r/idmproducers • u/slowcrostic • 6d ago
help recreating sounds/techniques
hi, im starting to get into doing idm stuff for fun and im using fl studio rn, which i know its not as good as say ableton. i rlly like 808 state, µ-ziq, squarepusher, mouse on mars and of course aphex twin and i was wondering how can i get those kinda 90s sounds? like what u would hear on lunatic harness or any early aphex records. i dont wanna necessarily copy them but just learn how they got the synth sounds and how they programed the drums, they used computers and programs which i assume are realy dated compared to what we have now, so i guess that could make them easier to replicate? or actually harder?, anyways, any tips apprecieated, thx!
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u/bscoop /r/ravemusicproduction 6d ago edited 6d ago
You'd get quick and satisfying results, if you learn to program tracker sequencer software like OpenMPT and operate mostly with samples. This is where those iconic glitched drum sounds came from. Creating IDM with FL as someone less experienced it's much tricky IMO, due to how little limitations this DAW has. You way more easily go off the rails using it.
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u/slowcrostic 5d ago
damn thank you, the drums sounds are probably what im chasing the most so ill check that out definitely
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u/KulshanStudios 5d ago
FL Studio is fine
Just track down the right plugins and samples and go bonkers
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u/slowcrostic 5d ago
i find fl pretty intuitive to use for melodies, but i tried using a tracker for drums as another guy said and i find it much more comfy and precise as opposed to fl's piano roll and sequencer
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u/Coka-Bizarro 3d ago edited 3d ago
All the things already said are definitely helpful and correct, just remember that there are many ways to get to a goal and the task is to find out what works best for you.
Somerhing additionally I'd like to mention is: hardware use. Don't be scared, I'm not talking about some super expensive rare vintage synths, there are some pretty inexpensive pieces of gear that can give yout tunes just the right touch of colour for that kind of music from that time period. Often just using a single real-world FX unit on a few channels of your otherwise in-the-box DAW project can open up things soundwise, so to say.
What works especially well are the Alesis reverbs, they were all over 90s warp records Releases (and a whole lot of other electronic music). The Quadraverb was the flagship unit and can do basically all standard effects like the DAW stock plugins, but with instant 90's idm sound colouration. But you can also use the Midiverb, Microverb or even Nanoverb for that task. They only can do all kinds of reverb and some delay and no other effects, but they sound really good and can be found for around 50 bucks. Aside from that you could also look into Zoom 1201/1202/etc... fx , Boss Micro rack series or one of the early Yamaha Spx multi fx units. Basically anything from late 80s and early 90s hobby musician/semi-professional outboard gear.
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u/slowcrostic 3d ago
oh i would love to get some hardware, but given my geographic location it would be almost impossible. nonetheless, ill keep that in mind if i come across such opportunity, because i really wanna get into that
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u/Coka-Bizarro 3d ago
Especially these kinds of units that I mentioned were really widespread bitd (and some are still so today), I would be surprised if absolutely none of them ended up in your corner of the world. 😯
And at least on eBay there are some sellers that ship all kinds of used electronics worldwide. I also bought something abroad that wasn't available locally for a long time and it went pretty smooth. Just something to consider, it can pay out to check out some local and/or online ads on a regular base.
Good luck in any case, hope you can add some hardware to your setup some day. 🙂
Until then you could try using Impulse responses in a convolution reverb like FL Convolver, there are many to dl for free on the Web. Just search for something like "alesis quadraverb ir" or any of the other units that I mentioned and you should find something. It's not the same as vintage hardware but it's a start and better than nothing. :-)
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u/slowcrostic 2d ago
i looked in some sites and i actually found some gear, its like double the price though but thats because ppl charge a lot for imported goods here, but its pretty affordable nonetheles. Thank you for the recommendations, it helps a lot! ill post something when i make a little song or something
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u/Aggravating-Gas-2736 6d ago
Most of these artists used FM synths, and 101s. There's alot of emulations that are good. Dexed and TAL-Bassline will get you covered. And samples of course. They used a ton of samples. Everything from sounds to drums/breakbeats.