Journey Of The Toys by John L Rice

"Here's something I threw together recently. It was just a test I wasn't even going to record and then the concept quickly started to become a multi-tracked audio/video monster that needed too many more parts and fixing/redos so I threw in the towel and just left it as-is and audio only. :-/

First heard is a Moog Sub Phatty through a Strymon DIG but was tacked on later and I had plans to add some drone and percussion stuff underneath it that I never got around to adding.

This project actually began with a patch on my big 5U modular synth using 3 Synth Tech MOTM-300 VCOs with both Triangle and Saw waves each into the first 6 channels of a Modcan Scanner 69B then out to two Happy Nerding FM AIDs, a Super Sawtor and Fun VCF and then finally to a Synth Tech MOTM-190 VCA and two MOTM-800 EGs. That's the sequenced "clack clack clack" in the background and driven by a Moon Modular 569 sequencer amd 569ESB+569EGB expanders with transposition handled by a M-Audio Keystation 88 through a Synth Tech MOTM-650 MIDI to CV module and the keyboard's MIDI out was also controlling a Mellotron M4000D Rack at the same time with a couple different choir sound sets.

The first main melody section starts out with drums from a Zoom 234 drum machine played by hand (I did a track of just bass and snare first and then another track of just ride cymbal). There is also a track of 2 acoustic dumbeks (hand drums) mostly buried in the mix. A Moog Sub Phatty through a Strymon DIG is used for the melody solo.

The next melody section is played with the Sub Phatty + DIG again and also there is a track of acoustic xylophone.

At the beginning of the last melody section the Mellotron sounds bigger because I started playing chords and the sequence might sound subtly different at times depending on how I hit the chord and which note was grabbed for the transposition. The ascending synth voice that fades in is a Moog MinitMoog through the DIG pedal, the chimes are actual acoustic ones and the fast descending arp that fades in last is the Sub Phatty + DIG again.

(note: the picture associated with the soundcloud track isn't the modular patch used in this piece, it's one I took months ago)"