For several years, sound design superfreak Diego Stocco has been amazing people with his videos, which document the incredible lengths that he goes to in order to create unique sounds. He’s set pianos on fire, he’s made music from a bonsai tree, he’s done beat making with the sounds of a dry cleaner and has even built his own orchestra of custom instruments.
While Stocco’s videos let you see the passion he brings to his work, many people have also been interested in learning more about his technique – from the gear he uses for recording to the software he uses for sound processing to the details of how he transforms raw sound into musical instruments.
For people interested in the nitty-gritty of sound design, Stocco has started a new series of premium ‘master class’ videos, Feedforward Sounds, that will look at advanced and experimental sound design techniques. The videos are primarily designed for producers, artists and audio professionals.
Here’s a preview of the first video in the series, Rhythmic Processing:
Video Description:
Rhythmic Processing is a technique that allows the creation of multiple rhythmic elements, in real-time, from a single instrumental part. The dynamic accents of the instrumental part (in this case an acoustic guitar) are routed into several plugin chains, each one creating a separate rhythmic element.
// In this video I’m showing the concept and full setup of the session, each individual plugin chain and finally how to perform with it.
The individual videos in the series are priced at $9.99. They are HD videos that show, in-depth, both the creative and technical side of his approach to sound design.
“With these videos, I’m sharing the experience I gained out of years of work and countless hours spent in trying to figure out unique ways to create original sounds and music,” notes Stocco. “I’m offering each video for $9.99, which is a very reasonable sum for any professional, but it’s an accessible number if you’re a student and not yet making money out of your work.”
He adds, “If you’re still learning the basics of your DAW and in general just moving your first steps into the sound design field, I would suggest enhancing your knowledge level a little bit before diving into my Feedforward Sounds series. However, if you’re ready for something on a complete different level, feel free to explore FFS01 // Rhythmic Processing!”
Stocco says that there’s also an informal social networking group forming among viewers of the series – see the links on his Facebook post.
“The response is interesting,” says Stocco, “because people are trying the technique right away.”
And, while Stocco uses Live, his techniques translate to other DAWs. ”Actually one guy is using Cubase and one Reaper,” notes Stocco.
Here’s an example, by Stef Arseneault, done with Cubase:
