ModWiggler Odd Meter Remix Challenge

I'm no stranger to participate to some Internet forum challenges or contests.  Some of them are being illustrated in this very blog.  I participated in about ten One Synth Challenge sessions, some other KVR contests and more than my share of Audiofanzine contests.  Lots of these can be found in this Soundcloud playlist.

But this was different.

Some admins from the site ModWiggler decided to have a contest between them to create an odd meter track.  The challenge here was be to ‘remix’, or ‘re-mangle’, or ‘reimagine’ the winning track (whatever that means) and use at least two of the provided multitrack files in some sort of manner. 

The principle gear used must be modular or semi-modular and patchable with pins or cables. 

It was fun and I learned a lot. I had to do things I was not used to. Performing a track and not arranging clips in my DAW being one of them.

Synthesizer in action with both sequencers

Mixing section with the old synth suitcase

I assembled and looped the two files I selected on a computer and kept them in synch with the sequencers as best as I could.  They can be heard untreated at least once.

I really stretched myself here. Literally, as I brought another table to support the mixer and my old synth suitcase.
I went out of 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm adapters.
I used modules that I previously stored because they couldn't fit in my main rack.
I allowed myself to have the kick drum out of modular but I used an analog mono synth anyway : a Novation Circuit Mono Station.

 

 

My main concern was sequencing. I do not own a lot of sequencing capacities. I used my Korg SQ-1 as well as the main sequencer and the third auxiliary sequencer on the Mono Station. The later has the possibility to directly output control voltage and gates signal to a modular synthesizer.

Anyway, I'm not used to use only the modular and to mix outside the box. For the sake of the challenge, I refrained from arranging and mixing in my DAW, so the mixing took place inside my good old Berhinger MX802. It's written 'eurorack' on the faceplate, so that counts I guess.  

Only treatments in DAW are a bit of EQ, compressors and a limiter.
To be fair and accurate, I did a little copy-paste to correct a technical issue at the end. The issue is present somewhere else on the track but it was too loud and clear on the ending.

So enjoy :

gen-xtargetmarket · RRC116

Full documented patch :

Facing the Tides

 Tides was the new module I slipped in the new case.

Tides unboxed

Now that I have more space in my case, I reckon I can accommodate another Mutable Instruments module.
Some might argue that this was the main reason to get the new case in the first place.

Cause or effect ?  Whatever.
 

The Mutable Instruments modules in the rack.  Tides on top.

Mutable Instruments Tides checked a lot of boxes.  

I felt I needed more modulations.
Tides is a LFO and an envelope generator at the same time.  Waveform parameters like shape, smoothness and slope are modifiable via control votage.  So there are a lot of waveforms available.  The module accepts an external clock as well.
It has multiple outputs and, depending on the mode, they are either different shapes, different amplitudes, different times or different frequencies.
Frequency range can go up into audio range, making this my third VCO.

In action

 

In the following piece, Tides plays the role of LFO, envelope generator and oscillator.  I have displayed the patches to demonstrate how it is done. 

Jay F. · Facing the Tides

The first part is a four-track drone. Each animated by a dedicated LFO from Tides in « different frequencies » mode.  Lots of effects (from Reason rack) added in the DAW (Reaper) as well.
Then two « bass » tracks played with the Korg SQ-1.  Tides is now the VCO.  Same patch, different settings.  The variations are either the Ripples filter frequency or the shape and smoothness parameters from Tides.  These have a dramatic effect on the sound obviously.
Finally, Tides serve as one of the Attack-Decay envelope from the drum part.

A bit of cut-paste in a sequencer and voilà …

The patches...

The four-part drone waves :

Drone

 The basses :

Bass

The drums : kick, snare, hihat :

Drums

HiHat

 

Before/After

I thought it would be a good idea to compare the new case with the old one. So here it is.

Before :

After :

 

More space, better power supply, better ergonomics overall.

Tiptop Mantis

Close up of the new case

My synth suitcase is very cool.  I enjoyed setting up the inside of the case, spending hours building modules and experimenting on my first patches.  

Final shot of the synth suitcase

But, with the last modules I bought (some of them still to be revealed), it became too small. Also, I reckon the power supply is at its limits.  I find that it starts to heat up too much during long sessions.  Finally, the fact that I don't have a removable lid makes it a bit uncomfortable to use.  Although I have used it a few times as a stand for the sequencer or an additional Volca, it's not very convenient to have the lid in the way.

So I decided to buy another modular synthesizer case.
The Mantis from Tiptop Audio is elegant, widely recommended, of a manageable size and not too expensive.

Assembly, following my Modular Grid plan on my phone

Bob pulls the module

Internally, there is a comfortable power supply (more than twice the power of my previous power supply) with shrouded connectors.  
Some of these connectors are mounted horizontally, freeing up space at the bottom of the case (61mm deep at most).

Not enough space

Despite this, there is not enough space for my deepest modules: in the top part modules cannot be deeper than 50 mm. My sample&hold can hardly fit in there because what is sticking out can slip behind the bus board.

 

Also, the feet take up some space, which drastically limits the depth of the modules on the left and right of the bottom row. 

I had to revise my plans by inverting the two rows in relation to the synth-valise. For the better I think.  Anyway, no other choice.

 

 

 

I thought I was indifferent to having threaded rails or sliding nuts. Or even that I liked the fact that I could quickly reposition modules with the sliding nuts. I was wrong.  The threaded rails are much more practical.  The assembly went smoothly.  I just had to plan to run two power cables from the bottom modules to the second row, as there is only room for 12 horizontal connectors and there will be 13 modules in the first row.

Bob plugs the cables

Finally, being able to position the box at 45° is a real space saver and is ergonomically pleasing.  On the other hand, at 90°, I am not confident enough in the two plastic legs.

The cable of the external power adapter is too short. The 230V power cord can be changed easily.  But the connection to the box could be 2x longer.  If you want to have the box vertical, the power supply hangs down and it's a shame.

Oscillators, filters, resonator

No sound example today.   But a quiz: a new module has slipped into the set, can you spot it?
The answer will be the subject of the next article.

Passive Modules

Finished guys

It looks like it has been a year since I built my last DIY module.
Time for some passive modules I guess.

I ordered two 2-hp blank.  I needed another multiple to fill the rack and I decided to experiment with some passive functions.

A passive multiple is very basic.  You simple connect the tip and ground of each jack.  In practice the ground connection is established via the aluminium panel.  No need to use wire.

The main difficulty here is at 2-hp, or a bit more than 1 cm width, you do not have a lot of margin to drill your holes.  You do not want the body of the jack to go over the edge.
Not perfect but good enough.
I used mostly very cheap jacks I got a long time ago, except for the one with the switch as the switch on the cheaper ones is really terrible.

Behind the scene

Bob at work with the panel

I also experimented with some minimal panel marking by using my Dremel to carve some traces and fill them with a permanent marker.  This should not age very well. Time will tell.

The second module is the combination of a passive OR and a half-wave rectifier, ideal to combine gates and manipulate control voltages or distord audio.  You’ll find  the layout for both of them at the end of the article.  I got the schematics from unrecordings! blog. 

In the rack

In the following piece, the Korg SQ-1 produces two tracks of gates and CV for the kick and hi-hat.
I used the multiple to distribute the gates everywhere in the synth and I used the OR function to build a third melodic track from the first one and the output of the Turing Machine,  clocked by the second track.  I know it sounds complicated.  Patch schematics is at the end of the article.
The half-wave rectifier produces some overtones to spice up the sounds.
The variations in the piece is me playing with the sequencer.

Jay F. · Happy Melodies (testing my logic module)

Connection layout

Patch of the day

Emilie's Last Stand

So I got Beads.

Not the decorative string of pearls, the Eurorack Module from Mutable Instruments.

To be more specific, Beads is the last design from Emilie Gillet, founder of Mutable Instruments.

Just unboxed

Powered by ARM

Beads is a revisit of Clouds, maybe the most successful Mutable module.

I always thought I'd get one one day.   Alas Emilie discontinued it more than 3 years ago.  Beads development took more time than expected, which created frustration and anticipation among Eurorack aficionados.

Beads, as Clouds, is dubbed a "granular texture synthesizer".
Basically, Beads samples its input continuously and creates tiny bits of sound or grains.
Up to 30 grains can be created and processed.  

 

From the manual :
One way of picturing how Beads operates is to imagine a tape loop, on which incoming audio is continuously recorded.

Every time you request a grain to be played (in reaction to a trigger, a button press, periodically, or randomly), a new replay head positions itself along the tape.

If this replay head doesn’t move, the audio will be played back at the original pitch and speed, but if it moves closer to, or further away from the record head, the signal will be replayed at a different speed and pitch. This replay head has its own amplitude envelope, and it will leave the tape once the envelope has reached a null amplitude.

Now imagine up to 30 replay heads flying along the tape. Imagine you can stop the incoming audio from being record- ed on the tape so that all these little replay heads can freely move along and gather sounds. And there’s a reverb…

Bob unscrews previous module

The module manipulates the density, size and shape of grains, as well as the time and pitch of the replay.  In certain modes, this is a reverb, or a delay, or both.
Grain density can go up to audio rate, creating new sounds in the process.

I thought it would make a great addition on my most ambient patches.  And with 14HP, it perfectly replaces my home made phaser effect module.

In place

Here is a small example of a drum loop made with the synth going through Beads in the Sunny Tape audio quality.
First you hear the sound unaltered.  Then Beads comes in progressively.   Grain seed is in sync with the drum sequencer.  You first notice the reverb as grain density start from very low. Then the grain density increases.  With small grains and low density, you hear the individual grains.  
I play a little bit with some settings and go up to 100% wet on Beads.
Finally, I select the random mode for grain seeding and I slowly bring back the unaltered sound in the mix.

Jay F. · Testing Mutable Instruments Beads

Here is the full patch :