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!

Video - Navs live at Powwow

I had a lovely time playing at Powwow last week. If you missed the stream, here is the full video.



The line-up was Navs, Uchi, Wilted Woman, Goldwiener + Luma/Chroma and Hainbach. It was the first Berlin Powwow to be held at Patch Point’s new store in Neukölln and in stereo.

My 6U case contained the usual suspects - Cwejman, Mungo, Makenoise, Toppobrillo - with the new additon of a Harvestman Piston Honda MkI. It's a wavetable oscillator, packed with timbres and glitchy surprises - an oldie but goldie.

Thanks to Darrin and Stefan for organising the evening and setting the stage, to Uchi and Wilted Woman for their wonderful sets, Luma/Chroma for her mesmerising visuals, to Paul for his excellent camera work and Wouter for that suit!

Powwow 4 - Feedback

Here’s the recording of my live set at the fourth Berlin Powwow session which you can buy from my Bandcamp.



For this performance I wanted to explore feedback and the obstacles and modifiers one can place in the loop. The key players in this were delays, filters, non-linear functions and malfunctioning components.



My main analogue patch featured a Cwejman RES-4 in a loop with a Bananalogue Serge WVX. The combination of four frequency bands of oscillation might have been enough, but placing a Cwejman VCEQ-3 in the chain to dampen or boost the feedback added another level of complexity. A stressed coupling capacitor and scratchy Folds pot on the WVX added to the unpredictability and fun.

Live, I love my Clavia Micro Modular for two main reasons: patch recall, which allows me to set a scene or chop between moods, and polyphony. The virtual feedback patches in this set were simple, but switching them to two or three voices added complexity and interest, for example asynchronous panning or the beating of multiple sine-wave oscillators. You can do it with a ’real’ modular, but at a cost!

This set up is flexible and just about portable. It’s still completely live in that each patch either has to be built or played by hand. But the addition and convenience of the Micro Modular does cause me to question how we approach playing live with a modular. With many musicians turning up to gigs with their rigs pre-patched, is there a difference or even a need for the real deal?

Thanks again to Goldwiener, Hainbach, Paul da Fonk and Mark Berman of Powwow for the opportunity to make some noise.

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!

Powwow - thanks …

… to our hosts, Hainbach & Goldwiener and to Luma //Chroma for the mesmerising visuals! The launch of Powwow Berlin was loads of fun and I’m looking forward to doing it again.



Here is a video teaser of my set:



And here is a proper recording which you can also buy from my Bandcamp:



I patched a 6U case live, with back-up provided by a Clavia Micromodular and EHX SMMH as delay and looper. Given the short set-up and play time, this was a good selection which provided enough options. It was nice to get back to basics after a couple of virtual modular gigs and I think there’s enough play in this caseful of modules for another outing.

Wowa has been busy

Some silly sounds from some new Cwejman modules.



Cardboard faceplates FTW!

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 ... ;)

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:

a-143-1_mod.mp3



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.

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.

Basic Electricity - Concert Today!

A reminder about tonight's gig with Derek Holzer, Vanessa Ramos-Velasquez and JenaMu6. The venue is the Kino on Kastanienallee 77, 10435 Berlin Prenzlauer Berg. Doors at 21:00, music at 22:00 sharp.



I won't be playing, but had some fun with this patch last night:



Inspired by the sound of Japan's Gentlemen Take Polaroids, it features a Plan B M15 VCO FM'd by Doepfer's A-143-9 QLFO. The gated sound was fed to an A-199 spring reverb with the feedback routed through Cwejman's FSH-1 frequency shifter. I added a touch of Logic's Ensemble, but 90% of the effect is the shifting reverb. Lovely.

Look forward to seeing you tonight at BE#6!

PotD - Mutant Horse 2

A gentle gallop into Basic Electricity #5 on Friday. This is a take on the patch Tom & I played at BE#4, likened by Ian Boddy to "riding a mutant horse".



A Sport Modulator provides both timing information and CVs, driving Maths, a VCO-2RM, Triple Wave Folder, A-112 Sampler/ Delay and VCA-2P panner. The oscillators are FM'd before being gated, folded and sampled. A stepped and manual CV controls the rhythm, delay time and panning. Flipping between track- and sample-and-hold on the SM delivers the final crack of the whip.

PotD - Swings & Roundabouts

How to patch a thru-zero frequency shifter with two quadrature VCOs and ring modulators.



I love my Cwejman FSH-1 for its wide range and smooth analogue tone. The one thing it lacks is thru-zero capability. At slow settings, frequency shifters yield beautiful spatial effects. Thru-zero is the icing on the cake as it allows the up & downshift channels to 'swap sides'. Heard in stereo, this can sound great - or disconcerting, depending on the amount of shift!

So, how to go about patching one?

James Clark's Nord Modular tutorial on spectrum shifting explains the workings of a frequency shifter but stumped me on the need for all pass filters/ Hilbert Transformers. A post by Matt Jones at the Synthedit Yahoo Group offered the necessary clue:

"Out = (Input) * (Sine oscillator) + (Input shifted by 90 degrees) * (Cosine oscillator)
Changing the + sign to a - switches the amount of the shift from up to down …"

Here's the proof of concept:



In the recording you can hear me manually sweeping a DC voltage from positive to negative, biasing the modulator and causing the shifts to move from left to right.

My patch (see below) has three caveats: one, you need a Zeroscillator or similar to provide the thru-zero shifts (!). Two, unless you have the means of generating a cosine from your complex input signal, you're limited to simple sines. Three, it's fiddly and not 100% precise. That said, the results sound great:



The patch details: the ZO is used as the modulator. Set its bias to zero and patch the 0 & 90 degree outputs to the CV inputs of two ring modulators (e.g. A-133). I used the Doepfer A-143-9 QLFO as my signal as it provides the necessary outs. The 0 & 90 degree outputs were patched to the respective ring mods. The Toppobrillo TWF can be used to generate a cosine from another source, but I wanted to keep the patch as simple as possible.

To generate the upshift, I mixed the result of the 0 and 90 degree multiplications. To get the downshift, I subtracted the 90 from the 0 degree via an external inverter. The Cwejman VCA-4MX was used as the output to my final mixer. It's perfect for this task as it allows you to independently tap the mix of channels 1&2 and 3&4, which you can then pan left and right.

The fiddly bits: to bias the ZO correctly in both directions, I had to tune two voltages (+ve & -ve, Maths or Fonik's mh-01) and send them to the linear FM input via a sequential switch. It would have been easier to use the pulse output of the clocking LFO, but this didn't give me equal positive and negative bias i.e. the side-swapping effect was compromised. You can hear this in the first recording where I apply the bias manually. The second detail you have to watch is the mix/ subtraction balance to ensure clean up & down shifts, but this isn't too tricky. Just use your ears for both.

The ZO makes this patch possible. With zero bias, the oscillator comes to a stand-still. Any voltage you apply to the linear input will cause it to jump into action. Reverse the bias voltage and the ZO changes direction causing the shifts to swap sides. You could use a second A-143-9 as modulator, but would then lose this ability. Still, two QLFOs, an A-133 and mixer/ inverter offer an inexpensive single-sideband-modulation patch.

Buy Swings & Roundabouts.

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.

Release: Basic Electricity #1 Live EP

For those who couldn't make it to the recent Basic Electricity event at the Auxxx in Berlin, here are the recordings of my set.





Making their debut at this gig were the Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb, A-112 Sampler/ Wavetable Osc. & Cwejman FSH-1 Frequency Shifter. They were supported by the usual suspects: RES-4, MMF-1, Toppobrillo Triple Wave Folder & Sport Modulator, Harvestman Hertz Donut, Makenoise Wogglebug and, of course, the EHX Stereo Memory Man w/ Hazarai.

Ring-Mod Round-up

An overview of five balanced-, or ring-, modulators: the Intellijel μMod, Makenoise ModDemix, Fonitronik mh-31, Doepfer A-133 and Cwejman VCO-2RM.



RingMod Roundup by navs

These modules have a different approach, feature set and, as you can hear, sound. The Cwejman is a classic two-input, one output affair and I included it as a reference as it has good rejection and headroom.

On the face of it, the additional features offered by each manufacturer set these modules apart. However, given that the basic concept is the same, these differences might not be that wide. The μMod's 'Q' function, for example, seems to be a bipolar offset, something that could be patched externally with the Cwejman or by increasing the manual gain on the A-133. Similarly, the auto-AM/ pseudo-SSB modulation offered by the ModDemix's normalizing could also be covered by a dual module like the Doepfer. Incidentally, it's a shame neither of these dual modules can be used as a mixer out of the box. Pre-patching a signal to one of Maths' attenuverters and using the uni-polar OR output as modulator would yield a function similar to the μMod's rectification switches. The mh-31 utilizes rectification as part of its 'RM' process which might explain its characteristic sound.

Two technical points to note: when used as a VCA, the μMod I tested displayed a small amount of carrier bleed (audible in the example above), but I'm sure this can be corrected by calibration of the 'Q'/ offset. The A-133 suffers bleed too, but this is understandable due to its lack of centre-indent pots. At low 'strength' amounts, the ModDemix displays an unusual response - the processed waveform seemed more typical of AM than the 'attenuated' RM I'm used to from the A-133. Both the Makenoise and Doepfer are DC-coupled, so I wonder if this difference is down to the circuit employed.

In terms of sound and function, I saw the closest parallels between the VCO-2RM & μMod one the one hand, and the Doepfer & Makenoise ModDemix on the other. The mh-31 is the most unorthodox design and doesn't easily fit in either camp.

To my ears, the Cwejman and Intellijel have the cleanest tone, with the Makenoise and Fonitronik well-suited to more abrasive timbres. While not as transparent as the VCO-2RM or μMod, the A-133 can be both clean or driven to distortion.

Thanks to Schneidersbuero for the loan of the Intellijel & Makenoise modules.

Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb

With so many cool new modules being released, it's easy to overlook some of the classics. Similar to my A-156 quantizer epiphany, I've only just discovered the Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb. Primitive though the effect may be, it's breathed new life into my system.



Here's a demo of how it sounds and some ideas for patching the feedback path:

Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb Demo by navs

I'd tried the A-199 before, but wasn't taken by it: I guess I was looking for reverb, when I should have been listening to the effect for what it was. While on a recent hiking holiday, I came across an old, rusted gate. Because of its age and construction, opening and closing it generated wonderful, resonant/ reverberated sounds. I 'played' this gate for a full five minutes and spent the rest of the walk thinking about how one might recreate its sound. The A-199's time had come.

Today's Patch of the Day features a Cwejman RES-4, the A-199 and Metasonix R54 in the feedback path:



The one criticism that's leveled at the A-199 is its tendency to hum, but, keeping the module far enough away from the PSU and the springs outside the case, I haven't noticed this to be too bad. I'm also happy with the sound of the stock Belton tank, but if you want to change it, consult this spring reverb wiki compiled by Tim Stinchcombe for a suitable replacement.

The A-199 is a lot of fun. It can add simple ambience to sounds or be patched as a special effect. This module was the missing element in my system, adding space, colour and character - spring reverbs and modular synths seem to be made for each other.

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 Tips #15 - Non-Linear Distortion

I recently stumbled across the Nord Modular's exponential shaper module while looking for something to bend a signal. The ShpExp works with transfer functions to generate non-linear distortion. This can give a sound edge, without totally shredding it. Of course, my next thought was whether it would be possible to patch something similar with my system. As usual, Rob Hordijk had the answer.



The trick involves generating a signal at twice the frequency of the source, which will then be used to modulate the amplifier. The easiest way to do this is to patch multiples of the source to both inputs of a ring modulator, effectively multiplying the signal by itself. This performs full wave rectification and, in the case of sine waves, frequency doubling. Patched to a linear VCA, a sine wave is bent like this:



Here's how it sounds:


Mono- then Duo-phonic signal. Clean Cwejman signal path (MMF-1 sine, VCO-2RM RM, VCA-2P)


Mono- then Duo-phonic signal. Dirty Doepfer signal path for added crunch (MMF-1 sine, A-133 as RM, A132-1 VCA)

Feeding the rectified, frequency-doubled signal back to the source, rather than the VCA, will bend the sine into a triangle, albeit with a different pitch. Try varying the FM-CV amount, other VCO waveforms or even polyphonic signals for seriously warped shapes.

I used the VCO-2RM and A-133 which, being dual, allows one to cascade and further multiply the modulator. Frequency doubling or rectification can also be achieved by feeding +ve & -ve signals to a min/max analogue logic module like the A-172 & Maths' OR processor or Doepfer's A-119 ext. input module, as per this Patch Tip. Like the A-133, Fonitronik's forthcoming mh31 and Makenoise's modDemix provide one-stop solutions.

I'm not sure if this process is in fact single-sideband modulation as the modDemix description suggests, but it's certainly closely related to Amplitude Modulation which will be the subject of the next Patch Tip.

A-162 Trigger Delay Modification

An update to this post on how to modify a Doepfer A-162 Dual Trigger Delay for perfect filter pings.



Replacing the A-162's stock 10uF capacitor with a 0.1uF helped, but meant that most of the useful range for pinging filters (0.5 - 2ms) lay within the first 10% of the pot's throw i.e. settings between zero & 1.

An attempt to reduce the resistance of the pot failed to help, so I replaced the 0.1uF with a 0.01uF/ 10nF cap. This did the trick: a setting of 5 now yields a ca. 2ms long pulse.

Here's a clip of three filters being pinged with various pulse widths:


Cwejman MMF-1, RES-4 & Metasonix R54.

As you can hear, the tone and volume are affected by the length of the pulse. This is even more apparent when the filter additionally receives pitch CV. The R54 shows the most dramatic response to changes in pulse length, especially when an attenuated multiple of the trigger is used to apply some pitch bend or 'thwap'. The A-162 is also perfect for pinging low pass gates.



Above is a picture of the solder-side of the board. I've marked two possible connections, depending on the type of capacitor you want to use. The two holes marked in pink are connected by a trace to allow for 'extra leg room'. The cap should be connected between the green and one of the pink holes. Pay attention to the polarity if you're using an electrolytic cap.

Needless to say, this mod will void your warranty and is your own risk. It's not difficult, but if you don't want to do this yourself, Doepfer offer a modification service on most of their modules at very reasonable rates.

Thanks to the Wigglers who helped in this thread.