More info here. Facebook event here.
BE#9, 19.04.13, Doors: 21:00
Kastanienallee 77 (Kino)
10435 Berlin (Prenzlauer-Berg)
Looking forward to seeing you at BE#9!
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Basic Electricity - Concert this Friday
Join us for Basic Electricity #9 this Friday, 19th April when Max Loderbauer makes his solo debut on Buchla 200e synthesizer and Erik Dower goes head-to-head with the Boom Doctor.
More info here. Facebook event here.
BE#9, 19.04.13, Doors: 21:00
Kastanienallee 77 (Kino)
10435 Berlin (Prenzlauer-Berg)
Looking forward to seeing you at BE#9!
More info here. Facebook event here.
BE#9, 19.04.13, Doors: 21:00
Kastanienallee 77 (Kino)
10435 Berlin (Prenzlauer-Berg)
Looking forward to seeing you at BE#9!
Friday, 29 March 2013
Super Sawtor Demo
A review of Happy Nerding's Euro-format sawtooth animator.
As the name suggests, the Super Sawtor is designed to produce the sort of multi-oscillator unison sounds known from certain Roland synths and dance genres. Feed it a single saw, triangle or sine to get a dense, buzzing cluster. Too Trance for you? Have a listen:
The two tracks should give you an idea of the Sawtor's sonic scope. If you want to hear more, pay as-you-like to download the source files (10 tracks, @ 25 mins).
The Sawtor is solidly built and simple to use - the only parameters are the dry/ wet mix and the amount of spread. Its internal LFOs change speed in response to the incoming signal's pitch. That keeps the amount of spread even for most of our hearing range. The result is rich, vibrant and less prone to the phase-cancellations I know from my Roland Super Jupiter. Indeed, although it is analogue, the Sawtor emulates the beating of a digital super-saw.
It's this 'intelligent' modulation that sets the Sawtor apart from Doepfer's sawtooth animator and draws a parallel to Cyndustries'. It also limits its use. The only parameter you can affect is the 'spread' i.e. the number of stages. Once activated, the saw-multiples are constantly in motion. They can't be 'stopped' and spaced statically to produce new waveforms as is possible with Doepfer's A-137-2. To improve audio fidelity, the Sawtor is AC-coupled. This rules out certain CV-processing tricks.
So, does that make it a one-trick pony? Yes, but only in the sense that spring reverbs or fuzz boxes are too. Because you can't independently influence the modulation speed, the choice of input becomes important. Gated, sync'd, FM'd or even polyphonic sounds can make interesting fodder if you want to go beyond the Hardcore Hoover. But maybe that is to miss the point of the Super Sawtor: it makes one VCO sound like many and does so without fuss.
Many thanks to Igor for the module and for answering my questions.
As the name suggests, the Super Sawtor is designed to produce the sort of multi-oscillator unison sounds known from certain Roland synths and dance genres. Feed it a single saw, triangle or sine to get a dense, buzzing cluster. Too Trance for you? Have a listen:
The two tracks should give you an idea of the Sawtor's sonic scope. If you want to hear more, pay as-you-like to download the source files (10 tracks, @ 25 mins).
The Sawtor is solidly built and simple to use - the only parameters are the dry/ wet mix and the amount of spread. Its internal LFOs change speed in response to the incoming signal's pitch. That keeps the amount of spread even for most of our hearing range. The result is rich, vibrant and less prone to the phase-cancellations I know from my Roland Super Jupiter. Indeed, although it is analogue, the Sawtor emulates the beating of a digital super-saw.
It's this 'intelligent' modulation that sets the Sawtor apart from Doepfer's sawtooth animator and draws a parallel to Cyndustries'. It also limits its use. The only parameter you can affect is the 'spread' i.e. the number of stages. Once activated, the saw-multiples are constantly in motion. They can't be 'stopped' and spaced statically to produce new waveforms as is possible with Doepfer's A-137-2. To improve audio fidelity, the Sawtor is AC-coupled. This rules out certain CV-processing tricks.
So, does that make it a one-trick pony? Yes, but only in the sense that spring reverbs or fuzz boxes are too. Because you can't independently influence the modulation speed, the choice of input becomes important. Gated, sync'd, FM'd or even polyphonic sounds can make interesting fodder if you want to go beyond the Hardcore Hoover. But maybe that is to miss the point of the Super Sawtor: it makes one VCO sound like many and does so without fuss.
Many thanks to Igor for the module and for answering my questions.
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Basic Electricity - Concert this Friday
Heads up for BE#8 with Wolfgang Seidel & Eliad Wagner and myself this Friday. Usual venue, usual time, unusual music and cold IPA! More info here.
BE#8 Friday, 01.03.13. Doors @ 21:00, music @ 22:00 sharp. Kastanienallee 77 (Kino). 10435 Berlin P-Berg.
Got the fright of my life at Schneidersladen today:
Sorry, Wowa … the new modules in white I can understand, but that's going too far ... ;)
BE#8 Friday, 01.03.13. Doors @ 21:00, music @ 22:00 sharp. Kastanienallee 77 (Kino). 10435 Berlin P-Berg.
Got the fright of my life at Schneidersladen today:
Sorry, Wowa … the new modules in white I can understand, but that's going too far ... ;)
Saturday, 19 January 2013
A-143-1 Modification
Adding voltage control and a combined trigger output to Doepfer's Complex Envelope Generator. An update to these posts (1, 2).
The A-143-1 is king of the shonky rhythm. There's something about the swing generated by its four chained envelopes and comparators that is hard to replicate with a VC-LFO and sequencer. This modification provides two features I wanted when using the A-143-1 as a wonky clock: a combined pulse stream to control other modules and an automated means of influencing the rhythm.
For the latter, I chose to add simultaneous voltage control to the threshold of all four comparators. For me, this is the parameter that makes the A-143-1 tick. It means a single CV can be used to stretch and shrink the rhythm without affecting its inherent groove. Think 'Funk Soul Brother'. Just as importantly, the modification can be accommodated on the original panel.
The Comparator outputs are chopped down to 1ms pulses, so they can easily be mixed without the need for a 'proper' logic circuit. They are also hot enough to ping filters. Add a Sample & Hold to grab values from the A-143-1's bipolar mix out and the results can sound like this:
The star of this mod is the H11F1 Photo FET Optocoupler. It may not have the cachet of a VTL5C3, but this vactrol alternative might make a better choice for some synth mods. It's smaller, cheaper and, most importantly, has a fast, linear response.
The circuitry used in this mod is simple. The difficulty arises out of the need to quadruple the parts. You can download my build-notes here (the usual DIY disclaimers apply!) to see how I went about it. See this thread for more A-143-1 modification ideas.
To close, today's Patch of the Day offers a musical example of this modification:
The patch uses just two envelopes, sometimes chained, sometimes running as LFOs. The new combined trigger was multed to ping a Cwejman RES-4 and trigger a S&H and CTG-VC envelope. The A-143-1's mixout was sampled by the S&H and sent to the RES-4's FCV and CTG-VC's Attack CV-in. The RES-4's audio output was sent to a VCA-4MX and multed to an A-199 Spring Reverb. The 100% wet signal was sent to a second VCA/ mixer channel and opened by the CTG-VC's envelope. Altering the threshold changes the timing and also the CV that is sampled from the mix output.
The A-143-1 is king of the shonky rhythm. There's something about the swing generated by its four chained envelopes and comparators that is hard to replicate with a VC-LFO and sequencer. This modification provides two features I wanted when using the A-143-1 as a wonky clock: a combined pulse stream to control other modules and an automated means of influencing the rhythm.
For the latter, I chose to add simultaneous voltage control to the threshold of all four comparators. For me, this is the parameter that makes the A-143-1 tick. It means a single CV can be used to stretch and shrink the rhythm without affecting its inherent groove. Think 'Funk Soul Brother'. Just as importantly, the modification can be accommodated on the original panel.
The Comparator outputs are chopped down to 1ms pulses, so they can easily be mixed without the need for a 'proper' logic circuit. They are also hot enough to ping filters. Add a Sample & Hold to grab values from the A-143-1's bipolar mix out and the results can sound like this:
The star of this mod is the H11F1 Photo FET Optocoupler. It may not have the cachet of a VTL5C3, but this vactrol alternative might make a better choice for some synth mods. It's smaller, cheaper and, most importantly, has a fast, linear response.
The circuitry used in this mod is simple. The difficulty arises out of the need to quadruple the parts. You can download my build-notes here (the usual DIY disclaimers apply!) to see how I went about it. See this thread for more A-143-1 modification ideas.
To close, today's Patch of the Day offers a musical example of this modification:
The patch uses just two envelopes, sometimes chained, sometimes running as LFOs. The new combined trigger was multed to ping a Cwejman RES-4 and trigger a S&H and CTG-VC envelope. The A-143-1's mixout was sampled by the S&H and sent to the RES-4's FCV and CTG-VC's Attack CV-in. The RES-4's audio output was sent to a VCA-4MX and multed to an A-199 Spring Reverb. The 100% wet signal was sent to a second VCA/ mixer channel and opened by the CTG-VC's envelope. Altering the threshold changes the timing and also the CV that is sampled from the mix output.
Monday, 26 November 2012
Cwejman MMF-2 Demo
Impressions of the Cwejman MMF-2 stereo multi-mode filter.
The MMF-2 came out this summer and quickly sold out. Having spent some time with one, it's easy to understand why. It offers a wealth of possibilities and sounds great. Have a listen:
Buy the album to access the full recordings (10 tracks, 55 mins).
The MMF-2 can be used to process mono or stereo signals. The filters can be run in parallel, or if patched, in series. It features two types of saturation and a dry/ wet mix. For a full description, see the MMF-2 product page linked above.
The MMF-2 shares much in common with the MMF-6. It's confident, bold and, to my taste, more musical than its single-sibling. It FMs beautifully and, when oscillating with some saturation, can be used for plucked/ percussive sounds or aggressive basslines. It can also be self-patched to make crazy, chaotic noise. It really comes alive when using the mix feature.
Here are some thoughts that cropped up in use: the initial frequencies of the left and right channels need to be manually balanced in stereo patches. You can't sweep the entire frequency range with the master as the L&R cutoff pots are offsets. Inter-channel CV normalization and attenu-verters would be useful e.g. in a LP/ HP configuration. The filter slopes might be too steep for some external audio processing tasks. Saturation is either on or off, but the amount is determined by the input level. I would have liked an input VCA but, as Wowa told me, the MMF-2 is already 'a beast', both in terms of size and stereo circuitry.
The MMF-2 can be clean or brutal, used to transform mono or stereo signals or even as a dual voice module. Look out for the next run.
Thanks to Wowa for answering my questions and to Schneidersbuero for the loan.
The MMF-2 came out this summer and quickly sold out. Having spent some time with one, it's easy to understand why. It offers a wealth of possibilities and sounds great. Have a listen:
Buy the album to access the full recordings (10 tracks, 55 mins).
The MMF-2 can be used to process mono or stereo signals. The filters can be run in parallel, or if patched, in series. It features two types of saturation and a dry/ wet mix. For a full description, see the MMF-2 product page linked above.
The MMF-2 shares much in common with the MMF-6. It's confident, bold and, to my taste, more musical than its single-sibling. It FMs beautifully and, when oscillating with some saturation, can be used for plucked/ percussive sounds or aggressive basslines. It can also be self-patched to make crazy, chaotic noise. It really comes alive when using the mix feature.
Here are some thoughts that cropped up in use: the initial frequencies of the left and right channels need to be manually balanced in stereo patches. You can't sweep the entire frequency range with the master as the L&R cutoff pots are offsets. Inter-channel CV normalization and attenu-verters would be useful e.g. in a LP/ HP configuration. The filter slopes might be too steep for some external audio processing tasks. Saturation is either on or off, but the amount is determined by the input level. I would have liked an input VCA but, as Wowa told me, the MMF-2 is already 'a beast', both in terms of size and stereo circuitry.
The MMF-2 can be clean or brutal, used to transform mono or stereo signals or even as a dual voice module. Look out for the next run.
Thanks to Wowa for answering my questions and to Schneidersbuero for the loan.
Saturday, 24 November 2012
Patch Tips #25 - Filters do Maths
Wave-shaping with state variable multi-mode filters, or how to integrate a square into a saw.
A while ago Josh from Toppobrillo made an aside in a forum thread that his Multifilter could be used to bend squares into saws. Infuriatingly, he never said how. Well, I love a patch challenge …
Send a square to the input of your filter and monitor the lowpass output. Wind the frequency knob back until you get something resembling a triangle. Patch the bandpass output to the CV input and start to raise the resonance. Play with the input level, amount of feedback and resonance until you get something resembling a saw. It won't have a perfectly vertical flank, but it's pretty close.
This patch works because of phase offsets between the lowpass and bandpass outputs. Positive feedback will give you a saw, negative feedback a ramp. If you increase the amount of feedback, you'll be able to generate sub-harmonics of the input frequency. If you send your pitch CV to both the VCO and 1V/O input of your filter, the saws should maintain their shape as the frequency changes.
A while ago Josh from Toppobrillo made an aside in a forum thread that his Multifilter could be used to bend squares into saws. Infuriatingly, he never said how. Well, I love a patch challenge …
Send a square to the input of your filter and monitor the lowpass output. Wind the frequency knob back until you get something resembling a triangle. Patch the bandpass output to the CV input and start to raise the resonance. Play with the input level, amount of feedback and resonance until you get something resembling a saw. It won't have a perfectly vertical flank, but it's pretty close.
This patch works because of phase offsets between the lowpass and bandpass outputs. Positive feedback will give you a saw, negative feedback a ramp. If you increase the amount of feedback, you'll be able to generate sub-harmonics of the input frequency. If you send your pitch CV to both the VCO and 1V/O input of your filter, the saws should maintain their shape as the frequency changes.
Fonitronik mh11 ADC Pattern Sequencer
Hands-on preview of Fonitronik's novel 8-step CV & Gate sequencer.
The mh11 offers a new take on the basic sequencer concept. An analogue to digital converter generates 256 patterns. The notes and direction stay the same, but the sequence of steps that actually get played is under manual or voltage control.
For more on the concept, see Matthias' own description and video. Here's a demo of the effect of CV-ing the pattern on notes played & (0:34) gate length and (0:57) the mh11 as graphic VCO.
(edit: Bandcamp's MP3 conversion has mangled the graphic VCO example. Download the WAV.)
To understand what's happening, feed the mh11 a clock and set all step switches to the up/ on position. All steps play. Then 'mute' certain steps by setting the switch to the off position. The ADC is used to automate this muting - it generates an 8-bit string of on & off values which is AND gated with the incoming clock. To test this, stop the sequencer, set all switches down to the ADC position and turn the manual PCV pot until all lights of the pattern LED-bar are lit. Restart the sequencer and turn the pattern knob. Any incoming CV is summed with the manual offset to generate a new string of on & off values.
Programming the mh11 is easiest with another sequencer or S&H (running at a clock division) or a S&H-synchronized manual CV from Pressure Points. This is because the ADC 're-computes' the pattern with every change. You can use an LFO, but depending on the speed, things can get glitchy. At audio-rates, as per the graphic VCO example, this is not a problem. The 4MS PEG makes a good partner for the mh11 as its swings can be synced.
In use, I found a few minor issues: if fed more than 8V, the ADC can lock up. Remove the external CV and twist the offset pot to reset it. I felt this offset should be inverted so that one can start with all steps on and then progressively mute them with a +ve CV. The output CV droops slightly when passively multed, so you may want to buffer it. Finally, the ADC controls both the CV and gate signals. Muting a trigger or tying a gate also mutes the CV. So, you can't send the CV to two VCOs and have one follow the pattern and the other the master clock. I asked Matthias whether this could be changed, but quickly realized it would require a second, parallel ADC.
The build quality is solid, the layout generous and the LEDs give good visual feedback of the ADC's current pattern. A microprocessor-based sequencer might offer more options, but I do get a kick out of imaginative designs like the mh11. Thanks to Matthias for the loan of the module and for keeping it analogue!
The mh11 offers a new take on the basic sequencer concept. An analogue to digital converter generates 256 patterns. The notes and direction stay the same, but the sequence of steps that actually get played is under manual or voltage control.
For more on the concept, see Matthias' own description and video. Here's a demo of the effect of CV-ing the pattern on notes played & (0:34) gate length and (0:57) the mh11 as graphic VCO.
(edit: Bandcamp's MP3 conversion has mangled the graphic VCO example. Download the WAV.)
To understand what's happening, feed the mh11 a clock and set all step switches to the up/ on position. All steps play. Then 'mute' certain steps by setting the switch to the off position. The ADC is used to automate this muting - it generates an 8-bit string of on & off values which is AND gated with the incoming clock. To test this, stop the sequencer, set all switches down to the ADC position and turn the manual PCV pot until all lights of the pattern LED-bar are lit. Restart the sequencer and turn the pattern knob. Any incoming CV is summed with the manual offset to generate a new string of on & off values.
Programming the mh11 is easiest with another sequencer or S&H (running at a clock division) or a S&H-synchronized manual CV from Pressure Points. This is because the ADC 're-computes' the pattern with every change. You can use an LFO, but depending on the speed, things can get glitchy. At audio-rates, as per the graphic VCO example, this is not a problem. The 4MS PEG makes a good partner for the mh11 as its swings can be synced.
In use, I found a few minor issues: if fed more than 8V, the ADC can lock up. Remove the external CV and twist the offset pot to reset it. I felt this offset should be inverted so that one can start with all steps on and then progressively mute them with a +ve CV. The output CV droops slightly when passively multed, so you may want to buffer it. Finally, the ADC controls both the CV and gate signals. Muting a trigger or tying a gate also mutes the CV. So, you can't send the CV to two VCOs and have one follow the pattern and the other the master clock. I asked Matthias whether this could be changed, but quickly realized it would require a second, parallel ADC.
The build quality is solid, the layout generous and the LEDs give good visual feedback of the ADC's current pattern. A microprocessor-based sequencer might offer more options, but I do get a kick out of imaginative designs like the mh11. Thanks to Matthias for the loan of the module and for keeping it analogue!
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