Here’s my entry. It’s a version of Delphium from Selected Ambient Works 85-92.
Still working, but I can see light at the end of the tape…
Final mixdown. If there is some time left, I’ll try to make a second version including some field recordings…
Finally here's my entry for the battle (in fact my first battle entry in this forum):
Everything done inside the OP-1. Enjoy!
Wow, that was really amazing, @motone! “On” is one of my faves.
I am sooo disappointed not to have finished my track.
My aim was to redo as exactly as possible the track “180db” from Syro
I have a rather good kick. I managed to edit the “Chinese Chicken” sample within the OP-1 and was rather satisfied with it.
I cut the whole track into Ableton, identifying the different parts.
And I have more than 15 MIDI scenes in Ableton where I tried to get as close as possible to the notes that are played (it’s detuned, there is a long pitch down, and the synth sound is full of harmonics so it’s not that easy).
I even got the track half speed to get closer to the notes.
Now I failed to recreate the main synth sound, even with several layers, I’m so pissed off.
And even for the MIDI notes it’s far from something acceptable : I can hear that it renders poorly compared to the original.
I am sooo disappointed not to have finished my track !!! I must have spent something like 20 hours on it.
And it’s not really a matter of time spent : I just can’t recreate it at the level of precision I ambition, I had to stop sometimes as I felt veeeery angry. I think it’s the first time I feel so much frustration of not having the skills to create what I have in mind.
I wouldn’t have thought that it would be so hard to recreate a track this precisely.
I have to admit that I have still a huge loooot of things to learn in this area…
Now I’ll have to dedicate my time to my own tracks, but I guess I’ll get back on this with my other machines or even Ableton synths at some point, when I feel like I have the skills…
Damn, I don’t like to abandon.
Hey @LyingDalai it doesn’t have to be exactly the same as the original, i’m sure what you have would be good enough for an entry, maybe you could use a completely different but Aphex sounding lead?
Wow, that was really amazing, @motone! "On" is one of my faves.
Thanky @yoof, it’s my favourite Aphex Twin tune (next to Analogue Bubblebath), that’s why I chose it.
Your track is really great, too. You really nailed it with that authentic lush feeling… 
The synth sounds in my contribution were not that hard to do:
- Piano sound: DIGITAL
- Flute sound: DSYNTH
- Pad sound: CLUSTER
The distorted drum sounds were much harder to do, I really tried to do it with DBOX, but it didn’t work. So I took DR.WAVE, sampled it, mangled it through the SAMPLER (Env to Pitch modulation), resampled it through NITRO, PUNCH and DRIVE, and finally did some pitch modulation with LFO rate set high.
The stereo ping pong delay was made by bouncing the dry tracks through DELAY and EQ, copying and shifting the delay tape track to match the delay times, and panned left and right.
Hey @LyingDalai it doesn't have to be exactly the same as the original, i'm sure what you have would be good enough for an entry, maybe you could use a completely different but Aphex sounding lead?@Metske You're right, it doesn't "have to". But that was the goal I had set to myself.
I had never tried to do a cover of an electronic song so far. And it didn't even had to be "exactly the same", only close enough.
But it's not !! I spent hours on MIDI 4 bars to get something that in fine isn't just close enough to be submitted.
I. AM. SO. PISSED OFFF at myself !! I mean, I've played music for 30 years ! And I cannot even come close enough... Damn !
Besides yesterday evening I accidentally deleted the track where I had cut the original track. I retrieved it this morning with a former hdd-saving but yesterday night, and today still, I only feel anger and frustration when I think about this track.
Never happened before, this feeling is very new to me, I had never felt this helpless with music before.
I realize now that I've never recorded myself covering a song with the guitar or the piano... I've sang Radiohead/Jeff Buckley/Pixies/... hundreds of time, but never got to the point where I had this recorded, to make a track I would judge decent enough.
I've discovered covering a song is very different from building up a song from scratch, for yourself, until you feel it's over.
Humbling experience, for sure :D
I'll get back to it eventually, I guess. But I know that if I try to work on this tonight I'll end as pissed of as yesterday, the day before and the week before that... I have to admit that I failed, plain and simple.
Time to finish the SOS synth secrets lessons, I guess :D
some superb entries. will be hard to choose who to vote for…speaking of which, is it time we started a voting thread? @Metske
Anyone out there who’s still working on his AFX track?
Hey @LyingDalai I’d go easy on yourself and give yourself a big pat on the back for gettin so far.You’ll have learnt loads and covering tracks off Syro was one of the hardest era’s of AFX to attempt.He’s a genius blend of musician and technician.Syro’s so complex.
Infact i’d even go further and suggest post your unfinished mix last minute for interest sake for the site family.You’ve explained well your headspace ,it’d be interesting to see coz even half a Syro track is impressive.I understand if no for this latter idea,just you may get some use out of it yet.Well done.
All right, I’ll see if I can come up with something…
I’ve worked on my main project in the meantime and it was so… refreshing to make music with any gear and no constraint 
I might be more patient now.
I think I will start the voting thread today, one last push for last minute entries before we start?
Still working on a version with some field recordings added… Hope to finish this evening.
EDIT: Nah, I’ll stick to the first version.
Won’t add any material to the Battle.
Maybe eventually I’ll post my AFX cover when I’m satisfied with it.
But right now I’m in bad shape / not the mood.
@admin Please "unannounce" this thread and "announce" the voting thread... Many thanks! :)