Thom Yorke’s brother was playing this thing that looked like a big switchboard with a mixer thrown in. What was that? Is it unique? The other guy was playing a nice synth with maybe 2 octaves on it. Then there was drums and maracas.
This episode was a while ago. I am sure you can find it somewhere on the net though.
Thanks!
Idioteque
The methods he used to construct these beats are somewhat complicated. He basically took the sounds of a drum kit and broke them down to their basic elements. The modular synth is capable of making beeping patterns. Jonny would set up a pattern of beeps that loop like a drum beat. Then, using filters, he would isolate certain parts of a beep. For example, to simulate a deep kick drum he would filter out all the highs leaving a thick THUD like a kick drum. For the snare and cymbal sounds he uses a White Noise Generator and tweaks it out using filters. The process is hugely delicate and it is quite amazing that he is able to perform it live.
From Spin with a Grin : “we never use anything pre re corded. its off a sequencer. its pre pro grammed but then jonny pullls the wires out and flicks switches.”
You can get a good look at what he’s up to on the SNL performance. The wires being plugged and pulled are connecting oscillators (beeps) to filters dynamically to slightly alter the beats in real time.
Yup, you can. Google is your friend. Try searching something like Idioteque Instrument SNL . The answer came up right away. Hope this is the one you wanted.
Studi
August 30, 2001, 9:24pm
4
The actual instrument is called an Ondes Martenot, a French device from the 1920s.
For information and pictures, see:
http://free.freespeech.org/radiohead-gear/a_ondes.html
Studi