OscarUnderdog’s Wild Ride with Feedback Loops in Ableton

OscarUnderdog just got back from Aetonal in Berlin, and boy, did it leave an imprint on him. He dives right into the chaos that can be birthed from feedback loops in your music. It’s like when that old boombox suddenly picks up an alien signal. For Oscar, feedback loops were this mysterious entity that didn’t quite click before. Thankfully, he’s now seen the light-or rather, heard the sound. He doesn’t go off into a dissertation; instead, he wants to share a simple introduction of what makes these loops so darn exciting. Just buckle up, folks, because things are about to get beautifully chaotic.

Oscar dives into the nitty-gritty: setting up feedback and the all-important ‘protect your ears’ public service announcement. It’s like the Wild West inside your earphones if you don’t watch out. You’d think this was a call for earplugs from Woodstock ’69 the way he emphasizes ear hygiene. A limiter’s not just your friend here; it’s your bodyguard. Oscar takes inspiration from some wild artists like Mouth Wound and the Empty Sets, applying their methods to create a rollercoaster of sounds. He stresses the essence of playing it safe while also encouraging experimentation to get those big organic textures flowing without turning up the volume knob to explosion levels. So remember, protect your hearing while turning things up.

To get the feedback party started, Oscar sets up a basic signal flow that hits like a freight train. He talks about using the simplest synthesizer and white noise to create immense effects. This isn’t about fancy gear; it’s more about the clever use of what you’ve got. Oscar likens it to cooking street food – minimal ingredients, maximum flavor. By employing a euclidean sequencer, he manages to loop beats with just enough flair to give the feedback loop something to chew on. Call it a minimalistic symphony, but this setup ensures that chaos never sounded so good. Just a bit of white noise and some filters, and you’re grooving.

Here’s where the magic happens: return channels. Oscar describes setting these up as the secret sauce to feeding signal back into itself. It’s like a hot dog stand where every ingredient amplifies the sauce. With hall reverb and delays, he creates spaces that stretch the sound into otherworldly dimensions. Yet, what really makes it hum is the feedback loop. The send feeds back into itself, spawning a world of audio mayhem. It’s not just cranking up the volume; it’s more like controlling the nitrogen in a street race – just the right amount can speed things up massively. Oscar ensures everything’s in check with limiters, making sure the sound explodes just enough to stay in the groove without blowing out speakers or ears.