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BT aka Brian Transeau |
BT: Getting All Emotional About Technology
by Randy AlbertsPushing vocal processing even further on Emotional Technology with GRM "I'm scouring the planet minute to minute for new sounds and ways to make those sounds. The GRM Reson plug-in is unbelievable for that, I can't believe it, and Contrast is out of control, man," raves recording artist, composer, producer, technical synth whiz and soundtrack creator BT. His fourth and latest solo artist record, Emotional Technology, is driving up the charts as he dives right into his next project, producing the soundtrack for the Charlize Theron-produced film Monster starring Charlize and Christina Ricci. "I've been using Contrast on weird, like, loopy vocal sorts of stuff. I'm freaking out on them." Translation: BT has used all the GRM tools since his amazingly popular Movement In Still Life released in 2000, and he digs 'em all. Following an already successful run as an electronic trance music pioneer in the clubs and raves of England, back in the States BT scored a big enough hit with Still Life to get everyone's attention worldwide. Soundtracks for The Fast And The Furious, Driven, Go and many other movies followed, and recently he did some production work on a track for Sting's new solo album Sacred Love. More mega movies await, and Emotional Technology is using its infectious, insightful brand of dance electronica and pop to get some great legs on the charts just weeks into release, as well. "The GRM stuff is really just sort of punk rock and irreverent," says BT, aka Brian Transeau. "The potential for sound design with GRM is never un-obtrusive. It's just punk rock. You substantiate that plug-in, put something through it, and you know the plug-in is on." Creating Movement With Contrast BT used GRM's Contrast on a vocal track that featured a loop that repeats for quite a long time. He'll often work this way when experimenting with a vocalist's track in one of his trademark remix productions, as he did during a recent song's production with one of several keeper tracks by a female vocalist. "I took it and ran it through Contrast and used it almost like a filter," he continues. "So it's emphasizing the sibilance in her voice as opposed to a traditional low pass or band pass filter where you are emphasizing one specific part of the frequency spectrum. This emphasizes things in a way that makes your ears realize that it's very uncharacteristic to any filter you've heard. I'm using it almost like a filter and turning a vocal into an acid line but something very much more bleeding edge. It's insane." If GRM's Contrast is that good, can it even be used for, say, mastering? "I have no idea, dude," the animated BT laughs good naturedly when queried about Contrast's serious compressor-like tendencies. "Actually, I'm sure you could use it for mastering, but I'm using it to make mangled acid lines out of it. When you hear what I did with that thing you're going to be like, 'That's just wrong, man, but it's so cool.' And those GRM BandPass filters alone -- I've used those on so many of my recordings that it's just embarrassing." BT also uses GRM's EQ plug-in and likes the ability to flip and choose through his presets with the Superslider, one of his all-time favorite sound design tools. He describes here how he used it to create a lushly random textural pad for a recent film using the plug-in. "I set up an aux send in Pro Tools and place the GRM EQ post-reverb. On the aux fader I'll then put something like a D-Verb and put the EQ through it, then automate the moves in time using the random curve pencil tool in Pro Tools. I'll put the Superslider on so that it's jumping around the different EQ curves in 16th notes and in tempo. It's the most insane sounding thing you've ever heard in your life, just unbelievable." www.btmusic.com |