Today my small discovery was...

[Jasonic]

Chord Machine Theremin is really fun.
Theremin controller CV out to a buffered mult. Copied the signal out 4 times into a 4xAttenuator. Each attenuator adjusted differently so the Theremin CV is now split into 4 separate voltages. These are then ran into the 4 inputs on the Bard Quartet, the outs to 4 separate oscillators. It's like 4 harmonious Theremins all at once.

[ATW]

Yes, sequence *everything* — including sequencers. If your VCF has a Resonance CV in, you can sequence that while pinging the filter to get it to ring (or dampen/mute) at variable levels.

Sometimes... resist sequencing/syncing things too! Modules like Ochd which meander along adding life to their own schedule can be incredibly refreshing too. It's nice to have options.

+1
I wish I’d held on to the A-143-3 — it is a bit big and basic-seeming at first, without CV inputs or resets, but it is a natural for creating a tangle of unsynched LFOs and VCO drones.

[GhostlyMostly]

Again and again, how much Mother-32 is a gorgeous complement to the modular.

This is where I am with the Matriarch

[Jee]

In Bitwig Studio the Drum Machine can also host VST's in its cell elements, not just samples!

[starthief]

Modulating the decay time on Natural Gate... at audio rates. It doesn't seem like it would do very much, but oh, it does. (Especially if you use a gate or envelope into the CV input rather the Hit input.)

Also works on PGH's dynamics controllers, since I realized it while playing with West Pest.

[morphmuse]

Not an earth-shattering discovery, but I just got a module with a delay in it for the first time. The module in question is a Nonlinear Circuits Null-A2.

I patched the output of the looping ADSR envelope into the CV input of one VCA, and a copy of that envelope output into the delay, with the output of the delay into the CV input of another VCA. I patched one VCO into the audio input of the first VCA, and another VCO, at a different pitch from the first, into the audio input of the second VCA.

In short, a delay functions just as well on the CV of an envelope as it does to create an audio effect.

So, schematically:

VCO 1 out -> VCA 1 audio in
ADSR out -> VCA 1 CV in
VCO 2 out -> VCA 2 audio in
ADSR out -> Delay -> VCA 2 CV in

I tweaked the time and feedback settings of the delay sub-module, and the result was a staggered, alternating pulsation, a bit like ducking but with an interesting modulated 'tail' to the tone with the delayed envelope, especially with the feedback up at around 33-40%.

[mongrol]

Interesting, I never did get the CV to delay on my Null-A2. Although I think I was sending LFO's or smoother edges into it. Perhaps it needs sharper curves to enact.

[morphmuse]

Interesting, I never did get the CV to delay on my Null-A2. Although I think I was sending LFO's or smoother edges into it. Perhaps it needs sharper curves to enact.

Oh, thanks for bringing that up. To be clear, it's the audio input of the Delay sub-module that I patched the envelope into.

Here's a better patch description:

VCO 1 out -> VCA 1 audio in
ADSR out -> stackable cable jack #1 -> VCA 1 CV in

VCO 2 out -> VCA 2 audio in
ADSR out -> stackable cable jack #2 -> Delay audio in -> VCA 2 CV in

[Jasonic]

I discovered that a sequential switch with a bunch of oscillators running and switching into the A-196 PLL phase locked loop makes for a good time.

[Phitar]

Chord Machine Theremin is really fun.
Theremin controller CV out to a buffered mult. Copied the signal out 4 times into a 4xAttenuator. Each attenuator adjusted differently so the Theremin CV is now split into 4 separate voltages. These are then ran into the 4 inputs on the Bard Quartet, the outs to 4 separate oscillators. It's like 4 harmonious Theremins all at once.

Oh yeah! That sounds fun! Going to be the first patch of the weekend. Then will try out the ribbon controller.... Then maybe FoH Choices or Planar2....

[adamj]

Controlling the choice of DX-7 algorithm in the latest Plaits firmware with a joystick/CV recorder like Planar 2 is super fun! There are 3 different top-level algorithms for DX-7-style FM sounds, and within each of those the Harmonics knob switches between different DX-7 presets. So you can use one (properly attenuated) axis of the joystick to choose the top-level algorithm, and the other to chose the DX-7 preset. That's a lot of sonic territory you can quickly traverse. Randomizing and sequencing the DX-7 sounds is fun too, but controlling it with a joystick was a blast.

[SunSpots]

In Bitwig Studio the Drum Machine can also host VST's in its cell elements, not just samples!

Omg dude thank you so much. This sounds super rad.

Speaking of bigwig I finally discovered how to setup the vcmc with bigwig (tldr I need to rtfm and there was a couple bugs I had to work around). So now using Pam’s pro to beat up the drum kits, and then redefining the modulators within the drum kits, then controlling with cv those modulators is actually one of the most fun things that I have done in a long time and is producing very usable musical results. I really like the bass drum kits that come with bitwig studio with just a few adjustments to taste. Now I gotta throw some omnisphere into the drum racks.

[psirca]

..
2) noise into a quantizer (A-156) makes a sample and hold unit obsulet. You get quantizied random cv.

would've never thought of this! What sort of resolution/clock do you get by doing it ? I imagine this is fixed ?
EDIT: scrap that .. I always forget that Quantizers have trigger ins ..

[bravewave]

..
2) noise into a quantizer (A-156) makes a sample and hold unit obsulet. You get quantizied random cv.

would've never thought of this! What sort of resolution/clock do you get by doing it ? I imagine this is fixed ?
EDIT: scrap that .. I always forget that Quantizers have trigger ins ..

Yes it has a trigger input.
You can filter, attenuate and offset the noise to control the range of quantization.
If you don't use trigger input you will get clusters/bursts of events depending on the noise. When only the trigger output is used the you get a burstgenerator.

[Arrandan]

I just did an experiment with noise, after somebody on this forum mentioned noise into a V/Oct. I do that in the track below with a CEM3340 oscillator (bOSC, sine wave output). Then there's noise through a resonant filter with envelope on the filter cutoff. And the "melodic" part is noise into the model and morph inputs of Plaits. Noise is extremely versatile. I always underestimated it. So I'm not surprised it's interesting through a quantizer. I'm going to send noise everywhere now!

[flything]

..
2) noise into a quantizer (A-156) makes a sample and hold unit obsulet. You get quantizied random cv.

would've never thought of this! What sort of resolution/clock do you get by doing it ? I imagine this is fixed ?
EDIT: scrap that .. I always forget that Quantizers have trigger ins ..

Yes it has a trigger input.
You can filter, attenuate and offset the noise to control the range of quantization.
If you don't use trigger input you will get clusters/bursts of events depending on the noise. When only the trigger output is used the you get a burstgenerator.

It doesn’t make s&h obsolete as the random voltages are quantised… but it’s still useful, if you use O_c as your quantiser you can turn the scale off making it a completely traditional s&h.

[pmboos]

...that I can take the CV out from my Behringer System 100 182 Sequencer and patch it into the CV in of my Erica Synths Black LP VCF and sequence the opening/closing of the filter! Maybe a "duh" moment for some but it was like an epiphany for me because I'm still wrapping my head around all this CV mumbo jumbo

Welcome to the forum!

Thanks! I'm already having a blast catching up on all the posts I've missed hahah

Hey I was probably similar with my first post here, though my CV to filter sequencing was to the Rare Waves Grendel Grenadier RA-99 Alpha and Beta filter controls... nothing like a gargling robot.

Welcome!

[SunSpots]

Assigning lots of controls to one knob on Disting ex is always worth it for me and basically makes the modules over the top, almost not even wanting midi control, and that’s fine. Do what’s enjoyable and gets results, not whatever max potential means. Forget max potential

[AMJ]

Running Clouds into an RF controlled shortwave giving it this natural ghostly sound.

[gogmagog]

The NLC Vactrol PiLL can be a clock multiplier. This probably applies to any PLL, but with the NLC one, constant voltage goes into in1, your clock goes into in2, et voila, I can ratchet my clock by adjusting the constant voltage.

[Multi Grooves]

I can have a patch patched in for only so long before the magic is gone

I'd wanted to record a patch a while back but simultaneously ran out of all memory on my laptop, phone and email. Not getting email for about a month is, on the one hand, maximum liberation (in 2023) but at the same time so damn disconcerting and irresponsible.
So I've been deleting, tidying and moving files for a few weeks whilst I've had a massive patch of wires just collecting dust.

Mentally i decided to abandon what ever the mega patch was this eve. It is kinda cathartic, I guess... But yeah, my discovery is that I need to get stuff captured quickly else it makes my brain/spirit hurt.

[ee_]

That Moskwa II can rachet per step; I assumed there was a way to do this, since you can on the Tirana II, but it was never quite clear to me and the manual makes no direct reference to racheting. But I finally went through the manual more carefully and found that I can program in a per-step pattern which multiplies the incoming clock to execute, thereby providing pretty robust racheting possibilities, actually. Had been putting off figuring this out, and with this belated discovery in tow, I'm cranking out some really satisfying little IDM type stuttering goodness.

[ATW]

IMG_20230220_220523322.jpg

I can have a patch patched in for only so long before the magic is gone

I'd wanted to record a patch a while back but simultaneously ran out of all memory on my laptop, phone and email. Not getting email for about a month is, on the one hand, maximum liberation (in 2023) but at the same time so damn disconcerting and irresponsible.
So I've been deleting, tidying and moving files for a few weeks whilst I've had a massive patch of wires just collecting dust.

Mentally i decided to abandon what ever the mega patch was this eve. It is kinda cathartic, I guess... But yeah, my discovery is that I need to get stuff captured quickly else it makes my brain/spirit hurt.

Yeah I hear you on this. I can keep a smaller patch going for awhile, like a single voice—maybe two—that is doing something cool. But as soon as it gets 'complicated' the clock starts ticking…

Have you considered getting a cheap external HD to store stuff?

[EatPunchBeef]

My small discovery of the day..

If I’m doing a rhythmically chaotic patch, having a steady and predictable envelope shape handle accents sounds awesome. In my particular case, I used NanoRand to send randomized gates to an EG, for erratic snare sounds. I had another envelope control the overall amplitude of that voice, which was triggered at a steady pace. A touch of simplicity added to the chaos made a huge difference.

Also, I discovered I REALLY like using Odessa for percussion. It’s another reason I should probably look into a sampler module.

[ATW]

Simple aha moment: had a pitch sequence going with various note lengths, but the sequencer doesn’t output gates/triggers when notes change. To get gates for each note change (that can be used to fire EGs and shape the voice into discrete notes), I needed a way to detect whether pitch CV is rising or falling, and then output a gate when that happens. Something like Ladik’s Derivator or CGS slope detector would probably be great for this, but I don’t have those.

I was able to derive gates for each pitch change using the two channels of Sport Modulator v2 (see the slope detection patch in the sm2 unofficial patch PDF) and a utility mixer. One copy of the pitch Cv to the top channel input, and inverted and offset copy to the bottom channel input. The END outputs are your gates.

I’m curious about other ways to patch this…how do you do it?