Synth masterclass
#21 Recreate the Plaid effect
This month, we create some interesting rhythmic effects, as used by one of Warp Record’s finest, Plaid
with Dave Gale
Anyone with more than a passing interest in electronic music and production, will probably have come across the unique Warp Records duo called Plaid. Apart from the ambiguous nature of their band name, that by definition has no correct pronunciation, Plaid are well known for their rich vein of production, exploiting beautiful tones and textures, with a very healthy engagement with polyrhythms.
We are going to draw inspiration from one of their most admired tracks called Clock, from the album The Digging Remedy. While it is conceivable that they could have approached the repeating synthetic/piano chord sound in a number of ways, we are going to concentrate on utilising the ZebraCM plugin, with heavy usage of the LFO section, and automation from within a DAW. Hopefully the resulting sound will act as a springboard to new ideas.