PigLick on 19/7/2020 at 02:42
I like the airy one but particularly liked your cold patch, very icy but also percussive kinda like high speed javanese percussion
demagogue on 20/7/2020 at 16:48
So off and on I've been working on a synth concept for a while. I thought you guys might like to see one of the rough drafts of it that kind of looks cool at least.
It's built around an algorithmic sequencer/arpeggiator on which you build really long and evolving sequences, although you can program it as a normal sequencer/arpeggiator or a whole song if you want. Then there are two oscillators (each with a sub-oscillator) and two noise generators for percussion, and then it's got a clock, LFOs, envelopes, four effects, a mixer where you can bring voices in and out. The colored keyboard triples-up as the sequencer (48 parts, 48 steps showing), the notes the sequncer/arpeggiator is playing, and you can just play it as a normal 4 octave keyboard (or 2 split keyboards). There's some things that this is fudging or are placeholders for now, so don't take the details too seriously.
The way you patch it, basically the dials all have a circle of lights on the inside and outside. The outside lights are the levels. The inside lights (or just the lit up colors of the whole knob) are the "patch index". If you have an "out arrow" and an "in arrow" dial set to the same "patch index" light, that means they're patched together as if a cable were connecting them. If you push a knob in, then it and the connected knobs will start flashing so they're easy to find. Except the "levels" for "Filter No.", "Env. No." and "LFO No." would be the Filter, Envelope, & LFO numbers (up to 16 or whatever), each one having its own individual levels and patch index linking it to something else.
Edit: I worked on it some more and this version is more reasonable.
Inline Image:
https://i.imgur.com/5NNwOiI.pngYou can still see the original one I posted here: (
https://i.imgur.com/kfjnpNz.png)
I'll periodically edit in a link to the latest version too: (
https://i.imgur.com/P26ZrvY.png)
PigLick on 21/7/2020 at 01:58
that looks very cool, imagine a physical version of that.
also I was thinking Iwould like to keep this thread but is it possible to have a sticky post at the top with all links to all our patches? rather than scrolling through to fiind them.
qolelis on 21/7/2020 at 11:32
Quote Posted by demagogue
Really quickly, there is a label module by Stoermelder [...] Another useful labeling module to have is Submarine's TD-202, which you just add text on directly so it can effectively label a whole area of your patch.
Thanks for the tips (I should have known there was a module for that (and probably one for anything I can think of)). I'm not quite ready yet, though; I'm still squeezing out as much as I can from what I have. Once I get to it, I'll start by trying out those labelling modules, a couple for basic arithmetics and boolean logic, and probably a couple more (I'm making mental notes of things I would like to start with).
Quote Posted by Aja
With hardware modular synths you can generally patch any voltage out to any voltage in, but not all inputs on all modules are designed to work with both. If an input is AC coupled, it means it filters out signals below a certain frequency, which means control voltages will do nothing. Conversely, some inputs that expect slow-moving control signals will accept audio-rate signals, but they won't necessarily respond in a useful way. Some will work with both, and those are usually the most fun to play with, in my opinion.
Thanks for answering. Is there ever a risk of damaging equipment by making
weird unexpected connections?
The same thing can probably be said about VCV. I have started to look at the source code, which is freely available, for some of the modules and there is, for example, clamping going on here and there, so some types of input are probably more useful in those cases, even if anything can be connected to anything. At the same time, it's a new way of thinking for me that I'm still getting accustomed to, so I haven't seen even half of it yet.
Another thing VCV has opened me up for (more) is the need -- or want -- for at least some kind of controller hardware. I know what I want most from it, like something with a piano keyboard and something with lots of buttons and knobs etc -- possibly as two separate items, while drumpads aren't a priority right now. "Stand-alone" synths aren't a priority yet either; for starters I just want something I can control software with and see how that feels. There's so much to choose from, though, but at this time, when reading reviews is kind of not really helping any more, it might be time to just take the plunge and choose the one I "vibe with the most by just looking at it". I could write more, but I don't want to fill up the whole thread with my confused ramblings (I guess there's enough of that already).
Quote:
As for the advantage of hardware, for me it's mostly about the interface. Personally I don't feel as inspired making music with a mouse and keyboard than a dedicated hardware interface, but it's more psychological than anything. As far as sound quality, analog synthesizers tend to have elements of unpredictability, instability, and imperfection that for me makes them more engaging and interesting to play with. Good software can definitely have these qualities, too, though.
Software is how I started, so I'm really used to it by now. With the introduction of VCV, though, my standard keyboard is starting to feel awkward, as VCV more naturally asks of me to "perform" something rather than program it (setting up a sequencer environment for programmed input takes more effort than setting things up for "performed" input, and I haven't even done the former yet (there is probably a plug-in to help with that, though). Reason's sequencer, on the other hand, is more immediately available (even though it leaves much to wish for), so getting hardware hasn't felt as pressing until now.
Quote Posted by demagogue
So off and on I've been working on a synth concept for a while. I thought you guys might like to see one of the rough drafts of it that kind of looks cool at least.
"It's full of knobs."
Are you using the VCV API or is it stand-alone? Can you do anything with it yet?
Quote:
It's built around an algorithmic sequencer/arpeggiator on which you build really long and evolving sequences
Does that in any way suggest self-evolving or self-generating sequences?
Edit:
I forgot to ramble confusedly about my latest experiments in VCV (
and how many times can I mention VCV in the same post? I can apparently mention VCV many times in the same post):
I've been playing around with the standard sequencer module for different things -- except, of course, for actual sequencing:
* Storing constants: I needed to trigger something on note key release, which meant checking if the note key gate value was zero. One way to do that was to calculate "10 - gate" (effectively turning 0 into 10 and 10 into 0) and let the result be the trigger. The problem was where to get the constant 10 from. I eventually stored it in the sequencer module which can be made to constantly send the same value without intermediate zeroes. There are probably better ways, but if it works, it works (one idea would otherwise be to somehow sample and store the gate value when a key is pressed, which would mean not having to hardcode, or even know, the exact value).
* Storing more constants: Later, I needed a constant of 100. This was a problem, because the sequencer knobs go up to only ten, so I had to use a mixer module to multiply the max value, 10, by 2 three times and then by 100/80 one time. Some time after that, I realized 10 was enough: the display value of what I needed to set goes from 0 to 100, so I initially assumed without thinking that 100 was what I had to feed it, but it makes sense now that 10 volts is what represents a maximum value (or so I assume; could still be lower than that, but 10 volts seems to be a standard (
yup, time to do a bit of reading instead of guessing)).
* Pulse generator: I needed to briefly enable something, i.e. send a pulse, so I used a sequencer, set the step size to 2, triggered the internal clock, and then, using a delay module, reset the step position soon after. By setting the individual values of the step positions, I could send the needed activation signal and then a zero soon after. I later realized I could use a sequential switch module instead, which is more specialized and more compact (the value I needed to send was available already from somewhere else).
Come to think of it, I could possibly get rid of the delay module when using a sequencer, by changing the clock tempo at the right time, set the number of steps as needed, and also reset the clock tempo (to zero) when done. Might need more modules than the current solution, though, but still fun to think about.
Aja on 21/7/2020 at 15:52
Quote Posted by qolelis
Thanks for answering. Is there ever a risk of damaging equipment by making
weird unexpected connections?
Some modules can be damaged by patching an output to an output, but most of the bigger manufacturers protect against this. Some, like Make Noise, explicitly state that anything can be patched anywhere, but you can't assume it for every brand.
The bigger danger, I think, comes with Eurorack power supplies. There isn't much standardization, and it's possible to really cheap out on your PSU, which may or may not cause issues. The other thing is the silly ribbon cables used to connect the power supply to individual modules; on modules without keyed headers they can be plugged in backwards, which, again, may or may not cause damage depending on whether there's reverse-protection circuitry included. I've fried a couple of my DIY modules plugging them in backwards and had to replace ICs as a result. Another issue is that if you have any unused space in your rack, your power supply is exposed, and a stray cable could slip in there and potentially cause damage. The best-built modules, though, are designed to be able to handle the maximum voltage between the power rails at all inputs and outputs.
faetal on 21/7/2020 at 16:20
I recommend modular grid for planning builds. It keeps track of things like power usage and warns if any of th emodules have poorly defined or incompatible power.
I haven't gotten round to carrying on the patch building since getting stuck on the krell patch, largely because I'm back at work and super busy again, but also because I now have the start of my Eurorack system and have been sidetracked with goofing around on that. To loop back round to modular grid, here is my current system (some of the modules have been bought but not arrived yet - I currently only have Ears & Clouds in addition to the Minibrute 2S): (
https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/1254059)
faetal on 21/7/2020 at 19:57
Nice setup. Can you afford to eat?
Aja on 21/7/2020 at 21:15
You wanna trade your Prophet for it?
Truthfully the cost of Eurorack does bother me, the fact that I can afford it while others can't, but somehow I always manage to justify it to myself. I have a pretty-good paying job and no kids (yet), and when I started out I sold a bunch of gear to make the initial investment and bought used. It's been a couple years since, so by typical Eurorack standards I'm accumulating slowly, but it's pretty easy to delude yourself when you can compare against guys on the forum with $30,000 collections. It's a true guilty pleasure.