Video: Navs at Superbooth '22

Just ahead of this year's Superbooth, here's my set from SB'22:

Thanks to Andreas, Evi, Tom, Mareen & Barry!

Take Seven - modular jazz revisited

A longer improv and edit inspired by this modular bebop sketch.



This track started out as a test for my old Boss SE-70 Super Effects Processor - the kitchen sink FX box from the 90’s, loved by The Prodigy - which I had dusted off to check out the pitch shifters.

A medium-paced Wogglebug conducted two Plan B Model 15s and Maths. There was a bit of FM and wave-folding involved. I’ve always felt that the Wogglebug had the jazz so it was a short jump of the imagination to add some Rhodes/ Cwejman RES-4-ish tones from a Clavia G2 Voice Filter patch and some brushed beats.

I guess this was an exercise in re-contextualisation - hope you enjoy it!

Patch of the Day - Basic Variations

Two takes on a theme. One involving FM, the other AM techniques. My Basic Electricity #2 epilogue.



This first patch was inspired by Richard & Rastko's jam on Friday night. It features the FM and Low Pass Gate action of the former and the lo-fi Ciat-Lonbarde sound of the latter. I recorded two passes of a Wogglebug & Maths driving Plan B's models 15 & 13 and Doepfer's A-112 sampler delay.





This second patch has a similar core, but the sound is based on amplitude modulation. The dual peak sine of a Cwejman MMF-1 modulates a VCA-2P. The carrier was the sine of an A-143-9. I altered the C:M relationship throughout the patch. Delay was courtesy of the EHX SMMH.



These patches show the types of complex timbres that can be achieved with modulation. With the current trend for 'West Coast' synthesis, FM is a familiar technique. AM seems to be regarded as ring modulation's poor cousin, but it can be a rich source of sounds.

For me, part of its strength lies in the fact that the carrier, effectively the fundamental, is still present in the resulting signal. To get the most from AM, you'll need two VCAs and possibly some form of offset/ attenuation. As ever, Gordon Reid has the dope.

Thanks to everyone who came to the gig and to Rastko, Hayden & Richard for the wonderful performances.

Patch of the Day - Highly Strung

Kicking off the new year with the rediscovery of the Doepfer A-137-2 Wave Multiplier and a frenzied take on a duet for two acoustic guitars:



I bought this module when it first came out, then sold it two years ago because I'd run out of space. I've been working on a track that needs a big fuzzy, 'super-saw' bass but wasn't getting the right sound with multiple VCOs and wondered if the A-137-2 might fit the bill. As you can hear from today's PotD, that's not what I ended up using it for: the A-137-2 will do phasing saw sounds, bar the subtle detuning, but I found it's also great for EML-sytle abrasive tones that can then be tamed with a filter.

The patch involves CV-ing the WM II at audio rate, LP filtering the result with the Cwejman MMF-1 and then accentuating various frequencies with a low-bandwidth setting RES-4. Gordon Reid goes into much detail about how to achieve this in his synth secrets, but I just used my ears. A Wiard/ Make Noise Wogglebug generated the timing and note information. It was kicked about by one channel of Maths, which received a mult of the stepped output, thus varying the pace and intensity of the ratchets and completing a timing feedback loop. I recorded two passes of the result, varying the patch by hand.

Bitsy - Stepped CV Generator/ Recorder

A DIY Ring Counter based on Ken Stone's Gated Comparator circuit.



My inspiration for this module was Grant Richter's Wiard Noise Ring - a random CV generator with a form of memory. While I liked its ability to capture an eight note sequence, I found it hard to control and wanted some method to reliably input my own data.

I first thought an analogue shift register - a chain of sample + holds - might provide the solution. Thanks to a prod in the right direction from Matthias of Fonitronik, I discovered Scott Stites' Klee sequencer and later Rob Hordijk's Rungler and Ken Stone's digital shift register circuits.



Using a CMOS chip like the 4015 or 4021 won't allow you to sample your own CV stream, but the end result is the same. A series of zeros and ones is converted into a stepped CV via a DAC, in this case an R/2R network. Feeding the last stage of the shift register back to the input allows you to hold a sequence. Here's how it sounds:



I built Bitsy as a companion to the Wogglebug, which provides the clock and data, via its burst output. Like the Klee, it can also be programmed via a sequencer or manual gates. To simplify the design, I left out the input comparators of Ken Stone's circuit. A switch is used to manually hold a sequence. The last stage is also available, allowing VC over new/ old data selection via a sequential switch like the Doepfer A-151. An LED reflects the voltage level.



I used the DIY Layout Creator to plan my perfboard and a 6HP Makenoise blank as faceplate. This was the first time I'd made a parallel board, which meant using wire connections for the jacks etc. However, the benefit of this was I didn't have to be totally accurate when drilling holes.

Thanks to Matthias for the hint and to the designers of the original circuits which inspired this project!

Patch Tips#18 - ADSR 'Free-Run'

Using a gate delay and comparator to trigger 'full length' ADSR runs, achieve looping ADSRs and delayed looping of AD envelopes. As suggested in this thread.



Unlike AD envelopes, ADSRs generally need a gate signal to fully complete their cycle. The gate determines the duration of the sustain phase of the envelope's run. So, what to do if your sequencer only generates triggers?

With a gate delay like the A-162, set the delay to zero and the length to taste. If using Maths' channel 1, the rise sets the delay time and the fall the length of the gate, available at the EOR. This provides the gate that the sustain requires. This mimics the response of AD envelopes like the VCS, which complete regardless of gate duration.

If you then mult that gate to a comparator with a suitable threshold, you'll get a second gate when the first expires. I used the Sport Modulator with the multed gate fed to the bottom input and 5V as a threshold reference sent to the top input. The middle output provides the comparator function. Mix the two gates and feed them to the input of the gate delay and you've got a looping ADSR.



The A-162 is great for these sorts of tricks and can also be used with AD envelopes which have an End Out (VCS, Maths, A-143-1) to achieve the Envelator's delayed looping.

Doepfer A-112 Sampler/ Wavetable Osc.

Rediscovery of another Doepfer classic - the A-112.



This module was in my first order five years ago. It survived in my system for a while and was sold without much remorse. Since then, we've been treated to several dedicated delay modules, The Harvestman's Tyme Sefari & Piston Honda and, more recently, Make Noise's Phonogene. These modules share much in common with the A-112 and got me wondering why I'd ditched it - was it because of its lo-fi character or because I wasn't ready for it?

Doepfer A-112 Demo by navs

As you can hear, the A-112's 8-Bit nature means it's dirty, noisy & crunchy, but not to the extent that it's musically unusable. Far from it: it can make a huge difference in, or form the basis of, a patch, adds character and, despite its limited 128 kilobyte memory, is bags of fun.

That said, the interface isn't perfect - it's too easy to accidentally wipe a stored wavetable due to a false flick of a switch - but it is immediate. Also, Doepfer's Sample Dumper application is in need of an update & port to OSX as this is key to getting the most out of the wavetable mode (I borrowed an old laptop running Win98!). Another criticism is that sampling at the highest resolution (Tune @ '10') also caps the highest pitch CV it will respond to. Conversely, I'd also like it to go slower because of its ability to record CVs. A simple mod (remove passive filter jumper and bypass cap C11) makes this possible. Details are outlined in this message at the Doepfer Yahoo group. A simple dual gang switch would be a quick mod If you want both options.

The Harvestman & Make Noise instruments might be a refinement of the original concept, offering better fidelity and more functions but they also come with a higher price tag and take up more rack space. If you're ok with its gritty sound, for the €150, 10HP entry fee, you really can't go wrong with the A-112.

Today's Patch of the Day features the A-112, RES-4 and a Wogglebug:



Doepfer's Sample Dumper can be downloaded here. Wiard's Wave256 & Move256 can be found here, more wavetables are available at the Wiard Yahoo Group.

DIY RCD Breakout Panel

If you haven't already done so, this is an easy build which I can highly recommend. It opens up new possibilities by bringing some of the 4MS RCD's 'hidden' features to the fore.



My original aim was simply to get front-panel access to the up/ down count and gate/ trigger switches, which normally involves unscrewing the module from the rack. I wasn't even going to connect the reset jumpers but I'm glad I did - this has a marked effect, particularly on the odd divisions. Flicking between trigger and gate mode also yields an added bonus when driving logic operations. For example, patch the /8 to Brains' 'direction' input and toggle between gate and trigger to 'activate' and 'hide' the boolean function. In combination with the reset options, this can yield some funky sequences.

The build instructions are here. Soldering took all of 20 minutes, drilling and filing the faceplate, despite the Make Noise blank being softer than metal, took two hours. Always my favourite part of DIY...

Patch Tips #14 - Sub-Harmonic Division

Using Maths or the VCS to generate sub-harmonic variation.



Today's Patch Tip is cribbed from Seth Nemec's Bananalogue/ Serge VCS demos and the 'Undertone Generator' patch in Rich Gold's Serge book:

"Sub-Harmonic Generator: If a series of triggers are applied to the VCS faster than the total rise and fall times, the module will divide the incoming signal by a whole number. In the audio range the output will be the sub-harmonic series."

The VCS has the benefit of an AC-coupled output, but I feel Maths offers finer control over the settings. As this patch relies on the rise time, Math's EOR pulse can be used to provide an even beefier sub signal.

The technique simply involves patching a mult of your principal oscillator to Maths' trigger input and mixing either the envelope or EOR with the main VCO in a filter etc. Set the response to linear, fall to fully CCW and then gradually increase the rise time. Additionally altering the fall time will give you more control over the timing and hence sub-divisions.

Here's what it can sound like: subharmonix.mp3

The patch relies on the envelope's inability to respond to a second trigger until it has completed its cycle, meaning it will 'skip' pulses and thus generate a lower frequency. You can try this patch with other trigger-able envelopes like the Plan B Model 10, Cwejman CTG-VC or Doepfer A-143-1, bearing in mind that the minimum possible cycle time and trigger response will affect the possible sub-divisions.

PotD - Brains Releasequence

Today's Patch of the Day showcases some of the features that make the combination of Brains, Pressure Points and Maths such a flexible & tactile sequencing package.



Here are the patch details:

Cycling Maths Ch1 acts as clock. EOR > Brains CLK.
Linear, R = 0, Fall = 14:30
Envelope controls VCA depth + VCO FM Index.

Maths Ch4 slews Press CV from PP buss (use input, not trigger).
R + F ca. 15:00, exponential.
Slewed CV > VCA (dynamics), Brains 'Run' + Maths Ch2.
Set Ch2 to ca. 22:00 (-ve) and patch to Ch1 Fall VC

Patch PP rows 1-3 > sequential switch. PP row 1 gate > A-152 clock.
Digital out 4 > reset, common I/O > quantiser > VCO.

And here's what's happening:

Although Maths is cycling and providing Brains with a clock, the sequence is blocked from running until the press CV exceeds 1V. On release of the touch plate, the Press CV fades out, allowing the sequence to continue running until it again falls below 1V. An inverted mult of the press CV, which is fed to Ch1's Fall VC via Ch2, controls the speed of the clock. The harder you press, the faster the clock. As the press CV fades, the clock slows. Try different rise and fall times for both channels 1 + 4 and the amount of fall VC from Ch2 to taste. You could, for example, have the sequence get faster as the volume fades. The remaining connections (Ch4 EOC > Brains reset, PP rows 1-3 > multiplexer etc.) are non-essential, but nice.

Make Noise Brains

If you didn't spot Brains lurking under my DIY desktop rack in Monday's post, here's another glimpse:



Brains provides sequencing power to Make Noise's Pressure Points, offering some of the functionality of the classic Serge TKB. For a full description, see the product page and make sure you read the manual! I'd never have thought that such a small and seemingly simple clocker could open up so many possibilities. Nice work work, Tony - Brains, Pressure Points & Maths make a cracking team!

Here's a quick example using the stepped out of a Wogglebug to change the direction of a four-note (i.e. one row) sequence. When the random voltage is above 1V, the sequence runs forward. When it's below, it runs backwards. At about 23 seconds, the /6 output of a 4ms RCD steps a sequential switch to add rows 2 & 3 to the chain, creating a 12-note sequence.


Bugbrains

Brains comes with all the necessary cables to connect the unit to two Pressure Points as well as chain the touchplates and is available now from Schneidersbuero. I'll be taking a closer look at the possibilities offered by Brains later in the week. In the meantime, if you have Pressure Points, do yourself a favour and get this module. It's … a no-brainer.

A Simple Case of Brawn over Brains

Got a spare 3U rack that you'd like to use on your desktop to house performance modules like Pressure Points and Choices?

Unscrew these:



Take them to your local Schlosser and get him to fashion them like this with his Schlagschere:



Screw them back in place and enjoy!



Thanks to Max Kruppa in Kreuzberg for their time and effort.

Patch Tip #6 - Wogglebug Smooth Out

The 'smooth out' was the least used output on my much-used Wogglebug until I stumbled across this incredibly simple patch:

Plug the 'smooth out' into the 'clock/ chaos control' in. You can hear the result here: smoothcontrol

This is a simplified version of the 'tail-chasing' random patch described by Allen Strange and adapted by Doepfer in the manual to their A-149-1 Buchla Source of Uncertainty tribute. What surprised me is how well-suited the smooth out is to driving the clock/ chaos control: it doesn't need further attenuation - it's just plug and play.

Patch Tip #4 - Gate to Trigger Converter

Using Maths to convert a gate to trigger to ping a filter.

To get really percussive sounds when pinging a filter you need an extremely short impulse. Envelopes are either too long or generate a decay phase which can lead to a misfiring of the filter.

To get clean, short spikes feed your gate signal to Maths' channel one, set R&F to zero and patch the EOR out to your filter's audio input. You can vary the trigger length by altering the fall time or, for more subtle changes, the response curve from log to exp.



In the example I've used the Pressure Points to generate the gate signal which is fed to Maths for conversion, row one to provide a pitch CV and row two to set the dual peak spacing on a Cwejman MMF-1.

Patch Tips#3 - Analogue Digital Logic

How to invert digital signals by analogue means.

Today's patch tip is the result of my frustration with Doepfer's A-160 clock divider and the fact that I don't own an A-166 Logic module.

The problem: the A-160 divides incoming clocks like this:



Which is fine for some applications but not when you want all divisions to start on the same, i.e. first, beat. Hook up a couple of sequencers or try to programme a 'straight' drum pattern with an A-160 and you'll soon see what I mean.

More often than not, I need divisions like this:



... exactly the opposite of what the A-160 pumps out.

An A-166 Logic module, with its two digital inverters, would offer a work-around. As I don't have one, I wondered if I could press one of my other modules into performing similar duties. I found the solution in my Bananalogue/ Serge VCS and Make Noise Maths.

Both offer an 'End Out' gate which goes high on completion of a cycle. Patching a Logical 'high' from the A-160 to their inputs causes the End Out to go 'low', in effect inverting the digital signal. For this to work properly, use the 'input' rather than 'trigger' jack and set both the rise & fall times set to zero. With Maths, use channel 4's EOC, rather than channel 1's EOR.

While I don't have enough modules to invert all the outputs of the A-160, this method at least allows me the option of forcing some to play 'on the one'.

PotD - Patch Collective

Live performance patch featuring 4 VCOs, 2 LPGs, 4 EGs, quantizer, analogue shift register, mux, Choices, Pressure Points, a bunch of mixers & VCAs and a pair of hands.

PotD_Patchcollective  by  navs

As you can tell from the long list of modules, this patch took some setting up, but was quite simple once I knew what I wanted. The combination of PP & Choices offered a variety of control options and made this patch come to life.

You can probably guess most of what's happening in the recording, so I won't go into detail. One tip I'd like to share with you, though, is how I controlled the Low Pass Gates as this was key to the patch. I mixed Choices Y output with the envelopes to open the LPGs for the sustained sounds and then close them for the short note runs. Really simple, but effective.

And if you're wondering how I achieved the slow, rising pitch in the sustained passages, that's the sound of a voltage-loaded but un-triggered Plan B M23 ASR!

Hands On Experience Part II

A collection of recordings and patch ideas, focussing on manual manipulation and featuring Flight of Harmony's Choices joystick and Make Noise's Pressure Points touch keyboard.



In this first Pressure Points patch, I fed the X & Y rows to an A-151 sequential switch and the bussed gate to a clock divider to generate an eight note sequence. The bussed press CV was used to provide volume control. This is a simple patch to overcome the limitations of only having one PP and also provides variation on an otherwise predictable sequence of notes, depending on the division you use to trigger the multiplexer.


eightpointplan

Variation on the above. Press CV used to provide mild pitch bend of a self-oscillating filter and modulate the frequency of an LFO .


whistler

In this patch I sent the press CV to a quantizer via a slew limiter to generate a glissando effect in addition to the main pitch CV. I used row X to set different slew rates, the effect of which you can hear towards the end of the recording.


gliss

One odd thing about capacitance is the fact that it is always changing. Have a listen to what happens when I touch the metal frame of my Doepfer case:


rackbuzz

Make Noises' Pressure Points brings the capacitive keyboard, best known from Buchla and Serge systems, to the Euro format. This sort of controller might not be as immediate as a joystick but it offers a wealth of subtle possibilities. PP is tweakable and, given the right settings and playing style, responsive. For best results with the press CV, a slew limiter like Maths is a must as is an exponential VCA for dynamic volume contours. It is possible to confuse the circuit with rapid finger movements or multiple presses but, as Tony Rolando points out, this is the nature of the beast. It'll be interesting to see what the promised Points Expander brings to the party.

To round things off, here is a last patch featuring both controllers:


idlehands

PP transposes the sequence and generates volume levels (both signals slewed by Maths). Choices provides panning control and cross-fades between the sine and PWM (row Y sets rate) outputs of a Plan B Model 15 VCO which is filtered by a M13 LPG. The manual gate is used to open a VCA containing the output of PP's row Z, which is used to change the speed of the clocking LFO.

For more programmer patch tips, run a search for the Rich Gold Serge book and Buchla Music Easel manual.

Hands On Experience Part I

A collection of recordings and patch ideas, focussing on manual manipulation and featuring Flight of Harmony's Choices joystick and Make Noise's Pressure Points touch keyboard.



First up, Choices is used to modulate the FM relationship of two VCOs and the time-base, or overall length, of a Plan B Polyphonic Envelope. Choices' manual gate was patched to the M10's cycle input to provide the trills.


trillkillkult

In this patch, Choices was used to manually trigger the envelope. Depending on the modulated envelope length, this sometimes results in trills. The joystick was used to modulate the pitch of the VCOs and provide the CV for an A-134-2 cross-fader.


crossover

A similar patch, minus the cross-fader, of 'chirps and cheeps' generated by a self-oscillating filter, FM'd by the modulated envelope.


bugsnbirds

Using a joystick is very intuitive and a lot of fun: move it, and you have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen. I considered getting Doepfer's A-174 because I like sprung joysticks. As it was out of stock and a new shipment of Choices had just arrived, I bought the f(h) module and have no regrets: unsprung joysticks have their own benefits and the manual gates are very useful. Choices has a hotter output than the A-174 and offers more control over in & ouputs. Match this up with an integrator, quantizer, cross-fader and a re-triggerable AD envelope for a dynamic performance tool.

Under Pressure

Introducing Hubert, a DIY pressure controller.

I got to play with the prototype last week and had a lot of fun. Here's a brief description of this hand-held device from Zauner Elektronik:

"Each channel has three outputs: CV Out, Inverted CV Out and Gate out. Each side is capable of holding the current voltage on CV Out, whereas the inverted CV appears on Inverted CV Out. If a CV is held in the CV Out you still can use the inverted out, even switching from positive to negative voltage as often as you want without disturbing the held CV output."

The hold function exhibits minimal droop and is key to working with Hubert: you can set a voltage with the pressure pads, sample it and then use the second output to generate another voltage on the same channel. This gives you a total of two dynamic and two static CVs.

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Make Noise's Pressure Points but, having seen Katavist's wonderful BugBrand CTL-1/ Wiard JAG demo, I'm beginning to wonder whether it offers the full monty viz. its current lack of sequencing options.

Also, despite the allusion in the name of the Make Noise module and the controller description at the BugBrand site, neither of these interfaces actually respond to pressure. This might be semantic hair-splitting on my part but, as you can see from the Hubert demo video, there really is a different feel to playing a device with genuine pressure sensors.

Zauner are currently working on a second revision which will include two independent manual gate buttons and threshold level pots for the pressure-activated gates.

Patch of the Day - Maths Trills

More Maths tips - this module continues to inspire me! Picking up on this thread over at Muff Wiggler's forum on how to attain trills and bursts from Maths, I tried Yohda's patch:

Chianti Trills

It works a treat! As per Yohda's suggestion I used a mixer/ VCA, but I think Rechner7 is right: a logic module would be better: when I lengthen the decay time in the example, you can hear some 'flamming' where the gates overlap.

The patch is simple: use channel 4 as your envelope, as it is equipped with an EOCycle rather than channel 1's EORise. An LFO clocks a sequencer and A-160/161 clk div/ seq. The main gate is sent to channel one of a VCA-4MX and the EOC to channel two. This is gated by the division output of your choice from the A-160/161 combo.

You could also replace the A-160/1 combo with a Wogglebug to VC Maths' 'both' input, transpose the sequence and use its burst output to generate random trills:

Pills, Trills & Wogglecake

Be sure to read Tony Rolando's patch tips for gated looping in that thread. And thanks to Mr White (Mr Yellow) for asking the question!

EDIT: the trills patch will also work with a Bananalogue/ Serge VCS! I also replaced the VCA-4MX in the patch with an A-134-2 VC Xfader to generate somewhat 'cleaner' trills. Using a cross-fader means the main gate is 'pushed out of the way' when you want the EOC to take priority.