I'll be honest I'm not 100% sure what you're criticizing here, do you mean the article giving a step-by-step guide on how to replicate the soundtrack? Or is something about the soundtrack itself a clean instruction led process with no room for human touch?
If you mean the steps of how to recreate the original songs, I half agree. Replication doesn't make for a super interesting piece to share. But it is a great way to learn how to make electronic music. A guitarist or pianist practices by learning existing music right? Much of electronic music is in the sound production and "covering" an existing track is just as good a practice as learning your favorite guitar solo.
If you mean the music itself is dull because it's software and sequencer driven well I'd say there's still plenty of human elements in the composition and I'd bet plenty of human knob-twiddling. But also consider it's a movie soundtrack so it's not really supposed to steal the foreground, and it's a movie that centers around programming and a main character with terrible social skills, so the robotic sequencing is probably very intentional. Check out the album "Ghosts I-IV" which includes these same 2 dudes and the rest of the NiN bandmates and was used as a placeholder score for the movie if you want to hear something with a similar vibe but far more "organic" sounding.
"The fact that synthesizer music is a machine-human interaction allows you to think less about elements that you'd generally focus 100% on when you perform a "traditional" instrument.
For instance, with synthesizers you have the luxury of focusing solely on expression without worrying about note execution."
*Elan Dare on the [G.A.S. Newsletter](https://gasnewsletter.beehiiv.com/)
My understanding of this article is that it’s a detailed study of a composition the author likes.
I regularly have sessions where I attempt to recreate sounds or full songs too. Great learning tool!
But, you also need to jam and be creative.
Too much technical learning without creativity and you make boring stuff. Too much creativity without technical learning and you find it difficult to express yourself.
I think it's fair to compare this track to techno, because that what it tries to sound like. If you listen to some cutting edge techno/minimal music you will easily find more atmospheric, nuanced and better produced songs than this. Just my opinion.
What is minimal about it? Clearly there are quite a number of layered tracks combining synth and tradition instruments intended for a soundtrack to a movie. The only thing techno about it is the beat.
Extrawelt - 8000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMDrGTZ6uEA
Minilogue - The Leopard (Extrawelt Remix): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnTg4vzli5s
Not true. I had no idea who produced it when I heard it in the movie, and I liked it so much I played the whole album on repeat for days while working (coding).
> you will easily find more atmospheric, nuanced and better produced songs than this.
C'mon, you can't leave us hanging. Throw a few recommendations here!
I listen to techno but I usually don't like minimal, I find it too boring (prefer old school psy trance and goa myself, that should tell you direction I lean to). I really liked the SN soundtrack tho.
Minilogue - The Leopard (Extrawelt Remix): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnTg4vzli5s
Yes, let's gatekeep what can or cannot be classified as "creative".
Why would you assume that?