Made Noise – Sketch 3

I always seem to find myself both perplexed and captivated by my Make Noise case. Because it’s a relatively small system that’s also a walled garden, modules are limited. I’ve always scoffed a bit at the idea that a small case can spurn on creativity in a way a big case can’t. That it forces you to make deliberate choices and patch in new ways to get the most of what you do have. But with my Make Noise case that’s at least partially true. I’m not sure whether it’s the Make Noise ethos or the small case, but I find myself having to really think through patches. Even normally basic tasks, like mixing, can be a logistics challenge while patching. There are a finite number of jacks to plug, and a static few modules to work with.

After a short hiatus, the Make Noise case is back in order and with a couple of new additions. I needed the case for a travel synth, and I’ve been crazy busy since my return. I made a trip to Asheville and had a really great day at the QMMG in-store event, and I recorded a couple of tracks on the main synth and another on my new Make Noise 0-Series setup since, but I’ve straight procrastinated wrestling with the shitty M2.5 screws and sliding nuts Make Noise uses with their cases.1 Post-trip I also decided, after seeing rack rash on a couple of the travel synth modules from being screwed in without washers exactly once, that I was going to wait until I received longer screws and nylon washers to mitigate any further scratching issues. Rack rash isn’t the end of the world, but being that I move modules in and out quickly, I like for them to retain resale value, especially when it comes to factors I can control.

Once I got the case assembled I went to work. Not on creating a beautiful patch to share with the world (even if I do think the results are beautiful), but on seeing just exactly why QMMG generates the hype it does. How does it ring? Beautifully. How does it squelch? Loudly. How does it sweep? Lovely. How does it bleed? Perfectly.

I set out to re-create one of my favorite patches that encourages vactrol bleed, allowing subsequent pitches of a sequence to be heard after a step has been passed, and before the vactrol has had the time to close the gate of the LPG. These notes aren’t being gated, but sneak through at an audible level anyways as a byproduct of the slow vactrol response. Walker describes these bled notes as “[N]ot ghosts, exactly, because they have yet to exist. They’re more like premonitions or ideas; bulbs casting light on possible futures inscribed in the sequence.” Although I’ve written about this technique before, and use it often, I couldn’t resist using it with the new QMMG. I wanted to hear the vactrols for everything they are, not try and cover them up or hide their true nature. After all, Tony Rolando allegedly has said that the vactrols are the heart of QMMG, and it bleeds. It’s the module’s logo. Vactrol bleed is at the center of QMMG’s identity, and I wanted to hear it.

From Make Noise’s QMMG In-Store event flier.

There are also 3 other voices in the patch. The first is a moderately modulated QPAS, pinging quietly in the background, sounding beautiful as ever. The second is the sine wave of the first DPO oscillator ring modulating the second sine oscillator of DPO in the modDemix. It only hits very infrequently, and is NOT passed through a LPG, but a VCA so that it does not ring past the current step. The third is a ripping bass part that absolutely does not fit with the rest of the patch in any way. What I was attempting did not work. Instead, I got a killer bass sequence that is contemporaneously always staying the same, yet always changing at the same time. This bass line is created with the STO’s Variable Shape output into QPAS in LP mode, with a completely ungated sequence on the X channel, which is clocked by alternating outputs on Tempi. Both of the clocks used were run at different rates, as well as having stops in Rene at different rates.

This patch is not perfect. It’s not even very good. But it’s a peek into the process understanding of how QMMG works, while trying to have a little fun at the same time. I also inadvertently learned a new bass technique for my patching library. If I were to expand on this patch, I’d certainly unmarry the bass part from the rest for its own track, but other problems exist too.

The delay is too forward in the mix. With the initial sequence and its premonitions, QPAS’ pinging, and ring modulated sine waves all going through the delay, it got very busy in the mix, sometimes obscuring the bleeding vactrols of QMMG, which was the entire point of the patch in the first place. I also ran into an inherent problem with using DXG, even as just a mixer. I’ve had my fair share of complaints about the DXG’s inability to not mix. I feel like it’s an extremely important piece of gear in the history of modern Eurorack, but with some serious flaws. It’s the first stereo LPG in existence (as far as I can tell), and made by the LPG legends at Make Noise who made Optomix (two versions), QMMG (two versions), LxD, MMG, RxMx, Dynamix, and the brilliant transistor-based LPG in the Strega, yet despite its importance and lineage DXG is a tragically imperfect piece of kit. As a LPG mixer, it raises and lowers both the volume and the harmonic content of the input simultaneously, more closely mimicking how sounds work in nature. As a sound gets louder, there is more higher harmonic content. As that sound gets softer, it loses harmonic content. And that’s great when you want to create sounds, but when you mix already created sounds together you generally want to control the volume, while leaving the harmonic content intact at every level. The DXG doesn’t allow you to do that. I noticed this phenomena most directly when trying to mix a full wet Mimeophon return signal on Ch 1 from with the dry signal on Ch 2 using its send outputs. Because I didn’t want what amounts to a 50/50 dry/wet mix, I wanted my repeats much softer than the dry signal, the repeats from Mimeophon were not only quieter (good) when patched through the DXG, but also near bereft of its upper harmonic content (very bad). All that pretty Color and Halo being added in Mimeophon, shat upon by the DXG. Although I was able to mitigate this problem by patching the output of the full mixer, rather than only the Ch 2 send output, to Mimeophon, and patching it as an insert using Mimeophon’s mix control rather than as an AUX send with a full wet return as originally intended, this necessary workaround seems to greatly minimize the utility of the Ch 2 send outputs. Traditionally, one would patch the dry signal to Ch 2, the Ch 2 send outputs to Mimeophon with its outputs patched back to Ch 1, and mixed with the original dry signal at the mixer’s sum output. However, losing valuable harmonic content from Mimeophon’s output when I only want to lose volume makes that a far less than ideal use case scenario for me. They work great as mixers, but only if you want to mix inputs at relatively even, loud levels.

Overall I’m pleased with the patch. Not the outcome, per se, but that the process of patching taught a couple of valuable lessons about the gear I’m using so that I might better use it in the future. The QMMG sounds fantastic, both as a LPG and a filter, and I’m slowly learning how to control the Final output of the DPO. Not every patch will turn out well, and that’s okay.

Modules Used:
Tempi
Rene’ V2
DPO
QPAS
STO
Maths
QMMG
Function
Wogglebug
modDemix
Mimeophon
DXG
X-Pan

Performed and recorded in 1 take in AUM on iPad via the Arturia AudioFuse.

  1. I’m clearly a Make Noise enthusiast, but that by no means makes their products perfect. There is no good excuse for sliding nuts and un-washered M2.5 screws in an otherwise premium case. ↩︎

Made Noise – Sketch 1

Confession time: I have a weird relationship with Make Noise. I mean, I love their modules. Most of the time. And I think their philosophy of making modules that are part of a coherent, customized musical instrument is spot on. Most of the time. But seemingly more than any other Eurorack brand, Make Noise will build a wonderful product borne of a brilliant idea, and then during the design process make one, or more, decisions that makes one wonder just what they were thinking.1

Like most people I started my Make Noise journey by integrating individual modules into a larger system. A module here and another there turned into a full 168hp Make Noise Subsystem that was integrated into a larger system mostly made up of single brand cases. Of course I’d found use of them in integrated patches, but with a couple of exceptions, I found myself opting for something other than Make Noise modules. If I had more than one or two Make Noise modules in the patch, generally most of the patch was dedicated to Make Noise modules. But there was something that always seemed amiss. I just never felt like my Make Noise Subsystem fit particularly well within a huge modular synth.

And so without any desire to rid myself of Make Noise, I’ll admit to having contemplated it several times, I decided to lean in and completely separate Make Noise from the rest. To allow it to be the instrument it wants to be on its own terms, and not a bit part in someone else’s show. To be free.

Once I made that choice, I had other hard decisions to make. By switching over to a 4 Zone CV Bus Case, I afforded myself 40 more HP, plus the CV Bus,2 but I still had to perform some rearranging to fit in everything nice and tidy. I added a couple modules that I thought were necessary to have a cohesive and “complete” Make Noise system (namely Rene v2 and a DPO). I had to pull a couple of choice modules out (LxD, MMG, STO). But before I made that switch, I decided to do a patch that included at least one of them.

I hope to make Made Noise a series of posts dedicated to the many bleeps and bloops created with my full Make Noise system. I’m sure I’ll find ways to use it with my larger synth again, but for now Make Noise will will fly solo.

This first sketch started as a rough recreation of a patch Walker Farrell did 5 years ago, called “Patch From Scratch: QPAS & Tempi.” I’ve always loved QPAS for pinging, but I had not gone all out with modulating it before while pinging. How boring. I also knew from the start that I wanted to integrate Morphagene into this patch, and I wanted to experiment with modulating zones in Mimeophon.

The patch is easy enough in theory. Some gates from Tempi, happening at various clock divisions, pinging QPAS’s input, as well as the R Radiate, L Radiate, and !!¡¡ inputs, while triggering various other events. But these gates run deep by being spread around the case through the CV Bus triggering Maths, Function, as well as clocking Mimeophon and Rene. End Of gates from Maths and Function are also being used to trigger different events around the patch. One Tempi channel is also performing some self-pleasure on the Mod input, which shifts the clock divisions around for a continuously changing rhythm and melody line. These shifts effect every aspect of the patch.

CV is sent from Rene’s X Channel to the Resonance CV input on QPAS, to keep the rhythm lively with having varied tail lengths, and changing the melody notes. There’s a familiarity there, but it’s not really repeating exactly. The Y Channel gates are triggering the Wogglebug S&H circuit, and the Cartesian Channel gates are triggering the deep kick of the STO.

The QPAS is being heavily modulated. In fact, there isn’t a control input not being used. Radiate L & R, Resonance, Freq 1, Freq 2, and both !!¡¡ inputs are modulated by gates from Tempi and CV from Rene’s X Channel, a Function envelope. Freq 1 is a bit of patch programming from the L HP output.

While the Tempi and QPAS are doing the heavy lifting throughout the patch, like a lead guitarist, the Mimeophon is what gives it some polish, and that extra bit of oomph for everything to come alive in an ever-changing flow of repeats, jitters, and screeches. While the shifting gates from Tempi are clocking Mimeophon, as well as pinging the uRate CV input, it’s also being modulated by the Maths Sum output, the Morphagene CV Output, a Maths envelope, and Wogglebug (stepped output). I wanted to get an idea of what modulating zones would be like, and it turned out even better than what I imagined it could be. The modulations between carplus strong-like sounds to long drawn out echoes created a sense of splendor and ever changing tones.

Morphagene too gets in on the action. I wanted a bubbly swirl, and by goodness I got a bubbly swirl. I’ve had Morphagene for a while, but it just wasn’t one of the granular-like processors I’d reach for. It was fun, but never integral. In this patch, it lends a level of instant fun and really brightens the sketch. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s probably too loud in the mix, but I do very much enjoy the whimsical direction it gave to an already whimsical melody. The slowing tape machine sounds, the speedy and gurgle fast forwards and rewinds all contribute to the fun.

This certainly isn’t my last patch with this new Make Noise Satellite Subsystem. It’s a level of immediacy and fun that’s hard to replicate with other brands. Here’s to the next one.

Modules Used:
Tempi
QPAS
Maths
Mimeophon
Morphagene
Rene Mk2
Wogglebug
Function
STO
DXG
X-Pan
Optomix rev2
CV Bus Mk2

Improvised and recorded in 1 take on the iPad in AUM via an Arturia AudioFuse.

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  1. The DXG being unable to not mix, and not having a way to get both LPG channels out individually seems to me to be headbangingly shortsighted. There is no good argument for their premium 4 Zone CV Bus Case having M2.5 screws and sliding nuts. I could go on.
  2. Although the CV Bus is little more than a glorified passive multiple, its implementation is incredibly well thought out and unendingly useful.
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