AJH Synth Patch of The Week Videos

video uploads by AJH Synth Official

Videos by supoorting member, DreamsOfWires.

Playlist: 1. Patch of The Week: The Sonic XV's Wave Folder - So many tones from just 1 VCO's Triangle wave

'Sonic Arps': The Sonic XV Transistor Diode Ladder Filter has a built-in Wave Folder, and in this video I'm using an arpeggiator in random mode to show the many subtle flavours of sound it can achieve from just a simple triangle wave from a single VCO. I will also pull a huge variety of timbres from a sine wave in a similar fashion.
The filter is a re-creation and expansion of the VCF from the Musonics Sonic V (5) synth of the 1970's (predecessor of the Moog Sonic Six), and shares a similar character to that of the EMS Synthi and VCS3, also being early diode filters. Bearing that in mind you might expect it to produce aggressive tones and chaotic feedback, which it can do well enough, but you might not have expected that it can also be very subtle, organic and warm in character, particularly well-suited to melodic arps/patterns and percussive sounds. With the added wave shaping functionality that wasn't present on the original, along with 24dB and 6dB low pass modes, and band pass filtering, this module packs a lot of tone shaping into 14hp.

Index:
00:00 'Sonic Arps'
00:34 Introduction
01:01 Assembling the patch
01:39 Sounds & Settings
04:33 Patch Sheet

A PDF file of the patch can be downloaded here: https://kvisit.com/8AE/xfUG

Patch notes:
Green dots show approximate pot and switch positions. Where a pot has two dots, this illustrates the range I move them during the video. Pots and switches that do not have green dots are not used in this patch, and should be left at their zero or off positions.
I'm using the VCA as a mixer so that I can use the outputs from both the BP and 6dB outputs of the Sonic XV. Notice in the video they are set at different volumes at different points depending on the sound - you will need to adjust this too, as different combinations of IN LEVEL, IN MIX, IN WAVE, and filter settings can make a significant difference to volume levels.
Modules used from left to right: Vintage Transistor Core VCO, Sonic XV, Contour Generators, Discrete Cascaded VCA.

2. Patch of the Week: 'Schulze School' - Melodic Eurorack performance + 'how-to' guide & patch sheet

This week's patch makes use of the V-Shape wave shaper/wave folder to sculpt the great analogue tone of the MiniMod VCO to create some delicate timbres that reminds us of Klaus Schulze's mesmerising sounds created on his sequencer-driven Moog modular synth systems in the 1970's. It also makes particular use of the Ring SM as a sub oscillator generator, and the rich tones of the Sonic XV diode filter.

Check out the AJH Synth playlists for more 'Patch of The Week' videos, which will be either performances or 'how to' guides detailing a range of sounds, some familiar, some less so, and each containing a patch sheet at the end to show you how to construct it for yourself.

3. Patch of the Week: 'Singing Gemini' - Dual Analogue VCF as a Dual Sine Wave VCO How to & patch sheet

This patch uses each of the 2 analogue filters of the Gemini as a dual VCO, self-oscillating, so that they produce sine waves and can be sequenced melodically using the Korg SQ-1 or any analogue step sequencer. This guide shows you how to make this patch, along with a patch sheet at the end. It is one of the many ways you can use just a couple of Eurorack modules to make music, as modular synthesis can be rewarding even with a minimal gear list.

4. Patch of The Week: 'Dark DH-ADSR' jam inc. 'How-to' guide & Patch Sheet (melodic Eurorack)

This week's patch is a 2-voice improvisation/performance using a pair of AJH Synth DH-ADSR envelope generator modules to control the filters in the Gemini VCF independently. The Delay/Hold function of one module is being used to raise the frequency of one filter at a timed interval after the other filtered sound. Both sides of the Gemini are filtering separate analogue waveforms from two discrete MiniMod VCO modules.

The generative, percussive drone is produced purely by the Entropic Doom noise oscillator, with modulation from the Dual LFO, Sample & Hold modules, and Contour Generators modules creating the rhythm and random nature of the percussion - no sequencer needed.

Reverb was added, and recorded as a live performance/jam, no overdubs.

5. Patch of The Week: 'The Model' Melody - How to make a classic synth sound guide with patch sheet

This week's patch is inspired by the sound used in the melody line from Kraftwerk's 'The Model' (Das Model), performed on the basic AJH SYNTH MiniMod system, which is itself inspired by the Minimoog Model D. The original analogue synthesizers used for certain parts remains a source of many debates, but since it's well-known they were very fond of using the most famous monosynth ever made, and because the Moog sound is so evident in their classic tunes, I knew the Mini Mod would get us very close to Synthpop heaven. Eurorack Modular is unmatched for those sounds we haven't heard yet, but it can also get us as close, or even closer to any of the sounds of the past.

The basic MiniMod system includes 3 vintage transistor core VCO modules, transistor ladder filter, noise & glide, dual contour/envelope generators, and a discrete cascaded VCA. The VCF also has a 3-channel mixer for it's inputs.

Check out the AJH Synth playlists for more 'Patch of The Week' videos, which will be either performances or 'how to' guides detailing a range of sounds, some familiar, some less so, and each containing a patch sheet at the end to show you how to construct it for yourself.

6. Patch of The Week: 'Filter Drums' Part 1 - Analogue Cowbell w/ Fixed Filter Bank 914 (& VCF Clave)

This week's patch is the first of a short series showing ways to use filters for vintage rhythm/drum machine percussion style sounds, beginning with an analogue cowbell-type sound using the Fixed Filter Bank 914.

00:00 Patch of The Week: 'Filter Drums'
02:07 Patch Sheet

Some filters can be used to create tones without any input sound, simply by pushing them into self-oscillation (raising resonance beyond it's threshold point), but the Fixed Filter Bank is not a regular filter/VCF, so it works a little differently. Rather than controlling the overall frequency of the filter, each of it's bandpass filters has a preset frequency, for which you control the level. On the AJH Synth module they are deliberately tuned to one of two pitches when pushed into feedback, which makes it more musically useful. Here, I mix in some white noise to add texture to the feedback frequencies.

For comparison, I also included the Ladder Filter here to demonstate how a typical VCF (which can self-oscillate) can be controlled by a sequencer, with the steps controlling the pitches it produces. The point is that either module has it's advantages when used to synthesize particular sounds. In this video the ladder filter is producing simple tuned claves.

7. Patch of The Week: Ring SM - Large Bell Sounds with AJH Synth's Ring Modulator

How video guide with patch sheet showing how to create big, clangorous bell-like tones with the ring mod section of the Ring SM module, using both 2 and 3 oscillators, and some LFO modulation to create movement in the timbre of the sound.

00:00 Patch of The Week: Ring SM
00:34 Step-by-step Guide
05:18 Patch Sheet

The Ring SM is a Swiss army knife in Eurorack modular format, bringing four useful functions to any system, and is definitely one of the first options to consider when expanding the MiniMod system. Even for a tiny system with only one VCO the Ring SM would be a real game-changer, with it's deep, two sub-octave/sub-bass generators. Add it to two or three VCOs to get the best from it's all-analogue ring modulator, based on that from the EMS VCS3 synthesizer. Whatever you throw at it can be mixed in it's five-channel mixer based on the much-loved Moog CP-3, with saturation/drive/distortion, handling both audio and CV signals. Like all AJH Synth modules, this high-end 14hp utility module is designed and built to be played, with substantial controls and sockets/inputs kept tidily at the bottom for easy access to the pots, making it great for live performance and tweaking.

Check out the AJH Synth playlists for more user guides, and 'Patch of The Week' videos, which will be either performances or 'how to' guides detailing a range of sounds, some familiar, some less so, and each containing a patch sheet at the end to show you how to construct it for yourself.

8. Patch of The Week: Synth Strings to Vox Humana - A 'How-to' guide for monophonic analogue strings

This week's Patch of The Week demonstrates a way to create a monophonic string patch, with two variations - one using the AJH Synth Wave Swarm to create a vintage string synth sound, and then another just with two VCOs to achieve a Polymoog 'Vox Humana' inspired sound, both patches with and without analogue phaser courtesy of the Next Phase module.

The key module here for the first string sound is the Wave Swarm - it can make a huge difference to the size and spread of the sound from a single oscillator, but here it's used as two separate wave animators to add volume to the two sawtooth waves from two oscillators, either tuned at the same pitch or an octave apart. This ability to divide the module into two individual channels makes it especially useful for stereo patches.

The Next Phase is an incredibly flexible phase shifter/phaser, with extensive tonal range and CV control, but here it's used simply to capture the character of those phasers of the 70's, such as the much-loved Small Stone Phaser.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, the Polymoog was a very large, polyphonic synth/keyboard of the 1970's by Moog synthesizers. It was perhaps best known by many as the synth used in so many iconic songs by Gary Numan/Tubeway Army, in particular the track 'Cars'. It came in two versions; one was more like a preset synth with simple controls for variation (the 280A), but the original 1975 version (203A) was a much more fully featured synth.

00:00 Intro
00:14 Basic String Patch (Wave Swarm)
04:44 Strings with Phaser (Next Phase)
07:15 Polymoog 'Vox Humana'
09:00 Vox Humana & Phaser
10:16 Patch Sheet

9. Patch of The Week: 'White Noise of Doom' with the Fixed Filter Bank 914 from AJH Synth

This week's patch was created using the Fixed Filter Bank 914 and white noise from the Glide + Noise module, also accompanied by pink noise being filtered by the Transistor Ladder Filter.

The FFB914 has a huge sound, as can be heard from just feeding it some white noise it's 14 individual fixed filters seem to stack on top of each other in a way that is very unique - this is not a VCF, but also not like a graphic equaliser either, as some might expect. Because each of these bands is an analogue band pass filter, it also adds or changes the character of the sound. It is inspired by the vintage Moog 914 module from the modular systems of the 60's and 70's, having the same circuit topology, but with the ability to use CV to modulate the mix between both the black and white bands, and the wet and dry signal, it goes far beyond the original module and most of it's contemporaries. It's also a Eurorack modular skiff-friendly design.

00:00 Intro
00:15 Performance/Demo
06:37 Patch Sheet

10. Patch of The Week: Bass - From Halo to Horror (Powerful Analogue Synth Bass w/ AJH Synth MiniMod

This week's patch covers two bass sounds, built around the same base patch, but one with a high degree of overdrive using the Gain Switch module.
The first is inspired by a Depeche Mode bass sound from the track 'Halo', but here using sample & hold to modulate the filter, in addition to an envelope, both being triggered by the gate signal from a sequencer.
The second sound is a patch originally created for a 1980's Zombie movie-inspired track, in the spirit of such soundtracks of that period. This is mostly the same as the previous patch, but is driving both the Transistor Ladder Filter and VCA, with the help of the Gain Switch, to create a very overdriven, distorted sound. This was a similar method used on the Minimoog, where the headphone output would be connected to the external input jack to drive the synth harder than would normally be possible, however with the Gain Switch a much higher level of overdrive can be achieved.

00:00 Halo Bass
01:25 Horror Bass
02:55 Gain Switch
07:50 Patch Notes

11. Patch of The Week: Entropic Doom for Percussion Sounds & Bass Processing (with patch sheet & notes)

The Entropic Doom module from AJH Synth has many uses, one of which is generating percussive sounds. Since it generates noise, has a resonant voltage-controlled filter, which will track 1V/Oct, with 2, 3 and 4 pole modes, along with sync and audio-in functions, even a ring modulator, the module is capable of generating a wide variery of sounds or textures. In this video I use it to create simple noise-based percussion, then I blend in a square wave from a VCO to create a bassline, before sending 2 triangle waves to it's ring mod to generate a more unusual bass tone. I'm using a sequencer in conjuction with an envelope generator to control the frequency of the Entropic Doom's VCF. Patch notes and links to PDF below.

The rest of the sounds come from another modular voice I created just to demonstrate this usage in a musical context.

00:00 Entropic Percussion
03:21 Patch Sheet

Download Patch Sheet PDF: https://kvisit.com/8AE/pvUG

12. Patch of The Week: VCO Sync 'Laser Harp 46' - Jarre/Elka Synthex-inspired oscillator sync + Guide

This week's patch was loosely inspired by preset 46 of the Elka Synthex, which was used by Jean-Michel Jarre for his 'laser harp' sounds. This version involves less elements, as it would seem the original preset also involved a ring modulator, but it is commonly believed that the sync relationship between the two oscillators was actually modulated by a glide function, rather than an envelope, as is often the case with oscillator sync sounds. I wanted to test the musicality of this theory, and restrain my use of modules to just a single MiniMod voice, without the use of any additional modules, just to see what was possible.

00:00 Introduction
00:46 Setting up the patch
01:59 Sound Demonstration
04:16 Patch Diagram

A PDF of the Patch sheet and notes can be downloaded here: https://kvisit.com/8AE/pfUG

Patch notes:
Green dots show approximate pot and switch positions. Pots and switches that do not have green dots are not used in this patch, and should be left at their zero or off positions.
In the video I've connected the keyboard to the Glide + Noise module to access the CV bus and control the pitch of VCO3, but the keyboard is also connected directly to VCO2 (by way of a multiple) so that it bypasses the Glide function. Glide is only needed for VCO3. Additionally, I introduce a cable to the 1/Oct input of VCO1 to prevent it's pitch being controlled by the CV bus. This is because VCO1 is only being used as an LFO. The cable does not need to be connected to anything at the other end, it just serves to break the connection.
If you are not using the CV bus you will need to use a multiple or stacking cables to connect the keyboard to both the 1V/Oct input of VCO2, and the CV IN on the Glide module, then connect a cable from the Glide module's CV OUT to the 1V/Oct input of VCO3. If you are using this method you do not need to connect anything to the 1V/Oct of VCO1. The correct octave settings of VCOs 2 & 3 will depend on your controller, but they should be 2 octaves apart as shown, and VCO3 is also tuned +7 semitones higher than VCO2. Care needs to be take to ensure tuning is tight, so I'd recommend turning off the Glide function whilst doing so, and initially disconnecting the Sync input to VCO3. I have the input levels on the VCF quite high to get just a little drive in the sound, but if you set them at about 5 or lower the sound will be cleaner if so desired, then you can compensate for the volume loss using the Master level on the VCA. I've added the pulse wave from VCO2 to the VCF's input mixer just to fatten up the sound, but it's optional.
Modules used from left to right: Glide + Noise, Vintage Transistor VCO x3, Transistor Ladder Filter, Contour Generators, Discrete Cascaded VCA.