Modular taking: DOEPFER A-100, OBERHEIM DMX, KORG KAOSSPAD3
Modular first steps, please listen with headphones.
Sample taken from an FM radio with the A-112 Sampler module.
Dual VCA gated by A-149-1 (source of uncertainty) for a crazy stereo pattern.
Nothing special, just testing and messing around.
Filling up the GorillaBox with Eurorack modules
Here is the new GorillaBox 12U briefcase for musicians who plan to travel. This eurorack case is 104hp wide with 4 rows, yet is compact enough to be a carry on when flying commercial airlines!
The music track is “Printed Heart” by John Tejada and Josh Humphrey, courtesy of Palette Recordings.
Self contained generative modular piece
A generative piece. Totally self contained in the modular synth.
“I start it with a push button on the Q119 sequential controller. The Q119 is the volume envelope for the entire piece. The Q960 sequencer controls a few envelopes for the drone and various steps output gates to start events coming from the other sound sources. A triple set of CGS Harmonic Sequencers and a noise source are the different voices. Gated switch modules are opened with two Q962 Sequential Switches as limits on the step gates from the Q960.
This patch was inspired by a few discussions of generative patches from the MuffWiggler’s forum. My goal was to invent a patch that was entirely hands-off and contained many elements which happened automatically over a longer period. “
One Hundred
Background information: Uploaded my first video to YouTube in May 2008. And now 3 years later I upload the hundredth video. I was a little worried after doing video 99 because I wanted video 100 to be something special. And I think it is. Hope you will like it to.
At first you hear a 5-step sequence on row 1 of the Doepfer MAQ16/3 driving the Ian Fritz Teezer Through-Zero VCO and the Blacet Miniwave. The percussive noise sound comes from the self-built Modular and is driven by a 16-step sequence on row 2 of the MAQ16/3.
After that the CS Saw Pad from the Roland XP-80 comes in where after the 4 step sequence from the Synthesizers.com Q960 is introduced but only steps 1 and 3 are active on the Q963 at first. The Q960 sequences drives the Synthesizers.com Modular. The Q962 sequential switch is triggered by row 2 of the MAQ16/3 to alter the sequence between the 3 rows of the Q960. Row 1 contains an Em, row 2 an Am and row 3 a Bm sequence. But the chords played on the Roland XP-80 don’t follow those chords exactly which gives interesting variations. After that the arpeggiated sound on the Waldorf Q Keyboard is added, varying the sound with the modulation wheel. Somewhere along the line steps 2 and 4 on the Q963 are activated so you hear the full 4 step sequence from the Q960. The sequences:
Doepfer MAQ16/3:
Row 1:906: E3 B3 A3 G3 D3
Row 2:924: X . . . . . . . X . . . . . . .
Row 3:906: X (Gate output shifts the Q960)
Synthesizers.com Q960:
Row 1: E3 E2 F#3 E3
Row 2: A3 A2 B3 A3
Row 3: B3 B2 D4 B3
The Sunrizer App on the iPad is used to add some chorded sounds using the Lifeforms [JD] patch. The solo is performed on the Nord Lead 1. The audio is recorded with Pro Tools 9 using the Alesis MultiMix16 FireWire. Again my friend Anne used my iPhone 4G to video this session; thanks for that.
I dedicate this video to you, my dear YouTube friends, subscribers and channel watchers. Your comments and support encouraged me to go on. Thank you.
You can download/see/hear the video and music from my website.
Awesome live modular recording
A live modular recording. Three CGS01 Harmonic Sequencer modules from Catgirl Synth were used to generate melodies automatically. This generative piece reminded me of the virtually unlimited species of creatures under the sea.
The video content was shot by Nick Hope and crew of bubblevision.com.
More about Catgirl synths here >>
Wheel Ring
Gear used:
Wiard AO Uncle
Toppobrillo Quantimator TWF
Make Noise René Brains PP Wogglebug QMMG Math
4ms Noise Swash RCD
Analogue systems RS 110
Doepfer A 117
A 134 cv from Moog MP 201
Featured hardware – RS 110:
The RS110 consists of a two channel audio mixer followed by four, parallel, resonant filters with voltage controlled frequency and a unique “insert” point in the feedback path that generates and controls resonance.
Filter Modes
The RS110 offers four filter modes. These are 24dB/oct low-pass, 24dB/oct high-pass, 12dB/oct band-pass and 12dB/oct band reject (often called ‘notch’) filtering, with the cutoff frequencies (Fc) of the high-pass and low-pass outputs being the centre frequencies of the band-pass and notch outputs. Each of these filter characteristics is described in appendix 2.
There is no switch to select between the modes because all four are available simultaneously from the appropriate output sockets. However, the cut-off and resonance can not be defined individually for each, and the controls act upon each mode equally
Cutoff Frequency
You can control the cut-off frequency manually using the FREQUENCY control. In its fully anticlockwise position, Fc is approximately 30Hz. As you rotate the knob clockwise Fc will increase until, it its fully clockwise position, it exceeds 15kHz. These extreme positions are called ‘closed’ and ‘open’ respectively. You may also control Fc using one or both of the CV inputs:
If you apply a CV conforming to the 1V/oct standard, Fc will track the CV in exactly the same way as an RS90 VCO would if you applied the same CV to its CV-IN 1V/OCT socket. If the CV is supplied from a keyboard then, in common parlance, the filter is tracking the keyboard 100% and, with the resonance at maximum, you can ‘play’ the filter as if it were a conventional oscillator. You can also use this facility to make a notch or band-pass filter “track” the notes you are playing, and this can be used to create many special effects.
You may wish Fc to track incoming CVs differently, so the CV-IN VARY input is provided. This socket and its associated LEVEL control allow you to specify the filter’s sensitivity to CVs within the range ×V/oct to approximately 0.4V/oct. The former of these makes the filter invariant to incoming CVs, while the latter makes it over-sensitive compared to CV-IN.
You can determine Fc in the range 3Hz to 50kHz using combinations of the frequency control knob and the voltage control inputs.
Resonance
The filters have a common resonance, ‘Q’, that you can control using the RESONANCE knob. In its fully anticlockwise position, Q is approximately zero, and there is no emphasis of the signal at Fc. As you rotate the knob clockwise Q will increase, whereupon every mode of the RS110 will accentuate the harmonics that lie close to the cut-off frequency, Fc. Increasing Q further, the filters will exhibit ringing, and will severely colour any signals passed through them. Finally, if you continue to increase the resonance beyond a certain point, the filter will itself begin to oscillate, even in the absence of an input. Each mode will now produce a stable tone at the cutoff frequency determined by the various controls. This oscillation takes the form of (approximately) a sine wave, and it is produced by all four of the conventional audio outputs. The exact nature of the wave varies slightly from mode to mode, and you can use these subtle differences to create tonal variation when using the RS110 as an oscillator.
Continuum Fingerboard and modular synth – eight improvisations
Here’s what author has to say about it:
No Midi. The Haken’s internal sound “clinical oscillator 1” was routed to the Analogue Systems RS-35 External Processor and Doepfer A-119 to generate pitch cv, envelope and triggers.
Awesome how minimal changes in finger pressure brings about so much voltage control with the Wiard JAG distributing cv to different modules simultaneously. The Blacet Frequency Divider together with Malekko Wiard Noisering and Doepfer Wasp filter made for bass rumbling, f(h) SOS through spring reverb module provided noisy delay patterns, TipTop Z5000 was used for reverb and additional delay. Also: ADDAC Complex Random, Analogue Solutions CVT, MFB Triple Osc, Doepfer LPG, Hinton Switchmix, PlanB M13.
MODULAR: The Documentary extended promo
MODULAR: The Documentary, a new film directed by Robert Fantinatto, original score by SOLVENT. This is the extended promo video and features some of the east coast participants such as Morton Subotnick, Sean McBride (Martial Cantarel) and Jason Amm (Solvent). The film is still in production with a west coast shooting block coming up, along with European locations.
To keep up to date on the production visit:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Modular-the-documentary/106157466146310
For info on Solvent visit:
http://www.youtube.com/s0LVentCIty
Arp sequencing on the Roland System 100 model 101
Test using arp sequencer
Awesome for spaced out effects, as well as extremely warm bass and leads. The filter is great, and even though it’s only a single osc. synth, without a sub-osc, it sounds huge. Extremely warm sounds. Because it’s semi-modular, you can get things super spacey. The sounds can actually have a very vocal quality at times. I’ve actually had it sounding like a child crying. Really weird = super cool!
Buchla Phase Locking Symphony
Symphony or Cacophony? Wonderful Buchla Alien Sound-Scape one take improv. Focus is on the analog sounds created with this amazing modular synthesizer. The Space Echo (Roland RE-301 Chorus Echo) is patched into the signal path of the Buchla – the input mix into the RE-301 is manually controlled using gestures from the 222e controller… which is also used as mixing device (controlling the 292e). Everything then is ran through a T-Resonator for stereo reverb.
DATAMASKIN
