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Composing Post-Rock and Ambient Music

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SD-Ness

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I have been listening to a lot of Sigur Ros, M83, and other similar bands lately. Since I love these genres and possess a qualified background in music, I want to attempt writing my own material. I know GAF isn’t the most qualified place to ask, but I see that we have a couple musical connoisseurs and plenty of musical elitists lurking about. So some questions:

I went to a post-rock concert a couple of months ago to see Do Make Say Think. They’re a great band. However, the band that opened for them Blame Game (also great, check them out) used an interested technique to create the post-rock feel. I noticed the guitar players had this pedal, which they pressed during the moments where they wanted the guitars to act as textures instead of producing chords and riffs. I noted the pedal as something they “pumped” up and down in order to get the effect, which sounded like a bow on a string instrument. This is different from Sigur Ros’s method of literally using a bow on the electric guitar. Anyone know if Blame Game’s technique is popular among post-rock artists and if this pedal can be purchased anywhere? What’s the name of it?

Also, concerning M83 type stuff: what instruments would I need to create the same sound? I have a keyboard, but not a synthesizer. It doesn’t produce as elegant a sound, it’s much more digital, and “cheap.” Is M83’s music composed of layers of synthesizers over each other? I know they’ve added drums and guitars in their recent works, but I’m referring more to the old stuff. Are there any computer programs involved?

Any areas (websites, books), which will further my search, please post. Thanks.
 
Zero: I believe a violin-esque sound can be produced with a Boss SG-1. Josh Homme (and Troy Van Leeuwen) also have a Pedal like the one you describe (you pump it), but I don't know what that one is, it gets a violin sound as well.
 
Zilch said:
Vintage synthesizers, baby.

http://www.vintagesynth.org/


I post there. :)

Anyway me and my friends recently tried out a post-rock/ambient song. We mostly used shit loads of feedback and some delay pedals. We literally just had 3 amps pointing at each other and then laid down three guitars connected it all. My friend fed his guitar through a distortion pedal and a delay pedal. I played some stuff on synths while they tweaked knobs and moved stuff around. It really is so fun to do. I have some recordings of it but I used a shitty camera and it really doesn't capture the intensity. By the way, we all used pretty crappy/tiny amps so don't just think we spend thousands of dollars to just fool around with noises.

At one point the delay pedal made a texturing/pumping sound as you described and the frequency from the feedback/delay pedal began to match up with the Low E string and thus causing the E string to start vibrating rapidly back and forth. It was so cool.

EDIT:

Here it is....

Diary of a Windy Airport
 
Cool. Song doesn't work for me...

So I've been researching pedals, but I haven't found the exact one I was looking for. I did find some other good results though:

http://guitargeek.com/chat/showthread.php?threadid=42453&perpage=15&pagenumber=3

Catalinbread teaser Stallion: I use this for medium to high gain stuff, but mostly for the other channel which turns into a self oscilation machine which can be controlled by the knobs and switches on your guitar. Go to catalinbread's website and then get one. great for noise/post rock. Can sound alot like a theremin if you know what you're doing.

Fabtone: sometimes this is on my board, sometimes it's off. Right now I'm in love with it. It's a crazy metal/post rock pedal and when I get an EQ I'll plop it after it for some cool sculpting abilities.

Bah. I need that other pedal though!
 
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