#ModularSoundscapes

[rofilm1]

Part 8 of my series about the modules of Voltage Modular (and part 3 of the “F_Series”, a bundle of modules forged after the legendary DIY modular synth “Formant” - the 1977/78 Elektor project in Voltage Modular) is online now.

In this part I demonstrate and explain the central switching and gating module F_GENR8 and make it work in a couple of example patches.

Content/Timeline:

00:00 What is the module good for?

01:36 A quick introduction to all functions

02:54 The central clock´s function

04:54 Patch 1: the 8 regular gates and the 4 LFOs

09:33 The “F_modules” universe

10:15 Patch 2: the 4 logic gates and synchronizing events

18:17 The 4 random gates

20:51 Patch 3: random gates plus logic gates (and a funny mistake)

24:42 3 types of random gates

26:39 What´s left to mention

28:00 The End

[rofilm1]

Part 1 of my series about the “F_Series”, a bundle of modules forged after the legendary DIY modular synth “Formant” (the 1977/78 Elektor project) in Voltage Modular is online now:

Content/Timeline:

00:00 Intro

01:18 A Short History of Modular Synths

06:10 The Original Vintage Modules

06:41 The VCO and its Wave Shapes

11:27 The 3 VCFs

18:56 The LFOs

21:56 The VCA

26:10 The ADSR and the COM Module

26:26 The Noise and Sample And Hold Module

[rofilm1]

β

What role does chance play in generative music, and are there different types of chance, and if so, how do I generate them with modular synthesizers?

[rofilm1]

υ

What are the specific problems that I meet when producing generative patches? Get the answer here:

[rofilm1]

Every real understanding begins with asking the right questions. Here are mine (concerning generative music,):

α

Generative Music transfers some of the responsibility for a musical composition to a “machine” (a system). How? How much? Which ones? Why?

β

What role does chance play in generative music, and are there different types of chance, and if so, how do I generate them with modular synthesizers?

γ

What are the ingredients for generative music, and how do the “kitchen tools” work, the tools I process these ingredients with?

δ

Why are modular synthesizer systems so useful for producing generative music, and how do I get the most out of them?

ε

Does generative music always have to be ambient music? Or slow music? Or comfortable? Or dulcet?

ζ

Do I really need special modules that are suitable for making generative music?

η

What is so special about Voltage Modular that it deserves a whole e-book trilogy only about making generative music with this modular system?

θ

Why is it that generative music helps us understanding Albert Einstein?

ι

How many modules do I need to make generative Music with modular synths?

κ

Does a generative patch always have to run unattendedly?

λ

Can generative music be more or less generative? Is there a kind of degree?

μ

Do “real world” goings on play a role in generative music? Which one?

ν

Is generative music the most or the least human form of music?

ξ

Isn´t every modular synthesizer system potentially or even mainly a machine for creating generative music?

ο

Is generative music a genre, a style, a marketing term or simply a method of producing music?

π

How to prevent John from falling asleep when he is listening to generative music?

ρ

What do I really need to know when I want to make generative music with modular synths?

ς

Why is Voltage Modular one of the best modular synth systems when it comes to making generative music?

σ

Is there such a thing like “pseudo generative music”, and what and how could it possibly be?

τ

Does the term “composing generative music” make any sense?

υ

What are the specific problems that I meet when producing generative patches?

φ

Is producing generative music an alternative to learning music theory?

χ

Is it possible to produce generative dance music (EDM)?

ψ

What are the advantages that Voltage Modular has over other modular synth systems, and are there also disadvantages (which ones)?

ω

Is there an especially close relationship between generative music and modular synths?

ϊ

Where is my own creativity (is there any at all?) when I “provoke” a modular synth to make generative music?

ϋ

Is generative music of any commercial use (or is the invention of the term “generative music” a merely commercial act itself)?

ό

Does it make any sense to perform generative music live (and how may that possibly be done in an interesting way)?

ύ

Is generative music nothing else than musical pseudo-dadaismus?

ώ

What do have generative music and minimal music in common (if there is anything common at all)?

Read the whole article on https://www.dev.rofilm-media.net/node/622

Cheers and peace!

Enjoy your day!

Rolf

[rofilm1]

ς

Why is Voltage Modular one of the best modular synth systems when it comes to making generative music?

[rofilm1]

ρ

What do I really need to know when I want to make generative music with modular synths?

[rofilm1]

δ

Why are modular synthesizer systems so useful for producing generative music, and how do I get the most out of them?

[rofilm1]

ν

Is generative music the most or the least human form of music?

[rofilm1]

α

Generative Music transfers some of the responsibility for a musical composition to a “machine” (a system). How? How much? Which ones? Why?

[rofilm1]

It´s done! The book is available on

(you can even read the first chapter of the book there).

Without a lot of words about “how great” or “how important” this book is, here´s what it contents. Decide yourself!

Cheers and peace!

Rolf

Chapter 0: Some Words About Generative Music And About This Book 006

Chapter 1: Pseudo Randomness And Its Advantages and Disadvantages 008

Chapter 1.1: Using LFOs To Generate Pseudo Randomness 009

Chapter 1.2: Special LFOs And Other Cycle Generating Modules 028

Chapter 1.2.1: R_ware´s “LFO-inator” 028

Chapter 1.2.2: R_ware´s “SplineCurve” 034

Chapter 1.2.3: Looping Envelopes 041

Chapter 1.2.3.1: Mini Envelope VCA Plus by Andrew Macaulay 041

Chapter 1.2.3.2: Super Envelope Generator (Cherry Audio) 050

Chapter 1.2.3.3: AHR Generator (Adroit) 058

Chapter 1.2.3.4: Playertron´s Membrane Function Generator 065

Chapter 1.2.3.5: Benard´s Stochastic SR Envelope 075

Chapter 1.2.3.6: Voltage Modular And the Music Of the Krell 079

Chapter 1.2.3.6.1: Step 1 - Patching a Krell Engine 080

Chapter 1.2.3.6.2: Step 2 – Adding Breakpoints And Modulations 083

Chapter 1.2.3.6.3: Step 3 – The Role Of Sequencers In Krell Patches 091

Chapter 1.2.3.6.4: Step 4 – A Cascade of Krell Engines 093

Chapter 1.2.3.6.5: Step 5 – Modulating Minima And Maxima 095

Chapter 1.2.3.6.6: Step 6 – Polyphonic Krell 099

Chapter 1.2.4: Sequencers 102

Chapter 1.2.4.1: Stochastic CV Sequencers 108

Chapter 1.2.4.1a: Playertron´s Stochastic Note & CV Sequencer 114

Chapter 1.2.4.2: Stochastic Trigger Sequencers 121

Chapter 1.2.5: Shift Registers 125

Chapter 1.2.5.1: DMT´s Shift Register 131

Chapter 1.2.5.1.a: Parrot Machine 132

Chapter 1.2.5.2: Micro Feedback Shift Register

(Synthetic Future x R_Ware) 134

Chapter 1.2.6: Sequential Switches 138

Chapter 1.2.6.1: CHASER by Borkman 146

Chapter 1.2.7: Gray Code Modules 150

Chapter 1.2.8: Samples And Recordings 156

Chapter 1.2.9: Euclidean Sequencers 159

INTERLUDE 1: Randomness, Probability, Stochastic 164

Chapter 2: Different Kinds Of “Real” Randomness 169

Chapter 2.1: Sample & Hold Modules 169

Chapter 2.1.a: Andrew Macaulay´s “Sample/Track And Hold” 172

Chapter 2.1.b: Micro¨Sample And Hold (Synthetic Future x R_Ware) 174

Chapter 2.1.1: Sample Sources for Sample & Hold Modules 175

Chapter 2.1.1.1: Sampling From Regular Wave Shapes 176

Chapter 2.1.1.2: Sampling from Audio 179

Chapter 2.1.1.3: Sampling from Anything 182

Chapter 2.2: Turing Machines 184

Chapter 2.2.1: DMT´s “Turing Universe” 185

Chapter 2.2.2: Playertron´s Turing Algorithm Tape Splicer 191

INTERLUDE 2: Gates And Switches 203

Chapter 2.3: Probability Gates And Random Gates 210

Chapter 2.3.1: HetrickCV´s “Random Gates” 210

Chapter 2.3.2: “Stochastic Trigger Distributor” (Playertron) 212

Chapter 2.3.3: “scrambler” (sys.6 / planet.6) 213

Chapter 2.3.4: “Pulse Train” (Centripidity) 215

Chapter 2.3.5: Bernoulli Gates 227

Chapter 2.3.6: Probability Router 125 (Insomniac Music) 238

Chapter 2.3.7: Real World Triggers And Gates 230

Chapter 2.3.7.1: Triggers And Gates From Field Recordings 230

Chapter 2.3.7.2: Triggers And Gates From Observations 233

Chapter 2.3.7.3: “The Rhythm Of a Day” 234

INTERLUDE 3: Nature´s Paradigm 236

Chapter 3: Modulation Targets And Trigger Targets 248

Chapter 3.1: Pitch 249

Chapter 3.2: Timbre 252

Chapter 3.3: Filters and Equalisers 260

Chapter 3.4: Wave Shapers And Wave Folders 263

Chapter 3.5: Additive Techniques (Partials And More) 271

Chapter 3.6: Voices 281

Chapter 3.7: Rhythm 284

Chapter 3.8: Effects 291

Chapter 3.9: Envelopes 295

Chapter 3.10: Quantizers 297

Chapter 3.11: Grains 299

Chapter 3.12: Sample Player 307

Chapter 3.13: Slew Processors / Limiters 311

Chapter 3.14: Comparators 313

Chapter 4: Compositional Aspects Of Generative Music 316

Chapter 4.1: Basic Compositional Decisions 316

Chapter 4.2: Basic Compositional Techniques 327

Chapter 4.2.1: Contrasting 327

Chapter 4.2.2: Repeating, Modifying And Inverting Relations 330

Chapter 4.2.3: Basic But Exclusively Generative Techniques 335

Chapter 4.3: Specific Compositional Techniques 339

Chapter 4.3.1: Pitch Dependency 339

Chapter 4.3.2: Rhythm 340

Chapter 4.3.3: Tension And Layers 345

Chapter 4.4: Certain Patch Techniques And Examples 347

Chapter 4.4.1: Switching Voices And Layer Parts Of the Patch 347

Chapter 4.4.2: Sculpture Randomness And Setting Borders 353

Chapter 4.4.3: Mixing Regular And Random Elements 356

Chapter 5: Building Blocks Of Generative Patching 363

Chapter 5.1: The Instrumentation Of Envelopes 363

Chapter 5.2: 5 Faces Of Randomness 370

Chapter 5.3: Random Harmonies 381

Chapter 5.3.1: Basic Random Arpeggio Set-Ups 381

Chapter 5.3.2: Certain Modules To Work With Harmonies 384

Chapter 6: Generative Principles In Nature And Society

And Their Musical Reproduction 391

Chapter 6.1: The Physicist´s Tunes 391

Chapter 6.1.1: Heisenberg´s General Pings 391

Chapter 6.1.2: Einstein´s Melody Of the Spheres 393

Chapter 6.1.3: de Broglie´s Electron Concert 393

Chapter 6.1.4: Heisenberg´s Cosmic Pings (plus a fun patch) 398

Chapter 6.1.5: Feynman´s Dance Of the Quarks 403

Chapter 6.2: The Biologist´s Tunes 407

Chapter 6.2.1: The Symphony Of Photosynthesis 407

Chapter 6.2.2: Enzymatic Choirs 410

Chapter 6.3: Society´s Tunes 414

Chapter 6.3.1: The Wailing Shopping Mall 414

Chapter 6.3.2: City Death Tune 417

Chapter 7: Modules Which Are Especially Useful

When Making Generative Music 421

Chapter 7.1: Quadrature VLFO by Cyberwerks Heavy Industries 421

Chapter 7.1.1: Functionality 421

Chapter 7.1.2: Applications 424

Chapter 7.2: “Feigen” by Vult 428

Chapter 7.2.1: Functionality 428

Chapter 7.2.2: Applications 430

Chapter 7.3: “Distributor” by Vulpus Labs 433

Chapter 7.3.1: Functionality 433

Chapter 7.3.2: Applications 434

Chapter 7.4: Jadwiga Single Pole Filter (Playertron) 437

Chapter 7.4.1: Functionality 437

Chapter 7.4.2: Applications 443

Chapter 8: The Bridge to Volume 2:

Certain Patch Ideas And Their Musical Meaning 447

Chapter 8.1: Competing Melodies And the Turn Of the Tide 447

Chapter 8.2: Stream Of Life 449

Chapter 8.3: Immanent Threat 451

Epilogue 453

Appendix A: Your Personal Advantages As a Buyer Of this Book 454

Appendix B: Contact And Social Media 455

Appendix C: Copyright 456