Whats a real nice bitcrusher to use? Any suggestions? Or do a lot of people just use Ableton's own?

I always use Ableton's but the soundhack freesound bundle at http://www.soundhack.com/freeware.php includes a bitcrusher VST called +decimate... scroll down at that page for the download. There's a couple other nice ones in the bundle too.

+1 for Soundhack (on all fronts) but I just used decimate on some drums in a remix I just finished and it served the cause really well!

Also the Tal Bitcrusher could be a decent (free) option: http://kunz.corrupt.ch/?Products:VST_TAL-Bitcrusher

I'm not a massive effectrix user, but I think their might be one in there too - not 100% sure tho.

http://morfiki.blogspot.com/

morfiki has this one caller "redu(p)cer" that is 5 bit reducers in one and you can morph between the 5 separate settings. Haven't heard anything quite like it, you can get some incredible sounds in those in between spots.

will be checkin this out... thanks!

d16 group decimort my fav

On kind of a similar note, Do any of yal have any suggestions on the high pass filter/bit reduction sweep that Nosaj Thing does every 5 seconds?

My first suggestion, which I'm guessing you already have a handle on, is to use that sparingly.

The way you do it is a bitcrush and hipass mapped to the same knob. I think you want it so that as you turn the knob up, the filter frequency increases and the sample rate reduction decreases (so both sounds go up in pitch, basically).

Word, thanks for the suggestion. Ive been checking out your stuff man. I'm digging it. I was stoked to hear an Aesop Remix. I did one a while back for the track Citronella.

I personally love Abletons Bit Crusher though I hardly ever use the Bit Crush, I'm more a fan of the downsample, love the texture it gives on a build up before a drop, or the slight abrasiveness it can give to a synth line.

Yeah, after trying out a few different ones. I just stuck with the Ableton BitCrusher.

second

Something like this?


I use ableton's bitcrusher customized in a rack.
Just assign all the nice stuff to macro controls, put an EQ 8 or EQ 3 in there. maybe even a saturator or overdrive. Define the values and Teak away!!

OH I also forgot about Sonalksis TBK2 (AWESOME) and Camelphat

kombinat

how do you make a bit crusher not sound like fuzz? I feel like there should be a freq control to place the "crushing" in the ranges I want it. Or do you guys make a chain and have it hit like the mid freqs only?

I actually map out the high pass to its own knob and then i mapped the sample and bit rates to other knobs so i can control just how much "fuzz" im getting... I usually dont like to use more than 4 or 5 on the hard setting.. after that it starts to destroy the sound..

Side question, how do you beat repeat so that when you trigger the "reapeating" the beat stops, and only the repeating is heard?

the only way i know how to use it is sort of like repeating kicks and snares over the beat thats playing

Kaoss Pad 3 ftw. or ableton's repeater.

You could do it witha delay unit as well.. whatever you want.

Switch Beat Repeat from Mix to Ins mode. Mix plays the repeats over top, Ins cuts out the original beat when repeats are happening, and gate plays only the repeats (so none of the original signal comes through--useful if it's on a send).

I wish they made the beat repeater a bit more extended... like giving it +12 semitones instead of just 0 to -12.
And choosing only 1/3 measures, only 1/4 or mixed.

etc.

yeah i love both of those.

Black ops is a cool one, it has some interesting controls for bitcrush depth and fuzz with a couple LFOs. I like setting automations with it while playing a smoother sounding synth (moog, jupiter, etc.).

How do you get live to let you turn an effect on only for the duration that you're holding down a pad like that?