HWJ tuning challenge (Jungle) [Circuit Rhythm] Marc the Darc 2023-07-10 | Jungle by Marc the DarcMy entry for the Hardware Jams fecesbook group weekly challenge.This week 27/2023, a "tuning" challenge, meaning I'm to challenge the whole notion of tuning. In this case I've gone for some questionable tuning, in a mutated Locrian mode.facebook.com/groups/hardwarejamsYet again I've found myself rushing things very last minute, so lost of mistakes and half ideas.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarc---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the production:Slapped together in all haste; less than 30 mins from powering up the Circuit Rhythm. Single recording, completely unrehearsed, so lots of warts and mistakes, bad timings etc.Audio recorded with Zoom H1, no post processing. Sync'ed in video software.Gearbox:Novation Circuit RhythmZoom H1Copyright © Marc the Darc 2023
HWJ 5min Against the Clock (Techno) [Circuit Rhythm] Marc the Darc 2023-06-26 | Techno by Marc the DarcThis week (25-2023) the Hardware Jams group challenge is a 5 minute against the clock. Meaning I have minimal prep, choosing sounds and such, but empty sequencers. And then I get 5 minutes to go as far as I can.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarc---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the production:A quick and simple techno jam on Circuit Rhythm. Was in a hurry, and still early in the process of getting to know the Circuit. Recorded direct to Zoom H1, no post editing of any kind.Gearbox:Novation Circuit RhythmZoom H1Copyright © Marc the Darc 2023
Its Not Over Yet (treasonous mix) (Techno) - Marc the Darc Marc the Darc 2023-06-23 | Techno by Marc the DarcKeep in mind that the track, and below statement, are over 1 year old at this point. And while things seems to be a lot better by now, it doesn't erase the sins of recent past, and clearly doesn't prevent it repeating any time.Normally I keep my political views out of my music, but this is an angry comment on the malicious misinformation campaign by the danish regime during the Covid-19 pandemic, costing thousands of lives, and scarring an unknown number, upwards of a million, people for life (which is a lot in a country with less than 6 million inhabitants). By lying about everything, distorting the truth, creating and spreading false studies, and actively censoring confirmed scientific discoveries from reputable doctors and researches. In my opinion deliberately committing treason and genocide.This is not something I take lightly, nor is it an empty claim.Regardless of your opinion of this statement, I hope you will stay safe in these trying times (and that you enjoy the track).If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarc---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the production:This is a full software production, using Ableton and a series of 3rd party plugins. Crafted the slow way with deep edits, automation and more. The track itself was done relatively fast, finishing early 2022. But the subsequent mixing process really tripped me up, and I had to re-think and mix it multiple times over.This paired with real life issues ended up getting me off music production for a while, and it's only recently I picked it up again, where a fresh head and armed with new knowledge and understanding, that I could get the mix just so. Which I in turn feel, I've really nailed.Gearbox:Shure SM58Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 2nd gen, Behringer ADA8200.Ableton Push & Suite 11Akai APC40Novation Launchpad mk2 & LaunchKey 49U-He DIVA, RePro & Hive2Korg M1 pluginArturia Spark2, Effects bundle, Pigments3FabFilter Saturn2/Q3/ReverbSteinberg Halion SonicNative Instruments Battery 4Toneboosters Barricade 4Copyright © Marc the Darc 2023
HWJ 2 Box challenge (Jungle) [Circuit Rhythm & Waldorf Rocket] Marc the Darc 2023-06-19 | Sorta Jungle by Marc the DarcMy entry for the Hardware Jams fecesbook group weekly challenge.This week 24/2023, a 2 Box challenge, meaning I'm only allowed the use of 2 devices producing sound. The effects pedals doesn't count towards this.facebook.com/groups/hardwarejamsI had actually planned to use more time, develop the idea, and practice the performance since I'm pretty new to the Circuit Rhythm. But shit came crashing in a big way, so it ended up way too rushed. Mistakes will have happened in multiple stages, but didn't have the time to check or correct before the deadline.It's the kind of music I'd liked to have much longer to really get proper. The beat is way too simple and repetitive for proper Jungle, and generally there's just so much more, I'd have liked to do with it. Perhaps I'll take the time to flesh it out to a proper track.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarc---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the production:The brains of it all is the Novation Circuit Rhythm. It's controlling the Waldorf Rocket via MIDI, which in turn goes through the 3 TC Electronic effects pedals, and back into the audio ins of the Circuit Rhythm, making the chord. This is in turn recorded with a Zoom H1 recorder. No manipulation of the audio, no DAW involved.The Circuit Rhythm is loaded with one of the factory packs.Not counting various tech issues it took little over an hourGearbox:Novation Circuit RhythmWaldorf RocketTC Electronic Hall of Fame, Corona, FlashbackZoom H1 recorderCopyright © Marc the Darc 2023
MMM series 05 (Trance) - Marc the Darc Marc the Darc 2022-01-06 | MMM series are 5 tracks I made over 20 years ago in Magix Music Maker.I had no idea about music making, so the results are accordingly bad.Still, when I came across them in my old files not long ago, it gave me a giggle. So I decided to share them.Set to various videos of pyromania from years past. Because I like fire.Whole series:MMM-01 youtu.be/rKog-_9TNukMMM-02 youtu.be/KJ85leLbJPEMMM-03 youtu.be/HK7Y0PZ-tkAMMM-04 youtu.be/-zX6iK7_U0EMMM-05 youtu.be/JdK93lJkBgoLife has been... Hard... Half of 2021 was spent lying down, after I ripped my achilles tendon and messed up my ankle. And while writing this I'm in Covid-quarantine, because masks, hand sanitizer, vaccines, and countermeasures you haven't even thought about, are worth absolutely shit.So anything that can make me smile, gets a little more credit these days.But my ankle is kinda ok now, and think I'm on the road to recovery Covid-wise. So these videos are just a warm up, before I'm back in full effect - hopefully soon.This will include some much better new music, demos of new gear, some of it really new, so despite these tracks, now is a very good time to subscribe.If you actually like these tracks, please punch the like button, throw me a comment, and subscribe.The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2022
MMM series 04 (Breakbeat) - Marc the Darc Marc the Darc 2022-01-06 | MMM series are 5 tracks I made over 20 years ago in Magix Music Maker.I had no idea about music making, so the results are accordingly bad.Still, when I came across them in my old files not long ago, it gave me a giggle. So I decided to share them.Set to various videos of pyromania from years past. Because I like fire.Whole series:MMM-01 youtu.be/rKog-_9TNukMMM-02 youtu.be/KJ85leLbJPEMMM-03 youtu.be/HK7Y0PZ-tkAMMM-04 youtu.be/-zX6iK7_U0EMMM-05 youtu.be/JdK93lJkBgoLife has been... Hard... Half of 2021 was spent lying down, after I ripped my achilles tendon and messed up my ankle. And while writing this I'm in Covid-quarantine, because masks, hand sanitizer, vaccines, and countermeasures you haven't even thought about, are worth absolutely shit.So anything that can make me smile, gets a little more credit these days.But my ankle is kinda ok now, and think I'm on the road to recovery Covid-wise. So these videos are just a warm up, before I'm back in full effect - hopefully soon.This will include some much better new music, demos of new gear, some of it really new, so despite these tracks, now is a very good time to subscribe.If you actually like these tracks, please punch the like button, throw me a comment, and subscribe.The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2022
MMM series 03 (Techno) - Marc the Darc Marc the Darc 2022-01-06 | MMM series are 5 tracks I made over 20 years ago in Magix Music Maker.I had no idea about music making, so the results are accordingly bad.Still, when I came across them in my old files not long ago, it gave me a giggle. So I decided to share them.Set to various videos of pyromania from years past. Because I like fire.Whole series:MMM-01 youtu.be/rKog-_9TNukMMM-02 youtu.be/KJ85leLbJPEMMM-03 youtu.be/HK7Y0PZ-tkAMMM-04 youtu.be/-zX6iK7_U0EMMM-05 youtu.be/JdK93lJkBgoLife has been... Hard... Half of 2021 was spent lying down, after I ripped my achilles tendon and messed up my ankle. And while writing this I'm in Covid-quarantine, because masks, hand sanitizer, vaccines, and countermeasures you haven't even thought about, are worth absolutely shit.So anything that can make me smile, gets a little more credit these days.But my ankle is kinda ok now, and think I'm on the road to recovery Covid-wise. So these videos are just a warm up, before I'm back in full effect - hopefully soon.This will include some much better new music, demos of new gear, some of it really new, so despite these tracks, now is a very good time to subscribe.If you actually like these tracks, please punch the like button, throw me a comment, and subscribe.The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2022
MMM series 02 (Electro-Funk) - Marc the Darc Marc the Darc 2022-01-06 | MMM series are 5 tracks I made over 20 years ago in Magix Music Maker.I had no idea about music making, so the results are accordingly bad.Still, when I came across them in my old files not long ago, it gave me a giggle. So I decided to share them.Set to various videos of pyromania from years past. Because I like fire.Whole series:MMM-01 youtu.be/rKog-_9TNukMMM-02 youtu.be/KJ85leLbJPEMMM-03 youtu.be/HK7Y0PZ-tkAMMM-04 youtu.be/-zX6iK7_U0EMMM-05 youtu.be/JdK93lJkBgoLife has been... Hard... Half of 2021 was spent lying down, after I ripped my achilles tendon and messed up my ankle. And while writing this I'm in Covid-quarantine, because masks, hand sanitizer, vaccines, and countermeasures you haven't even thought about, are worth absolutely shit.So anything that can make me smile, gets a little more credit these days.But my ankle is kinda ok now, and think I'm on the road to recovery Covid-wise. So these videos are just a warm up, before I'm back in full effect - hopefully soon.This will include some much better new music, demos of new gear, some of it really new, so despite these tracks, now is a very good time to subscribe.If you actually like these tracks, please punch the like button, throw me a comment, and subscribe.The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2022
MMM series 01 (Trance) - Marc the Darc Marc the Darc 2022-01-06 | MMM series are 5 tracks I made over 20 years ago in Magix Music Maker.I had no idea about music making, so the results are accordingly bad.Still, when I came across them in my old files not long ago, it gave me a giggle. So I decided to share them.Set to various videos of pyromania from years past. Because I like fire.Whole series:MMM-01 youtu.be/rKog-_9TNukMMM-02 youtu.be/KJ85leLbJPEMMM-03 youtu.be/HK7Y0PZ-tkAMMM-04 youtu.be/-zX6iK7_U0EMMM-05 youtu.be/JdK93lJkBgoLife has been... Hard... Half of 2021 was spent lying down, after I ripped my achilles tendon and messed up my ankle. And while writing this I'm in Covid-quarantine, because masks, hand sanitizer, vaccines, and countermeasures you haven't even thought about, are worth absolutely shit.So anything that can make me smile, gets a little more credit these days.But my ankle is kinda ok now, and think I'm on the road to recovery Covid-wise. So these videos are just a warm up, before I'm back in full effect - hopefully soon.This will include some much better new music, demos of new gear, some of it really new, so despite these tracks, now is a very good time to subscribe.If you actually like these tracks, please punch the like button, throw me a comment, and subscribe. Copyright © Marc the Darc 2022
trackname (style) - Marc the Darc Marc the Darc 2021-11-01 | style by Marc the Darc If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-) Possibly the world's worst twitter account: twitter.com/Marc_the_Darc --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About the production: Gearbox: Korg Minilogue Yamaha Reface DX Waldorf Rocket Roland XV-5080 TC Helicon Voicetone Synth Shure SM58 TC Electronic Hall of Fame, Dark Matter, MojoMojo Nux Mod Core & Tape Core Deluxe Boss OverDrive OD-1X Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 2nd gen. Ableton Push & Suite 9 Akai APC40 Novation Launchpad mk2 & LaunchKey 49 U-He DIVA & Hive Korg M1 plugin Arturia Spark2 FabFilter Saturn Izotope Neutron, Vocalsynth, Stutter Edit, Nectar2 Copyright © Marc the Darc 2017
HWJ 5 min Against the Clock (Breakbeat/Rave) [Korg EMX-1] Marc the Darc 2021-04-05 | Attempted Breakbeat/Rave by Marc the DarcInspired by early 90's Old School Rave/Hardcore/Break style.I'm terribad at the whole genre-thing.My entry into the Hardware Jams fecesbook group weekly challenge.This week 13/2021, a 5 minute Against the Clock with minimal prep.facebook.com/groups/hardwarejamsFor those unfamiliar with the concept of Against the Clock, I'm allowed to get all my sounds ready, but sequencers etc. have to be empty. I then have (in this case) 5 minutes to play/program/improvise/jam some music. If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-) Social media-nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarc --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About the production:Extremely quick 5 minute jam on the EMX-1, with minimal prep.And a TC Helicon assisted shout out. Gearbox: Korg Electribe EMX-1 TC Helicon Voicetone SynthTC Helicon Voicetone T1 Shure SM58 Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 2nd gen. Copyright © Marc the Darc 2021
How to: Upgrade RAM and HDD in a Laptop Marc the Darc 2019-02-05 | Basic rundown on how to upgrade/exchange RAM and Harddrive in a Lenovo laptop.For doing a clean install of Windows, I recommend creating an installation thumbdrive prior to taking the laptop apart. A quick google search will point you to the relevant part of microsofts website, where you can download the tool for creating an installation medium.The thumbdrive must be atleast 8GB, and don't skimp - get a fast one! You'll thank yourself when the installation is fast.I almost always do the fresh install, because at the same time you get rid of all the errors Windows tend to develop over time.For cloning your old drive, like I say in the video, prior to taking the computer apart, put the new drive in a external harddrive enclosure. Then use a dedicated cloning software. Perfectly workable solutions are readily available online - just google. Many of them free, or take advantage of a time limited demo.The harddrive enclosure is a good investment. If your old drive isn't dead, it makes a decent external drive, you get a back up of your data, and it can help you in trouble shooting drives using another computer, among other. Make sure to get one that makes the most of your drives specification.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or punching that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2019
Play Nice People (Lo-Fi House) [Korg EMX-1] Marc the Darc 2018-11-12 | Lo-Fi/Piano House by Marc the DarcMade purely with Korg Electribe MX-1.Entry for the Hardware Jams fecesbook group weekend "Single Box" challenge 45/2018.facebook.com/groups/hardwarejamsIf you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2018
Darc jams 05 (Tech-House) Live @The Beach 17/8-2018 (part 1) Marc the Darc 2018-08-31 | I was recently invited by Aarhus Techno District to play at their 1-day electronic music event "The Beach", a silent event with music broadcast wirelessly to the audiences headphones.With 2 performers at a time, the audience could change between 2 channels of different electronic music. I am proud to claim that the majority was listening to my music most of the time.The guy next to me and I were the first pair of performers, so the crowd was a little thin to begin with. Still I got people dancing and groovin' as the video shows.I had originally intended to upload my entire hour and a half performance with both video and sound, however an issue with some of my recording equipment made that impossible, but the performance itself was luckily unaffected.The video is composed of randomly mixed shots from throughout my performance, and the track is 1 of 3 new "Darc Jams" tracks I wrote especially for the occasion. While the video doesn't sync, the track is performed properly live.Despite the minor technical setback, it was a great experience, and a significant succes!If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Lazy fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarc---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the production:Like previous Darc Jams there were some emphasis on production speed and efficiency, as I'm still trying to improve in that regard. With this track I'd say I've succeeded! While it is rough around the edges, it came together very quickly and fluidly.Technically it's one of my most simple, made completely in the box, and with just a few 3rd party plugins. However there were something very organic to how it all came together, which I feel is preserved in the end-result.Gearbox:Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 2nd gen.Ableton Push & Suite 10Akai APC40Novation Launchpad mk2U-He HiveNI Battery 4FabFilter SaturnCopyright © Marc the Darc 2018
Korg Prologue 16 tweaking & presets Marc the Darc 2018-08-30 | My 2nd video on the Korg Prologue, lots of tweaking and some presets.After some time being way too busy, late last night I finally got around to finish the 2nd video, that I managed to record before having to give back the Prologue.At a couple of points in the video it, the signal runs very hot, and there's some overs here and there. Not sure what that's about, as similar tweaks the other days/times, and just plainly similar sounds, were no where near as hot. But it's my bad, and I hope you can ignore them, or atleast live with them.I can only excuse myself, with the combination of a truncated timetable, and the fact that I still don't have my work space or tools available. It's all very improvised and setup on the fly.21:30 - Presets32:47 - EpilogueIf you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or punching that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2018
Korg Prologue 16 full review Marc the Darc 2018-04-26 | My full review of the first Korg Prologue 16 to land on danish shores.Should also add I was quite sick for most of the recording and editing of this video, so there's a few slip ups, but I was on a deadline. I hope you can ignore them.And I really hope you'll find the video useful and worthwhile!Thank you for watching, and for reading this.0:00 - Intro & Unboxing2:18 - Panels & Features10:53 - Basic sound & Tweaking19:52 - Digital Oscillator exploration26:05 - Presets demonstration45:03 - Conclusion46:37 - Pros & ConsIf you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or punching that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2018
Roland Boutique D-05 sound demo & conclusion Marc the Darc 2017-10-23 | Digital Delights part 2 - Roland Boutique D-05 sound demo & judgment.If you get sick of my bad playing, but want to hear my conclusion, jump to 17:27Digital Delights is my new series dedicated to digital synthesis, and all the cool stuff following the analogue craze might make you miss out on ;-)If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland Boutique D-05 unbox, 1st look & sound demo Marc the Darc 2017-10-21 | Digital Delights part 1 - Roland Boutique D-05, unboxing, 1st look & sound demo.Jump to 4:00 for sounds if you don't care to see more of it or hear my thoughts.Digital Delights is my new series dedicated to digital synthesis, and all the cool stuff following the analogue craze might make you miss out on ;-)If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Darc jams 04 (Dub-Techno) [Rocket, Minilogue, El Capistan] Marc the Darc 2017-04-27 | My new series of rough'n'ready tracks and jams, made in a day or less, recorded live warts and all.I'll try to upload one each week, but things tend to get in the way.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarc---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the production:I think I'm on target this time around, atleast regarding the overall time used on the track, don't think I've used more than 8-10 hours all considered. The idea spawned in tandem with some experiments with delays, which in turn also led to my series on tape delays. Like the last couple of jams, this was made in a series of short bursts.My followers will also recognise the track from my entry for the Thomann contest.The core of the track is a chord from the Waldorf Rocket, run through a Strymon El Capistan. Drums are from the Arturia Spark2 plugin. Most of the other sounds are from the Korg Minilogue. But I also lifted some of the spot effects from Abletons own plugs. Reverb on some sounds from TC Hall of Fame.The video is among other a test of my new cheap action camera, and as something "new" it's done in daylight.Gearbox:Korg MinilogueWaldorf RocketTC Electronic Hall of FameStrymon El CapistanNux Mod CoreFocusrite Scarlett 18i20 2nd gen.Ableton Push & Suite 9Akai APC40Novation Launchpad mk2Arturia Spark2FabFilter SaturnCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Tape Delays! - Part 5 - 3-way comparison Marc the Darc 2017-04-26 | Part 5 of my 3-way Tape Delay Pedal shoot-out.In this video I change things up a bit. I run a range of Minilogue sounds through a couple of roughly comparable settings on the 3 pedals, to showcase how they respond.Part 1 - Intro: youtu.be/OTbOQT2ShbYThe following videos showcase the sounds of the Tape Delay Pedals:Part 2 - Strymon El Capistan: youtu.be/EwqfL8DdvWwPart 3 - Boss RE-20: youtu.be/llkXSzdUzykPart 4 - Nux Tape Core Deluxe: youtu.be/lmG-z_JNaGEDarc jams 04, using El Capistan: youtu.be/e6H969kVtd8Playlist with synths run through pedals:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhOTXpMQhYpfnSU4K0PGZZs3qdq3lXcoOSocial media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Tape Delays! - Part 4 - Nux Tape Core Deluxe Marc the Darc 2017-04-26 | Part 4 of my 3-way Tape Delay Pedal shoot-out.I run the Nux Tape Core Deluxe through its paces, using a short percussive sound from my Korg Minilogue, which highlights the echo tail nicely.Part 1 - Intro: youtu.be/OTbOQT2ShbYThe following videos showcase the sounds of the Tape Delay Pedals:Part 2 - Strymon El Capistan: youtu.be/EwqfL8DdvWwPart 3 - Boss RE-20: youtu.be/llkXSzdUzykPart 5 - Comparison: youtu.be/uewNLuMj5WoDarc jams 04, using El Capistan: youtu.be/e6H969kVtd8Playlist with synths run through pedals:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhOTXpMQhYpfnSU4K0PGZZs3qdq3lXcoOSocial media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Tape Delays! - Part 3 - Boss RE-20 Space Echo Marc the Darc 2017-04-26 | Part 3 of my 3-way Tape Delay Pedal shoot-out.I run the Boss RE-20 through its paces, using a short percussive sound from my Korg Minilogue, which highlights the echo tail nicely.Part 1 - Intro: youtu.be/OTbOQT2ShbYThe following videos showcase the sounds of the Tape Delay Pedals:Part 2 - Strymon El Capistan: youtu.be/EwqfL8DdvWwPart 4 - Nux Tape Core Deluxe: youtu.be/lmG-z_JNaGEPart 5 - Comparison: youtu.be/uewNLuMj5WoDarc jams 04, using El Capistan: youtu.be/e6H969kVtd8Playlist with synths run through pedals:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhOTXpMQhYpfnSU4K0PGZZs3qdq3lXcoOSocial media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Tape Delays! - Part 2 - Strymon El Capistan Marc the Darc 2017-04-26 | Part 2 of my 3-way Tape Delay Pedal shoot-out.I run the Strymon El Capistan through its paces, using a short percussive sound from my Korg Minilogue, which highlights the echo tail nicely.Part 1 - Intro: youtu.be/OTbOQT2ShbYThe following videos showcase the sounds of the Tape Delay Pedals:Part 3 - Boss RE-20: youtu.be/llkXSzdUzykPart 4 - Nux Tape Core Deluxe: youtu.be/lmG-z_JNaGEPart 5 - Comparison: youtu.be/uewNLuMj5WoDarc jams 04, using El Capistan: youtu.be/e6H969kVtd8Playlist with synths run through pedals:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhOTXpMQhYpfnSU4K0PGZZs3qdq3lXcoOSocial media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Tape Delays! - Part 1 - Intro & Conclusion Marc the Darc 2017-04-26 | Part 1 of my 3-way Tape Delay Pedal shoot-out.I explain some of the mechanical differences between the contestants, get into some of the benefits of each pedal, and ultimately declare a winner of the series.The following videos showcase the sounds of the Tape Delay Pedals:Part 2 - Strymon El Capistan: youtu.be/EwqfL8DdvWwPart 3 - Boss RE-20: youtu.be/llkXSzdUzykPart 4 - Nux Tape Core Deluxe: youtu.be/lmG-z_JNaGEPart 5 - Comparison: youtu.be/uewNLuMj5WoDarc jams 04, using El Capistan: youtu.be/e6H969kVtd8Playlist with synths run through pedals:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhOTXpMQhYpfnSU4K0PGZZs3qdq3lXcoOI was testing my old Sony Bloggie camera, sadly it didn’t hold up as well as I remembered, so the picture isn’t too impressive.Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Marc the Darc jamming at the sewage treatment plant Marc the Darc 2017-04-16 | Marc the Darc plays dub techno outside the sewage treatment plant for the Thomann MusicBelongsEverywhere contest.Despite what youtube says, this video is exactly 59,93 seconds long.Full version of the track: youtube.com/watch?v=e6H969kVtd8 (Darc Jams 04).It's normally a pretty popular place for a walk, but at 3 degrees centigrade (37 fahrenheit) and frequent rain, there weren't many people out and about. Though several did pass while I was setting up, and during the dry-run.The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Darc jams 03 (Electro-Funk) [Minilogue, Reface DX, XV-5080] Marc the Darc 2017-03-27 | My new series of rough'n'ready tracks and jams, made in a day or less, recorded live warts and all.I'll try to upload one each week, but things tend to get in the way (improving but still some ways off target, maybe I can do even better when this week is over).If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarc---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the production:Like the last one, this track has been made in a bunch of short sprints due to stressful days. I think I'm slightly over my target time, but feels like time well spent, and overall I think I'm improving.Drums are mostly from Arturia Spark2. The main bass is from the Roland XV-5080 module, while the occasional accent is sampled from the Minilogue. The distorted sound is Minilogue running through TC Mojomojo - Boss OD-1X - TC DarkMatter - Nux Mod Core (chorus) in that order. The bright riff is the Reface DX, which I also play some notes over live. The rest of the synth sounds is U-He's excellent Hive plugin.Gearbox:Korg MinilogueYamaha Reface DXRoland XV-5080TC Electronic Hall of FameTC Electronic Dark Matter DistortionTC Electronic MojoMojoNux Mod CoreBoss OverDrive OD-1XFocusrite Scarlett 18i20 2nd gen.Ableton PushAkai APC40Novation Launchpad mk2Ableton Live 9 SuiteU-He HiveArturia Spark2FabFilter SaturnCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Darc jams 02 (Chillout) [Minilogue, Reface DX, XV-5080] Marc the Darc 2017-03-11 | My new series of rough'n'ready tracks and jams, made in a day or less, recorded live warts and all.I'll try to upload one each week, but things tend to get in the way (yeah no kidding so far, and it isn’t getting better this year, soon moving to a new house and setting up a better studio).If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarc---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the production:This one has been made in small sprints over some days, kinda defying the point, but still didn’t take that long. It mostly got delayed due to technical difficulties, which I’m still trying to work out, but atleast I managed to finish the track.It was spawned from the backing track I made for the finishing video in my System-8 series, which in turn started as a small experiment without a real purpose.The stand out “feature” of this track, is that it’s generated from a single held note! All but the drums comes from a single held “D” throughout the track. The rest is MIDI-effect trickery I set up myself, complete with a fair amount of randomness. Faded stuff in and out by hand as it recorded.The starting piano is from my Roland XV-5080 rack module. The main pad is from U-He DIVA, the underlying bass pad is U-He Hive, and the occasional top layer pad is from my Korg Minilogue run through Nux Mod Core chorus. The alternate E-Piano is from my Yamaha Reface DX. And the whole thing is souped in the mod reverb from my TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb pedal.The video is a recording of a saltwater aquarium in a local mall, which seemed befitting for an ambient track like this.Gearbox:Korg MinilogueYamaha Reface DXRoland XV-5080Nux Mod CoreTC Electronic Hall of FameFocusrite Scarlett 18i20Ableton PushAkai APC40Novation Launchpad mk2Ableton Live 9 SuiteU-he DIVA & HiveFabFilter SaturnCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland System-8 part 10 - Final Thoughts Marc the Darc 2017-02-23 | This weekend I recorded a video series featuring Rolands excellent ACB-based virtual analogue synth; the System-8. The series will include a bunch of presets as well as tweaking the 3 separate synth engines it ships with.The backing track is U-He DIVA pretending to be Jupiter-8.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland System-8 part 8 - Performance Presets Marc the Darc 2017-02-08 | Part 9 - Vocoder: youtu.be/BTEgaMjNrZ4This weekend I recorded a video series featuring Rolands excellent ACB-based virtual analogue synth; the System-8. The series will include a bunch of presets as well as tweaking the 3 separate synth engines it ships with.Warning! Experience may include (but not limited to):Clipping - System-8 outs are HOT!Fat fingered playing - yeesh!The System-8 was recorded straight into my Steinberg UR28M audio interface, using the hybrid inputs with minimum gain, “pad” engaged, and System-8 output turned down between the 12 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. All my other synths would barely be audible as the same settings, the System-8 was occationally clipping the interface inputs.I actually recorded this video after the Vocoder video, but later decided they would make more sense in the other order. Rather stressed and on a shrinking time limit, I forgot to turn down the input, leaving the mic to stream noise into the synth audio track. Something I didn't notice untill reviewing and editing the recording tonight. There's nothing I can really do to rectify it, luckily it's not that bad, so I decided to stick with it.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland System-8 part 7 - Juno Tweaks Marc the Darc 2017-02-08 | Part 8 - Performance: youtu.be/p6H-fMNpIwwThis weekend I recorded a video series featuring Rolands excellent ACB-based virtual analogue synth; the System-8. The series will include a bunch of presets as well as tweaking the 3 separate synth engines it ships with.Warning! Experience may include (but not limited to):Clipping - System-8 outs are HOT!Fat fingered playing - yeesh!The System-8 was recorded straight into my Steinberg UR28M audio interface, using the hybrid inputs with minimum gain, “pad” engaged, and System-8 output turned down between the 12 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. All my other synths would barely be audible as the same settings, the System-8 was occationally clipping the interface inputs.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland System-8 part 6 - JP-8 Tweaks Marc the Darc 2017-02-07 | Part 7 - Juno-106 Tweaks: youtu.be/nVR3ArKz9jMThis weekend I recorded a video series featuring Rolands excellent ACB-based virtual analogue synth; the System-8. The series will include a bunch of presets as well as tweaking the 3 separate synth engines it ships with.Warning! Experience may include (but not limited to):Clipping - System-8 outs are HOT!Fat fingered playing - yeesh!The System-8 was recorded straight into my Steinberg UR28M audio interface, using the hybrid inputs with minimum gain, “pad” engaged, and System-8 output turned down between the 12 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. All my other synths would barely be audible as the same settings, the System-8 was occationally clipping the interface inputs.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland System-8 part 5 - S8 Tweaks Marc the Darc 2017-02-07 | Part 6 - Jupiter-8 Tweaks: youtu.be/iouOqOCTmOgThis weekend I recorded a video series featuring Rolands excellent ACB-based virtual analogue synth; the System-8. The series will include a bunch of presets as well as tweaking the 3 separate synth engines it ships with.Warning! Experience may include (but not limited to):Clipping - System-8 outs are HOT!Fat fingered playing - yeesh!The System-8 was recorded straight into my Steinberg UR28M audio interface, using the hybrid inputs with minimum gain, “pad” engaged, and System-8 output turned down between the 12 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. All my other synths would barely be audible as the same settings, the System-8 was occationally clipping the interface inputs.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland System-8 part 4 - Juno Presets Marc the Darc 2017-02-04 | Part 5 - System-8 Tweaks: youtu.be/53TUSW4kHJEThis weekend I recorded a video series featuring Rolands excellent ACB-based virtual analogue synth; the System-8. The series will include a bunch of presets as well as tweaking the 3 separate synth engines it ships with.Warning! Experience may include (but not limited to):Clipping - System-8 outs are HOT!Fat fingered playing - yeesh!The System-8 was recorded straight into my Steinberg UR28M audio interface, using the hybrid inputs with minimum gain, “pad” engaged, and System-8 output turned down between the 12 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. All my other synths would barely be audible as the same settings, the System-8 was occationally clipping the interface inputs.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland System-8 part 3 - JP-8 Presets Marc the Darc 2017-02-03 | Part 4 - Juno-106 presets: youtu.be/pd2GD3md2RUThis weekend I recorded a video series featuring Rolands excellent ACB-based virtual analogue synth; the System-8. The series will include a bunch of presets as well as tweaking the 3 separate synth engines it ships with.Warning! Experience may include (but not limited to):Clipping - System-8 outs are HOT!Fat fingered playing - yeesh!The System-8 was recorded straight into my Steinberg UR28M audio interface, using the hybrid inputs with minimum gain, “pad” engaged, and System-8 output turned down between the 12 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. All my other synths would barely be audible as the same settings, the System-8 was occationally clipping the interface inputs.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland System-8 part 2 - S8 Presets Marc the Darc 2017-02-02 | Part 3 - JP-8 presets: youtu.be/p2qDfkhsQaIThis weekend I recorded a video series featuring Rolands excellent ACB-based virtual analogue synth; the System-8. The series will include a bunch of presets as well as tweaking the 3 separate synth engines it ships with.Warning! Experience may include (but not limited to):Clipping - System-8 outs are HOT!Fat fingered playing - yeesh!And annoying camera-crashing due to a bad SD-card (which died way too soon).The System-8 was recorded straight into my Steinberg UR28M audio interface, using the hybrid inputs with minimum gain, “pad” engaged, and System-8 output turned down between the 12 o’clock and 9 o’clock position. All my other synths would barely be audible at the same settings, the System-8 was occationally clipping the interface inputs.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Roland System-8 part 1 - Introduction Marc the Darc 2017-02-01 | Part 2 - S8 presets: youtu.be/qRkmppRA8DoThis weekend I recorded a video series featuring Rolands excellent ACB-based virtual analogue synth; the System-8. The series will include a bunch of presets as well as tweaking the 3 separate synth engines it ships with.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2017
Overdrive pedal shoot-out 2 with Korg Minilogue Marc the Darc 2016-11-25 | The search continues! Part 1: youtu.be/WZfatHnXScg if you missed it.Shoot-out between TC Electronic MojoMojo, Boss OverDrive OD-1X, MXR Custom Badass Modified O.D and TC Electronic Dark Matter distortion. Which will do best as a drive pedal for use with my Minilogue? Part 2.So I start from a point with the pedals set to be roughly level-matched by ear, and tweaked to impact the sound as little as possible. Which proved more challenging this time, as their responses to different sounds and frequencies, varied greatly. And I gave the MojoMojo a tad too much bass, but it sounds worse than it is, coming after the Boss in the cycle.Minilogue goes straight to chain of pedals, onward into Steinberg UR28M soundcard DI input. Sound is completely unaltered except a transparent limiter that didn’t do much/anything.My findings:TC Electronic MojoMojo:+ Warm and transparent drive+ Least colouring at low gain+ 2-band EQ very flexible+ Capable of pretty flat frequency response or even slight bass boost+ Low noise+ Excellent for basses and undynamic sounds/playing- Very inconsistent drive effect in relation to playing dynamics and gain changes- Output level heavily influenced by gain setting- High gain goes a tad too wild- Unstable resultsThe MojoMojos frequency response impressed me in the last test, but felt its gain and dynamics response was too unpredictable for most sounds. But when I found a used one for extra cheap, I went and got it to use with bass sounds, which it is the best at. Interestingly this slightly knackered one, is less sensitive at low gain, making it more predictable than the brand new I used last time, which is an improvement.Boss OverDrive OD-1X:+ Very consistent drive effect in relation to playing dynamics and gain changes+ Output level not influenced much by gain setting+ High gain increases the drive effect smoothly+ Character has serious charm to my ears+ Works very well on a number of lead and pad sounds+ Stable results+ 2-band EQ flexible and useful+ Very low noise+ Controlled and somewhat transparent- Cuts both top and bottom end frequencies- Fairly useless for bassThe Boss is a positive surprise. It’s obviously closely related to the SD-1 in the last test. There’s clear similarities in the character, but it’s much less noisy, it’s much more transparent. And while it still rolls off low and high end quite badly, the much better 2-band EQ makes up for it in many situations where the SD-1 fell short, making it much more versatile. It’s still all but useless for bass, but the controlled way it handles its gain, along with that lovely character, which is even better here, makes it amazing for a number of mid-heavy sounds. I was going to give it up, but changed my mind in the last second, so I guess the solution is using the Mojo for basses, and this for the kind of sounds that causes the Mojo trouble.MXR Custom Badass Modified O.D.:+ Fairly consistent drive effect in relation to playing dynamics and gain changes+ Output level not influenced greatly by gain setting+ High gain increases the drive effect fairly smoothly+ Musical character + Low noise+ Flexible low end with 100Hz knob and bump button+ Fairly stable results- Significant colouring at all settings- Low end requires frequent tweaking to avoid muddy sound- Lesser loss of low and high frequencies- Tone knob is essentially a lowpass filter best left open- Not perfect for bassThe MXR sounded really awesome on a few sounds, and it was both flexible and capable. But it tended to get muddy or go light if the low end response wasn’t tweaked to fit the sound, and the colouring/character wasn’t always to my taste. Its gain and drive was mostly nice and predictable, but the low end issues and overall sound made it so it wasn’t for me.TC Electronic Dark Matter distortion:+ Warm and transparent drive+ Not very colouring at low gain+ 2-band EQ quite flexible+ Capable of pretty flat frequency response+ Low noise+ Good allrounder at low gain- Inconsistent drive effect in relation to playing dynamics and gain changes- Output level heavily influenced by gain setting- High gain goes a tad too wildI already owned the Dark Matter and being a distortion it’s got a different character, especially as gain increases, but I included it in the video due to popular demand after people saw it in my pedalboard. It’s obviously very closely related to the Mojo, and basicly has all the same issues, but at low gain it seems ever so slightly more restrained and predictable. The EQ doesn’t go into boost like on the Mojo, and being a distortion the character is a bit harsher, which as you push it makes it go from more controlled than the Mojo to less controlled. That harsher character and uncontrollable reaction to gain makes it less than perfect for my use, but at low gain it does a lot of things well.The worlds laziest fecesbook:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 10 - Thoughts Marc the Darc 2016-11-24 | This is the final part in my Roland System-500 series, where I try to wrap the whole thing up neatly.It's just me trying to put my experience and opinion into words, and mostly failing because I'm uncomfortable infront of the camera, and also kinda tired/stressed these days. Hence all the small cuts.This weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 9 - Multi layering Marc the Darc 2016-11-23 | Part 10 - Thoughts: youtu.be/1h3I6iUmquQThis part is a final merger of some of the things I've learned this weekend, trying to create something altogether more musical.I was running out of time at this point, was 3 am. monday morning and had to get up to give it back in 7 hours, so it was slapped together rather hastily. Still thought it made sense with an all in final demo, with a different expression to all the usual weird drone'n'noise modular noodling demos.The acid-esque bass in the larger center picture is based on the dual-modulated FM I experimented with earlier in the series.The kick in the upper left corner is pitch, filter and amp mod pulled from the same envelope with as many wavesforms as I had cables for mashed into the filter.Then I have two stereo-wired pads, with slow LFO giving each side varying filter modulation, giving the impression of motion in the stereo field, each playing their part in the bottom part of the screen.And finally the lead 5th in the top right corner, making use of the delay part of the 572 module, down in the chorus-range delay time.Pads and lead have some reverb added from the TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb pedal on a send/return.And there's a touch of sidechaining going on between the channels with Abletons Glue compressor.This weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 8 - Stereo Marc the Darc 2016-11-22 | Part 9 - Multi layering: youtu.be/PEBPUjYSKJwThis part is about using the twin engine design to create lush, wide, evolving stereo scapes.This weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 7 - Duophonic Marc the Darc 2016-11-21 | Part 8 - Stereo: youtu.be/ysR8gBuvbaEThis part is about using the twin engine design to create two distinct sounds at once, and by the power of the dual design of the Beatstep Pro sequencing them separately.This weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 6 - Sequence Marc the Darc 2016-11-20 | Part 7 - Duophonic: youtu.be/OZ4z8dLmMk4This part is leaning towards slightly more melodic stuff sequenced from the Beatstep Pro.This weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 5 - Effects Marc the Darc 2016-11-19 | Part 6 - Sequence: youtu.be/aMgfjegSzjwIn this video I continue with the LFO triggering and more advanced routings, while running it through the effects in the 572 module.This weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 4 - LFO Triggering Marc the Darc 2016-11-19 | Part 5 - Effects: youtu.be/9MaBs90B2MAIn this video I continue with the FM, and introduce LFO triggering and more advanced routings.This weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 3 - FM Marc the Darc 2016-11-19 | Part 4 - LFO Triggering: youtu.be/LjnrfMna6m0In this video I patch up a some frequency modulation, including a trippy double-modulated FM patch.This weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 2 - Basics Marc the Darc 2016-11-19 | Part 3 - FM: youtu.be/2vqXPO2IM3wIn this video I patch up a basic synth patch, and try out the oscillators, filter and some of the mod sources.This weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Roland System-500 part 1 - Introduction Marc the Darc 2016-11-18 | Part 2 - Basics: youtu.be/-SoaD7bhDGwThis weekend I recorded a 10 video series featuring Rolands excellent analogue modular synth; the System-500. I'm still new to modular, so consider it a beginners first explorations into the world of modular, and at the same time an indepth look at the System-500.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Darc jams 01 (House) [Minilogue, Reface DX, Rocket] Marc the Darc 2016-11-17 | My new series of rough'n'ready tracks and jams, made in a day or less, recorded live warts and all.I'll try to upload one each week, but things tend to get in the way.Funny detail, this is uploaded almost exactly 7 years after I uploaded my 1st early attempt at music. Less than an hour from being exact!If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarc---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the production:Made today, all synth sounds from Minilogue, Reface DX and Rocket.Minilogue is controlled by the Push, and is run through the overdrive and distortion pedals and the Mod Core in chorus-mode which is switched in and out (that's what I'm reaching for under the Reface DX).Reface DX delivers bass, pad and the effect, bass and pad was pre-recorded.Rocket does the plucked chord.All 3 synths and the vocoder are run/mixed through the Zoom R16, because my audio interface doesn't have enough inputs. And the TC Electronic Hall of Fame reverb pedal is set as a wet-only effects loop.All in I think it took little under 5 hours to make.Gearbox:Korg MinilogueYamaha Reface DXWaldorf RocketTC Helicon Voicetone SynthShure SM58TC Electronic Hall of FameTC Electronic Dark Matter DistortionBoss OverDrive OD-1XNux Mod CoreSteinberg UR28MZoom R16Ableton PushAkai APC40Novation Launchpad mk2Ableton Live 9 SuiteArturia Spark2FabFilter SaturnCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
TC Electronic Hall of Fame with Korg Minilogue Marc the Darc 2016-10-24 | TC Electronic Hall of Fame guitar pedal is demonstrated with some preset sequences from the Korg Minilogue.Room Reverb 0:42Hall Reverb 3:20Spring Reverb 5:25Plate Reverb 7:26Church Reverb 9:39Modulated Reverb 11:32Lo-Fi Reverb 13:32Tile Reverb 15:07Ambience Reverb 16:31Gate Reverb 18:25Playlist with synths run through pedals:youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhOTXpMQhYpfnSU4K0PGZZs3qdq3lXcoOAfter several days of interference I finally got the time to put this video together as promised. Pure and raw audio, no musical statement. I tried to focus the video on changes in the sound of the various reverb effects, but there's more to it than my pseudo-random tweaking shows.I've opted to use presets with their patterns for these demos, because it frees up focus and hands to edit the effects it's all about. And secondly for those who have this synth, it gives a relateable basis they can gauge in their own studio, hopefully giving a clearer image of what the effect actually does.Annoyingly my camera has started interupting video recording at random times, claiming the SD card is too slow. Hasn't been an issue for 3 years now, so I'm sure that's the case o.0 /sarcasm off - not looking too good...Thanks to this I didn't get around to showcase the Toneprint, but haven't had time to change it, and the stock toneprint is a fairly dull room algorithm anyways, so you didn't miss out. Just yet ;-)I'm planning to follow this up with some ambient noodling videos, showcasing the Hall of Fame reverbs in a more focused and muscial setting. So I think that's something to stay tuned for ;-)If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
Overdrive pedal shoot-out with Korg Minilogue Marc the Darc 2016-08-26 | Shoot-out between TC Electronic MojoMojo, Boss Super OverDrive SD-1 and Mesa/Boogie Grid Slammer. Which will do best as a drive pedal for use with my Minilogue?Part 2: youtu.be/YMjEO6PB0-4The basic idea is to generally not run it very hot, but just being able to introduce that bit of tube-ish drive, grit and bite to the sound, moving into the same general area as other synths do with features like (filter) drive - a feature missing from the Minilogue.So I start from a point with the pedals set to be roughly level-matched by ear, and tweaked to impact the sound as little as possible.Minilogue goes straight to chain of pedals, onward into Steinberg UR28M soundcard DI input. Sound is completely unaltered except a transparent limiter that didn’t do much/anything.As you will hear, some guitarpedals tend to cut lows, highs, or both to emphasise the mids, so the guitar cuts through better. But this isn't really desirable for my purposes. It also means that some sounds will sound louder on some pedals, and others will sound louder on others, depending on where the sound has the most signal in relation to the pedals frequency response - I have tried to account for that in the settings, but can't completely.Especially at higher gain settings they also tend to introduce a fair bit of noise, again not a good thing, but as I will mostly be running the pedal I choose at fairly low gain, it won't be that big of a deal.I also ran into a problem with the pedals ways of reacting to incoming level, and interpretation of playing dynamics. Simply put, the amount of drive/distortion was heavily impacted by the amount of simultaneous notes being played, making for instance an alternation between a single note and a triad, inconsistently processed.And finally there's the issue of how consistent the output level is when changing the gain setting. This is mostly an ease of use concern as they all have a separate output level knob, but to not have to reach for that everytime you change the drive a bit, in order to keep a consistent and comparable level, is ultimately easier.My findings:TC Electronic MojoMojo:+ Warm and transparent drive+ Least colouring at low gain+ 2-band EQ very flexible+ Capable of pretty flat frequency response or even slight bass boost+ Low noise+ Excellent for basses and undynamic sounds/playing- Very inconsistent drive effect in relation to playing dynamics and gain changes- Output level heavily influenced by gain setting- High gain goes a tad too wild- Unstable resultsBoss Super OverDrive SD-1:+ Very consistent drive effect in relation to playing dynamics and gain changes+ Output level not influenced greatly by gain setting+ High gain increases the drive effect smoothly+ Character has its charms+ Works very well on a number of lead and pad sounds+ Stable results- Cuts both top and bottom end frequencies severely- Tone knob is essentially a lowpass filter best left open- Imparts distinct driven character even at minimum gain- Most colouring/least transparent of the 3- Noise comes earlier and stronger- Too niche for this use really- Useless for bassMesa/Boogie Grid Slammer:+ Output level not influenced greatly by gain setting+ High gain increases the drive effect fairly smoothly+ Musical character + Warm and pretty transparent drive+ Not terribly colouring at low gain+ Low noise+ Good allround performance+/- Somewhat stable results- Somewhat inconsistent drive effect in relation to playing dynamics and gain changes- Slight high mid boost- Slight low cut- Tone knob is essentially a lowpass filter best left open- Not perfect for bassWith unlimited money and room, the Boss SD-1 would make a decent aux, due to its character and how it works with some sounds. But with its strong colouration of the sound, and its lack of bass, makes it too unflexible to be my main overdrive effect.The Grid Slammer is usually much more expensive than the other 2, but I got an excellent discount, so for the purpose of this test the remaining difference is ignored.So it's between Grid Slammer and MojoMojo.Mojo is more flexible, has the better frequency response and is more transparent. But is annoyingly unstable in its results.Grid has a nice character and is more stable, though not perfect. But that low end cut will require more EQ particularly on bass sounds.If you like this, a thumbs up, comment and/or hitting that subscribe button, would really mean a lot to me! I got plenty more coming; House, Tech, D'n'B, and more, as well as videos showing off various music tech I get my hands on. I'll do my best to make that subscription worth your while ;-)Social media nonsense:facebook.com/MarctheDarcCopyright © Marc the Darc 2016
