Noise School #2.1: Hybrid Noise

Hey, I'm back now that things are less swamped. Computer is barely functioning, but enough to give another lesson in noise school: hybrid noise! (not to be confused with the 1997 merzbow album hybrid noisebloom)

I might soon take a photo and explain my live setup, but I'll start with this one as it is quite cheap and easy. Basically I have two main forms of noise live (and in recordings): sample slicing and hybrid noise.

By hybrid noise, I mean using a pedal with contact mics (or something else) and feeding it through albeton to get much more control over your pedal noise, a much better tone (imo) and more control for recordings.

One of my favourite things about this technique (other than saving a lot of money on pedals) is how you can automate your effects without baking them in. Any reverb you record this way in ableton can be changed later, for example.

This lesson will be two posts: how to set up the hybrid noise, and then how to automate it (and anything else) using a MIDI mixer and computer keys.

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Here's what you'll need:

-computer with Ableton, the bigger the CPU the better
-A DI interface, I use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 but I intend to upgrade (like to a ProSonus)
-contact mic or noise input source (can also be synth, other mics, even laptop mic). I use a MASF SCM as it is high quality, indestructable, compact and has a fun spring
-(optional) pedals - even just a metal zone will do, but I am a little more elaborate. Generally I'd recommend a distortion with a lot of gain. This will be part of the 'input'. I use a Devi Ever Bit Mangler, a passive switch (for cut-ups), two delays (any really, I'd recommend a DD7 as it allows stereo width). Power them with batteries, 9v etc.
-cables for pedals, input source (contact mic) and into DI. Can be either mono or stereo for extra width.
-(optional, lesson 2.2) A launchpad of some kind gives you a lot more control over manipulating the noise in real time. I use an APC40mkII, but simpler ones will do.

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Step 1: setup for live recording
-Launch ableton and select/make a track, make sure the track is set to 'in', not 'off' (or 'auto' will mean it is only on when the track record button is on, 'in' is 24/7).

-Plug in pedal or 'input' setup into DI, make sure you go to preferences and select the DI in audio input. Try and put the latency buffer size as low as your computer allows without glitching or overloading, for me its around 128 for a 13 year old mac. A new m1 probably can go much lower without latency artifacts.

-It should already be making noise, as this is how a lot of noise is recorded anyhow. You can already record it! 

Step 2: Make a FX rack
-The effects rack is in the ableton pack below. You can add *anything* here! but keep in mind CPU power. The more powerful your computer, the more you can put on the FX rack.

-First is saturation or overdrive. I personally prefer the saturator as I like more digital noise tones, but either will do according to taste. If you don't get enough gain you can double it up, or add a utility prior to the saturation to add gain, which if you don't have pedals I'd recommend. Generally I aim for a HNW approach of a flat frequency spectrum, rather than something out of an amp, but this is up to you! I put the 'base' setting in the negative to get some fat low end with less gain, freqencies about the 1k mark, high width and negative depth. But this is up to taste, and even better, you can automate it and change the profile as you go!

Step 3: Widening the sound

-Next is the 'wide boi' which aims to turn a mono signal into something wider, ignore if you are using a stereo input. A lot of us have two functioning ears (although I am more deaf in one than the other from tinnitus) and adding stereo widening will make it sound more expansive. However if you want some dynamic contrast, you can automate to turn the wide boi on or off, or certain features and values.

1: I use a chorus on 'ensemble' mode, mostly dry input and a slow phase. I don't like it to sound too phased, just need to some width, but it's up to you. You can automate an effect to make it more obviously chorus-like if you'd prefer

2: A subtle delay with the L and R channels having different delay values , although you can make it more a proper delay effect here if you wish. The longer the delays, the less phased it will sound, however any sound you make on the input will obviously be delay which can interfere with precision. I also prefer it mostly dry.

*bonus* if you cut your sound source off on the input-end, you can hear the delays ring out.

3: utility with 200% or so width. Free free to automate the other effects (such as phase offset) for fun!

Step 4: Shaping the sound

- I use a multiband compressor, which is three compressors which affect different frequency bands (so you can compress treble more than bass etc), I am quite sensitive to shrill sounds, so I tend to make it more bass-heavy personally, but this is up to taste. Multibands are quite complex, and I'd likely want to dedicate time to the topic. I mostly use it to 'cap' frequencies at certain volumes, so treble for me is has a slightly lower max volume than bass. Also, the more mids you have, the more 'in your face' the noise is, wheres a more mid-scooped sound is good for more background-y noise.

-EQ: I use this to shape the sound and remove unwanted resonant (shrill) frequencies as well as frequencies that are unwanted using high-Q notches. I often do a hi-pass around 15-20hz to remove muddy frequencies to get my more 'clean' sound, but that's up to taste if you are doing something more primitive. Probably something to return to later, and also something mentioned in the mastering post.

Step 5: Compression

-Next I group it, for a interesting reason - you can use the track on/off to cut up the signal. Any effects on the track itself when the track is turned off with be shut out instantly. However if you only turn off the track and put it in a group (of itself) you can do the next track: slow attack compression

-Go to the group track add a compressor: slow attack at around 90ms, a quick release, mid-high ratio, threshold about -12db. This allows you to get an aggressive 'kick' sound when the sub-track is turned on, or via a passive switcher. The slow-attack kick can be used for many different things - I also use it for my sampler.

Step 6: Grain Delay

-Grain delay is by far my favourite effect in ableton. It gets wonderful organic tones that I've used quite a bit to make my noise sound some form of mutant bio-cyborg thing, like Tetsuo from Akira. It also hates your CPU, so be careful with low-end computers. It also is easy to and very fun to automate: pitch shifting, spray, frequency, random frequency or even wet/dry all sound fantastic when automated quickly. You can add it either to the group if you want the trails when the noise input track is muted, or to the original track if not.

Step 7: The magical world of beat repeat

Beat repeat (or 'drills') is the hallmark of not only genres like breakcore, speedcore, extratone, glitch but also cut-up harsh noise. Basically I use beat-repeat with very fast notes (32 to 128 per note) to get that brrrbrbrbrr effect. Don't use the auto/random repeat and put chance on 0%, and only automate it with a button. Variation on full also stops you from doing the same brrr twice.

I will dedicate a separate post to this effect later.


Step 8: Another delay? Other silly effects?

-Feel free to add another delay here if you want to classical delay effect when turning on/off the track. Can also put chorus or whatever here as an automated effect to provide variation.

Step 9: auto pan

-You can pan it manually or automate it (i.e. with utility), but if you want to go hard left and right, I use autopan. For random hard panning, put 'amount' on 100% and put it on random rather than a square or sine. If you want to do rhtyhms, use the other shape options as they can be fun especially with some drum machine backing. If you want a weird ticklish effect I put the rate and amount on very fast.
I don't leave it on, but as an effect to automate (hence why it is off here).

Step 9: The magical world of reverb

-I always add reverb to noise, especially when cut-up. The default ableton reverb setting is good, but feel free to automate it as pure wet reverb'd noise can push the noise into the background for a nice contrast. Lawrence English frequently uses this technique to fade in/out noise (see his recent collab with Merzbow). I also like cut-ups to have a little after-verb to give it a sense of space, usually a bright industrial reverb with small size. Unless I am going wild with the sound, I generally keep it 30% wet, short (1-2 sec) tails so it sounds like it is played in a factory.

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There we go, and indeed this is a little more elaborate than what I use live, as live I have a LOT of other things going on on stage (also CPU, as my current computer sucks). However you can make noise music using this technique alone. In the ableton session is a basic jam that you are free to pillage to whatever ends you see fit.



Next lesson (2.2) I am doing separately as it can be done for more than hybrid noise, but any aspect of ableton, but will be focusing on hybrid noise as an easy example.


Stay tuned for: fully automated luxury harsh noise (automation)