My webcomic, "Analogue and Digital"

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Tue May 24, 2011 9:31 pm

Hey all,

Since the new year, a friend and I have been working on a webcomic about electronic music. I figure that if anyone is going to find this moderately amusing, it'll be you guys (although I suspect that it may be a little too cynical for some).

http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.com/comics/

Why synthesisers? Well, neither of us can draw humans (which is what 90% of comics feature) so we thought we'd try something a little different.

Please check it out and let me know what you think.

Synthestesia · Post by **Synthestesia** » Tue May 24, 2011 11:36 pm

Brilliant! I lol'd many a times.

Seeya_Later · Post by **Seeya_Later** » Wed May 25, 2011 1:19 am

Heh, a strangely foreshortened laptop and a 303. Funny.

yyww2011 · Post by **yyww2011** » Wed May 25, 2011 3:32 am

good luck!!

BrandNewRetro · Post by **BrandNewRetro** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:33 am

Very good man! I like the whole concept.

Spenner · Post by **Spenner** » Wed May 25, 2011 6:54 pm

I like this one best http://img2.smackjeeves.com/images/uplo ... 4709Fh.png

polar sky · Post by **polar sky** » Wed May 25, 2011 7:08 pm

You'd be surprised at how many pop musicians use analog. I am sure Lady Gaga does too. I mean good god look at how many have used the 808?

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Wed May 25, 2011 8:19 pm

Glad you guys liked them!

Spenner wrote:I like this one best http://img2.smackjeeves.com/images/uplo ... 4709Fh.png

Oh yeah, that's definitely our favourite comic so far... I think you can tell how much fun we were having, just from looking at the third panel.

polar sky wrote:You'd be surprised at how many pop musicians use analog. I am sure Lady Gaga does too. I mean good god look at how many have used the 808?

I can't work out if you are talking about a specific comment I made in a comic or news post, or just that argument as a whole, so forgive me if my answer is a little broad:

It depends what you mean by "analogue", if you mean "hardware vs. software" (which is what a lot of people tend to mean) then yeah, of course, but if you mean strictly analogue circuitry (which rules out things like the TR-909, for example), then I'm sure that number is a lot smaller- I could be wrong, but I don't hear any user- programmed analogue modular-type sounds in the pop music I've subjected myself to. Sure, I could listen to that one awful Enya song and hear a Roland D-50 preset, but does that count?

According to Wikipedia, Lady Gaga used that god-awful "hoover" sound from the Roland Alpha Juno in Bad Romance, does that mean she uses "analogue synthesisers" (if you go by the "hardware vs. software" definition of "analogue")? It's unlikely her producer recreated that sound using hardware, or even, brought an Alpha Juno into the studio and used the preset. It's most likely that he just downloaded a sample online. Hell, you can even hear a "basic hoover sample" on it's Wikipedia page, he probably just used that.

So would I go as far as to say that they are "using" synthesisers in their music? As I subscribe to the Detroit Techno school of thought in regards to presets (I think it was Derrick May who said using factory presets in your music would get you kicked out of Detroit), I'd say no.

Also: how much guys actually use an 808 though? I've got a copy of FL Studio that came with a load of 808 samples, but if I throw a cowbell into a track, I'm not using an 808, I'm using "VT_cowbell.wav" (or whatever the file happens to be named).

In other words, if I sample the end of "W32.Mydoom.AU@MM" by AFX (from Analord 11) in a track, can I then say "in this song I used the Fenix Modular"?

But then again, if the music is good, who cares? And that's where the problem lies: most of that music sounds like a very, very cheap imitation of lesser known music, the "underground", if you will.

Also: after listening to the first 30 seconds of "Bad Romance" to make sure she did in fact use the hoover, I can no longer take Gabber Techno seriously... sorry guys.

polar sky · Post by **polar sky** » Wed May 25, 2011 11:54 pm

I know what analog is. I have a few analog synths. I didn't mean to put a question mark at the end of that sentence. I meant to say that the 808 is still an extremely popular drum machine in todays pop music.

Also, you say Analogue and I say Analog, haha. I never know which is the right way to spell it.

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Thu May 26, 2011 12:21 am

polar sky wrote:I know what analog is. I have a few analog synths. I didn't mean to put a question mark at the end of that sentence. I meant to say that the 808 is still an extremely popular drum machine in todays pop music.

So do you know of any of the "more successful" (if you choose to define "success" as topping charts, that is) pop artists who still use an analogue (or mostly analogue) setup? I'm aware of people like Vince Clarke (who has a studio that I absolutely LOVE the look of) but I don't know any of the more "recent" ones?

Also, you say Analogue and I say Analog, haha. I never know which is the right way to spell it.

It's Color/ Colour all over again. Both are correct, depending on which part of the world you live in... it does get a little confusing...

I like the look of "Analogue" though, I think it makes the word look a little more important than it really is.

Tomisnever · Post by **Tomisnever** » Thu May 26, 2011 12:34 am

Quillian wrote: I like the look of "Analogue" though, I think it makes the word look a little more important than it really is.

Hah, i like this.

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Tue May 31, 2011 11:10 am

New comic posted, http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.c ... ad-part-2/

Oh, and I wrote a news post about it that I found moderately amusing: http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.c ... ts/102647/

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 1:13 pm

New comic posted, http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.c ... -intended/ (It's weekly, can you tell?)

Oh, and I didn't write the news post this week, therefore it's moderately amusing, slightly more than it usually is: http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.c ... ts/102902/

mechanismj · Post by **mechanismj** » Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:27 am

I laughed, sir, and that is a good thing!

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 11:07 am

New comic: http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.c ... ive-metal/

Also: I'm not doing the news post this week due to laptop problems. So... it should be pretty funny, whenever it gets posted.

mechanismj wrote:I laughed, sir, and that is a good thing!

The aforementioned laptop problems stopped me from seeing your message earlier, I'm glad you liked it.

Seeya_Later · Post by **Seeya_Later** » Tue Jun 14, 2011 11:58 am

Vince Clarke is the man.

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:24 pm

Still suffering technical problems, nevertheless, new comic: http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.c ... re-effect/

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 12:50 pm

New comic posted, for those who care: http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.c ... al-part-2/

2020k · Post by **2020k** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 7:46 pm

I love this shit.

Quillian · Post by **Quillian** » Tue Jul 05, 2011 11:25 am

New comic posted- http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.c ... ct-part-2/

Also, my latest news post talks about BATalstr- http://analogueanddigital.smackjeeves.c ... ts/104017/