Expert Sleepers Silent Way

Relax, it's in tune ...

I've been using Expert Sleeper's Silent Way to control my modular for the past two weeks. This is a flexible and fast-growing suite of plug-ins which generate control voltages. Like MOTU's Volta, it also features an oscillator calibration routine.

Getting your most troublesome VCOs to track perfectly is just one benefit of DAW-based CV generation. Here are some other ideas:

Gate Delay



Two voice patch, panned left (initial gate) and right (gate echo). Logic's Delay Designer was used to create three clean, tempo-sync'd taps. First you'll hear the four-note sequence 'dry', then with the gate echos triggering voice two. In both these instances, the initial gate steps the analogue sequencer. In the last two measures I used the echos to clock the sequencer.

Envelope Echo



Similar Idea, but using Silent Way to generate an envelope rather than a gate.

LFO Mash



Processed LFO to VCO pitch. First dry, then bit crushed, then quantized using Logic's Grooveshifter, then both.

Pitch Wah



Pitch CV slewed with Logic's Auto Filter. The filter was modulated by its own LFO. First unprocessed, then wah'd with a quarter note triangle, then burbled with a sixteenth note random/ S&H.

Thanks to Expert Sleeper Os for getting me thinking about processing CVs.

Patch of the Day - Long Way Down

Something gentle for a Sunday afternoon:

PotD_longwaydown  by  navs

Live, four-voice patch with manual tweaks.

Self-oscillating Cwejman MMF-1 dual-peak sine modulated by WB smooth out. A-Sol SH-NZ noise to Plan B Model 12 HPF, VCA VC'd by Doepfer A-147 VCLFO sine, itself VC'd by the output of a A-156 Quantizer. Ring Mod output of a VCO-2RM filtered by a Malekko/ Wiard Borg, envelope from Bananalogue/ Serge VCS VC'd by Woggle out. M15 VCO (linFM) gets WB stepped, gated by M10 envelope which is triggered by WB burst and VC'd by stepped out. M10 EOC to A-142 envelope which provides the voltage which is then quantized by the A-156.

Patches. They always start out simple, don't they ...

The all new Schneider's Laden - First Impressions

For those of you who couldn't attend the grand opening on Wednesday, here are a few pictures of the new Schneider's Laden. Located above the Kaiser's supermarket on the Kottbusser Tor in Berlin's Kreuzberg district, the new shop finally provides Andreas and the team with plenty of room to make some noise.

In contrast to the Klang-Keller on the Adalbertstrasse, the new premises are light and airy and offer enough space for a dedicated modular lab, main stage area, vinyl cutting room and offices.

Among the new kit (Macbeth VCO, Moonmodular sequencers, Monorocket case), the shop is also littered with vintage drum machines, synths and test equipment all of which are plugged in and ready to play.

If you're in town, drop in - you're in for a treat ...













... just don't drink the coffee.

Navs & Penko Live @ Ex'n'Pop, Berlin. Saturday 22:00

I'll be performing live with Penko Stoitschev at the Ex'n'Pop this Saturday.

I'll be jamming on the modular while Penko plays some of his vast collection of field recordings, atmospheres and treated sounds.

Here's what you can expect:

Navs & Penko Live Teaser by navs

Hope to see you there!

Here are the details:

Magistrale 2009, Soundnacht
Sat. 12th September, 10 p.m.
Ex'n'Pop, Potsdamerstr. 157,
10783 Berlin-Schöneberg.

http://www.magistrale-kulturnacht.de
http://www.myspace.com/exnpopberlin

Cwejman Complex Transient Generator

If you checked the Cwejman site recently, you might have noticed the addition of a couple of new modules, for example the VCEQ-4 & CRV-24 crossover filter. I got to play with a prototype of the latter when Wowa visited Berlin last Summer and was very impressed with the sound and possibilites. However, the module that has me most excited is the CTG-VC Complex Transient Generator as it is the result of discussions I've had with Wowa since that meeting. The idea was to design a compact, flexible envelope generator capable of both ADSR and AD functions.

It offers variable slope shapes, is capable of looping the AD stages, has a hold stage for added punch and output attenuation/ polarization. The 'zero restart' option resets the envelope regardless of whether the release stage has been completed. The only option that doesn't seem to have made it through to the final design is a CV-All input, which would allow for a 'key follow' effect, although this could be attained by multing the pitch CV to the relevant VC-ins.

Availability & Price TBA.

CTG-VC product page & PDF.