thing they'd use, just from the look of it.

Numerator · Post by **Numerator** » Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:36 pm

Quillian wrote:
Pantheon wrote:Loads of their older drum tracks (before geogaddi) use the hi-hats from the tr808. I think some of the deep kick sounds are also from the tr808.
Nlogax uses a TR808 if I remember correctly, It's got that dodgy sounding "cowbell" that I absolutely love.

Other than that I'm not sure. I don't know why, but this strikes me as the type of thing they'd use, just from the look of it.

hmm, always thought stuff like this looks more like the kind of thing they'd use...

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Tue Jul 27, 2010 12:42 pm

Numerator wrote:
Quillian wrote:
Pantheon wrote:Loads of their older drum tracks (before geogaddi) use the hi-hats from the tr808. I think some of the deep kick sounds are also from the tr808.
Nlogax uses a TR808 if I remember correctly, It's got that dodgy sounding "cowbell" that I absolutely love.

Other than that I'm not sure. I don't know why, but this strikes me as the type of thing they'd use, just from the look of it.
hmm, always thought stuff like this looks more like the kind of thing they'd use...
[Image]

Well, yeah. It's closer to what the synthesisers of the time looked like, but Boards of Canada always struck me as the type of guys that'd buy equipment that no-one else used or really liked and I doubt the 808 would have been as popular as it was if it were bright orange.

EDIT- I might actually track one of those down when/ if I start doing live shows, even if I don't use it, I just want a bright orange box in the middle of my equipment that people would look at and think "what the hell is that thing!?"

EDIT2- I might even throw a band sticker over the logo and refer to it as my secret weapon just to confuse people; "What is he using?" "I don't know... I think it might be a children's toy. 'Fisher Price's My First Drum Machine' maybe."

chorus · Post by **chorus** » Tue Jul 27, 2010 1:30 pm

Numerator wrote:the ones on OSTRE sound like Oberheim DMX or perhaps SCI Drumtrax claps methinks

I have a drumtraks, the hand clap is the worst sound on that machine and Im 99% sure they havn´t used it or sampled it on OSTRE, theirs is a lot cleaner. Sounds more like a Roland clap to me.

Can´t speak for the Oberheim DMX though, but I was under the impression the drumtraks, the DMX and the Linn were sharing some of the same samples?

Hello BTW

Scories · Post by **Scories** » Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:16 pm

The beat on ROYGBIV sounds like a drum machine to me. The zap sound sounds a bit like the one on my Yamaha RY-10.

zeitgeist · Post by **zeitgeist** » Tue Jul 27, 2010 4:35 pm

Pantheon wrote:...It sounds like a train running over old tracks is the only way i can describe it. Anyone have any ideas how they make that kind of sound?

The Voice of Reason · Post by **The Voice of Reason** » Tue Jul 27, 2010 4:53 pm

Akai S1000. Any sound put in, then filtered/twisted to suit desired result.

Pantheon · Post by **Pantheon** » Wed Jul 28, 2010 1:00 am

zeitgeist wrote:
Pantheon wrote:...It sounds like a train running over old tracks is the only way i can describe it. Anyone have any ideas how they make that kind of sound?

Ahaha, nice work

The Voice of Reason · Post by **The Voice of Reason** » Wed Jul 28, 2010 5:35 am

I wager the 'clicky' sound in Kid for Today is that of a slide projector. Slowed a little.
A tie in to the art work on the album.
Triggered from an Akai S1000

Cupz · Post by **Cupz** » Wed Jul 28, 2010 12:29 pm

Pantheon wrote:
zeitgeist wrote:

Ahaha, nice work

Seconds.

lurkingrecords · Post by **lurkingrecords** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 11:39 pm

I cant figure out one of their drum styles though. Its used on Red Moss and some track from MHTRTC that i cant remember just now. It sounds like a train running over old tracks is the only way i can decribe it. Anyone have any ideas how they make that kind of sound?

Red Moss is one of their best beats. This one sounds like a few things I've heard over the years...they either are running the beat through a vocoder (filter formants), or another type of filter and then pitched the drum beat up a semitone or whole tone, and then mixed with the original pitch. I've personally ran drums through a vocoder and also pitched them up and mix and this is exactly what it sounds like. You can definitely hear the harmony overlay of the drums. The beat in particular sounds like they sort of delay a couple of hits by 1/4 note.

This track in particular has insane syncopation as well, amazing groove to listen to! Which tracks off of MHTRTC did you think sound the same sort of way?

lurkingrecords · Post by **lurkingrecords** » Fri Jul 30, 2010 11:40 pm

I cant figure out one of their drum styles though. Its used on Red Moss and some track from MHTRTC that i cant remember just now. It sounds like a train running over old tracks is the only way i can decribe it. Anyone have any ideas how they make that kind of sound?

Red Moss is one of their best beats. This one sounds like a few things I've heard over the years...they either are running the beat through a vocoder (filter formants), or another type of filter and then pitched the drum beat up a semitone or whole tone, and then mixed with the original pitch. I've personally ran drums through a vocoder and also pitched them up and mix and this is exactly what it sounds like. You can definitely hear the harmony overlay of the drums. The beat in particular sounds like they sort of delay a couple of hits by 1/4 note.

This track in particular has insane syncopation as well, amazing groove to listen to! Which tracks off of MHTRTC did you think sound the same sort of way?