PotD - We All Pass Out

Using the All Pass output of one of favourite filters - Plan B's Model 12 State Variable Vactrol Filter - to create a phasing effect. Inspired by this old thread at modularsynth.net




PotD - We All Pass Out

FM'd self-oscillating Cwejman MMF-1 filter sent to both a mixer and the M12, All Pass out returned to mixer. Gated by a Bananalogue/ Serge VCS which is responsible for much of the sequence's funk due to its inability to re-trigger.

The phase cancellations are clearly audible at around the 10 second mark as I fade in the all-pass signal to the mix.

The balance between original and all-passed signal is key to getting the phasing right. The M12 is capable of some very musical distortion (more on this below) and I think I pushed the filter's input too much in the first example. To compensate for the source material's lack of harmonics and to help set a better balance, in this example I first processed the sequence with my Ken Stone Lockhart wavefolder:


M12 as Phaser

This last clip demonstrates the Model 12's characteristic 'vactrol fuzz'. An FM'd Hertz Donut is fed into the filter, Maths sweeps the cutoff while I manually adjust the filter input level. I also compensated for the increased volume at higher fuzz levels by turning down the final VCA accordingly.


M12 Vactrol Fuzz

Normally, this is just the right amount of fuzz for my liking but, if you remember this, you'll know that the M12 is capable of some truly molten sounds.

Patch Tips #8 - More Feedback

Getting the Plan B M12 SVVF to self-oscillate and 'sine-shaping' à la Bubblesound µLFO. An update to this post and part of my ongoing drive to sell the Doepfer A-133 VC Polarizer.

If you've read that post, you'll know how I go about this so, without further ado, here's the Plan B M15 sine being fed back to varying positive and negative degrees:



And here it is being used as a modulator:



I don't have a µLFO and don't know the Bubblesound circuit, but this certainly seems to yield similar results:



I'd be interested to hear from any µLFO users whether the sine-shaping also causes a change in frequency as per my examples.

Feedback with the Model 12 yields some very interesting results! Depending on the amount of feedback, internal resonance setting and input gain, I got some wonderfully wild sounds. This is the bandpass output being fed-back negatively:



Part of the sound is down to clipping on the input circuit as you can see from these 'scope shots:



Surprisingly, I found that it is possible to FM the M12 at audio rates, although of course not with the precision or clarity you'd get with a non-vactrol-based filter:



The sine output of the M15 was used to FM the M12. The output of the filter was also sent to the sync input of the VCO, resulting is some pleasing, if groggy, harmonic stepping.

Clash of the Borgs

A quick comparison of the Malekko Wiard Borg 1 & 2, also featuring Plan B Models 12 & 13.



The Borg 1 (white knobs) employs slower vactrols, allegedly giving it a mellower sound and longer decay than the more aggressive, black knobbed Borg 2. I'm a big fan of the Plan B Model 12, but sometimes find it's response to CVs either too linear or lazy, so I was keen to hear the Borg 1 for myself.

Here's a fairly representative recording of the difference between these filters:


(Borg 2, Borg 1, Model 12)

I really liked the Borg 1's soft edges and muted tones. Its response is slower than the Borg 2 and this makes it a more natural sounding LPG. It might even have the edge on the M13, which tends to lose the initial transients. I don't find either Borg particularly useful for BP or HP duties and this is where the M12 shines. I tried patching both Borgs in a BP series, but didn't find the results as interesting as the dual-peak BP mode of the Cwejman MMF-1. That said, both Borgs are fantastic LPFs with attitude and character. Sonically, the B1 sits squarely between its more aggressive sibling and the rubber-funk of the M12.

You can download the full set of recordings, including the obligatory LPG 'thwap' test, here (3.2MB), but be careful with your speakers on the 'rumble' MP3!

Thanks to Schneidersbuero for the loan of the module.

Release: Trans Europa Exzess

Studio version of my set at the Schneidersbuero Superbooth event at the Saasfee Pavillion last week.


I took a 6U system to Frankfurt, which was the same rig I used for the above recording: 4MS RCD + breakout, Analogue Solutions MX224 & SH-NZ, Cwejman RES-4, MMF-1 & VCA-4MX, Doepfer A-133, Makenoise Wogglebug & Maths, Plan B M15 & M12, Toppobrillo Sport Modulator & Triple Wavefolder and, of course, the EHX Stereo Memory Man w/ Hazarai.



This was the first time I received the full security check the airport, involving a visit to a special room and swab test on the case. A tip for modular travelers: when asked whether you are a DJ and your equipment is a mixer, answer 'yes' to both questions.

Thanks to Andreas and all involved - it was a great evening!

Patch of the Day - Harmonyhertz

I twisted my knee and had to undergo an MRI scan this week. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure, this is what it sounds like:

Harmonyhertz-PotD  by  navs

Having entered the machine, you're given a pair of noise-canceling headphones. The classical music that is piped through these is supposed to calm and distract you from the grunts and buzzes generated by the scanner. Don't know which device was responsible, but the kick and hi-hat pattern was a bizarre counterpoint. Sort of like a Clockwork Orange warehouse party. Someone with a sense of humour at Siemens, the company that built the contraption, decided to call it 'Harmony'. The nurse told me that the larger unit is called 'Symphony'.

THE PATCH

The patch features four voices: kick and hi-hat, ring modulated squarewaves, FM klunk and some 'ducked' classical music. Although I managed to use up nearly all of my patch cables, it was actually fairly straightforward.

Drums: MMF-1 sine wave kick, M12-filtered-noise hat. LFO provides rhythm, VCS provides gate delay for 'swing'.

Buzz: Wogglebug stepped out provides slow pitch changes for VCO-2RM. Two square waves, with a touch of XMod and manual pitch and PWM tweaking, are output from the ring modulator. Timing is generated by the burst out of the WB which is patched to a clock divider. The /8 gate signal triggers one Maths channel. An inverse /8 gate is fed to a second Maths EG so that the klunks are timed to occur after each buzz has sounded.

Klunk: M15 & AFG lin FM plus some pitch woggle and envelope thwapping from Maths and the mix out of an A-143-1. Maths' EOC used to trigger the Doepfer, klunk gated by M13 LPG.

Classical: Borg-filtered with a bit of FM from the combined buzz & klunk CVs. Vactrol speed in evidence as the CV takes a while to fade away from it's peak.

Ducking: this was achieved by sending the classical sample to the first channel of an A-134-2 VC Xfader, the audio mix of buzz and klunk to the second and applying the combined buzz and klunk CVs to the (asymmetrical) Xfader.

Hope you enjoyed the sounds and remember to look after yourselves!

This PotD dedicated with thanks to the docs and nurses.

PotD - Polystyrene / Buchla Lust

Today's Patch of the Day was inspired by Morton Subotnick's Sidewinder.

PotD_Polystyrene  by  navs

A Plan B M15 VCO running through the bandpass section of a M12 filter provides the polystyrene, the ring mod output of a Cwejman VCO-2RM the glassy tones.

On a side note, the following was recorded in response to this thread over at sequencer.de discussing how one would go about cloning a Buchla Music Easel with Euro-format modules.

All sounds were created with Plan B models 10, 12, 13 & 15 plus one modulating oscillator:


Buchla Bore

Sure, I'd love a vintage Buchla too, but I don't need one. Honest.