Solvent improv #2 - Electro Acid w/Modcan, 808, x0xb0x,...

YouTube via s0LVentCIty. part 1 here

"Hi - my name is Jason Amm and I release melodic electro(nica) music under the artist name Solvent, for labels including Ghostly International, Morr Music, and Suction Records.

You can check my music via: solventcity.com
myspace.com/solventcity

Here is video #2. This time, the video is much worse, but the audio was recorded from the mixer, so it's much higher quality. I also think this track is much better... I'm pretty happy with this track myself, and will likely edit it down and release it at some point. Mind, this is only the first 10 minutes of a 45+ minute long improv!

An explanation of the video: I was so immersed in this little jam session, that it didn't even occur to me - before pressing REC on the video camera - that I was still in my pajamas. So what I've blacked out is basically me pulling up my pajamas every 30 seconds. It may look like I've blacked out some of what I'm doing on the gear, but everything on that side of the screen was blocked by me anyways, so not really. That cheesy electricity effect is also there to distract during a section where I enter the frame.

So, sorry about the video... this one's mainly about the music.

OK so here is a melodic electro acid improv. The Doepfer Regelwerk is the master clock, and is sequencing 2 synth parts on the Modcan.

The Regelwerk does have CV/Gates built in (8 of each!), but in this case I used a Midi out into a 4-channel Midi-to-CV module (an MOTM-650, the only non-Modcan module in there). I am muting/un-muting these Modcan parts on the fly via the Regelwerk, which you can't see... But if you look closely at that black Modcan module, you can see the lights blinking to indicate when sequences are start/stopping.

The bass sound is 2 or 3 VCOs, with the Multi-Mode VCF (a killer filter IMO!). I'm doing a lot of tweaking on a dual-mixer module: 1 side is for the VCO levels, the other side is for different outputs from the Multi-Mode VCF - combining LP with BP, Notch, etc gives a lot of diversity to the sound.

The other synth part is 1 VCO + 1 MinWave, into the EMS-style Diode filter.

All of the delay you hear is from the Modcan SuperDelay module, which is probably my favorite module in the whole system... Wow.

The Regelwerk also has DIN-sync out, so that's how the 808 is being synced. x0xb0x sequencer is receiving Regel's MIDI-clock. My x0xb0x is heavily modded, and what you'll notice me doing a lot is switching on/off a mod which keeps the VCA open.

Modcan's sequencer is clocked via an 808 trigger. The main thing that it's doing is sequencing that occasional white noise pattern that comes in occasionally, which was Noise into the Frequency Shifter module, and then some VCF, don't rem which one.

BTW, the Modcan isn't mine, unfortunately! I had it on loan from a guy named Jeff, who makes really nice music under the name Minisystem (myspace.com/minisystem)."