@OscarUnderdog Takes Us to the Distortion Edge

Distortion Delight

Oscar from Underdog wastes no time, diving straight into the audacious territory of distorted grooves. As he puts it, this is an advanced sound design workflow, far from the realms of beginner tutorials. With his trusty drum machine in hand, Oscar crafts a dark and warm clean beat, eagerly transforming it with layers of grit and texture using the God Eater pedal by Animal Factory Amplification. The result? A rich tapestry of sound that invites listeners to plunge headfirst into its depths. This pedal doesn’t just distort; it elevates, providing a sonic experience both aggressive and delicate.

Modulated Madness

Why stop at mere distortion when you can modulate the mayhem? Oscar enlightens us with the process of adding motion to his distorted soundscape. By utilising a step sequencer to control the God Eater pedal’s output, he injects life into the mix, creating dynamic accents that breathe fresh life into the beat. It’s all about the push and pull, the dance between clarity and chaos, as Oscar expertly layers a clean signal with its grungy counterpart. This isn’t mere sound design—it’s sonic choreography, each step a calculated contrast.

"Love that."

The Battle of Audio Quality

"It communicates something more punk, a bit more resistance-y."

Oscar takes a philosophical detour, exploring the concept of audio ‘quality’. In his world, pristine and degraded sounds are not a question of good versus bad. Instead, they’re like contrasting colours, each with its own appeal. It’s an existential jive, where emotional resonance trumps technical perfection and music becomes a form of resistance. This is where the punk spirit rings through Oscar’s philosophy—raw and untamed, the sound isn’t just a texture; it’s a statement.

DFAM and the Sequenced Symphony

Continuing his journey, Oscar introduces the DFAM—a Moog masterpiece waiting to unleash its sequenced potential. By routing his already filthy signal through this duo of step sequencers, Oscar crafts an even more nuanced audio adventure. The DFAM adds stark, cutting accents, like a few choice lines in a punk song. As the signals cascade through further filters, the groove evolves from a blunt instrument to a scalpel, delicately shaping the sonic landscape.

Diagramming the Chaos

To navigate the sonic chaos, Oscar provides a diagram—a roadmap through the madness. He breaks down the entire workflow from groove box to distortion, modulation to mixing, making it clear that these techniques aren’t limited to hardware alone. Whether you’re on Eurorack or software, the magic lies in blending, tweaking, and distorting wherever possible. By the time Oscar wraps up, it’s clear this is more than a tutorial; it’s an invitation to experiment fearlessly with sound.