It had been a while since I used my Xaoc Devices case for anything beyond reaching for a couple modulators like Zadar and Batumi II. I’ve always loved the Odessa, even with its faults, and I had an itch to use it.
I’m not going to detail this patch too much.
A square wave from Batumi II acts as a clock for Erfurt’s forward counting. A second square wave output hits Erfurt’s reverse counting input. Four gate outputs from Erfurt (Gates 1-4) are patched to Samara II, with each gate being attenuated to a particular note. As these gates go high, they sent pitch to the five v/oct inputs on Hel, Odessa’s expander, creating a mix of full and arpeggiated chords (no idea what Odessa is tuned to). The Fundamental, Even, and Odd outputs are mixed down to stereo, and sent to Zagzreb. Zagzreb’s Bandpass L/R outputs go to the mixer, while the L High Pass output is patched to Sarajewo for some analog delay, with Taps one and three output to the mixer.
In a mood to try something new, I ran the dry signal to the the Optotronics Stereo Lockhart Wavefolder. I wish I had sent that signal to the delay as well. It’s a pretty cool module, though I’m not really sure what everything but the fold knobs are doing. Looks like it’s time to dg into that one.
All three signals, Odessa/Zagzreb, Sarajewo, and the Wavefolder go to the Vongon Ultrasheer for some reverb.
Uncharacteristically, I also did a smidge of post processing, running the recording through some compression and EQ. I’m new to using both, but I am very happy with the sonic results.
I recently sat down with a goal: identify modules in my synth that are underutilized, and make a plan to integrate them into my patches. Like all musicians, synthesists can fall into patterns. We use the same techniques and too often travel similar routes. Though my repetition of techniques of late is somewhat purposeful as I learn new gear, its’s still repetition, and it’s nice to walk on untrodden ground every once in a while.
While I was looking through my folder of manuals, I quickly identified a module that I’ve only used once, and over a year ago: the Blukač Instruments Endless Processor.1 On paper this sort of module seems a natural partner for the kinds of sounds I use most, but for some reason I’ve tended to reach by it and patch something else like the Rossum Electro-Music Panharmonium or Qu-Bit Electronix Aurora. In a bid for some nonlinearity in my practice, I decided that the Endless Processor would be the first of those unused modules to put through its paces.
This patch uses chaos to create a sequence. The starting point is The Hypster by Nonlinearcircuits. I use The Hypster in a lot of patches for a lot of different purposes. I use it for “normal” modulation, the beginning of a chain to make clocks, pitch CV, and maybe more. It’s definitely one of my favorite modules overall, and a top two or three modulator that I’ve used. The Hypster serves many purposes; sometimes more than one in a given patch. In this patch it would serve all three of those functions, plus a bit of self-modulation to keep it from settling into something resembling a pattern.
Four outputs from The Hypster (X, Z, -Y, -U) were patched to another Nonlinearcircuits module, Numberwang, for some good old fashioned gate extraction. The last time I used Numberwang, I wanted a steady-ish rhythm. Not perfectly-on-the-grid steady, but something close, even if it had the propensity to drift (which was a big part of the point), which is why I didn’t modulate The Hypster in that patch. But this time I didn’t want steady. I wanted gates that can’t easily be tied time, which required a meandering source. Chaos can meander a bit, but it can also become regular in that chaotic kind of way. I didn’t want the regular part this time, so modulation of at least one parameter was crucial. Once I started to ping my oscillators with gates from Numberwang and found a frequency on The Hypster that provided a satisfying cadence, I set out to modulate both the Damp and Gain settings. Adding gain adds both voltage and nonlinearity to the feedback loop. More gain is higher output levels and more meandering. Damping suppresses those things in interesting ways. Modulating both brought revealed the chaotic nature of the signal, specifically through the pitch CV, but also in the gate pattern from Numberwang.
This wasn’t the first time I’ve used a chaos signal an a source for pitch CV or gates. But it was the first time I’ve used chaos as a source for pitch and gates while I performatively modulated it so that I would have more control over its range, or the way it meanders. Too much gain and you have pitches more fit for dogs than humans) Too much damping, and you have pitches without enough variation to keep the note sequence interesting, and gates that quickly turn into patterns (even if they do drift a bit). To modulate gain, I used The Hypster’s next door neighbor in my case, Frisson. I also used the -Z output to self-modulate Damping. Although both the Gain and Damping CV inputs both have attenuators, I patched both signals to an attenuator to fine tune the level of modulation The Hypster was receiving. Even very small turns of either attenuator knob revealed very interesting results that would be difficult to achieve with one-pass attenuation at the CV input. Slightly different gate patterns; slightly different notes in the pitch sequence. All very interesting and necessary in order to keep any part of the sequence from becoming dry or repetitive for too long.
I’ve used chaos as a pitch CV source frequently, but this time was a little different. Normally I use one source signal for each oscillator in the patch. But this time I decided to use just one chaos signal as the source for all four oscillators, clocked by Numberwang separately in four separate channels of Quantermain. I controlled the range of pitch primarily through an attenuator, the Nonlinearcircuits De-Escalate.2 This allowed for small changes in pitch choices. One thing I would likely do differently would be to minimize very low pitches by using some offset to the signal before attenuation, especially as I opened up the attenuator. Higher pitches also means lower pitches at the bottom end without some offset, and some of the pitches on the low end are just a little too low for my liking. I imagine some are even inaudible.
The pitch sequence (in D Minor) was sent from Quantermain to the four wavetable oscillators of the Synthesis Technology E370, with all four oscillators tuned to the same pitch, even if I couldn’t tell you what that pitch is. Each wavetable was lightly modulated by the Frisson, with each oscillator detuned slightly by hand. This constant variation in timbre created a wide variety of sounds. Each note just a little different than the last time it was struck. The oscillator outputs were patched to a pair of Rabid Elephant Natural Gate LPGs for pinging, using the same four Numberwang outputs that selected pitch for each channel.
The result is a dance of orbs in some fantastical forest, or drops of water falling to make music, like something akin to a fast moving Fall on the Monome Norns. It’s a beautiful generative sequence, even if this version of the patch used some human assistance. Using a VCA to control levels of the pitch and modulation signals with a very slow modulator would be the key to make it fully generative. In fact, I’ll put that in my patch book to use in the future!
In this patch I used a very simple stereo algorithm: the first Natural Gate outputs are the left channel, and the second Natural Gate outputs are the left channel. Although this decision created a wide stereo space, four separate events happening independently, two in each ear, can become a little distracting and separated, even if it also heightened interest. I think I might have been better served to send these outputs to a panning mixer for mixdown to place them a little more carefully in the stereo field, though I won’t go so far as to say that change should be recorded in ink. There is no sense of a unified space until these completely independent left and right channels hit the stereo reverb.
This effect was exacerbated by the dual mono delays used in the patch, a pair of Echofix EF-X2 tape echoes. Each was set to augment the original’s clarity, holding on to timbre as long as it could until atrophy took hold. Each delay was also set to a different delay time and tape head playback/feedback configuration which created very different echo patterns, heightening the very different sequence patterns in each ear.
But I made a terrible mistake. Throughout much of the recording you can hear some clipping in the left channel. While I investigated I made sure levels were good going into the audio interface. Not only were they not too hot, I’d have liked for them to be even louder. At first I thought it might be some artifact in the wavetable being modulated. But why only that wavetable? I then thought I might have set an envelope a little hot before going to Natural Gate, but that wasn’t it either. Then I heard it. A clue. The clipping wasn’t on the note generation itself, but only occasionally on the very first repeat of only particular notes. It doesn’t happen all of the time. As I was recording i investigated my gainstaging. I discovered that my levels going into the left channel delay were quite hot, and that’s what was causing the clipping; the inbuilt analog limiter that was occasionally being hit very hard and distorting. At least I think that’s what it was. Toward the end of the recording I adjusted the input level to the left delay which seemed to mostly sort the issue.
I also used The Dradds in this patch, although in a way I had never used them before, with the Grain algorithm. I had sort-of tried this mode before, but never really investigated it with the manual until this patch. Like when I actually RTFM while using The Dradds in the Tape algorithm, I was immensely happy with the result. Understanding your instrument is key. As synthesists we can happy accident our way into nice sounds regularly. But you can’t really compose with the hope that your knob twists will land you where you want to go. Just as strumming away on a guitar, or pressing piano keys doesn’t create something musical, you can’t really get music from a modular until you know which knobs to turn and when/how much to turn them. For this patch I chose to scan each buffer using a chaos signal from Frisson. This was nice movement, but the scarcity of notes feeding The Dradds meant that sometimes there was nothing in the short buffer to scan, or so little that it wasn’t scanned while it was in the buffer. This served to keep the Dradds from becoming too busy and overtaking the patch, but I would have liked more from The Dradds at many points.
The last effect used (besides reverb on the entire output) is the aforementioned Endless Processor. I hadn’t used this module much before. Not because I don’t think it would add a beautiful dimension to my patching, but because of unknown reasons that had me patching other FFT-like modules instead. The Endless Processor is a very simple module that does just one thing: it analyzes the frequency and level information of incoming audio, and endlessly sustains an average of that audio until you clear the layer. You can clear layers, or replace them with new audio, but ultimately the Endless Processor is a very simple instrument. It’s perfect for drones or making chords. It’s perfect for creating air in your patch, or filling space and creating texture. You can even use this module for stabbing techno chords.
But simple doesn’t mean easy. Capturing the exact sound you want, particularly at lower Memory times, can be challenging. You don’t always get the capture you hoped for (something that happened during this recording), and sometimes you get a capture that sounds downright bad. Today was my first day with it, so I think I can forgive myself for getting “meh” results in my first recording with it. I can only discern one capture, though I was pretty sure I did at least four of them on layers one and two. My initial goal was to have both channels of the Endless Processor float back and forth in the stereo field at different rates, but with only one sound being audible it’s pretty awkward, especially with as loud as it is. Clearly, I need practice.
Overall I really enjoyed creating this patch. Chaos is always fun to use in whatever capacity I use it. The Natural Gates shines again. The Echofix tape delays, brilliant. The Dradds doing Dradd-y things. My hope is to really work with the Endless Processor, as I can absolutely see just what a boon it could be in my practice.
I actually identified a whole lot of modules that have been underused, and am making a plan to use them, or sell them. ↩︎
As much as I like the De-Escalate, it would be a much easier tool to use were the jacks to one side and the knob on the other. Input-Knob-Output is a horribly patching orientation for minimizing spaghetti. ↩︎
I’ve used all kinds of slow modulation sources in my patches. Wave simulators, chaos, and slow, free-running LFOs are all staples in my modular practice, and I’ve used all of them as the engine that drives an entire patch. But one thing I’ve never tried in a lead role in a patch is good, old fashioned random modulation. Sure, I’ve used sample and hold or smooth random generators like the Frap Tools Sapél, Mutable Instruments Marbles, or Make Noise Wogglebug for specific tasks within a patch, but outside of Marbles > Rings-type patches, I’ve never based a patch on staochastic movement before.
Random is, well, random, and it’s hard to be intentional when you can’t really expect what’s going to happen next. In some circumstances, that unpredictability is perfect. In other cases, it just makes a really big mess. There are certainly ways to corral in a random signal to fit within particular parameters to allow for more predictability. That’s the basis of stochastics. Sapél has a range probability knob which directs it to choose output values predominantly from a particular range. Marbles has a switch for voltage ranges. Wogglebug similarly has a mechanism for more or less drastic changes. You can even hone random voltage in on your own with a little offset and attenuation. But it’s still random, and even if completely random might work for certain facets of a patch, using it as the main driver becomes difficult while still remaining musical.1 But I was determined to make it work, and I had just the module to help.
The Addac506 Stochastic Function Generator is a powerhouse modulation source made up of four function generators, and most of the bells a whistles one could want. Need cycling envelopes? Check. Slew limiter? Check. One shot envelopes? Check. Audio rate to very slow? Check. EOR and EOC trigger outputs. Check. Offset and attenuation to get your generated functions in the exact range you need it? Check? Some comparator action for related modulation? Check? And this checklist of features goes on and on. But the killer app of the Stochastic Function Generator is its ability to set a very precise range for both Rise and Fall times. This ability allows for some very compelling modulation that changes every cycle, but, particularly when using very slow modulation, does so organically in a way that seems transparent. It can be set to no random generation (standard envelopes), a very wide range with wildly changing Rise and Fall times, or a very narrow range where changes are subtle, and each of these can be done in three modes, slow, medium, or fast (per generator). The Addac506 is a very powerful module with a compelling feature set that can drive entire patches.
I had set out to make another E370 patch using slow modulation to fade the four wavetable oscillators in and out to create a cloud of a chord that is constantly shifting, yet still always the same. I’d been using slow moving bipolar signals for this purpose on several patches of late, but I wanted to try something a little different this time around. I’ve used chaotic systems, and I’d used both free running and synced LFOs, but I’d had problems using cycling unipolar functions in the past because no voice is ever truly out for very long. It’s a constant chord where each note changes volume, but is almost always audible. Mystery, drama, and tension are minimized; each note like a yo-yo rather than a graceful flow in and out and back in again. But the Addac506 is a little different. Unlike most function generators, with the Stochastic Function Generator you can tailor the outputs to any range you want. Those functions needn’t be unipolar, nor with wide ranging levels, and the ability to offset and attenuate signals allows one to shape your function to suit your destination without issue, and it’s this ability to perfectly condition CV before ever leaving the module that enabled me to use it in this slow fading movement I was looking for.
Setting the stochastic functions on the Addac506 is simple: set minimum and maximum Rise and Fall times, and call it a day. At the instantiation of every cycle both Rise and Fall will receive a random value between those set minimum and maximum times, and that stochastically determined envelope will come out. Flick the cycling switch and every cycle is something different. And the Addac506 gives us that, times four. It should be noted that this behavior can be replicated in any function generator that has both End Of Rise and End Of Cycle gate/trigger outputs, plus CV inputs to control the rise and fall times independently. You’ll need to add in a sample and hold or random voltage generator, plus a module for offset and attenuation to define the range of random. All this times four is a lot of patching, and a lot of modules. The Addac506 does it all seamlessly under the panel.
At first I was a little confused. Although I hadn’t initially set any offset, the output was still silent until the voltage as somewhere between 1-2 volts.2 I had anticipated needing to use negative offset to create some space between the fading out of one wave and when it will become audible again, but instead found myself using positive offset to get the flow I was after. Fortunately the flexibility of the Addac506 allowed for quick and easy adjustments to put each wave in the right zone. I added a fair amount of positive offset to the bass note of the chord so that it was always audible, while still having level changes to keep it moving. The other three oscillators used a very slight positive offset. Combining their need to get to somewhere between one and two volts before becoming audible, with the very slow nature of these ever-evolving functions determined the use of positive offset. Up to 40% of their positive range was already inaudible. Giving the functions a bit of a voltage floor rise was in order, lest far too much silence ensue.
Having already decided on my four oscillators for this chord soup, the quad wavetable oscillators of the Synthesis Technology E370, and having had the level control roughly framed out, it was time to look at modulating the wavetables to create movement within each note. The pitch of each oscillator would remain static, and to accompany the change in level, a change in timbre is natural (especially with a morphing wavetable oscillator). Having already used up the outputs of the Addac506, I looked to a familiar module, and one right next to the Stochastic Function Generator, the Addac508 Swell Physics.
Although Swell Physics is definitionally a chaos-based system, and not a random one, the uneven flow up and down of each output was perfect for the job. The bass note oscillator received modulation only on its Detune CV input, while the other three oscillators received both Wave and Detune modulation, the former from Swell Physics and the latter three free running sine wave LFOs from Batumi II. The triangle wave LFOs from Batumi II were used to pan these same three signals slowly through the stereo field with the ST Modular Sum Mix & Pan, while the bass note was planted firmly in the center. Once mixed down to stereo, the four oscillator cloud went to the AI Synthesis 018 Stereo Matrix Mixer.
Once in the matrix mixer it was time to smooth out some of the rough edges with the Holocene Electronics Non-Linear Memory Machine, a favorite of mine since it went in the rack. As a non-clockable delay I found it a wonderful tool for long, drawn out ambient delays, especially with how it can smear repeats into an almost reverb-like sound. Although I tend to pretty heavily modulate the NLMM, I chose to go with no modulation in this patch, with smearing at about 12 o’clock on the knob, and feedback at around 11 o’clock. The NLMM was mixed with the dry signal in the matrix mixer at about a 50:50 ratio, and perhaps even favoring a bit more delay than dry signal.
This mixed signal was sent to both the output mixer and The Dradds for some broken tape machine treatment. Both sides, left and right, or light and dark as it exists in my case, were set to Tape mode at an octave up, with each side behaving slightly differently. The left side tends to randomly switch between forward and backwards playback at double-speed, while the right side randomly switches both direction and speed, although both sides were lightly modulated and sometimes change temporarily. Although I’ve always been enamored by the Dradd(s), it wasn’t until I really started to learn it have my results been what I was always hoping for. Since I sat down to really understand the Dradd(s), my patching has had an opportunity to be more intentional, with my results more satisfying and effective. Plus, having dual Dradds for a stereo field really maximizes the movement and variation it creates.
A heaping portion of distortion, courtesy of the Bizarre Jezabel Mimosa, was also used towards the end of the patch, which created occasional blips and stutters, and a sense of heavy drama. It was only used on the chord cloud and the Dradds, and even then I chose to keep a fair bit of the original dry signal in the mix. I really like the resulting sound, but something is happening that I don’t quite understand. As distortion was introduced into the mix, I did not lower the dry signal. I would have expected the volume would rise, yet it didn’t. The volume got lower, even once the dry and wet distortion signals were nearing full volume in the matrix mixer. It wasn’t until I started to lower the dry signal (the chord, its delayed signal from the NLMM, and the Dradds) that the overall volume started to become louder. My guess is there is some form of phase cancellation happening, although I don’t really know what phenomenon might explain it. You can hear it starting at about the 10 minute mark, with me starting to lower the dry level at about the 11:22 mark, which corresponded in a total output level rise. Curious, that.
Although I was quite happy with my shifting chord after a whole lot of tinkering with envelopes and CV input attenuators, I knew something was missing. I had blips of granular synthesis to break things up, but it needed more. I was hesitant to use SD Multisample as I’ve done a lot of that, but wanted something in a similar vein. Reaching back to one of my very first patches, an attempt at creating a wind chime-like sound and pattern, I decided to add in a randomly created, toy piano sound (or baby R2-D2 sounds as my oldest relayed ). I really enjoyed making that patch when I did it the first time around. It was the first patching technique I’d ever figured out on my own, and a sense of nostalgia pushed me over the edge, even if only to see if I could remember how to replicate it.
This part of the patch started at the Stochastic Function Generator’s “Average” output. This output was patched to the input of the Joranalogue Compare 2. When the Average out from the Addac506 was inside the comparator window, it spat out a gate to the cycling input on a Frap Tools Falistri. While the function was cycling, the End Of Cycle gate triggered Sapel and Quantermain. Sapel sent a value from the N2 output to both Quantermain, in order to send quantized pitch CV, and the Decay CV input of Falistri that would change the envelope length with each note. The VCO changed pitch, and the cycling envelope opened the VCA, each note with a different pitch and length. The sound went from the first VCA to the output mixer, as well as a second VCA which panned the signal to two separate delays, which were then mixed and sent to the output mixer to be mixed with the dry signal and the rest of the patch.
Although the method I ultimately used in this patch is very different than the first time around, the results are similar. The sounds are much higher in pitch, much faster, and much shorter than my original version, but the theory behind creating the sounds was the same, even if I took a different route to get there.3 I wanted short, uneven bursts, and I got them. It’s quite often these days that I realize there are many routes to the same end. Overall, this part of the patch played a very minor role, but an important one. After several listens, I’d probably integrate this part differently were I to do it again. I’d definitely have it more forward for most of the mix rather than hanging around the background. It seems to get lost sometimes, when it should be more prominent. I would also not mess up a patch connection with my second delay, the Qu-Bit Electronix Nautilus, where I plugged into the Right input, and not the left, which, with the feedback pattern chosen, put virtually all of the delay signal from Nautilus on only the Left side. Some might not even notice, but it bothers the shit out of me.
The last part of this patch is the periodic “bubble burst” with accompanying echoes (courtesy of the Xaoc Devices Sarajewo). I stole this idea straight from one of my favorite patches on the Make Noise channel. It’s a simple sound that is both unobtrusive, and only very periodic. The sound was created by pinging (ringing?) CUNSA, which also had its frequency modulated by the highly attenuated HP output of the same filter (another trick I stole from Make Noise – Thanks, Walker!). It was triggered by using a Stackcable to combine three separate gate outputs from the Stochastic Function Generator. These long functions output only very periodic gates at a random interval, so there’s no overcrowding. It also helped provide a sense of scale and depth of the musical space.
Everything ended with a round trip through the Walrus Audio Slöer, which is quickly becoming my favorite reverb. Although I’ve tended towards one of the pitch shifting algorithms, I ultimately decided on using the Dream algorithm, though the Rain algorithm also sounded nice.
I really enjoyed this patch, even if there are a few things I would definitely change. It was both challenging and highly rewarding. It offers answers to some questions, but also to more questions to explore in a future patch.
Although what is or isn’t “musical” is certainly subject to wide interpretation, I think we can still make useful generalizations, while drawing lines between something most would call musical, with yet other examples most would call sound(s) or noise. ↩︎
I’m not sure, but I suspect that the VCA/mixer I was using to process the audio has a logarithmic response, delaying its response with slow(er) signals. The manual doesn’t illuminate the VCA topography, unfortunately. ↩︎
After looking at a patch diagram of the original patch, the methods used between these two patches was quite different, even if it started similarly. It’s nice to know that there is generally more than one way to accomplish some patching goal. ↩︎
After a fantastic morning of sailing through Glacier Bay, I decided to spend the afternoon and evening patching while I watched the beautiful southeast Alaskan coast float by outside my cabin window, door ajar for the the sound and smell of the sea as inspiration. The first patch started simply enough, the Swell Physics four wave outputs into Quad Operator’s four gain inputs, through some delay and reverb, and out for your pleasure. But this time I decided to add a bit of variation via Batumi’s various wave shapes to modulate the wave shape of each of the operators. This modulation had the unanticipated effect of also modulating the apparent volume of the output as well, which created a very cool phasing effect of the individual waves as both their levels and wave shapes were being modulated at separate rates.
The four Quad Operator outputs are mixed down to stereo, then sent through QPAS which had moderately heavy modulation to the cutoff, both Radiance CV inputs, and with gates to both !!¡¡ inputs. I mixed both the LowPass and Smile Pass outputs at about a 75/25 ratio for some very cool stereo imaging, and sent the signal to Nautilus.
Although I’ve used the Chroma feature of the Qu-Bit Nautilus a lot, I’d never used the wavefolder in the feedback path. I’d never used it because I never said to myself, “Man, what this feedback path needs is wavefolding!” Overdrive, distortion, and bitcrushing sure, but unfortunately wavefolding was ignored. A pretty aqua color in the kelp light show on the panel between the orange overdrive and red distortion. This oversight was a dumb and tragic mistake, alleviated by the conscious choice to use wavefolding in this patch. Wavefolding in the feedback path sounds fantastic! Controlling feedback and the Depth of the Chroma is crucial because wavefolding, like distortion and bitcrushing, can create runaway feedback quickly if the balance between feedback and wavefolder isn’t closely watched. The effect, as modulated by a highly attenuated triangle wave from Batumi, created a mix between a nasally and almost fuzz-like tone where there are some edges of the sound starting to leak and sputter, particularly on lower tones.
As accompaniment I went with the LABS Choir samples in the Disting Ex SD Multisample algorithm, using three of the Swell Physics wave outputs for pitch, and the 1 < 2 and 3 > 4 gate outputs through the CuteLab Missed Opportunities as triggers. What I was watching go by as our ship rolled along the grand Alaskan coastline called for drama. Something that could create tension and with some occasional resolution. Although I might better tune the gates to get just the right amount of action if I were to record this patch again, it’s often too sparse, and with not enough harmonization, I feel like the Choir more or less created the effect I imagined, even if it sometimes veered from dramatic to an uneasy suspense. It’s a feel as much as anything else.
Both the Quad Operator > QPAS > Nautilus and the Disting Ex voices went to the mixer, and on to the Stratosphere Cloud Reverb.
Overall I like the direction of this patch, but it needs work. The waves from Swell Physics are often way too slow (a common occurrence once the simulation has been running for a while), and although the modulation from Batumi created some very cool phasing effects, it all combined into a slow moving soup. A soup with promise, but a soup nonetheless. There’s just no pace. Perhaps that’s a reflection of the glaciers I’d been watching all morning, but by the time I’d hit the Stop Recording button in AUM the patch seemed to have come to a crawl, begging for an ending. With time, this patch can be exquisite, but I need to put in the work to get it there.
The Night Time Patch
Once I’d hit stop recording on the daytime patch, I’d become slightly frustrated that I couldn’t get it where I wanted to take it. Either through lack of food, time, patience, feel, or some combination thereof, the patch ended with a whimper. I wasn’t satisfied. Having done several slow, ambient patches for the last several weeks, I knew I needed a change. I needed something to shake that ass to. Something to temper my disappointment in the daytime patch, and something to quell my desire to create something. But only after a visit to the buffet to both feed my body and cleanse my musical palette.
When I started patching again that evening I wasn’t exactly sure what I was going for. I knew I wanted something rhythmic and fun, but started in a way similar to how I’ve started lots of patches recently: four Batumi outputs going to the four gain inputs on the Quad Operator. But this time was different. Rather than using slow, randomly paced waves, as I would do in an ambient patch, I used clock divided LFOs to create a rhythm. Not only did each individual LFO create individual notes directly by lowering and raising the gain on each operator, but also created a rhythm via FM modulation.
With the Quad Operator, when you’re using the Gain CV inputs, each operator is available at its output when the gain input has positive voltage, just like with any VCA. Likewise, each operator is also only able to act as a modulating oscillator for Frequency Modulation to the other operators via the Quad Operator’s FM Matrix when its gain is positive (or the Gain CV input is not patched), making each Gain CV input have an effect on more than just that operator’s output. Each Gain CV input also controls timbre in other operators’ outputs as well, drastically changing the complexion of the overall sound as these various LFOs fade in and out at different, but related speeds, and with differently shaped waves. Sometimes an operator is being FM’d. Sometimes not. It’s a nice way of being able to use all four of the Quad Operator’s outputs, even if tuning can get complex, rather than sacrificing operators to modulation duties only. It doesn’t make sense to use a FM synth like the Quad Operator in this fashion very often, but it works well in some styles of patching. The four operator outputs are routed to the Mutable Instruments Veils for a stereo mix down before going to the final mixer. From there it’s sent to the Blue Mangoo Stratosphere Cloud Reverb.
If I were to do a patch like this again, I would probably process one or more the Quad Operator outputs individually to add some spice, rather than immediately mixing them to stereo. To treat each of those outputs as individual entities unto themselves, rather than assimilating them into a larger body immediately after their creation, never allowing each to have their own existence. Sending one output or another through a separate effect or process than the others might help create something special that is lost once an individual signal is married to another in a mixer.
The kick drum is about as simple as it gets. A /2 square wave output from Batumi to Plaits, twist the knobs a bit until you find the timbre, decay, and pitch you want, and turn the FM trimmer to taste. One of the wonders of Plaits, and Braids before it, is its versatility. It can be almost anything you want it to be. From a FM oscillator to speech synthesis to kick drums and plucked strings, Plaits can make a whole lot of sounds and be the main voice in any patch. If you have something like the Jasmine And Olive Trees Traffic, or if you’re savvy with CV processing, Plaits can be many things at once. Today, however, Plaits was just a humble kick drum.
I had hoped to use QPAS in a more exciting manner. One of my favorite ways to use QPAS is by pinging it. But because QPAS normally lives isolated in a Make Noise only case, I haven’t really experimented much with pinging it without the using the nice, wide gates of both Tempi and René v2. But my clock in this case, the Sitka Gravity, doesn’t have any of those, and my sequencer, the T12, was already being used. Gravity outputs short triggers, about 15ms, which are great for telling something else it’s time to do its thing, but virtually useless as direct modulation, and the ability to use the gate’s length to help control modulation, such as with an ADSR envelope, is lost. I could ping the input with a trigger easily enough, but instead decided to use a probability gated square wave from Batumi via the CuteLab Missed Opportunities, which wasn’t quite the same as using the 50% duty cycle gates Tempi spits out. Although the developer of the Gravity has said that a gate mode, wherein the duty cycle of the gate will be adjustable, for now it’s all triggers. I could (should) have just used the triggers from Gravity to sync to Batumi and trigger envelopes from that unused Changes sitting there wondering why he was left out of the party, but it just didn’t occur to me until I was too deep in the patch to bother with changing it. With the Batumi square wave, the pronouncement of the modulation and ease of switching up the gate patterns just wasn’t there. You can hear the modulation well enough in isolation, but it’s almost nonexistent in the mix.
Despite my lack of imagination in modulating QPAS with unfamiliar tools, its role in the patch, however, is crucial. Its LP outputs add a marimba-like percussive element (thanks to feedback patching the left HP output to the highly attenuated Freq 1 input) to accompany the kick drum, and contribute a party-like atmosphere in the patch.
There are also two new-to-me elements to this patch that I hadn’t yet tried. The first is to use the Doboz T12 as an arpeggiator. Since the T12 is brand new, there are a lot of new things to try. It’s a deep, highly versatile module. I’ve used it as a sequencer, and as a touch controller (my over-70 mom also had a great time using it as a touch controller). In this patch I’d use it as an arpeggiator with the second new-to-me element: using the Poly Wavetable algorithm on the Disting Ex.
The T12 is turning out to be something akin to the greatest in-case touch controller in Eurorack. Of course I haven’t used many others, and those that I have used never tried to be quite as much as the T12 strives after, but the T12 seems to have some serious chops in terms of immediately challenging Eurorack mainstays like the Make Noise Pressure Points or Doboz’s own TSNM MKII. The T12’s main limitations are its inputs and outputs, and that it requires some level of menu diving . It only has three inputs and outputs. A pitch CV, an AUX CV, and a gate output, with clock and reset inputs, along with one solitary CV input. Something like Pressure Points can put out several voltages from several “channels” simultaneously, which is not something the T12 can do, but the T12 more than makes up for these shortcomings with flexibility, the customizability of each mode, and the ultra-intuitive user interface. The T12 is, by far, the easiest module I’ve used that has a screen based UI. Virtually all of the options for each mode are changed on the surface menu level, without any real diving at all. Doboz did a knockout job with designing the interface to be powerful, expansive, and super easy to navigate.
The T12 in use as an arpeggiator is smooth and ultra-fun. It will arpeggiate as many notes as you can get your fingers on, and the touch plates are very responsive when making changes. There’s generally enough space to maneuver use three or four fingers of one hand to make your note changes, but there are some button combos that require some serious hand dexterity, or the use of two hands. But once you get a feel for how to move your hand in the space, muscle memory starts to take over, and it’s nothing but pure fun. As with most arpeggiators there are several directions or patterns you can choose. This patch started with a forward pattern, and a 20% probability that a gate will be skipped, then, at some point, switched to a random direction, with a 20% probability that a gate will be skipped. There are many options I could have investigated, like the probability and range of pitch variability (by step or overall), or transposition, or using the AUX CV output, but I chose to keep it simple, and, quite frankly, I was having a really good time spending my night doing something simple and performative.
If I’m being honest, this patch was the first time I’ve used the Disting Ex in any algorithm other than the SD Multisample. The Disting Ex too is a deep, highly versatile module, to put it lightly, but I traded away a 1010 Music Bitbox Micro for a Disting Ex because of its capability as a multisample player, specifically that it can play eight simultaneous voices of polyphonic multisamples via pitch CV and gate inputs. No other module can do that in quite the same way. But I’d already used SD Multisample in my first patch on the trip, the Daytime Patch before this one, as well as my test patch before leaving. Every patch I’d made with this case included SD Multisample, and I wanted to try something new with this synth.
Because the patch was lively, I wanted to use a lively sound source for my arpeggios. Quad Operator was already in full use, and Plaits was thumping along as a kick drum, so I knew I needed to find another algorithm in the Disting Ex. If QPAS could self oscillate (without help), and if it could follow v/oct pitch CV, I probably would have used it as the arpeggiator voice either by pinging it (which QPAS does fantastically, as this patch shows), or as a sine wave oscillator through a VCA using the envelopes created by the T12. But QPAS doesn’t self oscillate or follow v/oct pitch CV, so the Disting Ex was the way. I could have chosen a completely unpatched CalSynth Changes, a very excellent MI Stages 1:1 clone, loaded with the latest quimem firmware in Ouroboros (Harmonic Oscillator) mode, but by the time I decided I wasn’t going to use Changes as a modulation source I was already set on using the Poly Wavetable algorithm in the Disting Ex.
Fortunately, Poly Wavetable is very similar to SD Multisample in how it functions. Poly Wavetable can take 3 CV sources and 3 gates and play up to 8 simultaneous voices polyphonically. That said, the weakness of the Disting UI and very small display becomes glaringly magnified when you need to make parameter changes, especially with nearly-50 eyes. You get a slew of options, several dozen, and a very tiny screen with which to navigate and make changes. I would have greatly preferred to control envelopes and such with a dedicated envelope generator outside of the Disting in a VCA or LPG, but I elected to use the internal envelope because I didn’t have any more VCAs to use, much less two of them. The 8 VCA channels (plus VCAs within modules like QPAS and Quad Operator) I brought with me were already in use doing other things, so fumbling through the menu system was the only way. Don’t get me wrong: the Disting Ex is incredibly powerful, and each algorithm is highly customizable. It sounds fantastic, and it can do dozens of operations from polyphonic multisample player to a pitch to CV generator, matrix mixer, or lots of other tasks. The Disting line, but particularly the Ex, is truly is the ultimate Swiss Army knife of Eurorack. Such a broad tool, that is also quite deep, is bound to be awkward sometimes. Since they’re built to do everything, it’s impossible to also have a UI that will match a good workflow for all of the algorithm functionality (perhaps, some might argue, for any of them). That said, the UI manages to be fairly simple to navigate. If you can see it. Most of the options are controlled on the surface level of the menu. You turn one encoder to change options, a second to change a parameter within that option, and click a third to save it.
Having listened back to the recording several times, I definitely wish that I had a pair of LPGs available to me in the case. That attack and intoxicating decay from a LPG would have been just the thing. The arpeggios in the Night Time patch are enunciated, but only just adequately. I never really got to shaping the internal ADSR envelope beyond shortening the release a bit, and the UI is actively hostile to changing while trying to perform. The UI really hindered me there, (I was trying to booty shake, not squint my eyes at a tiny screen trying to optimize my envelope), and that unused Changes was still staring at me with that sad face one gets when everyone except you were invited to the party. I know there are 3rd party screens for the Disting that alleviate the problem, this one came with one when I traded for it, but of the ~2200hp in my synth, my only 1u row is in the Make Noise 4 Zone Bus Case, which is occupied by a CV Bus Mk2, so it’s out of the question unless I decide to get two Distings.
This patch was a lot of fun to build and perform. I hope to patch in this same vein on my full synth soon enough.
One last tool that I used on this trip that I hadn’t really written much about, and that I bought specifically for this trip, is the Bolanle PH400 4-Channel Headphone Amp. Since the plan was to use this synth with my brother, I wanted a means to have independent volume control. I loathe having to share volume control of headphones, and so decided on a small headphone amplifier. Although the PH400 is certainly not something I’d call studio worthy, I can say that it’s a good piece of kit, and it met all of my requirements. It had to be powered by USB C, small and portable, and it had to have individual control, and it had to sound good or better. I wanted something with both sized headphone outputs for each channel to avoid adapters, and the PH400 has that. Each channel also has its own mute button. As an added bonus, the LED light show is cool. This thing works great.
The first night at sea was as eery as I can remember seeing on the water. Like a scene from a dreamworld that was real, but didn’t always seem like it. Like we were traveling between realms. I won’t claim to be some long travelled seafarer, but, having grown up by the ocean, I’ve spent a good amount of time on the water in my life. I’ve been in ocean faring boats on three continents and three oceans from the tropics to the arctic. But one thing I’ve never experienced while on the water is The Marine Layer. I’ve seen fog, even bad fog, but nothing could really prepare me for the enveloping marine layer clouds. It was the kind of dense cloud soup that, in another age, might have been the demise of a ship unable to see any navigation markers whether on the land, sea, or in the sky. The only thing visible in the gloom was the sparkling refraction of the ship’s fog lamps, and the sea rolling off the hull as we slowly made our way through Puget Sound and out to sea. The ship’s fog horns blasting every few minutes, and gentle splashing against the hull 80 or so feet below us, the only things to be heard. The entire experience left a lasting impression.
I spent much of that night and parts of day two scouting the ship for someplace that would be a good spot to whip open a modular synth case later at night. I wanted to be as out of the way as I could, but still in a spot that has adequate electricity to power the synth and a small USB hub connected to my iPad, the Michigan Synth Works XVI, and a small 4-channel headphone amp I bought in a lieu of a passive TRS splitter for using with more than 1 person (I loathe not having individual volume control).. Although I ultimately found a couple of good candidate spots, but this first recording I made during some morning downtime in my cabin before arrival at our first port of call. I wanted to give a full test run of the equipment in my room before lugging it down nine decks, the full width of the ship, and nearly its entire length. The setup is not terribly complicated, but it can be fussy, and I didn’t want to waste time futzing with gear in a communal space.
For this first run of the full use of this synth with all of its accompanying support gear, I wanted to use a familiar patch so as not to become overstimulated if I were to encounter problems with my other gear. I spent the better part of two weeks pouring over a patch with the Addac Systems Addac508 Swell Physics and RYK Algo that I quite enjoyed making, and so decided to go with that same approach using the Humble Audio Quad Operator. The four Swell Physics wave outputs to the four operator VCAs (Gain 1-4) to slowly bring their individual voices in and out with the flow of the ocean. This goes straight to the mixer, operators one and three panned left, with operators two and four panned right, where it’s then sent to a reverb bus using the beautiful Blue Mangoo Stratosphere Cloud Reverb.
Three of the Swell Physics outputs also provided the source for pitch CV used in the second voice. In another bid to patch something familiar, I once again used chaotically generated gates with the NLC Stochaos, alongside Disting Ex’s SD Multisample algorithm, this time using LABS Music Box samples. As in my test patch at home, I again used a tempo modulated Sitka Gravity to have the clock float above and below the base tempo of 72bpm. If I were just a bit smarter, I would have thought to use one of the four wave outputs from Swell Physics rather than a random LFO from Batumi II.
The Toy Piano samples output to the Qu-Bit Electronix Nautilus for some delay and with gradually introduced bit crushing in the feedback path. The delay is set fairly slow, with light modulation to Reversal, Feedback, and Dispersal. In a roughly 50/50 dry/wet mix, the Nautilus outputs go straight to the mixer, and are sent to the reverb bus.
The last portion of the modular is an approximation of the ship’s blaring foghorn. I’m using Plaits in (I think) FM Synthesis mode, using the Doboz T12 touch controller to manually play the note. It’s only used three or four times through the ~7 minute recording.
This patch is the first I can recall making where I’ve used post-production processing rather than playing everything live. This synth is limited, and so is time to create patches. Before I left on the trip I knew that my synth was without one of my staples: a granular processor. Earlier revisions of the case had a Mutable Instruments Beads, but it was eventually lost in favor of something else I can’t remember. I do know that I while I was building the synth I was insistent on several modules having a spot. The Addac Swell Physics, Qu-Bit Nautilus,1 Doboz T12 + 3hp module of choice (I chose the Klavis Tweakers), Expert Sleepers Disting Ex, uO_C, CalSynth Changes (MI Stages), Sitka Gravity, and the Humble Audio Quad Operator were non-negotiable for me, despite a couple of them being large for a case this size. But Beads didn’t make the cut because I found an excellent granular processing plugin for iPad, Fluss, by Hainbach and Bram Bos. It can function as a granular instrument, granular sampler to record and process longer samples, or a live granular processor with a 6 second buffer. Because it’s the behavior that most closely resembles Beads, I’ve only used it in live mode, and I can say that I really like it. Because it’s a live processor Fluss is a good substitute for Beads, and despite being a plugin, it leverages the iPad touch environment well, being a very hands-on, playful interface. Sliders and discs can be flicked around, the effect frozen, manipulation of the three voices, and more are all easily accomplished with touch gestures. Fluss also speaks fluent midi, and can be used with hardware controllers should you want even more manual control.
After recording the modular, I played the recorded file in AUM through an effect bus with Fluss as the plugin, with yet another send from the Fluss output to the Blue Mangoo Stratosphere Cloud Reverb. I mixed the original recording with the granular processing and reverb, and recorded that mix, which is what we have here.
I’ve been using AUM as a final mixer for quite a while with my modular. The way my main synth is set up now, I can’t even listen to it without plugging it into my iPad with AUM. An Expert Sleepers ES-9 is my only output module in that synth. Until recently I’d basically been using it as a very basic mixer. Most of the time it would be a simple stereo input mixed in the synth, primarily via the AI Synthesis 018 Stereo Matrix Mixer, while using one send/return bus to go out to a reverb pedal before final mixing. But as I prepared for this trip, knowing I’d need to use plugins in ways I generally don’t, I started making more intricate mixes, utilizing various sends from several input channels to effects plugins and the output bus. Although I haven’t (yet) recorded multitracks on this trip, AUM is certainly set up to easily to do so. Since I haven’t done much post-processing, I haven’t felt the need to, though that may change as I learn to better leverage a mixed hardware-software environment. I’m not terribly interested in moving in the box, but if a plugin has a touch driven interface that’s playable, like Fluss, there’s no good reason to avoid it since I’m already using AUM as my mixer.
Modular synth performed and recorded in 1 take in AUM on iPad via the Expert Sleepers ES-9. Granular effects added during post processing in AUM on iPad.
*****
Yes, both the Swell Physics and Nautilus were chosen specifically for their oceanic themes. An early revision of the case also had the Qu-Bit Aurora, which would fit the destination too, but it was substituted out early on during the revision process for something more practical like VCAs or modulation.
While I was testing a synth I built for my brother and me to play while on a family vacation, I wanted to see if I could get something more ambient from what I perceived as a more rhythmic-oriented case. I have a master clock, a sequencer, a chaotic/random gate producer that likes the time grid, all dedicated to staying in time. My brother is more of a shake your booty type of guy and I wanted to bring something he would enjoy too, so rather than chaos and random ahoy, I put in several modules that he could feel comfortable with too. But rather than resign myself to grid based tempos and rhythms from this synth, I ventured to see how I might go about creating something more freeform. Instruments tends to direct their players towards certain ways of doing things. Modules do the same via their UI cues. All modules demand some particular workflow which lends towards different styles as a result of their design. But this subtle push by module makers doesn’t preclude using their designs in ways that maybe they weren’t designed to be used, or in ways they hadn’t considered. Individual case builds likewise push musicians to patch in certain ways.
Since this was a test, I started with a familiar idea and tried to see how I might create an irregular clock in order to use Stochaos to hit the Disting Ex in the SD Multisample mode using the LABS Soft Piano samples. It’s one of my favorite voice patches, and generally it sounds beautiful. Enter the Sitka Instruments Gravity.
The Gravity is a 6hp, 6 output master clock. It doesn’t have the sorts of clocked modulation options that something like the ALM Busy Circuits Pamela’s Pro Workout has, nor does it have the quick, hands on manipulation of the Make Noise Tempi. But it does have a fair few things going for it. It’s a rock solid clock, and easy to manipulate, even at first glance. The UI is intuitive, and its distractions few. Each output has three modes: Clock, Probability Clock, and Sequencer. The clock and probability clock does what it says. The outputs put out short triggers according to a clocked division or multiplication of the master tempo.1 Timekeeping is not exciting, however it is crucial. But the killer app in the Gravity is that its tempo can be modulated by control voltage, a feature not found in every master clock. At this realization I knew just exactly how I was going to get my wonky clock.
After plugging in a smooth random LFO from Batumi II + Poti II and tuning its frequency and amplitude to taste, we had a modulating clock that randomly floats above and below the master tempo. The Gravity gives a numerical option when the master tempo is being modulated, called Range. It’s simply a number that goes up by tens. Although initially I wasn’t sure just exactly what that number represents, the developer noted that it’s a fixed maximum BPM deviation above and below the set master tempo. So if your tempo is set to 80bpm, for example, with a Range of 10, it will swing as low as 70bpm with -5v of CV, and as high as 90bpm with +5v of CV. Clever. Subtle undulations is one thing. Wild tempo fluctuations is something else altogether, and having a defined maximum range built in to the modulation is a really good way of making it easier. This clock was fantastic, subtly shifting faster and slower. Being anticipated, while not being predictable, and never on a strict grid. Perfect.
Although I didn’t need more triggers than what Gravity can supply to ping the Disting Ex, I did want those triggers to extend laterally, never close to anything we could call a pattern. Stochaos once again provides a beautifully timed spread of triggers which form the basis of the piano voice in the patch. It always takes some clock adjustments to get the triggers just so. In this patch I ultimately used a x8 multiplication of that modulated clock with a 20% chance of skipping a beat to drive Stochaos. This kept triggers coming at a reasonable pace for Stochaos to spread the gates through its various outputs, helped by the retrigger setting in the SD Multisample algorithm to “Synth” to keep it from going too cluttered with notes.
For pitch, I used three of the four Swell Physics outputs into Quantermain (in C major). One of the quantizers was set to quantize to all 7 notes in the scale, with the other two set to quantize only to the root, third, and fifth. This turned out to be a wonderful method of getting pitch. The outputs on Swell Physics are all inter-related, and something akin to phased LFOs, only the phasing is more organic. Swell Physics is not a single speed with waves sliding back and forth, but the movement of the ocean, with ebbs and flows that can’t be strictly controlled, and where each wave affects the others. All of their speeds fluctuate, as do their amplitudes. This set of waves allowed for a good spread of notes, with minimal dissonance.
The Soft Piano sample outputs from Disting go to the Qu-Bit Nautilus for some unclocked delay. Feedback and Depth are lightly modulated by the highly attenuated AVG output from Swell Physics, while a highly attenuated saw ramp LFO from Batumi II + Poti II modulates Reversal. The patch starts with no Chroma (Qu-Bit speak for an effect inserted into the delay feedback path), but heavy distortion is introduced later on as the patch heightens. Using the delay feedback line for distortion, as opposed to using distortion before the delay, still allows for the piano notes to sing through quite clear, before being clipped to hell over and again as the repeats fade away.
After going through Nautilus, the signal made its way to the Make Noise QPAS for some light HP filtering. In most situations I would run a hard clipped signal through a LP filter to shave off some of the most egregious harmonics, but for some reason I preferred the HP filtering in this patch (I tried all four stereo outputs before deciding on HP filter), and so I won’t be too harsh on myself for an intentional decision made in the moment. The only modulation is via the 1 < 2 and 3 > 4 gate outputs on the Swell Physics via the CuteLab Missed Opportunities to both !!¡¡ inputs for some occasional shooting stars.
But getting a pretty flow of random piano notes wasn’t the final goal. The final goal was to test the new elements of this case so I’d have a basic understanding of how to use the case in a style I enjoy, and hopefully avoid having to constantly dig through manuals during the little time I’d have to patch on the trip, which brings me to a real beast of a module: the new Doboz T12, a 17hp (😕) touch controller, arpeggiator, and sequencer. I had half-assedly tried to get it going a couple of times over the last couple of weeks, but came up empty both times, so it was time to sit down with the manual and dig in.
At first I was intimidated by the T12. There’s not much on the panel outside of 12 touch plates, a screen, a couple of buttons, and an encoder to give you cues, and the options in the screen are many. But once I got over the initial hurdle of Step 1, the intuitive nature of the screen UI took over, which makes it generally simple to navigate and use. The T12 has 4 modes: a touch controller, an arpeggiator, a very straightforward up-to-32 step sequencer, and a more complex extended functionality step sequencer. Although I certainly want to understand the Complex Sequencer, my aim was to tackle the touch controller (why I initially bought the T12 to begin with), the arpeggiator, and the simple step sequencer.
Despite being a bit overwhelming at first glance, having loads of options in the UI, the T12 workflow is both fast and intuitive. Not only are there the standard pitch CV and gate outputs, but also a secondary CV output for something other than pitch. You can set vibrato, including a delay, gate probability, random note probability, touch behaviors, and many other facets of your sequence quickly and easily. The AUX CV output can send envelopes, slewed gates, secondary raw CV, amongst other stuff. The T12 is a really powerful, highly flexible, and intuitive module that is fun to use. Just don’t forget to save your work in one of the many save slots, or else you’re gonna lose all your shit. Ask me how I know. Fortunately this particular patch is pretty easy to reproduce should I have the need.
For this initial patch I wanted to keep sequencing as simple as possible. A slowly plodding 10 note, repeating sub-bass line via the Humble Audio Quad Operator that would flood the audio and shake the room. I was loosely aiming for a post-rockish feel in the progression. It’s intentionally loud, though not so loud that the piano can’t still be clearly heard. With the wandering clock set to /8, and after a smidge of tuning the individual notes in the sequence to what I wanted, I pretty quickly got what I was after.
Which isn’t to say that the bass line is without issues.
Firstly, I’d like to note that both the high level and super-low frequencies were exactly what I was trying to accomplish. I was looking for film score kind of epic. The kind of bass that rattles walls and that you can feel in your stomach. That said, there’s far too much audio gear, including very high quality audio gear, that has a difficult time reproducing C1 (32.70Hz). My audio monitors, a set of Focus Alpha 80 studio monitors only reach down to 38Hz before the cutoff becomes pronounced. At 32Hz, the tone could still be heard, but not with near the authority it should have. D1 (36.71Hz) had similar issues, although not nearly as marked. By the time we get to E1 (41.2Hz) things are booming, but of the 10 notes in the bass sequence, only 5 can be heard with the vigor I intended, and that’s through a good pair of studio monitors. Fortunately the cans I used to record this patch, a set of GK Ultraphones, and the AirPods Max Bluetooth headphones I use for general listening, have no pronounced problems with reproducing the low C. But if I were to record this patch again, and I’m highly considering it, I’ll pitch the entire piece up 4 full semitones (E1) to avoid that conundrum. It’s one thing for a bass heavy piece to not play through phone, tablet, or laptop speakers. It’s a different sort of problem when high quality studio gear can’t do it. Any system with a subwoofer should really shake the foundation, but you shouldn’t need a subwoofer to properly hear music.
The last voice was a spur of the moment addition to the patch. I didn’t know exactly what, but I knew the patch was missing something. It needed one last final touch. It needed Plaits. Though it certainly has its limitations, Plaits is one of the most versatile and best sounding oscillator modelers available. Everything from kick drums, a scaled down Rings algorithm, and FM, plus more is possible with Plaits. At first I didn’t really know what I wanted, other than it be sparse. The Rings algorithm didn’t really fulfill the role. It took away from the patch as much as it added to it.
But as I made my way through the modes one by one, I landed on the final green algorithm: Vowel and speech synthesis. This would normally be unremarkable, but as it happened, I kept hearing the word “Red.” How the various knobs had been set while testing other algorithms landed me smack at the beginning of the colors of the rainbow. I slowly turned the Morph knob to see what else was hidden there, and found a slew of words. At first I set up modulation of the Morph to cycle through the words quickly. Think Robot Auctioneer. And although this addition certainly moved me in the right direction, it still wasn’t the destination. There were too many words being synthesized too quickly. It was slightly distracting, and not wholly complementary.
After a bit of envelope experimentation, I settled on 4 words: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, “said” at a slightly slower than “natural” pace, and with a fairly thin tone. This gives the voice an almost sad feel, which I think slightly tempers the optimism and hope found in C major piano alongside an epic bass line. It brings a bit of the non-perfection and often lonely feel of reality back into scope, and that even non-perfection and loneliness can be contained within beauty.
After repeated listens, I know that I wouldn’t send any pitch information to Plaits were I to record this again. I think having it repeat at the same pitch would have an even larger impact, and be more focused.
One last new module I used is the Intellijel Amps VCA. Two of them chained, actually. Although I initially planned and built this case with an Intellijel Quad VCA, I recently realized the power of fully cascading VCAs,2 and decided to replace one of my Quad VCAs with this pair of Amps. Even with the first use I could see the utility in cascading inputs. The ability to patch one input and get out several signals that are related, yet separately attenuated and/or modulated, for use throughout a patch is powerful. Of course multiple related outputs could also be accomplished by patching multiplied copies of the signal into all four VCA inputs, but with cascading inputs we can eliminate at least six patch points and three patch cables. Efficiency is key. Add in ring modulation and signal inversion, and Amps is a powerful tool indeed.
A fully cascading VCA is one in which all inputs, CV inputs, and outputs are normalized to the following channel until the normalization is broken by a plugged in jack. This configuration allows for a flexible array of both CV and audio patching, capable of complex mixes or routing.
